tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38169123546562734492024-03-13T19:19:30.274-05:00Carly's Malt ShopHopelessly Devoted to Fifties Teen RomancesCarlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-47899843922236123172021-08-26T22:09:00.003-05:002021-08-26T22:19:04.388-05:00Welcome Home, Mrs. Jordon by Janet Lambert (1953)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L5PcOG5Ac9Y/YMDxRraPF6I/AAAAAAAAVJk/IcrOgTtqqcgYJ1DJlNQJRK7Qpc2QQf-kgCLcBGAsYHQ/s253/welcome-home-mrs-jordon-by-janet-lambert-12.gif" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="186" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L5PcOG5Ac9Y/YMDxRraPF6I/AAAAAAAAVJk/IcrOgTtqqcgYJ1DJlNQJRK7Qpc2QQf-kgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/welcome-home-mrs-jordon-by-janet-lambert-12.gif" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>pic from Image Cascade</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;">When we left Tippy Parrish in <i><b><a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2016/09/rainbow-after-rain-by-janet-lambert-1953.html#more">Rainbow After Rain</a></b></i>, she was working at a television studio and recovering from the loss of her beau Ken Prescott, who was killed in Korea. Steadfast, devoted Peter Jordon has been in love with her for years, but she was still grieving for Ken and unsure about her feelings for Peter. At the end of the novel, she has put away Ken's picture and is engaged to Peter.</p><p style="text-align: left;">As <i><b>Welcome Home, Mrs. Jordon</b></i> opens, Tippy has just returned from shopping for her trousseau and is chatting with her sister Penny about her wedding with Peter, who is stationed in Texas. Janet Lambert provides a typically graceful introduction to past events and to the Parrish/Jordon family as Tippy and Penny chat about the complications of having a wedding in an army family.</p><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><p><i>"Even Tippy saw humor in the situation and had to laugh. But she did say ruefully, 'If it hadn't taken me so long to discover I was in love with Peter, I'd have had a whole year with him by now, in Texas. I don't know why I was so stupid.'</i></p></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><p><i>'There was Ken Prescott,' Penny said. It seemed she was never to see the hat and dresses, so she snatched the opportunity to ask, 'You don't grieve for Ken now, do you, cherub?'</i></p></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><p><i>'No.' Tippy's little face was serene as she answered. 'I loved him very much, I'll always love him. Peter understands that. The world stopped for a while, when word came that he'd been killed in Korea. I hurt so terribly in my heart--I still hurt sometimes, but not when I'm with Peter.'"</i></p></blockquote><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Tippy is preparing to move to Germany with Peter as soon as he's stationed there (and they're married, of course.) She's all set with woolly sweaters and pants, planning on buying new skis, and has a fabulous fur on order. She's lived in Switzerland before (see <a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2013/06/little-miss-atlas-by-janet-lambert-1949.html"><i><b>Little Miss Atlas</b></i></a>) so she's pretty prepared for her new world.</p><p style="text-align: left;">That is, until Peter calls and informs her that he's been ordered to Panama and they have two weeks to plan a wedding before he arrives and they take the transport to Panama. Cue mild panic.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><i></i></p><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><p><i>"Why, she had a whole wardrobe to exchange and a wedding to plan! Goodness only knew how she could ever accomplish it all.</i></p><p><i>'I love you so much,' Peter broke into her chaotic thoughts to say, 'Good-by, childie, darling.'</i></p><p><i>Childie. What a silly nickname. Sillier even than the cherub Penny had started and Ken had picked up. But so dear, so sweet when Peter said it, for her wasn't given to extravagant endearments. He wrenched out compliments as if he were whacking a nail on the head with a hammer. So Tippy replied softly, 'Good-by, most wonderful man in the world,' and waited to be sure there would be no further sound of his voice."</i></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;">Sidebar: I cannot get behind this nickname at all. How is it pronounced? Child-EE? CHILL-dee? Either way, it's such a strange nickname that it trips me up every time I read it. Not to mention, the child part is a little creepy in a way that 'cherub' isn't.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Wedding planning takes off full force as well as the much returning of clothing (even the fabulous fur, even though the lining was embroidered with Tippy's name, which apparently was something you did.) We get a reminder of the complicated Jordon family as they fly in to New York for the wedding and need to be put up all over town.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><i></i></p><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><i>"General Jordon had managed to rear three sets of motherless children, hos own, his second wife's, the three who where theirs together, plus an orphaned nephew."</i></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"> As they get ready for the wedding, Tippy and Peter take some time out of the frantic preparations to talk about the realities of marriage. When Tippy asks if they'll quarrel, Peter thinks to himself:</p><p style="text-align: left;"><i></i></p><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><i>He knew she had been floating on air for ten days and was searching for solid footing. Marriage was real; not just a golden cloud to rest on, drifting leisurely through a rainbow sky. It was more like a well-balanced meal that either kept you healthy or push away your plate and starve to death. Golden clouds and whipped cream sundaes couldn't hold their own against a plain blue sky and a dependable menu, savory and well-seasoned. </i></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;">Before getting married, Tippy finds time to check in on Peter's little sister Susan, now fourteen years old and in need of a little big sistering. (Her story is coming up very soon in the Jordon/Parrish rotation, so this is important.)</p><p style="text-align: left;">Finally the day of the wedding arrives, and Tippy is being driven to the church by her parents', standing up so as not to muss her dress. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><i></i></p><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><i>"The two dear heads were so close. By holding on and bending a little more, Tippy could put her face between theirs. 'I love you both so much,' she whispered. 'Right at this minute--and it seems awful to say it--I love you more than anyone else in the world.' </i></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><p><i>'Not more than Peter, darling.'</i></p><p><i>'No, but I'm going to have Peter. You see,' Tippy tried to explain, 'I'll have Peter but I'll be losing you. This is a silly time to tell you how much I love you, standing up all humped over like this, but I have to. I feel as if I'll just die if you don't know it.'" </i></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;">At the wedding, both her mother and father give her away, just as they did at Penny's wedding, and suddenly it's all over. Tippy is in an utter daze through the entire event, which Lambert depicts so beautifully. Although Tippy and Peter are staying at the Waldorf, Tippy longs for her family so they stay at the Parrishes with all of the bustling family chaos. These family scenes are a great peek into the giant family Jordon/Parrish family, with supercilious Gwenn, sweet Alice, beautiful Carrol, and children Davy, Lang and Bitsy, who grow up to have their own stories.</p><p style="text-align: left;">And with that, Peter and Tippy are off to his posting in Panama. Packed up and bringing their two dogs, Rollo and Switzy, they head for their transport. </p><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><p><i>"They had reached the crowded city of Brooklyn. The Army Base loomed ahead of them, and beyond it, hidden by the gray block of buildings and shut off from the civilian world by a high wire fence, was the port. There ships waited to carry soldiers and cargo, tanks, plans, and guns, to all parts of the world."</i></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;">Can't you just see it? After a tearful good-bye to her family, Tippy sails off with Peter. Although the sea is rocky at first, she settles in and makes friends with some of the other couples. They stop off in Guantanamo, San Juan, and Trinidad before arriving in hot and humid. Tippy explores with the dogs then meets up with Peter to find their new house.</p><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><blockquote><p></p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i>"'Funny how high the houses are built up,' Tippy said, looking. They seem to be standing on stilts, and some of them have cars parked underneath and part of the space made into an outdoor room. See the tables and chairs under this one? And a regular laundry, and clotheslines.'"</i></p></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><p></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;">They settle into their little house with tile floors and no window screens, but they have the standard old army furniture so familiar to Tippy. She decorates their new home and cleans and cooks and impresses Peter and some of the older army wives with her housekeeping. She plans a party and all is going well until the dogs wreak havoc, she forgets to put the roast in the oven, and has just calmed down when "a familiar, choking odor reached her." The DDT truck is coming by to spray and Tippy races around to close up whatever she can, but:</p><p style="text-align: left;"><i></i></p><blockquote><i>"Insecticide was already pouring in in a cloud. The rooms reeked of it, and the welcome odor of sizzling meat was lost in its choking stench."</i></blockquote><p></p><blockquote><span><i> 'I'll take mosquitoes and window screens,' she coughed, unrolling waxed paper and covering her long array of plates on the work counter."</i></span></blockquote><p>The party goes off about as well as it starts. Long, awkward pauses, everything tastes like DDT, and Tippy forgot to open the window louvers so everyone is sweating hot. And then the lights go off. Somehow, the guests begin to enjoy themselves and the newlyweds head off to bed, exhausted. </p><p>Peter is happy with his army work, house and wife, but although Tippy tries to make the best of her new life, she is terribly homesick and lonely. She doesn't share her loneliness with him, and Peter wonders if she's regretting marrying him and still pining for Ken Prescott. She pours out her heart to her mother and sister Penny in tear-stained letters, and the Parrish women confer and do their best to help via letters, but to no avail.</p><p>It takes a visit from an unhappy Gwenn, fighting with her movie star husband Bill, and counseling her, for Tippy to appreciate her life with Peter. She tries to make the best of it and gets closer to the other army wives, who previously bored her with their stories of children and domestic life. In the final chapter, Tippy and Peter talk about their troubles. </p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><i>"...she said slowly, 'When we talked about married, before we were married, we planned about quarreling. We decided just how we'd handle everything when we quarreled, but we didn't talk about what we'd do if we didn't pull together.'"</i></blockquote><p></p><p>Tippy tells him about how she hasn't been able to bring out her family photos because she's been so homesick, and realizes that he thought her memories of Ken were part of their problems. She reassures him:</p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><i>"'Any other love I've ever had was small, compared to the love I have for you. I can look back now and see why I never could put you out of my mind and why I always turned to you when I needed help or advice. Romance is one thing, Peter; and deep, true love that's </i>mixed<i> with romance, and tenderness, and adoration, is another. That's what I have for you. Please believe that.'"</i></blockquote><p></p><p>And with that, Tippy puts out the family photographs and Peter invites her outside so he can scoop her up and carry her over the threshold into their new, more happily settled life.</p><p>Janet Lambert writes homesickness and loneliness so well. I feel for Tippy, a young bride all alone in a new, unfamiliar country so far from her beloved family. Lambert beautifully evokes Peter and Tippy's relationship as they get to know each other and married life. It's complex and full of heart. If I'm being honest, Peter doesn't do much for me as a Lambert hero. He does seem a little dull and that 'childie' nickname gives me a creepy feeling. But it's a marvelous story and I loved reading Tippy's journey as a newly married army wife.</p><p></p><p></p>Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-53306921111465855882016-09-08T21:55:00.002-05:002020-11-21T09:16:32.385-06:00Rainbow After Rain by Janet Lambert (1953)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A longtime collector of Janet Lambert's books, I recently gave up the twenty-year search for the missing volumes in my collection, and ordered them via Image Cascade. It's so exciting to finally be filling in the pieces of the long and involved Parrish/Jordon family series.<br />
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<i><b>Rainbow After Rain</b></i> (1953 - #25) directly follows <a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2013/06/dont-cry-little-girl-by-janet-lambert.html" target="_blank"><i><b>Don't Cry, Little Girl</b></i></a>, in which Tippy Parrish's beau Ken Prescott is killed in action in Korea. Tippy spends the second half of the book trying to deal with her grief, her family's sympathy, and the still-devoted Peter Jordon, who has been in love with Tippy for years.<br />
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As <i>Rainbow After Rain</i> begins, we find Tippy Parrish working as an errand girl at a television studio. Her sister Penny invites her out to a swanky lunch and calls her "cherub," a term of endearment Ken had picked up as well. </div>
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<i>"She was suddenly lost and lonely. High above New York with its rush and noisy commotion, its crush of people all trying to go somewhere, climbing to success like a lot of pygmies scaling a ladder, she was just a small, disappointed girl with no particular ambition, staring out at a summer sky.</i>"</blockquote>
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Penny has an exciting opportunity for Tippy--to play a part in Penny's new play. But Tippy demurs the offer. She is living at home with her parents, her beloved dog Switzy and Trudy, who, as always, has words of wisdom to share. She talks with Tippy about Peter Jordon and Tippy goes upstairs to contemplate the two pictures on her dresser of Ken and Peter. She's terribly muddled about her feelings for Peter. He was so kind to her when she was grieving, but does she feel more for him than friendship?</div>
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At work, Tippy's boss breaks her leg and Tippy needs to take over and work much harder. In the midst of the hot August a poor, overworked Tippy gets a call from Peter letting her know he's coming home on leave. Tippy is excited and brings her prettiest dress to work to meet him. A little sweet banter:</div>
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<i>"'Oh, Peter,' she said, 'you do look as beautiful as you said you would.'</i></blockquote>
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<i>'I'm a handsome cuss. By reversing all accepted standards, I could win first prize in a beauty show.' His nice grin flashed down and he held her away to look at her. 'Boy, oh, boy, you're something to see,' he said, and hugged her so hard her little hat went off the back of her head. 'I'm the proudest guy in New York.'"</i></blockquote>
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They go out for dinner and make plans to spend more time together in the coming days. As they chat, Tippy reflects: </div>
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<i>"Dear, companionable Peter, she thought for the hundredth time in the last few years...solid and predictable. As dependable and even running as an electric clock. She sighed a little."</i></blockquote>
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Tippy notes his references to his happy bachelor life, and finds herself puzzled and a little disappointed. Meanwhile, Alice Jordon Drayton is enjoying married life to Jonathan Drayton. Loving both Tippy and Peter, and wanting to help them achieve the same kind of happiness she has, she comes up with a plan. She invites Christy (Jonathan's pretty sister) to visit as well. <i>"'She can make a play for Peter that will knock Tip for a loop.'</i>" Then it turns into a big house party, the first of Alice and Jon's married life.</div>
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As happy as she is in domestic life, Alice still has a bit of sassiness to her. She tells Jon about a visit she had from a census taker who asked her occupation.</div>
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<i>"'I said, 'I'm a </i>home executive<i>.' I am. I think 'housewife' is inadequate. Running a home, not just a house, takes execution. And management, and a lot of brains.'"</i></blockquote>
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Jon, being the enlightened husband he is, agrees completely. Peter and Tippy arrive, and soon the four are joking around as usual. Tippy loses a race, and Peter decides her forfeit is a kiss, but Tippy delays the forfeit. Christy arrives, and is pretty and charming, and Peter notices. Tippy notices Peter noticing and feels some strange pangs of jealousy.</div>
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Peter and Tippy go off on a picnic together, but with much reluctance by Tippy. She and Ken had many happy picnics together, but Peter makes her go, and keeps pushing her despite her increasingly surly attitude. She eventually blows up at him and Peter says: <i>"'Blow another gasket, kid, it'll do you good.'" </i>And it does, as her tantrum releases some of her tension and anxiety.</div>
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They head back to Alice's for the party, where Alice has a treasure hunt planned. Christy and Peter are paired together, and Tippy gets more pangs of jealousy. But Christy wants to return to her own beau and hangs up her part in Alice's scheme. The foursome head to the beach and another race and another forfeit takes place.</div>
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<i>"Peter just stood and grinned. 'Forfeit delayed,' he said in such a low tone that Tippy felt a delightful quiver of anticipation. He wasn't pining for Christy!"</i></blockquote>
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At the beach, Peter shares the news that he has to go to the Pentagon and decide whether he will go to the Far Eastern Command or to Turkey. He hopes that Tippy has some ideas about his decision, especially since his going to Turkey means he could get married and bring his wife, but Tippy hides her feelings.</div>
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<i>"There wasn't really any way to figure it out, so he obeyed his longing and slide closer to her. 'I think I'll claim my forfeit now,' he said, twisting her around. 'Sit up, childie, and take your medicine.' And he pressed their lips roughly together."</i></blockquote>
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There's no comment on how Tippy feels about having her lips pressed roughly against Peter's. </div>
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Back at work, an actress is out, and the producer wants Tippy to step in, She refuses, but finds a coworker who will do the part beautifully. She quits her job, still in a muddle about her life and what she wants to do. She visits with Penny, with whom she has a heart-to-heart about Peter and Ken. Penny says;</div>
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<i>"'You have to face things. You'll never know what life with Ken might have been. You'll never have the chance to know. It might have been very beautiful, or you might each have changed and found someone else before it came time to be married.'"</i></blockquote>
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Penny reminds her that <i>"it takes two to bring about a marriage" </i>and Tippy heads off to do a little pursuing of Peter. She stops at Alice's and before she can prepare herself, Peter is there, and she flies off the handle again. He calms her down, declares his love, and:</div>
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<i>"she bent over to wipe her eyes and cheeks and even her wet trembling lips on the hem of her cotton skirt. 'I look so awful,' she wept again, coming up. 'But I--I love you so much. Oh, Peter, will you marry me?'"</i></blockquote>
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He said as soothingly as he could, <i>"'Stop</i> crying<i>, Tippy! I'd be very happy to marry you.'"</i></div>
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<i>"Her lips came up to meet his in the first real kiss he had ever given him. It was a kiss of love--tender, passionate, and clinging; and it made him know, ever more than her words had done, that her heart belonged to him now, completely and without reserve."</i></blockquote>
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He gives her a "miniature" of his West Point ring, and she wants to get married immediately and return to Texas with him. But the family and Peter talk her down, thinking that she wants to marry before she changes her mind. As the book ends, Tippy puts away Ken's picture and tells Peter that she wanted to marry him immediately because she was frightened of losing him as she lost Ken. They kiss, and fade out.</div>
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This book has a really interesting plot running through it. I feel suspicious that fifties sensibilities and the return to homemaking life for women is pervading this series. Although Penny is still a successful, hardworking actress, Alice seems content to stay at home creating a home with her husband. Tippy seems easily dissuaded from working, although by all accounts, she is good at her job. Her boss, Miss Turnbull, seems to be the fifties spectre of the working woman, the spinster who is obsessed with her job because she has nothing else going on in her life.</div>
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Again, Janet Lambert's gifts are in her creations of solid, realistic relationships. The turning of a grieving Tippy to patient Peter could easily be a tenuous, unrealistic connection based on her loneliness, but Lambert works hard to create a connection between Peter and Tippy that is based on friendship and real love. It's a lovely payoff for both characters.</div>
Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-80853320207180503412016-09-07T20:31:00.000-05:002019-12-08T21:16:06.996-06:00Don't Cry, Little Girl by Janet Lambert (1952)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>While Tippy Parrish eagerly awaited the arrival of Ken Prescott, she dreamed of love and marriage. And when she found his sentiments to be the same as hers, her happiness bubbled over. Then, quite suddenly, Ken's leave was cancelled. With a heavy heart, Tippy put away the lovely tablecloth she had purchased for their game of make-believe at being married.</i><br />
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<i>As Tippy bravely say Ken off to Korea on the morning plan, she gave some serious thought to the months that lay ahead. She would learn how to knit, to sew, and to cook, against the day when they would be reunited once again. She would write him regularly, and look forward to receiving his precious letters.</i><br />
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<i>Busy with school--with comforting Peter Jordon and the weekly hops at West Point--time did pass. But one day, the world almost came to an end for Tippy, and all her hopes were shattered . . . This is one of Mrs. Lambert's most unusually charming and appealing stories. (from the inside flap)</i><br />
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Let me refer you to the last line of the inside flap blurb: "one of Mrs. Lambert's most unusually charming and appealing stories." Spoiler: the blurb writer has a very strange idea of what connotes charming. Of course, the books are all charming and appealing, but this novel has some incredibly serious emotional heft to it.<br />
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We open as the Parrishes are driving from New York to Washington, D.C., bringing Tippy to meet Ken Prescott on his quick leave before he heads to Korea. They check into a hotel (with two rooms and a sitting room for proper entertaining) and set to discussing Tippy's relationship with Ken.<br />
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<i>"All the Parrish children were accustomed to discussing their feeling with their parents. Happiness always bubbled out of them in gay little fountains; and when they were drenched in a sudden shower of sorrow, they ran for comfort and loving advice."</i></blockquote>
Tippy eagerly awaits Ken's arrival at the hotel and finally there's a knock on the door:<br />
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<i>"'Cherub,' he said. And Tippy ran straight into his outstretched arms.<br />'Oh, cherub, darling,' he breathed as his lips met hers and that was the kiss Tippy had worried about, and a proposal of marriage, all rolled into one."</i></blockquote>
Tippy and Ken talk to the Parrishes about love and marriage, go on a picnic above the Pentagon, and plan for the future. Although Tippy considers them engaged, Ken is realistic about the fact that Tippy is just eighteen and Ken is headed off to war in Korea.<br />
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<i>"'I'm going into a war, Tippy; but I'm coming back. Your love will bring me back. Just keep thinking and knowing we'll have all the rest of our lives together. We will.'"</i></blockquote>
After their picnic, they drive past Arlington Cemetery, where Ken asks casually if Tippy's ever been there. Tippy has; lots of times. When they return to the hotel, they engage in a fanciful pretense that they are an ordinary couple, relaxing at home. They're having a lovely time, when Ken's bosses call and tell him that he is heading out the next day--a few days earlier than expected. As they say their goodbyes, Tippy reflects:<br />
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<i>"'For two whole years, I've gone around all mixed up and dissatisfied. I didn't know what was wrong with me; and now it's just as if a bright, dazzling light had been turned on and I can see.' She caught her breath with a little gasp and said as she let it out, 'I didn't know love could do this to you.'"</i></blockquote>
Ken leaves and Tippy is sad but elated at her newfound love and their future together. She breaks the news to Alice, and to the always understanding Peter. Tippy goes to college, but is bored with it. She tries domestic housekeeping, learning to sew and cook (not very successfully.) She visits Peter at West Point, who is again, very understanding. She makes a few friends at college and sets one up with Bobby. Then, Alice breaks the news that she will be marrying Jon Drayton in June. David gets his orders to ship out, and Ken continues to write.<br />
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We get a brief look into Ken's life in Korea as he writes his Christmas letter to Tippy:<br />
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<i>"Tippy couldn't know that Ken had taken his precious rest hour to scribble that last note; that grimy, aching from fatigue and cold, he had sat in a bombed hut with its windows out, its roof blown off, holding a cup of hot coffee in his hands to warm his stiff fingers enough to hold a pencil."</i></blockquote>
He writes another letter as well, one that is much harder to write, the one that reads: "<i>To be mailed in the event of my death."</i><br />
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Christmas comes and goes and Tippy is not receiving any new letters from Ken. The family begins to make cautious inquiries through the Pentagon, but no news. She is snowed in at school one day, and has a lovely time, riding in a sleigh up to West Point for the weekend.<br />
<br />
While she's having a marvelously gay time, the family gets the news that Ken has been killed. Mrs. Parrish speaks to Peter, with Tippy for the weekend, and asks him to break the news to her, that Ken died of wounds after he'd been evacuated and placed in a hospital behind the lines.<br />
<br />
And very gently, he does. Penny's husband Josh comes to get her and brings her and Peter home to the Parrishes. Tippy is quiet and still, and won't cry. The family agonizes, and Trudy steps in with some hard truths and love.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'You can stay in this room for all the rest of your life, but you ain't ever goin' to see him walk in that door with his eyes shinin' an' his arms held out.' She pushed deep into Tippy's numbed emotions and stirred them to a sluggish wakefulness."</i></blockquote>
She finally breaks down and cries, and Peter carries her down to the living room, where he watches over her. She is grieving, and finally Ken's last letter reaches her. He asks her not to cry, and not to grieve too much:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Love me always, as I'll love you wherever I am. Keep me deep in your heart; but let the love we've had lead you on to another love that will fulfill the good life we planned."</i></blockquote>
Soon, Peter's graduation and Alice's wedding are approaching, and Tippy gets through them all. The book ends with Peter making a mild declaration of love.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'I'm such a different kind of guy. But I love you, Tippy. I'd do my level best to make you happy.'"</i></blockquote>
And the book ends, with Peter's hand warm in hers, and<i> "only her heart wept in the silence."</i><br />
<br />
<i>Don't Cry, Little Girl </i>is moving, emotional, sad, poignant and heart-breaking. Lambert really digs into the family relationships and how grief affects the family and friends and how hard it is to know how to help heal. Again, some really lovely writing about love and marriage, and Ken's letter is wonderfully eloquent and generous. Even by today's standards--perhaps especially by today's standards--Lambert's writing about love and relationships is unusually wise and complex and insightful.Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-18976863182130085762016-09-01T22:43:00.000-05:002019-12-08T21:16:21.512-06:00Miss America by Janet Lambert (1951)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>A year in another country can be a very, very long time, and Tippy Parrish is not at all sure she is going to like the changes time has wrought on this side of the Atlantic. For one thing, pretty clothes cost much more than they did a year ago. And people have changed too: Bobby, unpredictable brother Bobby, wants to leave West Point to go into advertising; and Alice Jordon, Tippy's beloved "Alcie," seems just a shade distant, with a secret she doesn't care to share.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>But most painful of all to Tippy is that her dear Peter Jordon keeps getting lost behind a smoke screen of memories raised by handsome Lieutenant Ken Prescott whom she left behind in Germany.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Tippy is frankly bewildered. Then out of a clear sky, war in Korea looms, and the entire Parrish clan is forced into making some pretty important decisions. How does Tippy handle the situation? In her very special "Tippy" way--and what could be more fascinating! (from the inside flap)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
We open with the return of the Parrishes to New York, with the whole family greeting them with great excitement and love. Penny reflects on Tippy:<br />
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<i>"She was such a lovely combination of all the Parrishes. Dark eyes and brown hair had blended with blue and blond, and had turned to gold for Tippy. She was all cream and gold, but for her curving red mouth that had winking dimples at its corners."</i></blockquote>
Tippy is excited to see Alice and Peter waiting for her as well. [Sidebar: Through these novels, people keep calling Alice "Alcie" and when I was a young person, I always thought it was a massive typo.] Tippy decides to go home with Alice and Peter instead of her family and thinks about Peter, <i>"the boy who had topped her list on Governors Island."</i><br />
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<i>"Clean-cut, with fine gray eyes. Not handsome--when matched against a certain young lieutenant she had known in Germany--but with a firm trustworthy mouth, and the same sweet smile she had remembered. His light hair was a little longer and crisper than its one-time boyish crew cut, and it softened the stark plane of his cheek and made him seem--seem ... Tippy giggled inwardly at her quick, pleasurably summation of him ...darned attractive."</i></blockquote>
Through these novels, Peter goes back and forth in Tippy's estimation between handsome and not quite handsome. Depends on the day, I guess. Alice and Peter bring her back to General Jordon's house on Governors Island. Peter, fully aware of his competition in Ken Prescott, kisses her hello and prepares her for the fact that he, too, has been dating. Alice fills Tippy in on Maxsie, and Tippy fills in Alice on Ken. But Alice evades questions about other boys she might have seen while Tippy was gone (for example, Jonathan Drayton), while Tippy suffers pangs of jealousy about Peter.<br />
<br />
After Tippy has a rough night of homesickness, she and Alcie get up and go shopping for beautiful dresses. They meet Gwenn at the Waldorf, where Maxsie is lunching with Gwenn. At the lunch: <i>"Tippy wondered where she came in. She was neither ultra-smart nor happily unconcerned."</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Tippy returns to Penny's apartment, where Penny gives her some new evening dresses and a new fur coat. Tippy remarks at Penny's kindness and Penny shares a few wise words:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'Don't ever willingly hurt people, Tippy. If they hurt you, try to see what makes them do it. Turn your thoughts into their thoughts and try to see what circumstances make them behave as they do. Josh has shown me how to do that.'"</i></blockquote>
Mrs. and Colonel Parrish are in Washington, as Colonel Parrish recovers from his recently re-injured war wound. Penny and Carrol and their families have a plan to buy the Parrishes a house near both of their stately estates. Tippy convinces Carrol and David to come up to the Point for a hop, and Tippy has a wonderful time with Peter.<br />
<br />
Penny and Tippy head out to the new Parrish house, which Tippy is ready to decorate for her parents, and receives her first letter from Ken Prescott, addressed to <i>"Cherub darling."</i> Tippy almost collapses for joy, and then sadness as she misses him.<br />
<br />
Good news soon comes, as Switzy, Tippy's beloved dog who was a present from Ken, is soon to arrive in America. She goes to visit Peter, and he hopes to take her down the path to the Kissing Rock. She evades in a very honest way, and they have a talk about their possible love. Peter ends with <i>"'You're the tops, Tippy, the cream. You're the girl I want.'"</i><br />
<br />
Tippy's busy preparing the house for her parents, which is supposed to be a grand surprise. But when her mother calls and sounds exhausted, Tippy shares the good news. Her parents returned and are pleased with the house, which is a suitable place for Colonel Parrish's retirement. All is well until the family learns that Bobby is doing very poorly in his work at West Point. This book's significant heart-to-heart (every Lambert book has one that is particularly important) is between Tippy and Bobby, as they talk very seriously about his career in the army, and how he's not sure it's for him. Tippy enlists Peter to talk sense into Bobby.<br />
<br />
Winter plods on and there is talk of war, especially from the television set the Parrishes have purchased for their country home. Tippy briefly considers the idea of becoming a WAC--after all, if Bobby leaves the army, someone has to take over. Bobby graduates and becomes a first-classman, and it's June Week. Tippy meets Jonathan Drayton at Alice's party, and finally finds out how close he and Alice have become.<br />
<br />
The threats of war have become real and North Korea invades South Korea. Tippy and her mother discuss the upcoming war. David has asked to be recalled, and Carrol is ready to follow him anywhere. Colonel Parrish is looking lonely to Mrs. Parrish in his civilian clothes. Penny and her mother have an interesting discussion about war, as they discuss the atom bomb and the destruction they saw in Germany.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'Oh, Mums,' she said, with tears in her eyes, 'how are they going to stop it?'</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'I think women will,' her mother answered quietly. 'I think that, someday, women, who bring life into the world and so value it more than men, will see that the peace is kept, and their children grow up to normal lives. The Russian women love their children, Penny; the North Koreans, the Germans, American, British, French. Women are all alike the world over. We must have more of them in politics. That's the way to stop war.'"</i></blockquote>
Yes, Mrs. Parrish! Represent! Tippy and Peter have another thoughtful talk, and then she and her father do the same. He gives her a letter from Ken where he lets her know that he is off to war, but would love to see Tippy, if her father thinks it's wise. Despite her plans with Peter, she is excited to see Ken before he goes off to Korea. The family plans to go and see Ken in Washington to give Tippy and Ken more time together.<br />
<br />
Tippy novels are not quite as delightful as Penny novels. She's not quite as engaging a character, and she has a heck of hard time. Always the baby, the afterthought, teased by Bobby, and dragged halfway across the world by her parents. Plus, all of the romantic drama between her two army beaus. This feels like a transitional novel. There's such a sense of dread, as war is approaching, and Ken is heading off to the thick of it. There's also the growing pain of having your dear friend be more ready for love and commitment than you are--I think of Anne, and her relationship with Diana, in the same way. It's a novel of adjustment, as she returns from a war-torn country to one on the brink of war. It all feels very expectant.Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-23352929219383245382016-09-01T20:47:00.000-05:002019-12-08T21:16:57.776-06:00The Reluctant Heart by Janet Lambert (1950)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Penny Parrish, glamourous, successful young Broadway star, didn't want the part! Even though Josh, her husband-manager, had undertaken to produce the play with her in the leading role, still Penny preferred the country and the two babies. Let Neda, beautiful little schemer that she was, play the part; she, Penny, was happily safe in her love, her home, her children--and there she would stay.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>That she was being selfish never entered her pretty head. That Josh missed the gay, enthusiastic, ambitious young actress he had married five years earlier just never occurred to Penny until it was almost too late.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>What roughly awakened her to danger, what swept the play to success makes such fascinating reading that Janet Lambert's older group of readers will find THE RELUCTANT HEART especially interesting. (from the inside flap)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The Reluctant Heart </i>opens with Penny gardening at her home in the country. Now 26 and the mother of two, she is enjoying life at home while Josh toils away in the big city in the theater. Trudy, though, is not approving of "be-kind-to-Penny day." While Mrs. and Colonel Parrish are away in Germany, it falls to Trudy to tell Penny all about herself.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'You think I'm unhappy because I'm married to a producer and someone else is going to star in a play that he bought for me. Well, I'm not. I haven't even looked at the play. I don't want to go back to the theater because I'm happy here in the country. It's what I chose.'</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'Seems to me you're protestin' a lot,' Trudy returned placidly, 'and seems I can remember you tellin' Mr. Josh that you could run this house and act with your hands tied behind you.'"</i></blockquote>
Penny contemplates her happiness, her love for Josh, and asks advice of the photographs of her family showcased in every room. We get a bit more background on the family, and I can't not mention when Parri meets the new dog, who they've planned to call Steadfast.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'He's Dog,' Parri crumpled up on the grass with a mass of sudden wriggling love on her lap, and explained as carefully to her mother as her mother always explained to her, 'His picture is in my book. It says he's Dog. He is.'"</i></blockquote>
Adorable child logic. Penny plans a little matchmaking between cook Minna and gardener John and studiously avoids the aforementioned play. She eagerly meets Josh when he returns from the city.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'I missed you so. You can't go in tomorrow.'<br />'I can't? Who says so?' Josh pulled on his brake and leaned out to kiss her deeply.<br />'I do. Wow!' Penny drew back and staggered, her eyes crossed. 'What a kiss!' she cried. 'Is that what you practice in the city?'<br />'It's what I think about but keep like loose change in my pocket.'"</i></blockquote>
Scenes like this make me wonder why no one ever bought these novels for the movies. The story of Josh and Penny would be a great series--although maybe not enough action for Hollywood. Josh and Penny discuss the play, Penny's decision to stay home, Josh's allure to actresses, and in particular Neda, who is taking over the role meant for Penny until Josh suggests:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Then what do you say we get our money's worth out of our extra-wide box spring with oversized mattress and sheets that cost twice as much as a regular pair?"</i></blockquote>
Wink, wink! It's the fifties now! No more side-by-side twin beds? But they continue their discussion and recapping their past history in and out of the theater. Carrol and Davy come to visit and play--and Penny worries over Davy, as his legs are still in braces from polio. She's worried that Parri will play too hard with him, but he is tougher than she thinks. And Carrol reassures her:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'I can't breathe for him, Penny,' Carrol reminded gently. 'Not for the rest of his life. Davy has to grow up and be a man, you know.'"</i></blockquote>
Carrol and Penny go grocery shopping together, where Penny is buttonholed by a social-climbing neighbor who wants Penny to perform a monologue at her party. When Penny manages to weasel out of plans with her, the neighbor leaves her with this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'"I'll expect some good tickets for opening night,' she leaned over to whisper coyly. 'Of course, I'll pay for them, but I trust you to see that I have eight or ten in one of the first three rows. We must give our Mr. Parrish a royal ovation.'"</i></blockquote>
This conversation, and Penny lying about how much help she is to Josh, causes a customary Penny Parrish crisis of faith. She returns home and reads the play and is anguished, thinking she no longer has the ability to act. Josh comes home and calms her down. She throws herself into helping him with the play, possibly even more than Josh wants. She even invites Neda down to the house for a working house party, which Penny wears herself out preparing for.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"By six o'clock she was ready. Parri looked like a red and white valentine in her new smocked dress, Joshu like a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shmoo" target="_blank">Schmoo</a> in his night gown. She herself was the very charming country hostess, very informal in pink linen, and very, very tired."</i></blockquote>
However, Josh and Neda don't show up until 9:00, along with Brooks Cameron, the stage manager for the play. Neda is barely out of the car before trouble begins to rear its head. Penny sends Josh to broils steaks for dinner and links arms with Neda to welcome her.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'Poor dear, she shouldn't have to when he's so tired.' Neda looked proprietary as she pulled back and waited. She was hooked to Penny but she waited for Josh with almost wifely concern and helped him out of his jacket with her free hand. Penny was too happy to notice."</i></blockquote>
Penny offers to take Josh's jacket, but <i>"Neda kept it. 'I may slip it on if it gets cool,' she answered."</i><br />
<br />
We have only just met Neda and my hackles are rising like crazy at this scene. Even Brooks notices Neda's attentiveness, but Penny seems to miss it altogether.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"He had had a brush or two with Neda's wiles and knew of several others, two of whom had been her husbands. The child beside him was no match for Neda Thayne--especially if she stuck to the country and her mother role."</i></blockquote>
Penny sets up for the living room rehearsal, and eagerly awaits helping Neda and Josh with the play. However, Neda refuses to act in front of Penny, and Josh backs her up, sending Penny away.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"It was like patting Parri when she was sent off to bed, and Josh hated it. For one mad moment he was tempted to hurl his script at Penny, to shout, 'Come back here! Come back her and get on the set where you belong! This whole darned business is your fault!' But he only stood and watched her cross the hall."</i></blockquote>
The weekend becomes far less fun. I love this line from Trudy: <i>"'Miss Neda's a mighty pretty girl, but from what I've seen through the kitchen window she don't know much more about actin' than Dog does.'"</i><br />
<br />
Finally the weekend is over, and Josh goes back to town.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Penny drove Josh to the village next morning, and while they waited in front of the drug store, she remarked, 'I feel as if I'm sending a nice present to Neda--neatly wrapped in a gray suit and tied with a hand-painted scarf from <a href="http://vintagefashionguild.org/label-resource/sulka/" target="_blank">Sulka's</a>.'"</i></blockquote>
Josh runs into David on the train and they have a heart-to-heart about Penny. David asks why she's not pulling her weight in the family, especially since she was so devoted to the idea of being an actress. Josh gives him some outdated (even at the time) business about how women are meant to be wives and mothers, but David retorts with, <i>"Yeah, but Penny didn't play with dolls much as a kid."</i><br />
<br />
As rehearsals continue, Penny begins to feel more and more left out.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Neda had become very sure of herself. She tossed in cozy little remarks like, 'Josh, you wretch, the other evening when you were up, you left a cigarette burn on my end table.' And over dinner in the room, she said, 'It's going to be hard if Josh ever stops paying my expenses. He feeds me all my meals in town and gives me board and room in the country.'<br />Penny didn't like the 'if Josh stops paying.' She preferred 'when.'"</i></blockquote>
Josh is increasingly worn out from the rehearsals and comes home late and exhausted. And then, he doesn't come home at all. Penny calls everywhere and not finding him, decides to head to town. Not out of anger, but because she is sure that wherever he is, he needs her. She takes the train and a couple of giggly girls on the train tell her they have a bet on whether she is Penny Parrish. But what would Penny Parrish be doing in the country, wearing a "country coat and dotted dress."<br />
<br />
She finds Josh in the apartment and tells him that she wants to buy out Neda's contract.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'I just found out tonight that I have to be in the play. I want to be,' she said, when he was silent.' I want to be with you, and working. The children aren't enough. I found that out, too. Nothing's enough when we aren't together, when I'm not a part of you. Can you see that?'"</i></blockquote>
Little does Penny know that just that day Neda quit, <i>"or got fired, or whatever you want to call it. She was so lousy we couldn't go on."</i><br />
<br />
Josh was worried that if he came home, Penny would want to ride to the rescue, but she made up her mind all on her own. The next morning, after little sleep and less food (and no stockings for Penny!), they head to rehearsal, where Josh tells Penny the cast will "<i>welcome her like healing sunshine."</i><br />
<br />
Josh tells the cast the news about Neda and introduces Penny.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'She asked me just now what I intend to call her, and I'll tell you so you won't be surprised. I'll call her Penny, Miss Parrish, stupe, dope, or darling, just as I do at home. And if you hear her fling a rousing 'idiot' at me, just take it in your stride. We're family here.'"</i></blockquote>
Penny handles everything in a forthright manner, greeting the cast with humility and charm. The big news is that they are going back to the original script, which had a lesser role for the romantic lead. Jervis Travers, the romantic lead, is not very happy about that, but Penny talks to him about how disappointed he must be and tries to keep the co-billing for him. Penny even goes to talk with Neda, who is not easily placated, even when Penny offers to put in a good word with the producer of a new comedy.<br />
<br />
Rehearsals take over their lives and they work incredibly hard, since they have only a short time until opening.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Josh was completely happy and completely mad through it all. He did inquire for his children's health when she telephoned them, but she was sure he didn't hear what she answered."</i></blockquote>
She teases him that he doesn't even remember who she is, and she does her best to remind him.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"He rested his elbows on the table and watched her strike a tabloid pose, the tip of her show just touching the floor, knee bent, dress pulled up to show her leg. 'I wonder how I've missed seeing you around,' he said. 'You're a honey. Could I make a date with you sometime?'"</i></blockquote>
So cute. Nick and Nora, look out! They travel to Philadelphia for the opening, and Penny brings the children, which results in mostly happy chaos, although Penny hates the idea of leaving them.<br />
<br />
She wishes: <i>"I could be like a man and have neat pigeonholes in my heart. Business in this slot, family in the next one. I wonder if women will ever be able to do it?'</i><br />
And Josh responds:<i> 'Probably, after they've been in business as long as men have. They're still rather new at it.'"</i><br />
<br />
The opening goes fine in Philadelphia and they return to New York for the official opening. Josh gets a letter that he does not share with Penny:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'Carrol's sick,' David had written, and sent the note in by special messenger. 'Don't know exactly what is is--nervous crack-up or something. I know how busy you are, but would appreciate it if you could come out when the play gets running.'"</i></blockquote>
Josh calls out to Gladstone and talks to David. Davy is out of his braces, and Carrol who had been so calm during the whole thing, has been having panic attacks (though he doesn't call them that). That day, she passed out completely and they had trouble reviving her.<br />
<br />
Josh finds Penny during the acts, and although he doesn't tell her about Carrol, <i>"he pulled the V in her robe a little nearer the center of her small curved breast and added lightly, 'Lord, but I'm glad you're so bubbly and know how to let your worries out. I'm even glad you're a little nutty.'"</i><br />
<br />
The play is a great success, and they drive out to Gladstone to see Carrol. The diagnosis is that she was so strong during Davy's illness that once he recovered, she collapsed. Penny prescribes lots of activity and time with baby Lang, who Carrol feels that she's neglected.<br />
<br />
Carrol's illness gives Penny pause and she decides to bring her children to New York with her.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"A family meant being together, she reasoned, even if is had to be in the middle of a crowded city. Cities had parks where children were taken to play, and apartment houses had elevators that were just as exciting as stairways."</i></blockquote>
A mild misunderstanding takes place, where Josh thinks that Penny is pregnant when she's only talking about the new apartment. But it all works out. Then, just as Penny is happily apartment-hunting, Terry Hayes shows up at the theater. Since Josh is out in the country, Penny invites Terry to go see an apartment with her. Her loyal dresser, Ma Harkins, is suspicious about Terry stopping by and warns Penny not to let him stir her up. Penny dismisses her concerns and heads out to the apartment.<br />
<br />
In the cab ride, Terry mentions that he was married but doesn't say anything further. She invites him to dinner and he reflects:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Terry Hayes loved Penny because she was so completely herself. All her thoughts poured out, her feelings; and she had often reminded him of an artist's palette that was daubed and splattered with bright colors. Each mood was a bright splotch until it was mixed with another, blended into a startling combination or toned into a shade."</i></blockquote>
Terry asks Penny if she's happy and talks more about his marriage. He says that he married his wife because she reminded him of Penny. He declares his love again, and Penny feels pity for him. When he gathers her into his arms, she says:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'Please don't,' she said, when his hand touched her cheek. 'I'll kiss you if you want me to, but I'd rather not. It would be like a stage kiss, with my mind on other things.'"</i></blockquote>
She goes on:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'I don't know just what you expected me to do--throw myself into your arms and tell you I've been pining away for five years, or to be cheap and sly. If you want me truthful, I'm truthful. I'm sorry for you, terribly sorry, but I don't think you quite believe all this yourself. You're simply putting on an act.'</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>His hands grasped her wrists and pulled her up. His grip was strong and she whimpered, 'Oh, Terry, you're hurting me.' Then his lips crushed against hers.'"</i></blockquote>
The super comes back and Penny leaves for the theater, telling Terry: <i>"We can't have dinner together, now. You aren't a Terry I can know."</i><br />
<br />
Josh comes to the theater and Penny falls on him, telling him about the kiss and how they can't rent the apartment she saw because Terry was there and it's all ruined. Josh calms her down, saying:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Things like this happen, darling, and we can't wrap ourselves in cellophane to keep life from touching us. The little events don't matter and can't hurt us as long as we know our love is too strong to be hurt."</i></blockquote>
Josh talks her down and Penny sends Terry an orchid (the private joke that they have for when they fight). Josh and Penny plan to invite him to dinner. Meanwhile, the family settles in at their new apartment, Carrol is doing better with her nerves, and West Point cadet Bobby pops in:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'Good morning,' he said, ignoring her shriek. 'You may not remember me, but I'm Robert Parrish. I've been told I have a sister living in New York and I brought a photograph along so I could identify her.'"</i></blockquote>
Bobby's stopped by to give the good news that Colonel, Mrs. Parrish, and Tippy are coming home from Germany. Tomorrow! Trudy will be going back to her beloved "Miz Parrish" and preparations are taking place when Parri falls down in the bathtub and cuts her head. Penny takes care of Parri and still makes it to the theater on time. Talking to Josh afterwards, she's pretty proud of herself. Having juggled so much so responsibly, she asks if he thinks she's finally grown up at last, and he laughs.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Penny loved the safe haven of his arms and rested her head against his shoulder. 'I've changed my mind,' she said, 'about this being silly way to learn a living. It's a lovely, </i>happy<i> way.'"</i></blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_qFG56Dm7q4/V8jYLkhl5_I/AAAAAAAAFYA/0IXcmM0FZh0WPKtHyV9A0hhay6MrMOyPQCLcB/s1600/img100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_qFG56Dm7q4/V8jYLkhl5_I/AAAAAAAAFYA/0IXcmM0FZh0WPKtHyV9A0hhay6MrMOyPQCLcB/s320/img100.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A note from Janet Lambert, from <br />
The Reluctant Heart (Grosset & Dunlap, 1950)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And end book! As Janet Lambert says in her introduction to the book: "For My Older Girls," this is a book that handles some pretty grown-up issues of love, marriage, careers, children and how to balance them all successfully. I love that the answer is not for Penny to stay home with the children, but that the best thing for her marriage is to work side by side with her husband in the theater.<br />
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I also love that when Josh spouts off (not very convincingly) about women being made to be wives and mothers, David just as casually shoots that idea down. Even Carrol, the paragon of beauty and love and motherhood, can't keep it together forever.<br />
<br />
I love that there is serious, realistic drama in Penny and Josh's marriage, with the appearance of the very real threat of the cunning actress Neda, and Penny's changing reaction to her. Also, Terry Hayes coming to town and confessing his love to Penny, which sends her into a tizzy, is so beautifully handled by Josh. I think it's fascinating how they look to Penny's parents as examples of a strong marriage, but that their marriage is not a carbon copy. It's strong, but in a different, more modern way, and a beautiful example for anyone to follow. In addition, Penny is such a charming, fun character and it's exciting to see her grow up and become a really competent grown-up, career woman, and wife and mother.Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-3242257898280895542016-08-29T11:33:00.000-05:002019-12-08T21:17:13.218-06:00Confusion by Cupid by Janet Lambert (1950)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nbYCsGCSz5s/Uc-rDtY8soI/AAAAAAAADS0/q3pWHhJPyQw/s408/confusionlg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nbYCsGCSz5s/Uc-rDtY8soI/AAAAAAAADS0/q3pWHhJPyQw/s200/confusionlg.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<i>Gwenn Jordon missed no opportunity to remind her step-brother, Peter, that his favorite girl, Tippy Parrish, had found a great admirer in young Lieutenant Prescott in Germany, and as the present story opens Peter is thoroughly mad. Especially at women. If it had not been for Alice, his other step-sister, he didn't know just what he would do. Of course, there was a pretty little lass from out of town, but just how much did she count?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Meanwhile Gwenn and Alice went to a house party at Bill Hanley's where Alice was to have been the guest of honor. Gwenn, however, having just fallen out with her own fiancé, decided to get even with him by making herself the belle of the house party. </i><br />
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<i>After that what happened? Was Alice, sweet, reliable Alice, able to extricate her thoughtless sister from a wretched situation that jeopardized the happiness of two families? And presently just how did Bobby Parrish feel when he found Alice admitting that Jon Drayton (remember Christy Drayton's brother?) was an awfully nice chap? And what finally became of the lad to whom Gwenn had been engaged? Truly--all was confusion--with Cupid hanging his head in discouragement.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>All ends well though, as it always does in Janet Lambert's inimitable stories for girls, with all the characters settling finally into their perfect if unpredictable positions in the intricate pattern woven for them. (from the inside flap)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Confusion by Cupid </i>opens with Peter Jordon in a drugstore, stewing about an argument he had with his sister Gwenn, where she tries to get him to go out with her friend, despite his continuing devotion to Tippy Parrish. He meets Maxsie in the drugstore and:<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Peter Jordon, who was never going to look at a girl again, at least not until a very special one came home from Europe, or until he became a second lieutenant in 1951, presently found himself with a very pretty one, sitting on the upper deck of a Fifth Avenue bus and forgetting his own mild trouble in the greater tragedy of hers."</i></blockquote>
She got fired from her job at a dress shop for stealing, though she didn't do it. Peter provides a sympathetic ear, and wants to help the very pretty Maxsie out. After all, his nickname at West Point is "Wrecker," because he's always hauling people out of trouble.<br />
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Peter heads out to Penny Parrish's place in the country, where Alice is spending a few days to get her help with the Maxsie dilemma. He finds her having to entertain bratty actor Bill Hanley. I adore this description of this fabulous fifties outdoor room:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"The MacDonald's back lawn was a combination flower garden and kitchen. A small pavilion had been built against the high background of a hedge. It had a striped canvas roof, a brick floor and back-wall; and against the wall was a brick stove and flames dancing up through its grill, a built-in sink, and a small refrigerator. Copper pans, long-handled forks and basting spoons hung in a row above the sink beside a small cabinet gleaming with enameled plates."</i></blockquote>
Peter and Alice go and visit Maxsie's ex-employer and persuade her to take Maxsie back. They stop by her apartment to give her the good news, and Peter ditches Alice and takes Maxsie out to lunch. He invites her up to West Point for a hop, and heads back to the Point.<br />
<br />
Alice and Gwenn and the younger children are left at home. Gwenn is engaged to a cadet, Budge, but bored with him, so when Bill Hanley calls up for Alice, Gwenn butts in and invites him over, but proceeds to have one of her customary tantrums. Loyal housekeeper Ellin talks Alice down from her tremendous guilt she has whenever Gwenn misbehaves. Despite her earlier tantrum, Gwenn makes an entrance during Bill's visit.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"From then on the afternoon sped like a runaway street car that has jumped its track and is having a gay, mad time on the loose. Gwenn twinkled and laughed. She flitted about like a fairy, refilling Bill's glass and rapturously echoing his praise of himself in a soft Southern accent that had been laid away for four years."</i></blockquote>
When Gwenn finds out that Bill has invited Alice to a house party, she demands that Alice go and that she be invited as well. She has an alleged breakup latter from Budge (which Alice doesn't read) and sobs and sobs, until Alice relents. They head out of town to the party at Bill Hanley's where they meet Christy and Jonathan Drayton and Roger Lynn, who seem surprisingly nice, unlike the blowsy, Hollywood Hanleys. Jonathan mistakenly thinks that Alice is the extra girl, not the one that Bill asked down, especially since Gwenn is very attentive to Bill.<br />
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Bill and Gwenn go off on a drive and don't come back all night, to the house party members' consternation, particularly Alice's. Bill phones the next morning, saying the car broke down, but with little other information. A few stressful days pass, and finally a phone call comes with the news that Gwenn and Bill are married. The Hanley publicity machine goes into action, and Alice returns home, driven by Jonathan, "big and dependable," who provides a sensible shoulder to lean on.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'"This is Gwenn's mess,' he went on sensibly, when they were on their side of the white line again. 'I know it has to affect you some, it's bound to, but stop blaming yourself because you introduced her to Bill and took her to that fool house party. A gal like Gwenn needs a keeper, but you can't be it. Let Bill have the job.'"</i></blockquote>
This cheers Alice immeasurably, though she returns home and has to break the news to General Jordon and the rest of the family. She goes to the Waldorf and gets the full story from Gwenn. It took three days to get a marriage license, so they mostly drove around and fought, sleeping where they could (but not together. Even bad Gwenn is not THAT bad.)<br />
<br />
Jonathan drives Alice up to West Point to break the news about Gwenn to Peter in person, where they promptly run into Bobby Parrish, ever devoted to Alice. Alice sees Jonathan and Bobby side by side and flighty, silly Bobby does not come off that well. Jonathan drives Alice home and asks when he'll see her again and they make plans for a dance. Alice comes upstairs only to find Gwenn, waiting for her in their room, having left Bill. Sheesh. Gwenn calls up Budge, her ex-financee, who comes to visit and tells her all about herself. Gwenn returns to Bill, much to Alice's relief.<br />
<br />
Up at West Point, Peter 'recognizes' Bobby and they have a heart-to-heart about Tippy and Alice. We return to the adventures of Maxsie, and her plain roommate Anne. Maxsie and Peter have been dating for a bit, but he's pretty sure she's taking him for granted. There's a big game (Peter is a football hero) and Maxsie asks for an extra ticket. She doesn't tell anyone that the ticket is for the boy from back home, who Maxsie is hoping to impress. When Maxsie doesn't show up for the game, Peter goes to her apartment to find her and finds her with Page Jameson. She expects that Peter will be mad, but he surprises her.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'I don't know how I might feel about having another guy bust up my large evening in New York if I didn't have something of my own to worry about. You see, you and I were pretty well dated up for tomorrow and I just had word that Tippy Parrish is coming home. I was wanting to ask you to let me off to meet her plane.'"</i></blockquote>
Maxsie is ashamed, but Peter keeps it light and invites both Page and roommate Anne to the party at the Waldorf. Yay! Everything turns out just fine, including plain Anne meeting a nice cadet. We end the book with Alice and Peter driving like heck to get to the airport to meet Tippy.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"'Gosh,' he groaned, forgetting Alice had ears, 'what if she </i>isn't<i> Tippy?'"</i><br />
<br />
But don't worry. He sees her getting off the plane:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Her tan curls were brushed up around the same small cap with its perky feather; her face, eager and laughing, was above the same brown suit. Her whole body was tense with joy and excitement. A year or an hour might have passed since he had seen her, and Peter caught a deep, ecstatic breath."</i></blockquote>
And end book. A sweet book with a lot about relationships. The complicated, sister relationship between Alice and Gwenn, and how much of a relief it is for Alice when Gwenn marries. At least she's off Alice's shoulders now, even if she went about it with her customary nuttiness. We get to know Peter a bit more, as he dates Maxsie and struggles with his devotion to Tippy, even when she is far away. Bobby has always been devoted (in his own goofy way) to Alice, but when she meets Jonathan, she finds something in his calm strength that she really likes.Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-87758495054453787272016-08-26T22:37:00.008-05:002021-06-06T19:39:07.171-05:00Re-Reading Janet Lambert (Part Two - The Tippy and Alcie Years)The world is still slightly too much with me, so I am spending my August re-reading and writing about the books of <a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/p/janet-lambert.html">Janet Lambert</a>. So far, I've made my way through the first ten or so in the locket series, which comprises the army-life adventures of the Parrish and Jordon families (as well as a little Candy Kane thrown in).<br />
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The <b><a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2016/08/re-reading-janet-lambert.html" target="_blank">first part of this reading project</a> </b>took me through the adventures of Penny Parrish as she grows up, finds her career, marries producer/playwright Josh MacDonald and starts a family. We also meet Carrol, Penny's rich and beautiful friend who marries Penny's brother David and starts a family of her own. We also get introduced to the Jordons, and Jenifer, the eldest, who takes care of the whole large and complicated family.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
But first! A note from Janet Lambert, from <i>Little Miss Atlas</i>, in which she expresses her appreciation for her fans.<br />
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This second run of books starts with <a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2013/06/miss-tippy-by-janet-lambert-1948.html" target="_blank"><i><b>Miss Tippy</b></i></a> (1948 - #12), which introduces us to the adventures of Penny Parrish's little sister Tippy, who is just turning sixteen, the age that Penny was in the very first Parrish book, <i><a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2011/01/star-spangled-summer-by-janet-lambert.html" target="_blank"><b>Star-Spangled Summer</b></a>. </i>Tippy was just three in that book, so she's come a long way. Miss Tippy is quite a bit about how Tippy (sometimes unsuccessfully) is trying to grow up before her time, finding her place in the world, handling serious family issues, and coping with the family's upcoming deployment to Germany.<br />
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In <i><b><a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2013/06/little-miss-atlas-by-janet-lambert-1949.html" target="_blank">Little Miss Atlas</a> </b></i>(1949 - #14), which picks up immediately after Miss Tippy, we find Tippy arriving in Germany and adjusting to life in Garmisch--the devastation, the isolation, and of course, the attentive Ken Prescott. Brother Bobby and her dear friend Alice Jordon come to visit, Tippy almost heads home, but decides to stay and tough it out.<br />
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<i><b><a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2013/06/confusion-by-cupid-by-janet-lambert-1950.html" target="_blank">Confusion by Cupid</a></b></i> (1950- #15). brings us back to America and returns us to the Jordon family. This book starts with Peter, still stuck on Tippy Parrish, and Gwenn impetuously marrying spoiled child star (now grown up) Bill Hanley. During all of the drama, Alice finds Jonathan Drayton to be a strong shoulder to lean on--far stronger than Bobby, who is off at West Point. [After reading this one, I realized I probably should have read <i><a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2015/09/where-heart-is-by-janet-lambert-1948.html" target="_blank"><b>Where the Heart Is</b></a> </i>(1948 - #11), Drayton Family book, because it introduces characters Bill Hanley and Jonathan Drayton. Oh well!]<br />
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Next up is <a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2013/06/the-reluctant-heart-by-janet-lambert.html" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">The Reluctant Heart</a> (1950 - #17)<span style="font-style: italic;">,</span> which follows the adventures of Penny and Josh as they sort out marriage, children and balancing it all with a career. Bobby is at West Point, Tippy and her parents are still in Germany, and Carrol is having a nervous collapse after suffering through her son Davy's struggle with polio. The book ends with Penny happily on the stage, her family with her in New York and the Parrish family coming back from Germany.<br />
<br />
So looking at the series, and the fact that <i><b>Confusion by Cupid</b></i> ends with Peter Jordon seeing Tippy Parrish coming off the plane from Germany, and <i><b>The Reluctant Heart</b></i> ending with Tippy coming home the next day, it seems as though these books occur simultaneously. And the biggest mystery of all? There's no locket #16! What?<br />
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Now, we head right to <b><i><a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2013/06/miss-america-by-janet-lambert-1951.html" target="_blank">Miss America</a> </i></b>(1951 - #21), which picks up immediately where Confusion by Cupid leaves off. The primary drama in this novel is in Tippy's adjustment to life in America again, and in the country's preparations for war as her family, including Ken Prescott, prepare to be shipped to Korea. She's also dealing with Alcie being more ready for love and marriage than she is, as she's become very devoted to Jon Drayton. With so much change in the air, this is an transitional novel in the series.<br />
<br />
Oh dear. It's time for <i><b><a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2013/06/dont-cry-little-girl-by-janet-lambert.html" target="_blank">Don't Cry, Little Girl</a> </b></i>(1952 - #23), which begins with a rapturously happy Tippy and Ken visit in Washington, D.C., Tippy settling into college and life, then getting the news that Ken has been killed in Korea. Having read most of these novels before, I knew Ken's death was coming, but it's still incredibly sad and touching. Lambert does a gorgeous job through these novels of building a beautiful, but young relationship that is destined for sadness, all the while knowing that there will be ...<br />
<br />A <a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2016/09/rainbow-after-rain-by-janet-lambert-1953.html"><i><b>Rainbow After Rain</b></i></a> (1953 - #25). And there is. Tippy gets a job, which she doesn't like all that well, is still in a muddle about what to do with her life and herself. Peter comes back from Texas and gets her all confused, and jealous and feeling guilty and finally the sunshine breaks through and she proposes to Peter. As the book ends, she is putting away Ken's picture and planning her marriage to Peter.<br /></div>
Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-42370804134237669072016-08-26T22:01:00.000-05:002019-12-08T21:18:49.312-06:00Little Miss Atlas by Janet Lambert (1949)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0CEkbplvAH8/Uc-pncxzfYI/AAAAAAAADSU/jCGSVBVCCPA/s406/littlelg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0CEkbplvAH8/Uc-pncxzfYI/AAAAAAAADSU/jCGSVBVCCPA/s200/littlelg.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>
<i>By all the rules Tippy Parrish should have been having a perfectly marvelous time. Here she was, in a beautiful little village in the Bavarian Alps where her father, Colonel Parrish was stationed; she had a handsome young American lieutenant paying her flattering attention; she danced and skied and skated the days away. But Tippy was not happy. And why?</i><br />
<i></i><br />
<a name='more'></a><i><br /></i>
<i>Mrs. Lambert has chosen a slightly graver thesm for her story this time and a truly fine story it is . . . one which girls, after they have read it, will often recall with awakened interest in their fellow beings everywhere. Not only is the delightful unity of the Parrish family stressed as it always is, but now there has been added a warm and beautiful interest in and sympathy for others outside that charmed circle of security and happiness. Tippy Parrish has become someone to admire tremendously as well as to love as a favorite heroine. (from the inside flap)</i><br />
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How gorgeous are these covers? Look at Tippy's perfectly tamed cap of tan curls, and the very, very handsome young American lieutenant Ken Prescott. Dreamy! Sadly, there's no artist listed on the dust jacket. How things have changed! Now, publishers credit everything, from design and illustrations to the person who picks out the font.<br />
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Back to Tippy. <i><b>Little Miss Atlas</b></i> picks up almost immediately after <a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2013/06/miss-tippy-by-janet-lambert-1948.html" target="_blank"><i>Miss Tippy</i></a>, as Tippy and her mother are setting sail in an army transport ship from New York harbor. Their accommodations are less than ideal, and sound incredibly claustrophobic. Tippy starts with a pretty unhappy attitude:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'The army defeats me. I don't want to live in Germany, and I wish Dad had retired when he got wounded.'" Her mother responds with a reproving "Don't be silly. We all love the army."</i><i><br /></i></blockquote>
A quick catch-up with the family takes place. Carrol and David are taking poor Davy (stricken with polio) to Warm Springs, and baby Lang as well. Penny is turning down acting gigs right and left, worried about her own child Parri, and wishing for another baby. Bobby is at home, preparing for West Point, and Colonel Parrish is already in Germany, preparing for his family's arrival.<br />
<br />
Things begin to look up for Tippy when she and her mother get moved to one of the ranking officers' staterooms, and she hears that handsome lieutenant Ken Prescott might be on board. She gets in with a group of young people, and runs into Prescott, who treats her with a combination of casual bemusement and growing interest. She confides in him about the dragon that she thinks has gobbled up Germany and Europe and that she's determined to fight that dragon.<br />
<br />
An interesting observation from Ken as the passengers ready to disembark. We've learned there are thirteen hundred troops aboard, heading to Germany with their families as part of the <a href="http://marshallfoundation.org/marshall/the-marshall-plan/history-marshall-plan/" target="_blank">Marshall Plan</a>, and Ken watches the trucks and boxes and cars roll out.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Ken was proud of the scene. He was proud of his compatriots who brought their electric gadgets with them, their refrigerators, sanitary wire screening, and washing machines; who bought and planned for comfort. They live--right!' he silently told the crates. 'They're what makes America good. And even if it costs a lot to get the stuff over here, Uncle Sam wants them to have it. He wants them to stay used to good living.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Unlike Tippy, he was eager to be a part of the scene before him....above all, he was impatient to see the ruined city where he would help bring order out of chaos."</i></blockquote>
Although the first part of this triggers a bit of an 'ugly American' reaction in me (really? they brought refrigerators?), the last bit redeems Ken for me. We get a look at that chaos as Tippy and her mother drive to Bremerhaven.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Tippy looked at block after block of ruined buildings. Nothing she had seen in the newsreels or magazines had prepared her for this. Whole apartment houses were roofless shells full of gaping holes which had been windows. Now and then a sagging floor showed through; and sometimes a section or even a room could still be used and had people living in it. There was nothing but rubble in what once had been the main business section of the town, nothing but bricks and plaster cleaned away so pedestrians could walk on the broken sidewalks."</i></blockquote>
They finally make it to Garmisch, where they are reunited with Colonel Parrish and settle into their new home, complete with an array of German servants. Colonel and Mrs. Parrish are worried about Tippy:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'Sometimes she seems as happy as a child,' she answered, 'and is all bubbling enthusiasm; and then, the very next minute, she looks as if someone had struck her or stolen her favorite doll. Tippy is such a strange child,' she sighed. 'She's so much more complicated than the others.'"</i></blockquote>
Life in Garmisch is pretty grim, with little social interaction for Tippy. She's being tutored for her schooling and hasn't met many friends. Ken comes down to visit and introduces her to a lovely family who remind her of Penny's family, and who are kind to the Germans. However, things are so grim that Tippy even looks forward to Bobby's visit at Christmastime. The whole family goes to Switzerland for Christmas and Tippy gets a wonderful surprise visit from Alice Jordon. Tippy is delighted to have her dear friend visiting and confides in Alice that she is in love with Ken Prescott. Alice, loyal to her brother Peter as Tippy's potential swain, is dismayed, especially since Ken is too old for Tippy. They have a nice visit, but Tippy is still unhappy in Germany.<br />
<br />
Ken Prescott, also in Switzerland for the holidays, has a heart-to-heart with Colonel Parrish, who asks Ken's advice about what to do with Tippy. Ken recommends that the Parrishes send her home.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'You would? Why?'</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'Well, sir, I guess, for two reasons. One of them, we've talked about. Tippy needs to have her faith restored, and America can do it. that's what she needs. She's lost and she has to find herself.'</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'And the other reason?' Colonel Parrish's glance was keen and Ken raised his eyes to meet it.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'Me,' he said.</i></blockquote>
Kind of swoony, right? Ken is a very charming, but sincere character. He goes on:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'I'm too fond of her, Colonel Parrish. But you needn't worry about it. I won't let her know it.'</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'Thank you, boy. I appreciate that.'"</i></blockquote>
In a rather clumsy (to modern ears) discussion, Ken sells the virtues of America to Tippy, who (quite rightly) points out a number of horrible things the country has done, such as taking the land from the Indians and slavery, to name a few. But Ken defends America:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'You see, Tip,' he told her, 'that's the important thing. We were just a young country then and we made mistakes. Just like kids make more mistakes than grown-ups. And we had the enthusiasm of kids, too. We wanted to grow up to be a swell country and we never got tired, or discouraged, trying. And as we grew, we saw our mistakes and tried to fix 'em.'"</i></blockquote>
I'm not one hundred percent with you on that one, Ken, and neither is Tippy. She feels conflicted about being sent home, and that she's being cheated.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'All these years while I was being 'developed,' as you call it, I was only learning the stuff they taught me. Now they don't want me to use it. It's just as if they said, 'Don't be kind, don't do the best you can, don't help people. Go home and have fun. And that's not fair.'"</i></blockquote>
Ken buys her a dog (the adorable Switzy), and after a lot of thought, Tippy decides to stay in Germany. She chooses to go to school in Munich, and her parents are proud of her decision and her strength of character. She tells Ken about her decision and while he supports her (he calls her "about the biggest little guy I ever ran into and you try to carry the world"), the conversation turns a bit confusing, and leaves them both unsettled.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'Would you like to have me around, cherub, darling? Would you?' The words flew out. They escaped his control, and they gave him such a fright that he missed her muffled answer.'</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'Oh, Ken it's what I want most,' she whispered. Then she, too, gasped and clutched her package."</i></blockquote>
Both are regretful at letting their feelings show, thinking the other doesn't return the sentiment. They part as friends, and Tippy runs upstairs to finish her letter to Peter Jordon. And end book.<br />
<br />
There's a lot happening in <i>Little Miss Atlas</i>. It's very interesting to see post-war Germany through the eyes of naive Tippy, and the efforts of America to help rebuild the country. It's a unique look at a massive Army operation, and the interactions between the Americans and Germans. There's a fairly clear-eyed look at America as a country, although still quite a lot of post-war patriotism. As usual, Tippy struggles, but continues to grow older and wiser.Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-18170177955623030132016-08-26T12:43:00.000-05:002019-12-08T21:17:53.963-06:00Miss Tippy by Janet Lambert (1948)<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-46IjzoP7__w/Ucu69ts3ieI/AAAAAAAADN0/qPUF9WhLAGw/s1600/misslg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-46IjzoP7__w/Ucu69ts3ieI/AAAAAAAADN0/qPUF9WhLAGw/s200/misslg.jpg" width="136" /></a></div>
<i>The Parrishes again, and this time Tippy, "going on" sixteen just as Penny was in Star-Spangled Summer, the book which opened that series. As always in the Parrish clan, many things happen at once: Tippy sends out invitations for a birthday dance on Governors Island; Colonel Parrish is ordered to Germany; and suddenly tragedy stalks into the gay Parrish household.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>For a long time Tippy has been smarting under the failure of Trudy, the beloved colored cook, to call her "Miss Tippy." Trudy is all-wise, all-knowing. When Tippy ceases to be a headstrong, teasing, little flitterfly, says Trudy, and takes on a bit of sorely lacking dignity, she will be called "Miss Tippy," but not until then. </i><br />
<i></i><br />
<a name='more'></a><i>Tippy's earnest efforts are both touching and humorous. Tragedy pulls her up short--and Miss Tippy emerges. Sunshine comes again as it always does to the Parrishes. "Miss Tippy" is the darling of them all. (from the inside flap)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
As Miss Tippy opens, Tippy is agonizing over invitations to her sixteenth birthday dance on Governors Island, where she lives with her family. Let's meet Tippy!<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Scowling was hard, too, because her face was not designed for it. All its features were upswept and perky, from the short inquiring nose and curved lips that ended in a playful dimple, to golden eyelashes with rising tips."</i></blockquote>
Before Tippy can finish the invitations, though, her mother gets a call and finds out that Major Parrish is being ordered to Germany. Tippy protests. What about Penny, and the new baby? David and Carrol and Davy and their new baby? And 19-year-old Bobby, the bane of Tippy's existence, needs to prepare for West Point.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'You mean--we'll really </i>leave<i> here?' Tippy jumped from the desk as if a bomb had gone off under it, and her voice shook. But her mother only said quietly:<br />'Daddy comes first, </i>always.<i> I had him before I had you children,' she reminded with a smile, and reached out to take Tippy's hand. 'He needs us. You and me, I mean.'"</i></blockquote>
I think this is a fascinating conversation. There isn't much children's and young adult fiction with such adult insight into relationships. I love that the children are not the center of the world. This is a thread that runs through this book, and gives some interesting insight into the older Parrishes' lives.<br />
<br />
Bobby won't be going, but Tippy will. Her mother says: <i>"'You're our youngest. You belong with us wherever we go, and we'll hang on to you like grim death." </i><br />
<br />
Tippy is distraught and heads over to the Jordons' house, where she shares the news with her dear friend Alice, and older brother military cadet Peter. The majority of the book is spent in preparing Tippy and the Parrishes for the big move. Tippy learns to drive, with surprisingly little teaching. (Maybe cars were easier to drive in the 1940s?) Bobby is, as usual, teasing Tippy by stealing the car keys and they get into a big brawl, right in front of a very young and good-looking officer, with whom Tippy finds herself nose to now.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Tippy even noticed his nose, which was high-bridged but not too large, and his blue eyes that started out quite straight on either side of it then drooped lazily at the outer corners."</i></blockquote>
She sees him at the movies as well, and examines every bit of him:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"He had an interesting profile: A straight nose with a little flat tip on the end, a high cheekbone, a very nice mouth and upperlip, and the oddly slanted eyes. And above them, sandy hair had been parted and forced into neat obedience that erupted in a double cowlick."</i></blockquote>
Tippy and Bobby continue to fight as packing preparations ensue. Tippy ask Trudy for advice, and wonders when Trudy will call her "Miss Tippy," as she calls Penny "Miss Penny." After all, she's almost sixteen.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'But it ain't a matter of age. It's a title you earns. Folks don's measure grown-ups by birthdays. It's what you do an' how you do it that counts. Lots of people older'n me ain't grown up, yet, and lots who's younger'n you, have.'"</i></blockquote>
At frequent times, Trudy seems like the most sensible member of the household. It feels like the Parrish children turn to Trudy for true, thoughtful advice and love. Although Mrs. Parrish loves and supports them, she's a bit on the flighty side.<br />
<br />
Tippy spends some time soul-searching and after her mother gives her a notebook, she decides that she's going to become a writer. Not much comes of it, though. In other Jordon/Parrish family news, Jenifer's wedding to Cyril is in the works. Oh, and that handsome young officer? Kenneth Prescott is a cousin to the Prescotts (friends of Penny in her teen years), and stationed on Governors Island. But far too old for Tippy at the ancient age of twenty-three.<br />
<br />
But Peter Jordon, according to Alice, is just right. Earlier in the book, Tippy sees Peter all dressed up and admits he "<i>almost looks handsome.</i>" Peter is a good and steady man, but Tippy isn't feeling it, despite how fun it would be for Alice and Bobby and Peter and Tippy to get married. After all, then Alice and Tippy would be sisters!<br />
<br />
The dance is nearly here, when disaster hits the family. Carrol and David's little boy Davy has polio. I needed a little reminder of what polio meant in 1948:<br />
<blockquote>
Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system, and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (for example, contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness of the neck and pain in the limbs. 1 in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralysed, 5% to 10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized. (<a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs114/en/">http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs114/en/</a>)</blockquote>
While the family is at the hospital, Tippy and Bobby take care of little Parri (Penny and Josh's daughter). They visit the hospital and get the good news that Davy will live. He may not walk, but he will live. Tippy is helping the family move out of the house on Governors Island when Trudy surprises her with the title of "Miss Tippy." A sweet interchange follows, with Trudy sharing when she was first called Miss Gertrude by their pastor.<br />
<br />
Tippy's birthday arrives, and Josh gives her a portable typewriter for her burgeoning (except not) writing career. And the dance is still on! Tippy gets a beautiful new dress, and a surprise party before the dance. Tippy dances for ages, but the infuriating Ken Prescott (who is also going to Germany) and Peter are her most frequent escorts. Peter tries to give her his pin, but she won't take it.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'"But do you think you could love me, someday?'"</i><i>'I don't know that, either. I like you such a lot but, ' she shook her head and laid her hand with its bracelet over his, 'we aren't grown up yet, Peter. We each have so many things to do before we can think of marriage.'"</i></blockquote>
And before she knows it, Tippy and her mother are on the transport ship to Germany, saying good-bye to the family and to the Jordons and ready to start their new adventure. And the book ends.<br />
<br />
<i>Miss Tippy</i> is quite a bit about how Tippy (sometimes unsuccessfully) is trying to grow up before her time. Trying to resist the pull of fighting with the troublesome Bobby, to figure out how to be a lady, trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up, how to help out her family in troubling times, and how to earn the title of Miss Tippy.<br />
<br />
I'd like to like Tippy more. Ken makes a comment about hoping that she was more like Penny, and I agree. It can be hard to get completely behind a troubled soul--especially when reading these books for pure comfort. Things pick up a bit more in <i><a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2013/06/little-miss-atlas-by-janet-lambert-1949.html" target="_blank">Little Miss Atlas</a>,</i> as we travel with Tippy to Germany, and she gets a sense of herself and the bigger world. Of course, the series gets increasingly bittersweet, as there is a hard road for Tippy ahead, love-wise. Which I'm trying not to think about.Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-34321762149593783702016-08-21T19:54:00.000-05:002019-12-08T21:19:13.884-06:00Re-reading Janet Lambert (Part One)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1goErVhjjDU/V7pSZz-H97I/AAAAAAAAFVE/16XppVS3USwS2EY1dB-Lkh58F-6c0d1-wCLcB/s1600/20160821_200831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1goErVhjjDU/V7pSZz-H97I/AAAAAAAAFVE/16XppVS3USwS2EY1dB-Lkh58F-6c0d1-wCLcB/s320/20160821_200831.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first ten Janet Lamberts, or so.<br />
(from the author's collection, hee)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The world is slightly too much with me, so I am spending my August re-reading and writing about the books of <b><a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/p/janet-lambert.html" target="_blank">Janet Lambert</a>. </b>In addition to the detailed posts on each novel, I'm updating this post as I make my way through the series.<br />
<br />
Although Janet Lambert has written a ton of books <i>(Stories about teenagers...written specially for teenagers), </i>her books about the Parrish, Jordon and the Kane families are the books I've loved since I was a child. Set (and written) during World War II and after, they encompass the world of the U.S. Army as well as the world of American Theater. What could be better?<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
I recently filled in my collection, thanks to the lovely folks at <a href="http://imagecascade.com/" target="_blank"><b>Image Cascade</b></a>, who reprint books from the 1930s through the 1960s, and I'm excited to finally read the entire series in order, or some semblance of order.<br />
<br />
The complication is that these sprawling novels focus on different families but feature characters from all of these families interacting. The Grosset and Dunlap editions have a locket on the spine with a number, but the numbering doesn't always make sense. So I'm going to do my best to keep it all organized--once and for all, with the help of this post.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HYAswHwcG1s/V7klH8qEd7I/AAAAAAAAFUk/encj499t9gQssGgtmvSsv4Nm7SSGLyBdwCLcB/s1600/img096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HYAswHwcG1s/V7klH8qEd7I/AAAAAAAAFUk/encj499t9gQssGgtmvSsv4Nm7SSGLyBdwCLcB/s200/img096.jpg" width="122" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author image from<br />
One for the Money<br />
(Dutton, 1946)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The series kicks off with <a href="http://carlysmaltshop.blogspot.com/2011/01/star-spangled-summer-by-janet-lambert.html" target="_blank"><i><b>Star-Spangled Summer</b></i></a> (1941 - #1), which introduces us to the Parrish family: Major David Parrish, his wife Marjorie, son David, daughter Penny, youngest son Bobby and little daughter Tippy, bringing up the rear. The action starts when Penny brings Carrol Houghton out to Fort Arden, the army base where she lives with her family. We see army life through the eyes of poor little rich girl Carrol, who has lots of money, but very little love in her family. After seeing the example of the Parrishes, and with a bit of maneuvering by Penny, Carrol and her father are brought together at the end, and a romance is burgeoning between Carrol and David.<br />
<br />
This is one of my very favorites, as it was the first Janet Lambert book I ever read. Although it was a Scholastic paperback reprinted in 1972, it was still substantially before my time. I was raised by two voracious readers, and we spent many happy Saturdays driving around to used bookstores. I can easily count the number of new books I bought as a child on one hand. It was all about the pre-owned, pre-loved books. New books just didn't seem right.<br />
<br />
Next, we have <a href="http://carlysmaltshop.blogspot.com/2013/06/dreams-of-glory-by-janet-lambert.html" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Dreams of Glory</a> (1942 - #2), which picks up two months after the events of Star-Spangled Summer. Penny works on growing up, David goes off to West Point, not much else happens. It's not a favorite.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vm7IkhC33-E/V7klgjYuBRI/AAAAAAAAFUs/qF8Ewc4FYhkkZbi_PcP8GRgYN_Nn1op4ACLcB/s1600/img092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vm7IkhC33-E/V7klgjYuBRI/AAAAAAAAFUs/qF8Ewc4FYhkkZbi_PcP8GRgYN_Nn1op4ACLcB/s200/img092.jpg" width="138" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back cover of Candy Kane <br />
(1943, G & D)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But things pick up with <a href="http://carlysmaltshop.blogspot.com/2013/06/glory-be-by-janet-lambert-1943.html" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Glory Be!</a> (1943 - #3) which jumps forward in time about three years. Penny is turning 18, and ready to start her career on the stage, even if romance (in the form of handsome Lieutenant Hayes and loyal Michael Drayton) threatens to complicate things. David is near to graduating from West Point, and making plans with Carrol when they hear that the Japanese have bombed Pearl Harbor. Suddenly, everyone must prepare for war. Colonel Parrish goes to England for the war effort, and the family stays at Carrol's father palatial country estate, where her father is increasingly ill, and passes away fairly suddenly. David graduates, and Carrol and David marry as the book ends, on a lovely, tearful note.<br />
<br />
Now, although the order on my shelf says I should read another Penny Parrish, I am heading off to the books about <a href="http://carlysmaltshop.blogspot.com/2013/06/candy-kane-by-janet-lambert-1943.html" target="_blank"><i><b>Candy Kane</b></i></a> (1943 - #4). Candy Kane is a whole new series about fourteen-year-old Candy Kane, who is new to Army life, and settles in beautifully on the base, despite her mother Marcia and sister Leigh, both of whom are pieces of work. She meets Barton Reed, the boy next door, and his whole family, and sings at an army show. It's adorable, and Candy Kane is a very endearing, sweet, awkward character. With the family adjusting to Army life, and the girl singer aspect, it's so quintessential World War II. Endearing and sweet and sincere.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RPLF_GL6fM0/V7kl277zhZI/AAAAAAAAFUw/PDRnr3awlp8yfMAPNlXkYxX8f_BaiqjEwCLcB/s1600/img094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RPLF_GL6fM0/V7kl277zhZI/AAAAAAAAFUw/PDRnr3awlp8yfMAPNlXkYxX8f_BaiqjEwCLcB/s200/img094.jpg" width="131" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back cover of One for<br />
the <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Money (Dutton, 1946)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Next up, is <i><b><a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2013/06/whoa-matilda-by-janet-lambert-1944.html" target="_blank">Whoa, Matilda</a></b></i> (1944 - #5), another novel about Candy Kane. This one picks up two years later, as Major Kane goes off to war, Barton enlists, Leigh is married to a soldier, and Candy goes off to sing on a war-bond drive. The family (which now includes friends Jane and Dirk) are faced with the realities of war, and must deal with wartime life with all its highs and lows.<br />
<br />
Another left turn. The next book in the locket series is <a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2016/08/just-jenifer-by-janet-lambert-1945.html" target="_blank"><i><b>Just Jenifer</b></i></a> (1945 - #6), which introduces us to Janet Lambert's other massive army family--the Jordons. Sixteen-year-old Jenifer is left to mother her large family while her father General Jordon is fighting in Italy. Meanwhile, she meets British Cyril, sent over from England to live with his aunt after a family tragedy.<br />
<br />
<i><b><a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2013/06/practically-perfect-by-janet-lambert.html" target="_blank">Practically Perfect</a> </b></i>(1947 - #7) returns us to the Parrish family, where Penny is choosing between the theater, a home of her own, and love. Spoiler! She gets them all. A lovely post-war novel where we start to see the characters we met as teen-agers grow up, affected by war and life and love and family. Truly, Practically Perfect. Although, it does seem like we skipped a few years somewhere, as we find Penny already on stage and a great success. More on that later!<br />
<br />
But with the next novel, we return to the adventures of the Jordon family with <a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2013/06/fridays-child-by-janet-lambert-1947.html" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Friday's Child</a> (1947 - #8)<b style="font-style: italic;">. </b> Now living on Governors Island, the Jordon family (mostly Alice and Gwenn) meet the Parrish family (mostly in the form of Tippy and Bobby). Gwenn behaves like a brat, Alice struggles with her loyalty to Gwenn and her newfound independence, and as ever, Jenifer holds the whole family on her young shoulders. We meet up with Penny Parrish as well, who is starring on Broadway in a play and has a three-month old baby daughter.<br />
<br />
Now, we are eight novels in and I have lost the thread. I inadvertently read <a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2013/06/one-for-money-by-janet-lambert-1946.html" target="_blank"><i><b>One for the Money</b></i></a> (1946 - #10), the third of the Candy Kane novels, instead of <i>Up Goes the Curtain</i> (#9). Oops! <i>One for the Money</i> is about a race horse, which is kind of boring, but Barton Reed comes back to romance Candy and all ends romantically, with Barton giving up the army and Candy giving up a career (that she really didn't want anyway.)<br />
<br />
In keeping with following the locket order, I just read <a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2013/06/up-goes-curtain-by-janet-lambert-1946.html" target="_blank"><i><b>Up Goes the Curtain</b></i></a> (1946 - #9). What the heck is up with these numbers?<i> Up Goes the Curtain</i> clearly goes before <i>Practically Perfect</i>, for she just gets on stage in <i>Up</i> and marries Josh in <i>Practically</i>. It's delightful, of course, but I've changed my mind about this locket order business. I picked up <i>Where the Heart Is</i>, a Christy Drayton book, but decided that life is too short for non-Parrish and Jordon stories. So I'm moving on to whatever is next for those crazy families. Stay tuned!Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-83848080958225699032016-08-21T19:44:00.000-05:002019-12-08T21:17:43.208-06:00Up Goes the Curtain by Janet Lambert (1946)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XZOp37bE0qw/Uc2FVEJNABI/AAAAAAAADQE/pR54YSHben4/s410/upgoeslg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XZOp37bE0qw/Uc2FVEJNABI/AAAAAAAADQE/pR54YSHben4/s200/upgoeslg.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
<i>No young girl who ever has longed to know the mystery of the world behind the footlights will be able to put down this new story about Penny Parrish and her first exciting experiences on Broadway.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>After working hard all summer in a stock company, Penny finds herself in the cast of the show, The Robin's Nest, due to open on Broadway. There she meets Josh Macdonald, the blunt, weary-looking stage manager, who takes a keen interest in her success as an actress--although he is surprisingly indifferent to her as an attractive young girl!</i><br />
<i></i><br />
<a name='more'></a><i>Making a flying trip home between rehearsals, Penny meets an earlier admirer, Lieutenant Terry Hayes. Terry introduces her to a very beautiful young woman, also on her way to Fort Knox. Penny immediately distrusts her, and a thrilling spy hunt develops.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>As the story progresses, Penny learns the answers to all the things a stage-struck girl wants to know--what actors are like after working hours, how to thwart someone who is trying steal your best scenes, how feels to wait for the curtain to go up on opening night.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>How it all ends, how Penny meets someone who at last is able to set her daydreaming, how once more she has a choice to make--all this will hold you to the last fascinating page. For in UP GOES THE CURTAIN, as in all Janet Lambert's books, laughter, romance and suspense abound in an absorbing story of gay, wide-awake young moderns. (from the inside flap)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><b>Up Goes the Curtain </b></i>begins with Penny Parrish alone in New York, preparing for her role in a Broadway play (<i>The Robin's Nest</i>) and missing her family at Fort Knox. She finds a confidante in soda fountain waitress Letty whose husband is overseas.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"There was nothing she enjoyed so much as talking with people; not to them, about them, but with them. She forgot she was homesick, forgot to drink her coke, but sat with her elbow on the porcelain counter, her soft round chin cupped in the palm of her hand, listening to the story of Joe and a girl he called Letty."</i></blockquote>
As Penny talks about her own family, Lambert gracefully catches us up on the doings of the Parrish clan. Letty inspires her to go visit her family until the show start rehearsals. In a coincidence, Terry Hayes, one of Penny's most ardent suitors, is also heading to Fort Knox, but seems surprisingly cold on the phone. She sees him on the train as well, and he is with a beautiful young woman named Marcia. She puts him out of her mind, and gets absorbed in her script and her new role in the play.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'Oh me,' she sighed at last, flipping off the light and snuggling down under the heavy Pullman blanket, 'I do lead the most divine life. I guess I'll lie here and think about it awhile.'"</i></blockquote>
Despite Terry's confusing behavior, Penny soon has a very joyful reunion with her family, including Carrol and David, who have a chat about Penny and Terry. Because Carrol is a <i>"mum little oyster"</i>, David tells her that Terry is working in intelligence and suspicious of Marcia. They can't tell Penny, though, she can't keep a secret. And is Penny ever suspicious! Finally, Carrol has to give her some news to throw her off the track: <i>"'I didn't mention it before, but David and I have put in our order for a very special baby.'"</i><br />
<br />
This doesn't dissuade Penny for long, who is deeply suspicious of both David and Terry's attentions to Marcia. Soon, she's spying and even intercepting a note left in a glove handed to Marcia by a soldier. She reads it, thinking it's merely a love note, and terribly regretful, she goes in to her parents' room to confess, but Major Parrish has news for her: she was right. The note contained very sensitive information about maneuvers, and Penny<i> "thought excitedly, 'I'm helping. I'm helping my country. And perhaps I've saved David's ship from a submarine so he can come back to see his baby.'"</i><br />
<br />
Marcia and the soldiers and officers are arrested, and soon Terry Hayes comes calling, and Trudy lets Penny know he's arrived.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'What's the matter with him, with Terry, I mean? Is he mad at me for being the one to catch Marcia?'</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'Do he look mad, holdin' a box that's gotta be candy in one hand an' one that's gotta be flowers in the other?' Trudy enjoyed the pleased embarrassment that spread over Penny's face, and added slyly, 'He's courtin', honey.'"</i></blockquote>
Yes, he is and Terry apologizes to Penny for putting her through all this with Marcia. But Penny says:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'Terry, if I have to tell you, I guess I'll have to, I didn't really suffer much.'</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'So that's the way it is.' Terry's jaw tightened and Penny saw a little ripple of muscles run along it. 'I suppose I should have known,' he said, his blue eyes steady on her upraised brown ones."</i></blockquote>
Penny is torn between a career and army life, and not ready to make a decision about either. They embrace:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"She wriggled to get free, then, still in the circle of his arms, reached up to take his cheeks between her hands. 'You know, don't you, that I want you to be the one I love someday?' she asked, so childishly sincere that he knew love hadn't yet come to Penny."</i></blockquote>
Major Parrish and David are shipped out, and Carrol returns to New York (and the swanky Park Avenue apartment) with Penny. They find Letty again and invite her to dinner, where she and Carrol become fast friends.<br />
<br />
Before we know it, it's the day of the first rehearsal for <i>The Robin's Nest.</i> (Can you believe we're only halfway through this book? It really is jam-packed!) Penny puts on her tan suit and her plaid topcoat and heads out.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"She felt very important walking along Broadway and turning into Forty-Fourth Street with its double row of theaters. She even walked along a narrow alley with her head high, proud to be one who had a right to drop out of the throng of pedestrians and traverse its narrow runway."</i></blockquote>
Here, at the door, she meets a gruff young man <i>"in baggy tweeds"</i>, who is <i>"dark and disheveled, with a black lock of hair that hung from his hatless head over a bony forehead"</i> and had <i>"deep-set gray eyes</i>." Quite a change from the very handsome Terry Hayes. She enters the theater, meets the cast and the director, and the disheveled young man, who turns out to be stage manager Josh MacDonald. Her first day of rehearsal is hard work, and she was:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"hobbling along the alley, when the dark, dejected stage manager passed her without notice. He walked with an irritated lunge and she wondered why he wasn't in uniform. Miltern Wilde had frankly explained a punctured ear drum, but Josh MacDonald, for all his pale leanness, looked healthy and cross enough to frighten a Jap or German out of his fox hole."</i></blockquote>
Rehearsals continue, and most everything is going well, except a fellow actor who is trying to upstage her. Oh, and Josh seems really unpatriotic and dismissive of Penny's love for her country. Soon, Penny is on the train for opening night in Boston, which the attentive Terry is attending as well. The cast has some jitters.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Only Penny stood calmly in the wings awaiting her entrance, and just before she was to go on, Mrs. Kerston upset her equilibrium by telling her she was too young in the business to know how frightened she should be on opening night. After that she proved herself an actress by going to pieces with the others when she was off the stage and by working coolly and intelligently when she was on."</i></blockquote>
The show opens in New York and Penny's upstaging coworker takes things too far and she takes back her scene, to great acclaim by the audience, but not by the director. He fires Josh when he stands up for Penny, and they go off to dinner to commiserate. Here, Penny learns why Josh is so anti-army. He volunteered for the army and "<i>worked like a mule</i>" until someone got wind of his theatrical past and put him in charge of shows for the soldiers. He wanted to fight. Also, he says:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'I was so mad to be doing for fifty bucks a month what I'd been paid a thousand for, my nerves blew up. They flew in all directions like a busted light bulb.'"</i></blockquote>
Penny asks if he wants to fight (he does) and she says:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'Then, will you let me fix it? I know a dozen officers who would put you in combat.'</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>He was silent and walking again, and Penny ran a few steps to keep up with him. 'Josh,' she begged, 'let me make the army mean something to you. I've spent all my life in it and I love it. Give me the chance to prove to you how fair it can be. Don't let the whole be ruined by the bit you saw. Please, Josh.'"</i></blockquote>
And he does. The play is going beautifully, Letty has moved in with Carrol and Penny, and all is going well. One day, Penny calls home to find out that Carrol has gone <i>"to the hospital, of course, to get the baby."</i> Soon, Davy is born, and Penny brings Josh out to the family estate to visit. She learns more about Josh's sad and lonely past and they start to make plans when a phone call comes that announces that Michael Drayton (another of Penny's suitors)'s plane has gone down and he is missing. Penny starts to fall apart but Josh gives her a little tough love, reminding her that she has a show and cannot go to pieces.<br />
<br />
They drive back to New York together:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Lights were glowing along the Hendrik Hudson drive when they entered New York, with windows of tall buildings twinkling like diamonds in the dusk, and he leaned over to look at them. 'New York,' he breathed. 'The greatest living city in the world. Take a look, Penny; it's all yours if you want it."</i></blockquote>
Penny wonders if she does and the book ends on a melancholy note as she prepares for her play.<br />
<br />
This book has everything: tons of romantic intrigue as well as army intrigue, and spies; plus, a fascinating look at backstage at a Broadway show, through the eyes of Penny. We see Letty and Carrol being strong and building up courage in their husbands' absences, and Penny start to learn what she might want in life--and it might not be the army. It's a perfectly marvelous book, and one of my very favorites.Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-18372242882453076342016-08-20T22:58:00.000-05:002019-12-08T21:20:03.888-06:00One for the Money by Janet Lambert (1946)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Candy Kane again, and this time in California. Barton, who in WHOA, MATILDA! shared ownership with Candy in their battered jeep, is now on his way home from the war in the Pacific. When he arrives he finds Candy completely absorbed in the career of a race horse named Mister Smith, owned by an engaging old man who can not afford to have him trained and "handled." Barton does not share Candy's zeal in the project at first, but in spite of himself he becomes interested.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The result is that, in spite of a serious quarrel which almost spoils everything, Mister Smith wins an important race at Santa Anita to the boundless joy of the old man and Candy and Barton. The quarrel is made up and the ending is on a high and happy note.</i><br />
<i></i><br />
<a name='more'></a><i>Another typically sparkling Janet Lambert story, full of humor and gayety and the wholesome realism which girls love in their books today. (from the inside flap)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<i><b>One for the Money</b></i> starts with Candy meeting a horse (Mister Smith), and his old man owner, Jeb. A bit of description of our Candy:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bD2-YS_flBk/V7kkqFmz_1I/AAAAAAAAFUg/m88FhZ2ZFuQNQ24Lf0zqHR8JSQtmfsQywCLcB/s1600/img095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bD2-YS_flBk/V7kkqFmz_1I/AAAAAAAAFUg/m88FhZ2ZFuQNQ24Lf0zqHR8JSQtmfsQywCLcB/s200/img095.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the enthusiasm<br />
in this jacket copy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>"Her wide-spaced eyes had soft hazel flecks in them and they changed with Candy's mood, from the deep unfathomable green of the ocean when she was thoughtful to a gay liquid gold that danced now with the horse's antics. She shook back the blond hair a breeze had sprayed across her face, her companion tossed his black crest of a man in answer, and she laughed."</i></blockquote>
I always wanted my eyes to change color with my moods, as so many heroines in books do, but alas no. Always brown.<br />
<br />
Candy is living in California with her mother Marcia and her old nurse Nanna. The war is over, and they are waiting for Candy's father and loyal Barton Reed to come home. She takes a shine to Jeb and his whole family, including Sonny who is still overseas. She adores Mister Smith and is excited about training him to be a race horse when Barton comes home.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Barton. Barton in his plane, winging through the skies; Barton grinning, walking toward her as he had that last night on the beach in Connecticut when moonlight drenched his fine new uniform and gold lieutenant's bars; and wind whipped his necktie and his black lock."</i></blockquote>
Barton joins the endeavor to make Mister Smith a winning race horse, which includes finding him a real trainer. Interestingly, there's the slightest mention of the Japanese internment camps as they tour the stables and race track.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dPDb0ZMUCcw/V7kkaYg-oFI/AAAAAAAAFUc/fo-1PSBUJUQDmvwSCvqu0ICujUHAVMh0wCLcB/s1600/img097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dPDb0ZMUCcw/V7kkaYg-oFI/AAAAAAAAFUc/fo-1PSBUJUQDmvwSCvqu0ICujUHAVMh0wCLcB/s200/img097.jpg" width="134" /></a><i>"'It doesn't look much as if the Japs had ever been interned here, does it?' Candy said, leaning out to read the black numbers on the corner of each building."</i></blockquote>
And that is all. One casual mention, then back to the horse training. As for Candy's sister Leigh, as usual, there is trouble in paradise. Leigh's husband Chris is working on a book and not paying any attention to Leigh.<br />
<br />
Candy and Barton are heading out to a dance, and try to get Leigh to go with them, alas, when they go to pick up Chris, he's gone with no notice. Candy and Barton go off to the dance where they meet up with Captain Nelson, an officer from Candy's past, to whom they tell the story of Mister Smith. Captain Nelson persuades Candy to sing at the dance and raises money for Mister Smith's training. Meanwhile, Leigh leaves Chris to come home to her mother.<br />
<br />
Barton and Candy are busy with Mister Smith's training, but despite the money from the dance, they are running short of funds again. Candy goes off to find Clark Milland, whose band she sang in years ago, but ends up at an audition for a new revue. They put her in a skimpy costume, and she sings for them, but refuses the job. She finally runs into Clark Milland, who invests in the horse. Candy arranges with his that if the horse doesn't win, she sing for him to pay back the money. Candy and Barton quarrel and he takes off.<br />
<br />
Jeb is doing poorly, so Candy works with a Red Cross-connected friend of the family to get Sonny back home. Chris gets a job and he and Leigh get back together. Barton comes back and he's in civilian clothes--he's left the army.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Candy put a dash of mustard in her sandwich while Barton paid the check and when they went out of the door together, she thought, isn't this just the way we'd do it? Nothing dramatic about getting together again; A cheap restaurant, great control with everything casual--and we walk out, eating steak sandwiches! And Barton thought, Gee, it's simple when two people understand each other. No fuss. I couldn't stand a girl who fussed."</i></blockquote>
Sonny makes it home, and rides Mister Smith in the big race and wins. Everything ends happily, including for Barton and Candy. Barton explains that he didn't want to stand in the way of her potential career, and gave up the army so he wouldn't be sent away from her. He's going to college, and she will too, but just for a year until they can marry.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'We're each giving up a lot, Candy. No one's every going to hear you sing or have the joy of watching you in technicolor. I'm never going to wear a uniform like Dad and my grandfather wore, but we'll have each other.'</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'And you'll be a very fine fellow just the same and I can sing for you sometimes.'"</i></blockquote>
And she sings a bit of Stardust, the song that she sang in <i>Candy Kane</i>. The end! Aw! The horse stuff is pretty boring to me, but I do love the singing and Barton is a terrific romantic hero.Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-45154718927062409092016-08-18T23:01:00.000-05:002019-12-08T21:20:15.909-06:00Friday's Child by Janet Lambert (1947)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Alice Jordon was a typical "Friday's child" for she was "loving and giving," especially where her sister Gwenn, vain, selfish and clever, was concerned. Another "Friday's child" in the huge Jordon family was the eldest sister, Jenifer. Jenifer held the family together and Alice, happy, completely unself-conscious, was her able lieutenant.</i><br />
<i></i><br />
<a name='more'></a><i><br /></i>
<i> General Jordon's headquarters are now at Fort Jay, on Governor's Island, within a stone's throw of the Statue of Liberty. Since the Parrishes (minus Penny and David) live there too, it is only natural that the young people of both families should meet--even though Gwenn resists every opportunity to put her best foot forward and be the least bit friendly.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>When Gwenn, uninvited, follows Jenifer to the Camp Illumination at West Point, it is faithful Alice who loyally trots off to bring her back to the island. But it is patient Jenifer who in the end must decide just what to do about the Jordon family's prima donna.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>So you can see, there is never a dull moment at the Jordons', especially with the Parrishes on hand. And just to top if off Cyril, Lord Carlington, to the delight of Jenifer, returns from England for what could possibly a very long stay.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Girls who have read Just Jenifer will enjoy meeting Tippy Parrish and her brother, Bobby, and will delight in renewing their friendship with Alice, Jenifer, and all the Jordons--even unpredictable Gwenn! (from the inside flap)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
True confession: It took reading this book and thinking a bit more deeply about it to realize that the cover illustration is probably supposed to be Alice. I've always thought it was Gwenn, cause she looks super pouty and RBFish.<br />
<br />
Anyhoo! On to the second in the Jordon family series! And in this one, the Jordon and Parrish families begin to intertwine. We open with Alice and Gwenn at the pool on Governors Island and making their first overtures to the gang that hang out with Tippy and Bobby Parrish. Alice is all ready to be friends, but Gwenn hurries her away, too insecure to reach out to make friends. Hence, the conflict. Alice is steadfastly loyal to Gwenn, who does not return the affection. Jenifer steps in to try to get Gwenn to behave civilly. She flat out calls Gwenn a 'neurotic', which is a perfect description.<br />
<br />
As the book progresses, Alice struggles between making new friends and a life for herself with her devotion to her troublesome sister Gwenn. Alice gets pulled into a swimming race between her and Bobby, and Gwenn connives to keep Bobby from the race, which only serves to worry Alice that she's jeopardized her friendship with the gang.<br />
<br />
Despite the shenanigans, Gwenn manages to get herself invited along with Alice to Tippy's sister Penny's play and out for lunch, where we learn that Penny has husband Josh and a baby daughter, who is three months old and named Parrish MacDonald.<br />
<br />
In other news, Cyril writes to Jenifer and asks that she come back to England to visit him when his Aunt Kate comes over to visit. Jenifer get a little overwhelmed by this offer and by his loneliness, on top of the rest of her responsibilities.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Never in all their lives had they seen Jenifer show any sign of discouragement. She carried problems on her strong young shoulders like Pilgrim, and when they were too heavy to carry she dragged them off somewhere where no one ever saw them again. Now her shoulders sagged and they began to suspect that all their lost problems were locked up somewhere inside her."</i></blockquote>
A respite comes when Jenifer is invited up to West Point for a dance, and finds out it is Camp Illumination weekend.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'Camp Illumination, pet. It's one of the biggest things the cadets have. The whole summer camp of tents is lighted up with strings of lights and lanterns, and it's the only time girls are allowed to walk along the rows and go into the tents and talk with everyone. And after, you mark in a parade to the field house for the dance.'"</i></blockquote>
Gwenn and the whole family get Jenifer ready for this exciting weekend, despite the fact that Gwenn is sad that she is too young to go along. Jenifer leaves, Alice is worried and rightly so, because, of course, Gwenn has run off to West Point. Gwenn takes a bus, gets a hotel room and calls out a homely cadet, who naturally asks her to the dance.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, poor Alice has smashed all the family's piggy banks in order to get money to go get Gwenn at West Point. She drags her back, where it's decided that Gwenn will go to boarding school. Alice, encouraged by Bobby, decides to put her foot down and not go with Gwenn.<br />
<br />
Alice and Gwenn are invited out to Penny Parrish's house (Round Tree Farm), where they meet Carrol Parrish.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Carrol Parrish answered the wave and ran across the grass to meet them. Her eyes were gentian blue and her pale hair was tied on her neck with a black velvet ribbon, strained away from features that were so beautifully modeled they needed no curls to frame them."</i></blockquote>
Was there ever a character as beautiful as Carrol? Knowing Gwenn's interest in dancing on the stage, Penny has invited a dance teacher out to the Farm and Gwenn dances for her. Soon, plans for dancing lessons ensue and the boarding school idea is discarded. Gwenn finds out that Jenifer set the whole thing up, visit to Penny's, dancing teacher, and for a moment, Gwenn is appreciative. For a moment.<br />
<br />
Aunt Kate and Cyril are sailing into town and Jenifer goes to the docks for the long-awaited meeting.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"She craned and peered, shading her eyes with her hand, until a voice behind her called, 'Oh, I say!' And there he was.<br />'Jenifer!"<br />'Oh, Cyril.'<br />They were crushed together in the center of a milling mass and her only thought was how good he smelled, of fresh sea air and pipe tobacco. He held her against his chest until she wondered if he kept her there or if her hands locked around his neck supported her."</i></blockquote>
Cyril has come back to ask Jenifer to marry him, but she can't--she has too much family to take care of. But it sounds lovely.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Jenifer closed her eyes. Oh, to be taken care of, she thought. To have someone who will think of me first, after all the years I've spent planning for others. It was a beautiful dream and she held it close for a moment, then lifted her head."</i></blockquote>
The book ends with Tippy's birthday party and a dance. After the usual Gwenn misbehaving is over, everyone goes off to the dance for a wonderful time. Bobby takes Alice and even brings her gardenias. By the way, why, oh WHY did white dinner jackets go out of style? So dashing and handsome. Everyone has a marvelous time at the party, but I love the description of Alice:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Alice was a happy little motor boat loose in the harbor. She raced up and down and in and out, not so graceful as Gwenn but covering more ground, and boys tapped Bobby so often and with such a solid grasp that his white shoulder was soiled."</i></blockquote>
The end of the book appears to be the start of something else, as Bobby offers to drive Alice to school when it starts. Exciting!<br />
<br />
Again, this one is not a particular favorite of mine. I feel bad for poor Alice having to deal with neurotic, high-strung Gwenn, although she develops a spine. However, it is fun to see the start of the Jordon-Parrish intersection, which weaves together like a very complex spider's web.Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-51708926939932486362016-08-15T22:09:00.000-05:002019-12-08T21:20:36.352-06:00Practically Perfect by Janet Lambert (1947)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Now Penny Parrish must make a choice. Who will it be? Is she going to marry Michael Drayton? Or will it be handsome Terry Hayes? Or how about Josh MacDonald, her manager? In this book we find Penny, again in the theater, making more and more friends, deciding against Hollywood, and dividing her time busily between the family home on Governors Island, where her father is in command, and her sister-in-law Carrol's apartment in New York.</i><br />
<i></i><br />
<a name='more'></a><i><br /></i>
<i>David, her brother, returns from overseas to be introduced to his new little son, young Davy. Soon after, Carrol and David invest in a farm; and Penny finds herself torn between love of the country and a passionate devotion to her work. There's Gladstone, the house that would fulfill all her dreams of a home of her own, away from the bustle and noise of New York. But then there is Penny's first love--the theater with its bright lights and the excitement of opening night. And there is Josh to guide her on the way to stardom.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>As you can see, life at twenty-one for Penny is certainly filled with problems, both big and little. All in all, these questions are happily answered in the end, however, which will make things practically perfect for both Penny and her readers. (from the inside flap)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
As <i><b>Practically Perfect</b></i> opens, Penny has been on Broadway in a play called <i>The Robin's Nest</i> for two years, and the family has moved to Governors Island. In other family news, Carrol and David have a toddler named Davy, and Tippy, now 12, is growing up and becoming an actual character of her own.<br />
<br />
In addition to starring in a Broadway show, Penny has a nice selection of admirers, including Lieutenant Colonel Hayes--as flirty and charming as ever--and Captain Michael Drayton, who was wounded as he came out of a prison camp and has retired from the army. And of course, Josh MacDonald, the director with an interest in Penny's career. Tippy asks: <i>"'But will you bring him over to dinner again sometime? He scares me but I think he's fascinating, with his black hair and so many bones in his face.'" </i><br />
<br />
In a family conference, Penny consults her parents about Josh's suggestion that she leave <i>The Robin's Nest</i> so she can be open to new opportunities. Meanwhile, Carrol gets a letter indicating that David is planning on leaving the army and becoming a farmer, which in an army family like the Parrishes is quite a surprise.<br />
<br />
Josh invites Penny out to a nightclub to see and be seen by the columnists, but she gets a little confused about Josh's intentions and whether they are career-minded or romantic.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'Listen, child.' Josh cupped his hands around her shoulders and held her while he said earnestly, 'I haven't any illusions, Penny. I don't put myself in a class with a handsome lad like Terry Hayes or the Drayton chap. I'm just a plain honest guy who likes you and thinks he can make a great star of you.'"</i></blockquote>
As the book progresses, we get some updates on Penny's friends: Penny's father had arranged for Josh to go into a combat troop overseas (as Josh wanted), Louise Frazier is a war widow, and Dick Ford was killed in the war.<br />
<br />
In addition to her confusion about her career, Penny is feeling conflicted about love. Carrol asks her what she would choose in a man:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'Darned if I know,' she answered. 'Someone I could respect as you respect David; someone I could trust and believe in, and follow blindly, knowing I was safe with him.' She stopped and sighed. 'Someone deep and fine,' she ended. 'So deep and fine that, like the ocean, I never could touch the bottom of his love.'"</i></blockquote>
Josh takes Penny out to Gladstone (Carrol and David's country home) for a surprise house party, with all of the old gang. Along with sledding and other fun and games, Carrol and Penny continue their heart to heart talks about Penny's love life.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'Darling,' she asked bluntly, 'are you in love with Josh?'</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'I don't know.' Penny swallowed hard and leaned her head against Carrol. 'It gums things all up,' she complained, 'when you like someone too much. When you'd rather talk with that person than any other one; or when you think other people aren't quite as wonderful, or fine, or . . .' She trailed off with a sigh."</i></blockquote>
So yeah, she's in love with Josh, but is convinced he doesn't feel the same. In her typical, charmingly dramatic fashion, she returns to the living room where the rest of the guests are gathered.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"She felt sad, beautifully sad, now that she knew she was in love with Josh, and filled with a strange exaltation. She was glad to be alone in a far corner, playing dreamy records, her hands white on the black discs. She thought her hands looked lonely, too, and clasped them together on the edge of the rich mahogany case so that they, at least, might have companionship. The music was full of dreams and she listened to it with her eyes closed and her back to Josh. It doesn't matter what happens, she thought. I'll always know he's somewhere in the world. When I'm old and famous and he's gray and tired, I'll ask him to come to tea and then I'll tell him about tonight--and how lonely I was.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>She was so lost in her future denouement that she jumped and let one hand forsake its mate when Josh touched her should and said with a sly grin, 'The others have gone in to dinner, Miss Parrish. Shall we drop the curtain on the first act and have some refreshments before the second?'"</i></blockquote>
Oh, Penny! So dramatic and so very endearing. Carrol takes Josh and Penny over to see another stately home that they're thinking about buying: Round Tree Farm. Penny loves it and wants a place of her own, just like this, but Josh doesn't seem to like the idea of the house or marriage at all. <i>"'I'm a gruff kind of cuss,' he replied, snapping shut his lighter and staring down at it. 'Cranky, moody, and selfish.'"</i><br />
<br />
Penny takes it hard and returns to Carrol and David's house, only to be proposed to by Terry Hayes. She sadly declines, as she's in love with Josh. Plus, Penny wonders<i> "how much of his love for her was love, and how much habit."</i><br />
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In other news, a rumor has hit the columns about a new play for Penny and she heads in to town to ask advice from a theater contact, bringing Bobby and Tippy to lunch at the swanky, star-studded Bertrand's. Josh is there, having lunch with an attractive blond actress, which, of course, breaks Penny's heart. He's trying to persuade the blond (who happens to have a very rich husband) to take on a role in the play that he has written for Penny, but no dice. So Josh goes to call on Carrol and David to be backers, and they agree. Plans for the play commence, along with a moonlit drive, after which Penny talks to Carrol:<br />
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<i>"Carrol smoothed the folds of her sold blue dress across her knees and wondered how much she should say to Penny. It would be cruel to raise her hope if Josh were determined not to marry; and yet, never before had she seen Penny's face so strained. 'I think Josh is in love with you,' she said slowly. 'I feel sure he is. But perhaps he doesn't know it, or doesn't want to marry.'</i></blockquote>
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<i>'Well, he ought to. He ought to know he loves me and he ought to want to be married to me, Why, goodness to Betsy!'"</i></blockquote>
The rest of the book zooms along. Penny and Josh work on the play, and get a very influential producer on their side. Penny goes frantically Christmas shopping and finds a tricycle for Davy, which she has to bring to her lunch with Josh. The sentimentality of Christmas sparks a heart to heart talk, where Josh finally declares his love for Penny, though he believes that she doesn't love him back.<br />
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<i>"'Josh,' she said, 'come outside a minute. I want to show you something.' She walked through the carpeted lobby without looking back, and went through the revolving door. She knew Josh was behind her, and when she had gone beyond the glare of the neon sign, to the shadowy entrance of a store, she turned and reached up to put both arms around his neck. 'Darling,' she said softly, 'I love you more than anything else in the world.'"</i></blockquote>
They sort out the house stuff, and want to marry immediately, but it takes three days to get a license in New York.<br />
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<i>"'Then we'll be married on Christmas Day,' Penny relaxed with a happy sigh. 'This is what David would call quick work,' she gloated. 'Engaged on Thursday, married on Christmas, and hard at work rehearsing on the day after New Year's. Oh, my goodness, what a practically perfect life!'"</i></blockquote>
As wedding preparations ensue, Carrol lovingly teases Penny that her husband is much the handsomer.<br />
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<i>"'He is not.' Penny bridled and her eyes flashed. 'Josh is handsome inside. He's interesting and distinguished-looking on the outside, kind of a odd and keen and intelligent, but inside he's so beautiful it dazzles me to look at him on the outside.'"</i></blockquote>
Finally, it's Christmas and the day of the wedding. Penny gets a little pre-homesick, but Major and Mrs. Parrish talk her down and Josh and Penny marry. But wait! There's more! After a honeymoon at the Waldorf, Josh takes her over to see Carrol and David, but they're at Round Tree Farm. Josh drives Penny over there and he carries her over the threshold of her new home. He bought Round Tree Farm for them, and Carrol has decorated for her exactly as Penny had dreamed when she first saw the house. As the book ends, the couple is in their new home and Josh is preparing Penny for her first day of rehearsal the next day.<br />
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I adore this book. I love the love that Penny has for making a home: "<i>'To nail up pictures and fuss around in a kitchen ...'" </i>and the complex romantic relationships between Penny and Josh, and her suitors, not to mention Carrol and David as he adjusts to leaving the army. I adore the maturity that we start to see in all of Penny's old gang, who we've come to know so well over the years. The wounds of the war are present and part of life, but we see the strength of character that maintains them through hard times. And Penny's conflict between her career on the stage, her love for home, and her love for Josh and her family is beautifully drawn. Plus, these characters are just so darned lovable and charming. One of the very best of Janet Lambert's novels. Sigh!Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-12623955696354285192016-08-13T18:09:00.001-05:002019-12-08T21:20:52.658-06:00Just Jenifer by Janet Lambert (1945)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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With <i><b>Just Jenifer</b></i>, Janet Lambert introduces the Jordon family to her readers. As the book opens, sixteen-year-old Jenifer Jordon is taking care of her many brothers and sisters in Orlando. Her father General Jordon is off in Italy fighting in the war. Things get increasingly complicated when their housekeeper has to leave for a family emergency, and Jenifer is left to care for the family alone.</div>
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But first: let's meet the very complicated Jordon family! First, we have Jenifer, who was five years old when her mother died, "leaving her to watch over a four-year-old Peter." When she was eight, her father married again, and she acquired two ready-made sisters, Gwenn and Alice, who were a little younger than Peter. When she was ten the twins were born (Neal and Susan). Then Vance, then Bitsy, then General Jordon's second wife passed away. In addition, General Jordon's nephew Donny came to live with the family when his parents were killed in a car accident.</div>
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(Trying to keep this all straight for future reference: In <i>Just Jenifer</i>, Jennifer is 16, Peter is 15, Gwenn is 14, Alice is 12, Donny is 10, Neal and Susan are 6, Vance is 5 and Bitsy is 3.) </div>
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Jenifer fires the housekeeper, which leaves her alone with the children and one servant, Rosie, <i>"who was big-boned and willing and had trailed along with the Jordons from an army post in Kansas, but she never knew Bitsy's left rubber from the right or believed in clocks or routine." </i>Jenifer decides not to go back to school (despite her love of writing) and plans to run the family like the army that is such a part of her family's life. They need to follow her orders, take on responsibilities like k.p., and if they get in trouble, the family will hold a court martial. The family even plans on daily reveille and retreats.</div>
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She talks curmudgeonly storekeeper Mr. Cadwallader into renting his late son's house (on a lake with a garden and room for the family horse Prince Royal) to the family. On the way, the family picks up a few extras, including Mr. Cadwallader's daughter Lacey, lonesome officer Andy Compton, and a new family dog, Rollo. </div>
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In an endearing scene, Andy helps Jenifer get Prince Royal hooked up to a carriage.</div>
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<i>"The young lieutenant took off his blouse and dropped it on the grass as if he'd been looking a long time for a fight, and when he flung his cap beside it Jenifer saw that his hair was golden-red, not sunburned. Looking at his stubborn lower lip that had a jaw to match it, Jenifer untied Royal from the palm tree and thought it would be fun to watch two redheads battle each other."</i></blockquote>
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During a quiet afternoon and lost in thought, Jenifer meets Cyril, when he is drawing her picture without her notice:<i> "'Would you mind frightfully turning your head a little? I'd like to catch your profile.'"</i></div>
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<i>"He was an odd-looking boy. His face was very thin and he had dark long-lashed eyes that seemed to have burned all the color out of his white skin. Only his mouth looked alive, as if it and his eyes, together, had battled the life from the rest of his face. His brown hair was wavy and worn too long, in the careless effect movie actors have stolen from artists and poets; and studying him, Jenifer thought that but for his modern white cardigan and carefully creased gray slacks he might have posted for Percy Bysshe Shelley sitting with a pencil clasped between sensitive nervous fingers."</i></blockquote>
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British Cyril is different than the hardy army boys that Jenifer knows. He came to stay with his Aunt Kate after his brother and sister were killed in an air raid. His aunt is suspicious of Jenifer and her rambunctious family and their influence on delicate Cyril, but after Jenifer collapses of exhaustion in Mr. Cadwallader's store, Aunt Kate relents. She sends over her housekeeper's sister Ellin to help out, and Jenifer is to take lessons with Cyril's tutor so she can finish school. </div>
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The introduction of Ellin, (who becomes part of the family and appears in nearly all of the Jordon family novels):</div>
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<i>"Ellin McCarthy got out of the car and leaned over to shake the wrinkles out of her ample black skirt. She was a big, jolly woman with twinkling eyes above a button nose and her Irish brogue rolled out musically. 'Tis a pleasure to do what I can for ye, after ye bein' so good to me Patrick,' she said, 'and I'm glad to be takin' the motherless darlin's under me wing.'"</i></blockquote>
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The families become closer, Cyril gets tougher and stronger, and he and Jenifer grow closer. Meanwhile, Andy has been asking Lacey to marry him for ages, and when he finally actually declares his love, she accepts. The book wraps up with Andy and Lacey's wedding, and Cyril heading off to Long Island with his aunt, bringing Gwenn, Alice, and Donny for company. </div>
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But before they go, Jenifer gives them a pep talk:</div>
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<i>"'Remember,' she said, standing before the screen door and surveying them, 'you're a soldier's children. You're 'army brats.' And don't you do anything, ever, that will reflect discredit on that soldier or will make the army ashamed to have you as a part of it. Will you remember that?'"</i></blockquote>
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Yes, they will. And with that, the good-bys are said and Cyril and company board the train to New York. </div>
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<i>"He saw them all as the train moved along: Bitsy, Neal, Vance, Susan, Peter. And looking out at them he knew he would always see them, the little Jordons, as an obbligato in a concerto, as the background in a painting. For him, the motif, the lovely figure in the foreground was, and always would be, just Jenifer." </i></blockquote>
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Ah! Very lovely. Reading this book just reminded me of a few things that Janet Lambert must have really loved: the army, horses and above all, big families with all their joys and challenges. Even only child Lacey and officer Andy can't stay away from the lure of the dynamic Jordon family. And it is astonishing that Jenifer manages to take care of all the family. I can feel the relief when Ellin comes to stay, and a few of the children are sent off for a while. It's an excellent introduction to this large and complicated family.</div>
Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-85170900154587557472016-08-09T22:41:00.000-05:002019-12-08T21:21:04.774-06:00Whoa, Matilda! by Janet Lambert (1944)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Everyone who has read CANDY KANE has kept her fingers crossed that the irrepressible Candy would somehow continue her helpful, hopeful, unpredictable ministrations to her difficult family at Fort Benning. And here she is! </i><i>This time the Kanes are living in a hotel in crowded Washington, awaiting Colonel Kane's orders to leave on what turns out to be a highly secret overseas mission. Barton Reed is now a full-fledged private first class, and owns a hysterical old coupe named Matilda. Matilda lacks figure, dignity and self-control, and eventually becomes Candy's most prized possession--because Bart can see no possible way of keeping the delightful old jalopy now that he is in the Army.</i><br />
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<i>Both Matilda and Candy eventually find themselves a new home near Fort Benning with Candy's delightful friend, Jane. And with them go the Kanes' two problem children--Candy's most difficult sister Leigh, and Marcia, their mother. </i><i>Candy is growing up--she's 16 now--and other boys besides Barton are beginning to appreciate her sunny, lovable charm. So the prickly little plot beings to hatch. To tell the rest would be unfair to Candy and the Army. </i><i>Each new book by Janet Lambert seems to be even better than the last. And WHOA, MATILDA! is the best to date. (from the inside flap)</i><br />
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Is it just me or has Candy Kane changed rather dramatically from her first novel? Seriously! She went from this:<br />
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To this:<br />
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I mean, jeepers. It's only been two years!<br />
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Anyway, <i><b>Whoa, Matilda</b></i> starts out problematically for me. Remember what I said about the <a href="http://www.carlysmaltshop.com/2013/06/glory-be-by-janet-lambert-1943.html" target="_blank">Parrish cook Trudy</a>? And how richly drawn she was as a character? Even though I am willing to give Lambert the benefit of the doubt (and seventy years of history), her introductory words still give me pause. We open in a Washington hotel, where everyone <i>"was working to win the war."</i><br />
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<i>"Joe gave a twitch to the very white glove that covered his very black hand and leaned out the door of his elevator. He looked anxiously at the clock in the hotel lobby, and his brow corrugated into chocolate furrows."</i></blockquote>
Joe (married to Kane cook Cleoretta) takes Major Kane, then his wife down in the elevator, and then finally, Miss Candy Kane, who tells him that Barton Reed is in town. The beautiful Leigh is now married to a young army officer named Chris Mathews. Barton chugs into town in his beat-up old car Matilda and meets up with Barton.<br />
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<i>"They stood appraising each other, their hands locked hard into a bridge that spanned a two years' separation, until Barton grinned and said in what was meant to be a compliment, 'You aren't as skinny as you used to be.'</i></blockquote>
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<i>'Hunhuh. And I see you still wrestle with your hair,'</i></blockquote>
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<i>'Darn stuff.' He controlled an impulse to smooth back the annoying lock and they remained like two smiling statues, with Barton not knowing quite how to separate their hands or what he should say next."</i></blockquote>
Exciting news? Barton enlisted instead of going to West Point. Much is made of his olive-green <i>"rough woolly blouse" </i>instead of cadet gray. Why?<br />
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<i>"'But, I'll tell you, Candy, I didn't think I ought to waste so much time just playing football and going to dances when other guys ... Well, I thought I could get into things quicker this way. I don't expect you to understand.'"</i></blockquote>
All seems well, until Candy gets back to the hotel, chats with Joe and discovers that something is amiss in the Kane household. Joe takes Candy up in the elevator and then (cringe-inducingly):<br />
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<i>"'Oh Lawd,' he muttered, shaking his head, 'I jes' cain't stand it if somethin's gone wrong with my Kanes.'"</i></blockquote>
I think the reason that Trudy gets a pass from me and Joe doesn't, is that Trudy is an introduced, well-developed character. Joe exists purely to reflect on the Kanes. Plus, all the "lawdy, lawdy" stuff is so very stereotypical and one-dimensional. He is drawn more fully as the book goes on, thankfully.<br />
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Marcia (Candy's handful of a mother) is hysterical because Major Kane is going overseas on a top-secret mission, which she does a bad job of keeping secret. Leigh's husband is gone as well, so it's up to the Kane girls to keep house again.<br />
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Leigh, Candy and loyal Nanna move in with Jane Cameron, now Jane Morton and her baby Cammy. (Marcia decides to live in a nearby hotel instead.) All arrive to news of an invasion in Africa, where it's likely the Kane men have been sent.<br />
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Barton heads off to Fort Benning and sells Matilda to Candy. In an attempt to raise funds, Candy tries to see bandleader Clark Milland to see if she can sing with him. Leigh dismisses her, despite the fact that Dirk said:<br />
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<i>"'Jane, there isn't anything that kid couldn't do; radio, television, movies--she's got everything in that soft, heart-warming voice of hers. I wonder what she'll do about it.'</i></blockquote>
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<i>They had all wondered; after the soldiers' show when Candy had been smothered in compliments, written up in the newspapers, and urged by one of the big motion picture companies to come to Hollywood for a screen test. But Candy had done nothing. She wanted no career, she said. She just liked to sing; it was fun singing."</i></blockquote>
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Candy waits for him in the hotel lobby to no avail, then dresses up like a maid and waits for him in his hotel room. He listens to her and works with her on a song, but tells her quite definitively, he will never have a girl singer in his band. She still considers it the best day ever, and heads off to the dance that he's playing at with a boy from her school.</div>
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Clark Milland finds her at the dance and recruits her to sing to kick off the bond drive.</div>
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<i>"'I said I'd never use a girl singer in my band. Well, I won't, so don't get any ideas. Lonnie Mayo is sick tonight and the committee for this shindig insists the bond drive must be opened with God Bless America. It's a terrible song but the public likes it. We'll play the Star-Spangled Banner at the end, but no one can just play God Bless America. The song's impossible; but it's got to be sung.'"</i></blockquote>
I love the idea that <i>God Bless America</i> by Irving Berlin is a terrible song. It's a fabulous song and should be our national anthem, not the completely impossible to sing<i> Star-Spangled Banner. </i>Anyhoo, Candy sings, people buy war bonds, and Barton is there in begrudging admiration.<br />
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The book goes on and the family prepares for Christmas. Marcia and Leigh are determined not to celebrate, but Candy talks them into it. Leigh is even secretly working on a nursery for young mothers whose husbands are off at war; Marcia is wildly involved with the war effort.<br />
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Candy gets invited by Clark Milland to go on a bond-drive tour in Florida, to Barton's disappointment. But he comes down to visit:<br />
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<i>"It was a new Barton, one she had never seen before. He sat at the table and talked with men; of delaying action and the mobile strength of an armored unit, of radar and a wing command."</i></blockquote>
Candy finishes her tour, and Barton springs the news that he's been recommended for Officers' Candidate School. Meanwhile, the family learns that Dirk has been wounded and is coming home on leave. As the family prepares to leave Dirk and Jane and their baby alone, Candy says good-bye to Barton.<br />
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<i>"'And now--gosh, Candy, we've got to say good-by.' He put his arm around her shoulders and stood looking down into her upturned eyes that were wide and green in the moonlight. 'You're the best pal a guy ever had,' he said softly, 'and there's never going to be anyone else for me, ever.'</i></blockquote>
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<i>'Nor for me, Barton.'</i></blockquote>
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<i>'Okay, we've got that settled.' He kissed her quickly, laid his cheek against hers, then released her."</i></blockquote>
Sigh! Could anything be sweeter? The relationship of Candy and Barton has a beautiful progression, from annoying little pal to more adult love. Plus, I love the softening and maturing of Marcia and Leigh, and the cold, hard truths of war as seen with Jane and Dirk. Lovely.Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-58771963786093741752016-08-09T22:22:00.002-05:002019-12-08T21:22:36.389-06:00Candy Kane by Janet Lambert (1943)<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Candy wasn't as pretty as her sister Leigh, but she had a wistful little combination of something else in her make-up that made people love her and trust her and want her to be around. </i><i>At Fort Benning, for instance, where Major Kane was stationed, Candy was absolutely essential to the success of every party or outing. Leigh and Mother, however, were of another stripe, and made the going rather difficult for everyone . . . especially for a certain young soldier. Later on, in fact when it was much too late, they discovered their mistake and from a distance Candy could smile her quiet, small, happy smile.</i><br />
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<i>Here is a story with the same quality of wholesome freshness and gaiety that characterized the Parrish stories, and girls will find Candy every bit as lovable a heroine as the delightful Penny. (from the inside flap)</i><br />
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In the fourth of Janet Lambert's locket series, we take a sharp left away from the adventures of Penny Parrish and family. Let's meet Candy Kane! We open in New York City, where the Kane family is preparing to move to Fort Benning in Georgia as Major Kane is going into active service in the Army. Fourteen-year-old Candy Kane is on board, but her very beautiful (but shallow) eighteen-year-old sister Leigh and her equally shallow mother Marcia are decidedly against the move.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Candy Kane meets Barton Reed.</td></tr>
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It's fascinating to start off a novel with two such challenging characters, especially after how delightful nearly all of the Parrish family were. It's also an untraditional start, as Candy Kane moves to Fort Benning with her father to keep house until Leigh and Marcia follow. But she does pretty well! She finds them a cook--Cleoretta--and meets the Reeds, the charming family next door. She first meets sixteen-year-old Barton Reed, then his sister Anne, and the whole family, including his lovely mother who she is soon calling Mom.<br />
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Just as she is settling in, her mother (always Marcia--never even Mother) sends over some hideous modern furniture to make a point about her unhappiness with the move. Lambert does a beautiful job with balancing Candy's sweet nature and loyalty to her family with her understanding that her mother is a handful. Here's a taste:<br />
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<i>"'My mother has wonderful taste.' She was afraid to meet Anne's eyes so she too sat down, and because the relaxed lines of the chair refused her the dignity of upright repose, she leaned her head back and remarked loudly and straight at the ceiling, 'Everyone admires my mother's taste. And if it weren't for Daddy and Leigh and me she could be the best interior decorator in the whole United States.'"</i></blockquote>
Candy pretty much wanders around being helpful and sweet and awkward and endearing herself to one and all, including Jane Cameron, who works at the club. She even helps out Barton's steady and finds herself in an awkward position regarding the Junior Hop, when he invites Candy to make his steady jealous and she roundly turns him down.<br />
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<i>"Candy refused to admit even to herself that the Junior Hop held any interest for her. And on Saturday night she watched Anne pin twin gardenias in her black hair, then go twirling about her bedroom in chiffon skirts that billowed in the breezes she made. A dozen boys had asked Anne to save dances for them and she rattled off their names while Candy sat on the floor, her legs crossed under her blue pleated skirt, her small face tilted upward in pride without envy. But when Anne had driven off in Jack's family's car and her mother's velvet evening wrap Candy hated to return to her own empty house."</i></blockquote>
So what does our Candy Kane do?<br />
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<i>"She was going to the hop after all. Not as the others went--inside with the heat and noise--but outside under the stars where the music would be softly sweet and she could lie on the ground and enjoy it."</i></blockquote>
So she finds herself a spot under a tree near the club, spreads out her coat and <i>"wilted bar of chocolate and a package of chewing gum. Not for all the world would she have changed places with Anne."</i><br />
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<i> "'Sometimes I wonder why I spend a lonely night,' she crooned happily to the opening bars of 'Star Dust.' not wondering, and certainly not lonely. She looked up at the sky and sang softly at first. Then because she was so happy there in the dark, she let her voice rise with the music until it reached the walk where a passing soldier heard it and stopped."</i></blockquote>
So she sings, and he listens and soon introduces himself, and they sing together. His name is Corporal Dirk Morton and he walks her home, and she invites him to dinner, along with new friends Jane Cameron, her father, loyal nurse Nanna and Barton. She plans a marvelous party, but Marcia and Leigh are due to arrive soon and ruin all the fun. And they do. Leigh is snooty about Candy hanging around with soldiers, and disdainful of Corporal "Corp" Morton, which works out perfectly well since sweet Jane and he hit it off.<br />
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Of course, when Leigh finds out Corp is the heir to a massive fortune, she changes her tune. But too late! Ha! She meets one of Corp's friends Chris Chandler.<br />
<blockquote>
<i>"'And what's this Chris like?' Mrs. Kane sat down beside the dressing table and smiled at Leigh's lovely reflection. 'Is he attractive?'</i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>'He's horrid. He hasn't any money or position, and he was just a reporter in New York. He was writing a play when he volunteered in the army so Dirk things he's a mental genius.'"</i></blockquote>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sZsuHUfhYf4/V6qdbxjGOnI/AAAAAAAAFSo/bZcMzfGjcBse0T14NZ-FC8EDMpGd0wl2ACLcB/s1600/img090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sZsuHUfhYf4/V6qdbxjGOnI/AAAAAAAAFSo/bZcMzfGjcBse0T14NZ-FC8EDMpGd0wl2ACLcB/s320/img090.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Candy Kane in her stout brogues, <br />
----blocking her sister Leigh.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And that might be all you need to know about Leigh and Marcia. What else happens? Candy serves as Barton's errand boy and dogsbody until she gets fed up and tells him off. She also sets up Jane and Dirk after a misunderstanding separates them. And even more exciting news? Corp recruits her to sing in a show on the post and Marcia reluctantly agrees, though she demands that Candy get a permanent, which Candy is less than excited about.<br />
<br />
She talks to Barton about the show and her hair.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'Well, gee,' he said, well-meaning but about as soothing as an electric shock, 'even if you don't do so well people know you're just a little high-school kid. And if your hair looks funny they won't pay any attention to it.'</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'Thanks, Barton.' Candy walked to the curb and was in the middle of the street before his words shook her loose from her fear. She whirled around and there was nothing meek in her answer when she shouted back at him, 'I'll do all right. You don't have to worry about <b>that</b>. I'll do better than anyone else could do! And my hair will look all right, too.'"</i></blockquote>
LOVE IT. Adorable. I'm going to use it as a daily affirmation. The night of the show, Corp introduces her:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'And now,' he was saying to them, 'we have a little girl who is going to sing for you. I know you will like her because she's the darling of the post. And more than that, she's all the Judy Garlands and Deanna Durbins, and sweet little girls you like to know, rolled into one. Here she is--Candy Kane.'"</i></blockquote>
She sings and she's the darling of the show--even her mother sees her in a new light. And so does Barton. But don't worry, Candy is sensible as always.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bmQ-gOf54EM/V6qdzrpKv9I/AAAAAAAAFSs/CB8EVs73ly0oHhmFzb7gjMxZf93DrbwxACLcB/s1600/img091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bmQ-gOf54EM/V6qdzrpKv9I/AAAAAAAAFSs/CB8EVs73ly0oHhmFzb7gjMxZf93DrbwxACLcB/s320/img091.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Candy Kane, girl singer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have always dreamed of being a girl singer in a big band, so I love the plot of Candy singing and the description of her singing with such heart.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"And Candy, sang, again and again. They refused to let her go until at last, in desperation, she stepped quite close to the edge of the stage and leaned across the footlights to coax, as if they were all her friends, 'Oh, thank you, so very much. But there's such a lot of wonderful show left, and--Well, don't you think it would be fun it we call sing 'Deep in the Heart of Texas' together, so we can clap our hands?'"</i></blockquote>
So very sweet. I love the complexity of Candy's family relationships, and the complexity of her relationship with Barton--her naivete and her sweetness. And as opposed to the Parrish family stories of people who live and breathe Army, it's an interesting twist to meet a family who is just now experiencing Army life. Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-4903611897936717742016-08-07T11:49:00.000-05:002019-12-08T21:22:45.855-06:00Glory Be by Janet Lambert (1943)<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NoO6uBvzg6Q/Uc2EbB7b5lI/AAAAAAAADP0/GFm6s4gnxj8/s410/glorylg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NoO6uBvzg6Q/Uc2EbB7b5lI/AAAAAAAADP0/GFm6s4gnxj8/s200/glorylg.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
<i>In Glory Be! Penny and her friend Carrol encounter more serious grown-up problems, but they never lose any of their charm, wit, and sense of excitement with life. </i><i>The story opens with Penny's eighteenth birthday party, which is followed by a shopping trip into New York with Carrol. The carefree time of the girls is interrupted, however, by the tragedy of Pearl Harbor. From that fateful day, events move fast for the Parrish and Houghton families. The lives of the girls are suddenly transformed and they need all the character and courage they have built up to face the uncertainties and heartbreaks that war brings. With unique understanding of a young girl's heart, Janet Lambert shows how the girls meet tragedy and come through with a deeper maturity.</i><br />
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<i>The book leaves Penny still certain that the theater will offer her the life she wants, and one feels that she is probably headed for stardom in spite of other interests involving orange blossoms and many yards of tulle. (from the inside flap)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
In <i><b>Glory Be!</b></i> We jump forward about three years and we open on Penny Parrish's eighteenth birthday, even though, as loyal and devoted cook Trudy says, <i>"Miss Penny jes' nachelly don't want to grow up." </i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'Why Penny.' Carrol Houghton bent over, her pale curls brushing against Penny's brown mane. Her blue eyes that held the magic of a violet bed seen through a dark encircling hedge, were filled with tender sympathy. Her beauty, breath-taking in its clear-cut perfection, was warmed by a loving smile. 'Silly little Penny Parrish,' she said gently, 'afraid of growing up.'"</i></blockquote>
Why does Penny not want to grow up? Because now that she's eighteen she is determined that she must start her career on the stage and she is overwhelmed by the task ahead of her. Carrol's career, on the other hand, is swiftly resolved in a few words with David.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'Have you had any regrets about not going to Vassar this fall?'</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'Not a one. My staying with Daddy this year means so much to him, and to me too, that college doesn't even tempt me. Perhaps next year . . .' </i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>'Would you mind skipping it then if someone else, say if I, asked you to?' David's head was bent to hers and she answered softly:</i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>'I'd skip it forever, David.' </i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>'Then let's consider it skipped.' He took her hand in his."</i></blockquote>
Done and done! The handsome Lieutenant Terry Hayes shows up and the foursome goes dancing in New York, where Penny gets <i>"all mixed up in my mind"</i> by Terry's flirtation. But big brother David is there to help out (in a way which is so beautifully Lambert):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"David hugged her and laughed. He laughed so heartily that couples dancing near him smiled with him, thinking what a stunning pair the tall cadet and the slender, vivid girl made. A few even yearned for youth and the gay romance these two seemed to have. None of them heard David say: 'Listen, dope. You're the kind who draws problems like water draws lightning. You stumble along with your eyes on a goal that's mile ahead of you. You'll probably have a career, I don't know; but there's no use missing all the scenery as you go along.'"</i></blockquote>
The next morning, in the Houghton family penthouse, the girls plan to go shopping, and invite Carrol's father Langdon to their evening plans with David and Terry. He jokes about how he can compete with two handsome young men, and Carrol responds:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'Why, Daddy darling, by being handsomer than either one of them.' Carrol's arms slid around his neck and she brushed her cheek against his. 'By being handsomer, much more dashing, and I hate to sound mercenary, pet, by being much, much richer.'"</i></blockquote>
I love this book! To paraphrase the jacket copy above, this book is filled with <i>"charm, wit, and sense of excitement with life."</i> Even David's entrance is charming:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"David came into the breakfast room wearing a dressing gown of Mr. Houghton's above his cadet trousers, a white scarf knotted about his throat." </i></blockquote>
That's his breakfast outfit! Dang! All is fun and shenanigans on David and Terry's leave until a voice on the radio announces that the Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor. As David says to Carrol, <i>"'It's war, honey. The Japs have jumped the gun and I may have a job to do right now.'" </i>Penny's thoughts:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"The sunshine filtered through the windows just as brightly as it had a moment ago but now it held no warmth. The roses on the table were just as beautiful, just as red ... Penny turned her head to look at them. Terry would go, too. Poor Terry, who was so cocky and so gay, would become grim and commanding. She looked again at the blond heads bent over the radio, her heart tightening into a hard cold know. David. David would fight with real guns and real planes. Tears sprang to her eyes."</i></blockquote>
What I love about this book, and this series, is that Janet Lambert has built this group of family and friends, who all are brought together by, work for, and live with the U.S. Army. She's built a strong foundation of patriotism and honor that runs through everything they do. So when war breaks out, and affects the families in every way, it's especially heart-wrenching. Penny again:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Up to now, war had failed to touch her life. West Point, for all its training of young cadets, was perhaps the most peaceful spot in the United States. It had its dances, its athletics, its gay crowd in the Boodlers, and its officers who led the daily life of professors in a college. If this year had brought more talk of bomb sights, the Armored Force or the Air Corps, Penny had thought of it only as a first classman's interest in his career. So she looked at Landon Houghton, at the grim set of his mouth, at the anger in his eyes, and her words were stopped. 'It is war, Uncle Lang,' she whispered. 'I'm beginning to understand.'"</i></blockquote>
Colonel Parrish is sent off to England, and the family (who need to move out of their Army housing to make room for the instructor that will replace him) goes to stay at Gladstone Farms, Carrol's posh home. As for the youngest Parrishes, Bobby will go to military school (which will hopefully <i>"knock some of the cockiness out of him"</i>) and Tippy will go with the family to Gladstone Farms. They say good-bye to their friends at West Point, including goofy red-haired Dick Ford and handsome Michael Drayton. Before they leave, Penny and Michael have a serious chat, as they talk about their long friendship.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'I remember it too. That was when I first began to notice you. And I've noticed you ever since.' Michael met her eyes but there was no answering smile on his lips. 'Have you felt that way about me, Penny?'</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'Oh, Mike.' She looked across the room into the cold gray ashes of the fireplace, wondering, honestly, how much she had thought of Michael in these four years. He had made so many of her week ends gay. He had been so loyal, so devoted--so always there. At last she turned back to him. 'I love you almost as much as I do David,' she told him.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'That's a hard answer to give a guy.' And she could see the muscles tighten along his jaw."</i></blockquote>
But they part friends. Another of the reasons that I adore the Janet Lambert books is that it's not all about love. If it was, Penny would have leapt at the romance of Michael's unasked question, particularly in wartime. But even though she loses her way occasionally, she's a sensible young woman who knows what really matters. And that means not dangling boys on a string when she's really focused on her family and on her career. As for the career ... Penny goes to the theater!<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Penny sat in the darkened theatre, her eyes on the curtain. Any moment now its great folds would part. Slowly at first, just a crack, a teasing glimpse. Perhaps a room; perhaps a garden. And then, faster than the eye could behold the wonders it disclosed, it would sweep open, unveiling fairyland. What would it be? And when would a burst of applause herald the entrance of Janice Ware? Penny leaned forward clutching her purse in cold hands. The footlights glowed, the curtain began to sway . . . She thought she couldn't bear it."</i></blockquote>
She sends a note backstage to Miss Ware, who you'll remember she met in <i><a href="http://carlysmaltshop.blogspot.com/2013/06/dreams-of-glory-by-janet-lambert.html" target="_blank">Dreams of Glory</a>.</i> and meets her after the show. All is going well until Terry Hayes shows up and is his usual troublesome and charming self. Penny gets resentful, Trudy tells her what's what (as usual), Penny snaps out of it, and is soon excited to announce that she will be Miss Ware's protege. She'll study in New York with an acting teacher and attend a stock company in Connecticut over the summer.<br />
<br />
While things are progressing well for Penny, Carrol is worried about her father's health as he looks drawn and tired. Despite her worry, the family goes forward with a house party, and none other than the devastating Louise Frazier will be in attendance, as well as Terry Hayes. Since Penny is all about her career, she decides to "give" Terry to Louise. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't work at all. Mr. Houghton's health is declining rapidly and he has only a few weeks to live. Carrol is constantly by his side, and he calls David to come see him where he lets him know that he's made David's father Carrol's legal guardian, for there is such a lot of money to handle and asks if David loves her.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'I love her more than life itself.' David looked deep into Carrol's eyes. 'I pledge you, Carrol,' he said solemnly, 'that nothing--not war, or separation, or anything that life may hold, can ever come between us.'</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'Thank you ... son ... That's such a beautiful gift for me to take her mother.' Langdon Houghton's eyes turned to Carrol, rested there for a moment as he smiled at her, then with a tired sigh, they closed, and his hand lay lifelessly in hers."</i></blockquote>
Carrol grieves and the family does everything they can to help. Even Tippy gives Carrol her best doll, and Bobby gives her his best whittling knife. Eventually, life goes on, and on a beautiful spring day, she and David return to Flirtation Walk, where David proposes and asks Carrol to marry him, the day after he graduates.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'It's because of the war that I want you to. You see,' he put his arm around her and pressed her head against his shoulder, keeping it there with his cheek, 'when you had Uncle Lang it was different. I didn't have the right to bring extra suffering into your life. Now--now you can't be more unhappy than you are, even when I have to go. and we can be together. At least, for a little while.'"</i></blockquote>
Wedding plans ensue, as well as more shenanigans with Terry Hayes and Louise. Finally, it's graduation day and soon Carrol and David's wedding (held at Gladstone Farms) approaches. All preparations are in place--dresses and wedding cake and presents--and finally it's time for the wedding. Carrol goes to her father's study to spend some time alone and to open her father's wedding present--her mother's pearls. Although the Parrishes are giving her away, she plans to walk down the stairs to David alone, as she had planned to walk down them with her father.<br />
<br />
Mrs. Parrish can't watch Carrol come down the stairs, but as usual, Trudy holds everything together. Trudy describes the action to her in one of the loveliest passages ever:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"'She's on the landin' now,' Trudy's voice went on. 'The sunlight's shinin' behind her till you almost think it's an angel standin' there. An' Mr. David's lookin' at her with his heart in his eyes.'</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Mrs. Parrish gave a stifled sob and Trudy's voice was tender. 'Don't cry,' she said gently. 'I know you's thinking that little Miss Carrol ought to have her father with her. But it's all right. Mr. David jes' can't wait--he's gone to meet her.' </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'He has? Oh, bless him, Trudy.' She tried to stop the tears that came too fast.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'Look up, Miz Parrish,' Trudy begged. 'They's comin' on together. An' the sun's shinin' on 'em, an' . . . Oh, honey, it would make your heart so glad to see 'em . . . cause they's awalkin' in glory.'"</i></blockquote>
Excuse me a moment. I seem to have something in my eye. And those are the final lines. I just love it.<br />
<br />
It's so lovely. There's so much at stake for these young lovers, so much love and history and grief behind and surrounding them. And to have Trudy sum up the events makes is so much more compelling. A word about Trudy: Despite the dialect and the language, Trudy is a strong, compelling, well-written character who is every bit a part of this family. There's very little reference to her color, and it's all about her character, as it is with all of the characters in this series. Sigh.Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-13047682534165875262016-08-07T09:31:00.000-05:002019-12-08T21:22:57.019-06:00Dreams of Glory by Janet Lambert<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4KOJheHRdA0/UcuuiObWKMI/AAAAAAAADMk/RJ6ODfEqdN8/s1600/dreamslg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4KOJheHRdA0/UcuuiObWKMI/AAAAAAAADMk/RJ6ODfEqdN8/s200/dreamslg.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<i>Here again is another story of the adventures of the irrepressible Penny Parrish and her delightful family. </i><i>By one of those happy accidents best known to fiction, Major Parrish has been transferred from Fort Arden, Kansas, to West Point, where all concerned can keep an eye on David, the family's cadet. And happily, Penny's friend Carrol Houghton lives in an enormous barn of a place not far up the Hudson from the Point. So it is not surprising that the two girls are together constantly.</i><br />
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<i>There's excitement from the very beginning when the Parrishes visit the Houghtons at their New York penthouse, and attend the Army-Notre Dame football game. Penny--who can get herself into more jams than anyone else--gets lost in the crowd, and by chance meets a famous actress. This adventure definitely decides Penny on a career in the theatre. And it does seem that this time Penny's mind is really made up! </i><i>There is near tragedy for Penny's brother David, which luckily ends happily. But besides that, the winter for Penny is a delicious whirl of hops at the Point, a trip to Florida with the Houghtons, and at last June week--and romance. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>DREAMS OF GLORY is a delightful continuation of Penny Parrish's STAR-SPANGLED SUMMER adventures, and a must for her old friends and new readers. (from the inside flap)</i><br />
<i><br /><b>
Dreams of Glory</b></i> picks up a mere two months after <a href="http://carlysmaltshop.blogspot.com/2011/01/star-spangled-summer-by-janet-lambert.html" target="_blank"><i><b>Star-Spangled Summer</b></i></a>. The Parrish family are settling in at West Point, where David has just started school. The Houghtons are close by at Gladstone Farms, and Penny is impressed.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Penny's eyes searched the woodland as the drive wound on and on, and when an English manor house came into view, she gasped. The lower half of the house was brick; its upper, white stucco with dark-stained beams; and it stretched before her like a castle. The center section curved in an arc, and turrets divided it from long wings on either end. A haughty, semi-circular terrace warded off the driveway, and chairs and gay umbrellas were dwarfed by the tall French windows behind them. 'My goodness,' she gasped. 'I thought you had a farm house.'"</i></blockquote>
Gladstone Farms also has a gatehouse, a butler, badminton and tennis courts, swimming pool, and, of course, a stable of horses. Side note: I am obsessed with the stately homes advertised in the back pages of the Sunday <i>New York Times</i> <i>Magazine</i>. This might be why.<br />
<br />
Other events in <i><b>Dreams of Glory</b></i>: Trouble making Louise Frazier (of the "black hair and the long, twining eyelashes") visits, Penny gets a car of her own that she loves, and whole gang heads off to New York City for a football game. Carrol and David continue their courtly courtship, and there is much discussion of all the cadets in uniform. Here's a pic of what they probably looked like:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nC1USX5qNSE/V6au62SugrI/AAAAAAAAFQo/7AGehHtgqzQwyCSdfmrQYoXezJdXzCT3ACLcB/s1600/50483690.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nC1USX5qNSE/V6au62SugrI/AAAAAAAAFQo/7AGehHtgqzQwyCSdfmrQYoXezJdXzCT3ACLcB/s320/50483690.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">West Point cadets marching to mess in 1942.<br />
(The Life Picture Collection)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Penny gets lost in New York City, saves a famous actress from being hit by a cab, sees her show, has dinner with her at Hardy's, a famous night spot, and ends up even more determined to become an actress. The handsome Lieutenant Hayes stops by to create a little trouble between Carrol and David, and with Penny. Much of the action of <i><b>Dreams of Glory</b></i> is about David's first year at West Point, and, his hazing.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One of the fascinating elements of all the West Point talk is how strange some of the language is, and how hyper masculine manhood of today seems in comparison. For example, the cadets' roommates are referred to as 'wives.' and there's a lot of talk about blouses. It just sounds so unusual.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Anyhoo, Penny, Carrol and Carrol's father go down to Florida for Christmas vacation and all is fine until they get a letter from the wicked Louise:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"She drew out the letter, held it out for Carrol to see, and they stared numbly at the first two lines. 'Dear Penny': (Louise had written). 'Isn't it terrible that David is blind!' </i></blockquote>
<div>
WHAAAT? Back we go to West Point, where David is in the infirmary with some sort of stress-related blindness from reading too much and studying too hard. And guess who's there? The evil Louise, who beats it when Penny and Carrol show up. After a fair amount of time spent in the infirmary, David regains his sight and is on the mend.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Penny hosts a dinner party on New Year's Eve, and the crowd goes to a dance. The girls wearing gorgeous dresses of <i>"red slipper-satin"</i> and <i>"pink chiffon"</i>, and "<i>floated down the stairs, evening sandals flashing under their trailing skirts." "The boys wore their full dress, chests and coat tails gleaming with brass buttons." </i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-stftuiTVDvo/V6a0ySp-oVI/AAAAAAAAFQ4/eVszTNQrHe0RS2dDgzVJKgi3L4TW36ptgCLcB/s1600/41%2BC-Company-1B150I%2Balbum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-stftuiTVDvo/V6a0ySp-oVI/AAAAAAAAFQ4/eVszTNQrHe0RS2dDgzVJKgi3L4TW36ptgCLcB/s320/41%2BC-Company-1B150I%2Balbum.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A 1941 company in full dress. <br />
(From <a href="http://ernest.cragg.info/ETC_albums/1940-43_WestPoint/album/frame.html" target="_blank">http://ernest.cragg.info/ETC_albums/1940-43_WestPoint/album/frame.html</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Before we know it, June Week and the Graduation Parade is upon the Parrishes.<br />
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Its [The Thayer Hotel] lobby was filled with girls, bright in dirndls and prints, always dashing in or out, rushing to meet cadets who wore the special June Week uniform of white trousers and gray full-dress coat, with smart white cap above it. They danced away the tea hours, caught hurried swims at Delafield; and there was never a vacant table in the Boodlers'."</i></blockquote>
Finally, the actual Graduation Parade is here. See below for an image of a Graduation Parade from a site about Air Force <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_T._Cragg" target="_blank">Major General Ernest T. Cragg</a>, who was at West Point at about the same time as David Parrish.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H2zukFRYONA/V6a4lpjaUxI/AAAAAAAAFRE/_Oe7LIyZPmoY-o1UDG3tr2sd9lD1x7jEACLcB/s1600/WPH019-3%2Balbum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H2zukFRYONA/V6a4lpjaUxI/AAAAAAAAFRE/_Oe7LIyZPmoY-o1UDG3tr2sd9lD1x7jEACLcB/s320/WPH019-3%2Balbum.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(From http://ernest.cragg.info/ETC_albums/1940-43_WestPoint/album/frame.htm)</td></tr>
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The caption of the Ernest Cragg photo reads: <i>"'So long,' we whispered as the command 'Graduating class, front, center march!' was given. We marched out of the United States Corp of Cadets and the yearlings took over. With that command, the graduating firsties separated from brigade. They left their companies [and] marched to the reviewing side of the Plain to receive the 'Pass in Review' that ended the parade."</i></div>
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But David has one more errand for Carrol before Graduation Week is over. </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"They followed a tree-bordered path above the Hudson and suspicious thoughts stirred in Carrol's mind. When they reached a fork in the path she stopped and looked at David. 'Oh yes, I thought so. It's Flirtation Walk,' she said. 'You were being mighty cagey, weren't you?' </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>David leaned against a tree and laughed. 'Which way shall we go?' he asked. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> 'Well, glory, I don't know,' Carrol thought with a shudder of the Kissing Rock. Tradition decreed that no girl must pass, unkissed, beneath it. Somewhere it hung, above one path or the other, solid in the cliff, and waiting to surprise a novice. She looked at David but he was only cocky against his tree.</i></blockquote>
Long story short, they end up at the Kissing Rock, where there is (a small amount of) kissing, and David gives Carrol a "small gold pin that was nestling on white velvet. Its A, that stood for <i>Army,</i> was pearl-encrusted, and three diamonds twinkled from its points" and some discussion about whether Carrol would want to be a second lieutenant's wife. (Spoiler: She would.) All ends fairly happily.<br />
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Full disclosure: This is not one of my favorite Janet Lambert novels. In many ways, it feels like a placeholder. The action consists of a few misunderstandings, one medical drama, and even Louise doesn't stir up as much trouble as usual. Penny has growing pains, and sensible cook and housekeeper Trudy is there to tell her what's what:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"No, I'm not worryin' about you, neither; not when you stop your play-actin'. The trouble with you is you got a heart that's too big for your body. But you gotta learn to manage it. Your heart says 'I'm mighty unhappy. Let's don't eat.' So you don't eat. Then the rest of you gets all out of fix. Your mind cain't work right, no more than a car can run without gasoline. Your nerves is a-jumpin'--an' first thing you know, your heart's runnin' everything an' your body jes' sets down an' quits. You mustn' let that happen, honey."</i></blockquote>
The relationship between Carrol and David progresses quite slowly, as David is busy at West Point. Carrol is being brave and patient. Plus, the hazing at West Point is kind of unnerving, even though it's all verbal and emotional rather than physical (thank goodness). And there's not much interaction between all of the gang who so richly populated <i>Star-Spangled Summer. </i>But fear not: things pick up much more in <b><i><a href="http://carlysmaltshop.blogspot.com/2013/06/glory-be-by-janet-lambert-1943.html" target="_blank">Glory Be</a>!</i></b>Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-18395679834034424582016-07-06T11:42:00.002-05:002016-07-06T11:42:58.416-05:00The Amethyst Summer by Bianca Bradbury (1963)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-18i8ijb555Q/V300-0KMj0I/AAAAAAAAFIc/e9f6gGvO6ZMYmVEEaa6mltFgajciE6bwACLcB/s1600/img087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-18i8ijb555Q/V300-0KMj0I/AAAAAAAAFIc/e9f6gGvO6ZMYmVEEaa6mltFgajciE6bwACLcB/s200/img087.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
How do you manage a big house, keep three brothers and your father properly nourished when they all seem to have hollow legs, and have a life of your own if you're sixteen years old and inexperienced to say the least? How do you make it clear to your brothers and their friends that you no longer intend to be the pal who is always ready to catch a ball, hold a wrench, and generally make yourself agreeable and useful as a chum? That, in fact, you intend to try for a more glamourous role in their lives? And how do you do the friendly and neighborly thing for an interesting but diffident refugee family that moves in next door?<br />
<br />All of these problems confronted Bayley because her mother had to leave her family one summer to take care of an ailing relative. Bayley rather lightly undertook to fill her place but almost immediately realized she was over her head. After a pretty grim start, however, she began to learn how to manage a house, serve an acceptable meal, and get her social life oriented toward dating rather than just being a good scout.<br />
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An excellent story for older girls, told with understanding and humor, about one of the most important facets of growing up. <i>(from the inside flap)</i>Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-30598323728473407262016-07-06T11:22:00.000-05:002016-07-06T11:22:05.432-05:00Love Taps Gently by Janet Lambert (1955)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oRthRmOpmUc/V30wDI2qM3I/AAAAAAAAFIQ/0si2FDtwQDof8dlwnWa-O-odsixLL5cuwCLcB/s1600/img085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oRthRmOpmUc/V30wDI2qM3I/AAAAAAAAFIQ/0si2FDtwQDof8dlwnWa-O-odsixLL5cuwCLcB/s200/img085.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
Charming, lovable Susan Jordon, whose longing for a home was happily satisfied in <i>A Dream for Susan</i>, is now sixteen and even better able to cope with the disturbing family crises which develop so unexpectedly. The manner in which Susan and the Jordon family as a whole, meet these crises, forms the plot of this appealing story.<br />
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The Jordons' life at Gladstone Gates has settled into a happy routine. Neal, Susan's twin, and young Vance are working for the summer on the Parrishs' estate. Although General Jordon, now a business executive rather than an Army officer, is disturbed by his erratic step-daughter Gwenn's threat to sue him for mismanagement of her inheritance, he is trying to keep the three younger children from knowing of the unpleasant development. With everyone apparently happy, Susan is enjoying a mild flirtation with her other half-sister Alice's young brother-in-law, Keith Drayton. Keith proves a source of constant irritation to Bobby Parrish, whose career as an Army Lieutenant has done little to dampen his light-hearted exuberance. As far as he is concerned, Susan is his property, and his attitude is causing Susan some uneasiness. All of the Jordons miss the youngest daughter, Bitsy, who for five years has been living in England with her oldest sister, Jennifer and her husband, Cyril, Lord Carlington.<br />
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When suddenly Bitsy returns to America, a cold, self-centered thirteen-year-old; and when Gwenn explodes on the family unexpectedly and collapses into a serious illness, the Jordons find that both problems can be solved with gentle understanding and love. Bobby Parrish surprises everyone by his own surprising contribution and even Bitsy comes to realize that love is a gentle giving, rather than an insistent demand.<br />
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Readers who are meeting the Jordons for the first time will be enchanted with this delightful family. Those to whom the Jordons are old friends, will be gratified that Susan's summer ends happily, after all! <i>(from the inside flap)</i>Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-49300537728695706102016-07-06T10:48:00.001-05:002016-07-06T11:22:21.179-05:00Junior Miss by Sally Benson (1939)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6Qzxc_EKDIM/V30nuamIj8I/AAAAAAAAFH4/x9gwkCMJ97sOPJwUoLFTVwrUzjWFM-uVQCLcB/s1600/img083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6Qzxc_EKDIM/V30nuamIj8I/AAAAAAAAFH4/x9gwkCMJ97sOPJwUoLFTVwrUzjWFM-uVQCLcB/s200/img083.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
Reflection in a Million Mirrors<br />
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She's tall for her twelve years, and heavily built. From her shoulders to her knees she is entirely shapeless, and below her skirt, which is too short for her, her legs are hard and covered with scratches. She wears a sloppy sweater, two charm bracelets of a brassy color, and a locket and chain that fastens so tightly around her neck it seems it might throttle her. In the locket is a rather dim snapshot of a kitten and a clear picture of Tyrone Power, clipped from a movie magazine. She's outgrown her devotion to Tyrone Power, but she still gets a lump in her throat when she remembers the kitten, whose name was Bilgy. She has also outgrown toys at Christmas, but there's something empty about Christmas Day in spite of the jade green lounging pajamas and the silk stockings. She's the girl you loved in the stage and screen plays based on this book, and she personifies all the naive realities and sophisticated fantasies of the in-between years. <i>(from the back cover)</i><br />
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<i>Editorial Comment: Could this be a LESS enticing description? Also, I love the note on the back of the Pocket edition: Share this book with someone in uniform. I'm sure they'll love it!</i><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2GmMwOcxlYc/V30n38SUuOI/AAAAAAAAFH8/rQQ3n44KOSQBpEjGUxHhX4GxVDWQmSeXwCLcB/s1600/img081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2GmMwOcxlYc/V30n38SUuOI/AAAAAAAAFH8/rQQ3n44KOSQBpEjGUxHhX4GxVDWQmSeXwCLcB/s200/img081.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5vF7xQu7ZAc/V30n8zNp7zI/AAAAAAAAFIA/Cx67AAhngxYxNiOkw6SbJpIQO_8pCab7ACLcB/s1600/img082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5vF7xQu7ZAc/V30n8zNp7zI/AAAAAAAAFIA/Cx67AAhngxYxNiOkw6SbJpIQO_8pCab7ACLcB/s200/img082.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<br />Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-68186540243854364342015-09-06T12:47:00.003-05:002020-11-21T10:07:02.729-06:00Marty by Elisa Bialk (1953)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4paj-bvn4tA/Vex8ONyRnfI/AAAAAAAAEhA/dnMpt_YQuzA/s1600/img079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4paj-bvn4tA/Vex8ONyRnfI/AAAAAAAAEhA/dnMpt_YQuzA/s200/img079.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
Marty felt sick as she faced her city editor. "I'll know better next time," she promised.<br />
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"There won't be a next time." The editor's cold blue eyes swept Marty's face. "You're fired. I told you being young wasn't going to excuse you when I hired you. I gave you a chance and you've muffed it. I just can't keep you on as a reporter."<br />
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Marty, her face burning, turned away from the desk. There was a such thing as pride ... <i>(from the back cover)</i>Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-67137082746251213362015-09-06T12:43:00.002-05:002020-11-21T10:07:12.409-06:00Marty on the Campus by Elisa Bialk (?)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Marty leaned back and tried to relax. So this was her blind date--as extremely blind as one could get! Yet she felt an unexpected flow of triumph: Brad Lane had actually volunteered to come along on the date. Was he such a woman-hater as he liked others to believe?<br />
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H'mmm--maybe she'd have to find out for herself! <i>(from the back cover)</i><br />
<br />Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816912354656273449.post-60505681876232179142015-09-06T12:36:00.006-05:002020-11-21T10:07:23.320-06:00Beany Has a Secret Life by Lenora Mattingly Weber (1955)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Beany Has A Secret Life<br />
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and it revolves around a very "hush-hush" new club. When invited to become one of the privileged few members, Beany is enthralled--life had been looking very down, with her favorite date going to college halfway across the country, and her father, newspaperman Marty Malone, springing a new stepmother on the family, to mention but two of Beany's current problems.<br />
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However, before many weeks have passed, the club has added to the complications in Beany's life; she's quarreled with Adair, her pretty stepmother; and, in fact, things have gone from Bad to Worse to Dreadful.<br />
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But to quote one enthusiastic reviewer, the untangling of this very snarled situation "makes a thoroughly absorbing story...Beany fans are in for a treat!" <i>(from the back cover)</i>Carlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07498558919844456129noreply@blogger.com0