Susanna Vance

Star and a half.
TW: Domestic violence culminating in repeated homicide attempts of an infant who grows into a toddler who is six when she finally gets away
Spoilers.
This was an incredibly simple read, and I flew through it. On first read, I was delighted. That was years ago. Now, I was just kinda, okay. I found it interesting that it was set in the...early sixties is my guess. It feels a lot like the fifties. The characters are super shallow and the action is barely there, but this is deliberate based off what the author -does- include and how it's done. This would be a good Reluctant Readers book. I liked the entitlement of everyone around Baby Girl about her powers once it comes to light what she can do. It would be so frustrating to go through that IRL, but it was well-placed here. The melodrama of high school is immediate here, but also the feeling of being in such a small town. Or so I imagine, as a city slicker.
The first half of the book is dedicated to the MC's sociopath of a father.
SPOILER: There are hints throughout the book of him still being around even after their former landlady claims he's dead. I wonder now if it was really her handwriting on the invitation, or she wrote it under duress or something. What a weird ending. Much earlier on in the book, it's indicated that the sociopath is dead. Only for a violent showdown to take place at the end of the book. Just let him be dead! No showdown needed. By rights, the book should have ended on the mother's wedding to her new boyfriend and the sappy sweet feelings of the MC. There was not.

I'm glad i got to read this again but I wouldn't really recommend this to anyone. I won't make an effort to seek out other works of the author. Just not for me.… (más)

I found this book to have an extremely slow start and at times I nearly gave up on it until the action finally started. The story is told from two alternating perspectives - Birdie, an only child of doting parents, and Morgan, who has spent her life on the sea. I enjoyed Morgan's story but had very little time for Birdie whom I found irritating, ignorant and spoilt. Unfortunately, despite the dramas and the two girls meeting, in the end very little had changed. Morgan sailed off into the sunset and Birdie remained her egotistical self, so I'm not sure if they learned anything from their experiences. I would be wary of whom I recommended this book to.… (más)