Necklace of Kisses: A Novel (Paperback)

by Francesca Lia Block (Author) "Where were the kisses?..." (more)
Key Phrases: witch baby, pink hotel, pink sandals, Zane Starling, Tristan Sable, Dashell Hart (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Readers who remember Weetzie Bat and My Secret Agent Lover Man's first kiss (a "kiss about apple pie à la mode with the vanilla creaminess melting in the pie heat") from their YA incarnation may be crushed to learn that they've shared no kisses since September 11, 2001. My Secret Agent Lover Man, though Weetzie's long-time lover, "was now just Max"; Weetzie, whom readers first met in 1989's Weetzie Bat, is now 40. As the novel opens, Weetzie packs a small bag and checks herself into a pink hotel in L.A., "seeking the kiss she had lost." There Weetzie embarks on a quest of sorts. She meets Shelley, whose kiss reveals that she is a mermaid and is the first of the title's necklace of kisses. Each kiss injects a bit more enchantment into Weetzie's life. Block carefully construes the kisses as complete in and of themselves. Weetzie never betrays Max; this is a novel of healing. Weetzie's many fans will most appreciate this reunion with the heroine and her Secret Agent Lover Man, Dirk and Duck and many more. But those just meeting Block's whimsical entourage and sparkling prose will also appreciate the book's message: that magic can be found in stolen moments and, in Dirk's words, though "love is a dangerous angel," it's well worth the risk. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
The gentle punk fairy-tale series about Weetzie Bat and her Los Angeles friends, lovers, and family broke new YA ground, and author Block has just received the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in YA literature. Now Weetzie Bat is 40 and facing a midlife crisis, and so is her boyfriend, Secret Agent Lover Man, who, since 9/11, just sits idly reading the newspaper. She leaves, hoping to find herself, but this time, rather than meditating in the wilderness, she remains in her beloved L.A., moving into the expensive and magical Pink Hotel, where she luxuriates in room service, gets her nails and toenails done, kisses a sushi-eating mermaid, chats to her father's ghost, and gets a necklace of gifts from a diva, an angel, a faun, and more. The self-parody is as wonderful as ever--Weetzie doesn't have to save the world; she can just go shopping--and, as always, the magic is in the detail: wearing her raspberry snakeskin sandals, dipping her roll in olive oil and basil, surreal stuff happens. Sometimes things get a little too "numinous" (Weetzie's favorite word), but the celebration of the silly and the magical in a scary, sad world will appeal to all those once-teen fans who remember Weetzie and, just like her, now need a rewrite. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (August 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060777524
• ISBN-13: 978-0060777524
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #201,389 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Re-unite with Weetzie and company; still magical at age 40, August 11, 2005

By	Jessica Lux (Rosamond, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Necklace of Kisses (Hardcover)

Fans of Weetzie and friends from the early 1990's will love seeing them all again facing modern issues. Secret Agent Lover Man has been depressed since seeing the twin towers burn, and there are no more kisses in the marriage, so Weetzie sets out to the pink hotel of her high school prom to find some magic. Her adventures are a delight to the senses, filled with exotic people, foods, tastes, jewels, and Weetzie's bright sense of fashion.

Everyone who loved the first magical world of Weetzie will not be disappointed. She has matured, and she deals with modern issues (including dishing about Botox), but her adventures are every bit as magical as before. I admire Block for creating a middle-aged heroine who is just as snazzy as she was in her 20's. Block also brings us back to the music Weetzie grew up on, which is a fun romp down memory lane.

Witch Baby really comes into her own in this novel, and in a reading by author Block to promote this book, she hinted that she was feeling there was more to the Witch Baby story, and another book might be forthcoming.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I've missed you, Weetzie!, June 25, 2006

By	Amanda E. Thomsen "Kiss My Aster" (Chicago) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Necklace of Kisses (Hardcover)

How comforting to know how Weetzie and her family are doing! I thought this book was excellent. I read it quickly, telling my husband to shut up when he tried to interupt.
Some of the reviews mentioned the 9/11 thing was a little heavy but I didn't get that, it was mentioned once- and Max always was a little intense.
God, I hope there's more!
I loved Weetzie before, but now... Wow!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The always magical Francesca Lia Block, March 21, 2006

By	Ruth E. Longoria "Love is never having to put... (Corpus Christi, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Necklace of Kisses (Hardcover)

I was surprised to find that this book had almost slipped me by. I am usually up to speed on her books. This book was just as amazing and magical as all her Weetzie Bat books. At 26, I was just as enthralled as when I discovered Block's books over 10 years ago. In fact, her mid-life crisis kind of mirrored what I am going through now faced with growing older. I loved it.