Too Big a Storm [Paperback]

Marsha Qualey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 24, 2004

Astronauts have taken the very first steps on the moon, yet Brady Callahan feels anything but hopeful. Her brother, an army private, is missing in Vietnam and she's stuck at home in Minnesota, worrying about him and not knowing how to make a difference.

Two newcomers in her life will help her find her path, though. There's the outspoken, charismatic Sally, who becomes entangled in a dangerous underground rebellion. Sally challenges Brady's practical nature and pulls her out of her shell enough to act on her attraction toward Mark, a young Vietnam vet who is as quiet and sensible as Sally is brash and risk-seeking. Through these relationships, Brady will find a way to feel at home in the storm of her troubled times&150to feel hopeful and to claim some happiness for herself.

An absorbing picture of the complicated Vietnam War era, Too Big a Storm is also a moving portrait of the healing power of family and friends, and of one exceptional young woman's self-discovery.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–The end of the 1960s as an era of social and political upheaval and change, spurred by technology as well as youthful energies, is well realized in this story that also offers strong character development and a palpable sense of place. At 18, Brady is so straitlaced that even her mother worries about her. During a family vacation, the teen meets wealthy and idealistic Sally Cooper. Back in Minneapolis, she returns to her part-time job at a church-based, social-service center and becomes aware of its director's radicalism with regard to the war in Vietnam. Sally tracks Brady down, and the two become acquainted with other college-aged students whose ideas both challenge and invigorate them. As autumn lengthens, Brady must cope with her changing relationships, the confirmed death of her brother in Vietnam, and Sally's disappearance underground in the wake of a campus bombing. Qualey presents a glorious cast of characters, each of whom adds texture and offers contrasting perspective to the protagonist: her widowed mother, her younger brothers, her boyfriend who is a Vietnam veteran, the politically astute Cooper family, and a shadowy FBI agent. Many details of 1969 and the ensuing year are sharply authentic, including the rapt public attention earned by the first Moon walk, but some seem odd and misplaced, such as the dissonance between Brady's ex-nun mother and her church. Readers probably won't care about such faltering details, however, and will feel rewarded by Brady's personal awakening to both friendship and social justice.–Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 10-12. In the summer of 1969, men have walked on the moon, and in Minneapolis, 18-year-old Brady is also stepping into new territory. Since her father's death, Brady has felt the weight of worry--for her two younger brothers, her clients at the community center, and her brother, Will, missing in Vietnam. Then she meets Sally and Paul Cooper, young, rebellious heirs who are enfolded into Brady's loving family even as they introduce her to 1960s drug culture, fluid romances, and civil disobedience. Sally's increasingly radical protests and the FBI's search for Will play out against Brady's own self-discovery as she begins college and falls in love. Dense, episodic, and reflective, Qualey's latest novel will appeal most to older teens. But in small details and larger events that parallel history, it captures the wild anguish of the times, including a glimpse of war's indelible aftermath. Its wholly appealing characters, including smart, nearly-too-perfect Brady, who struggles to balance responsibility and self-discovery, will also resonate with many readers. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Dial (May 24, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803728395
• ISBN-13: 978-0803728394
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,536,050 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story with big ideas and believably flawed characters, September 10, 2004

By 

Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Too Big a Storm (Paperback)

The summer of 1969 is life-altering for 18-year-old Brady Callahan. When she meets rich-girl Sally the night that men first walk on the moon, Sally kisses her on the lips, foretelling an unusual friendship:

" ...Did you like kissing me? Didn't do much for me."

Sally nodded thoughtfully. "Same, I guess. I want something to do that, Brady. I want to feel something and be shaken up."

"Be careful what you wish for."

Brady's belief that she can fix every situation is shaken when Sally finally finds her cause as a political radical opposing the Vietnam War. In the meantime, Brady's brother Will, fighting in Vietnam, vanishes. The FBI considers him to be a deserter and a traitor, leaving the family open to condemnation and confusion. Although someone using Will's name writes articles for a newsletter from Saigon called The Deserter Times, Brady is convinced that the writer is not her brother. Where did her brother go? Is he actually a prisoner --- or worse?

Brady will start college in the fall. Meanwhile, she works at the local center to assist vagrants, runaways and veterans. Here, she meets and falls in love with Mark, a young veteran. Although the relationship is important to her, it's just one thread of Brady's tumultuous life complete with family relations, peace demonstrations, job responsibilities, friends heading for the Woodstock musical festival, and government investigations into disappearances of people she loves.

TOO BIG A STORM is a good read filled with big ideas, set in a fascinating era. Brady, a likeable character in a cast of believably flawed humans (there's not a stereotype in the lot), matures in a realistic and gratifying manner. Recommended!

--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Qualey's best!, September 26, 2008

By 

Jennifer Davis Kay - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Too Big a Storm (Paperback)

I'm a big fan of all of Marsha Qualey's books, and this may be a new favorite. Brady is an engaging heroine, and her search for answers about her brother had me captivated. I especially love that (without giving anything away) one of the "big clues" found by the agents means something entirely different to Brady, she who knows her brother better than anyone.

But beyond the gripping plot, I fell in love with the characters - Sally in particular, whose charisma engulfed me as well as Brady. And Sally's brother Paul, whom we're prepared to write off as a total jerk upon first meeting, but who then became a favorite character as well - I was thoroughly engaged in his own journey. Brady's mom, Father Tom - so many of the characters could've had their own books.

As a mom of two young kids, I do a lot of my reading in the tub (alone time is hard to come by!) and I often judge books by the length of my bath. I emptied our water heater two nights running to finish "Too Big a Storm." It is a very good book and a wonderful read. I highly recommend it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Misses the Mark, February 9, 2008

By 

P. Jongbloed "pjamok" (pjamok) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Too Big a Storm (Hardcover)

While the premise is good, the writing is just adequate. A novel should engulf the reader and transport him or her into the story. The writing is too flat to do this. The way the characters meet isn't really believable and poor Brady is always washing dishes. Maybe teens will like the flat simplicity of the writing, but as an adult it doesn't measure up.