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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An entertaining read, November 3, 2003
TRUE BLUE FOREVERby Joyce Sterling Scarbrough Publish America, LLC Jeana Russell is not your typical 15-year-old. Despite her fiery good looks, she is more interested in books than boys; that is, until she meets Mickey Royal. She falls madly in love with the handsome athlete, and soon discovers that Mickey, who went to grammar school with her but lived out of state until recently, has pined over her for years. They pledge each other their undying devotion. Meanwhile, two other young men long for Jeana's affections. Billy Joe hides his breaking heart by cracking jokes, Wade by becoming the high school's star fullback and routinely drinking himself into a stupor. Billy Joe's relationship with Jeana develops into a deep friendship, but Wade, a victim of child abuse, thinks the only girl in the world who could ever make him happy is Jeana. He pursues her as a delinquent would, with taunts, innuendos and physical force. Consequently, Wade and Mickey frequently come to blows. Which of the three will ultimately win Jeana's heart? I won't tell. Read it for yourself. Set in Alabama in the 1970s, True Blue Forever sets a fast pace. Many readers will appreciate the fact that Joyce Scarbrough does not bore them with description and flowery phrases. Much of the story is told through clever, peppy dialog. Her characters are warm and likeable. The story built in intensity until I was so eager to know the ending that I actually skipped ahead to make sure everything came out all right. The ability to hold the reader's interest is one mark of a good writer, and Joyce Scarbrough certainly has it. I began reading True Blue Forever with the idea that it was geared for the teenaged reader. However, I soon discovered it is more appropriate for adults. Although it is certainly not X-rated, it contains too much vulgarity and explicit sexual scenes for me to recommend it to my 16-year-old son. More troubling is the fact that it is written from an amoral standpoint. The protagonists abstain from sex before marriage not because it is wrong, but because they fear pregnancy will keep them from their goals. When they do succumb to temptation, their actions are not shown to be immoral, but merely premature. Jeana does perform a valiantly unselfish act for her lover, however, and is a true heroine. Toward the end of the book, both protagonists thank God that everything has turned out all right. Overall, in spite of the objections raised in the preceding paragraph, True Blue Forever is an engaging and entertaining read.
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by Maggie Stiefvater
