From Publishers Weekly
This accomplished first novel, set in the late '50s, brings uncommon depth to what at first glance seems a conventional plot?16-year-old Bron Lewis moves with her family from New Jersey to Ojala, Calif., and wants to fit in. Despite providing two radically different potential boyfriends for Bron, Hobbs is far more ambitious and skillful a writer than to focus on teen romance. For starters, the family is scarred by Mr. Lewis's suicide attempt two years ago, a trauma that haunts Bron and complicates her attitudes toward her parents, who run a diner as charming and unsuccessful as Anne Tyler's Homesick Restaurant. Bron, an unusually astute narrator, coolly dissects her feelings and her impressions. Admiring the pleasure-minded Ojala teens, she is mindful of their shallowness even as she, too, cruises down the strip and enters a few drag races. Lusting after J.C., a James Dean type, she can't understand her attraction to Will, the West Point-bound son of a family with more breeding than money. Hobbs's winding, sometimes slow-moving plot takes in serious issues?domestic violence, teen sex, alcoholism?and measures their effect on relationships. Her pacing may be off, but her insights are invariably canny. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up?This sensitive, complex coming-of-age novel immerses readers in the world of Ojala, CA circa 1960. At 16, Bron is angry. Having lost her adoration for her alcoholic father following his botched suicide attempt, she is disdainful of her mother's support of his dream to open his own restaurant. Also, Bron, a talented pianist, is afraid that she'll never fit in. But when she becomes friends with enigmatic Lanie, a beauty pageant-winning poor girl, she delves quickly into the popular lifestyle of drinking, hot rods, dating, and sliding by at school. Bron is smitten by J.C., a nearly mythical older guy who lets her race his Deuce at the local dragstrip in the women's heat. When Will, a well-bred, serious young man from a ranch family enters her life, they begin an innocent romance. After Will departs for West Point, she loses her virginity to J.C. and immediately regrets it. When Will is found dead (the circumstances are unclear), Bron realizes how much her actions matter. She matures emotionally and develops her musical talent (as revealed in the epilogue) with the help of Will's mother. Bron's is a believable and realistic voice. Her changing self-image and relationships are beautifully detailed, as are the interesting assortment of supporting (NOT minor) characters and the physical world they inhabit. The themes are subtly evoked and life's lessons are learned the hard way. A powerfully written and memorable debut.?Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Jr. High School, Iowa City, IA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
