- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Ballantine Books; New edition edition (Oct 29 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0345455320
- ISBN-13: 978-0345455321
- Product Dimensions: 13.3 x 1.4 x 20.9 cm
- Shipping Weight: 204 g
- Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #897,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
opular and prolific Brown (Rubyfruit Jungle, etc.) lavishes her attention and breathless prose on another lesbian coming-of-age tale set in Southern belle territory. Victoria "Vic" Savedge is a gorgeous 22-year-old senior at the College of William and Mary in present-day Virginia. Her parents, Frank and R.J., little sister Mignon and best friend Jinx Baptista all expect Vic to marry her rich football star boyfriend Charly Harrison after graduation. However, in the opening scene, Vic meets Chris Carter, a female transfer student to whom she is increasingly attracted. Their flirtatious behavior deflates any suspense Brown may have hoped to create; it's clear Vic's commitment to Charly is shaky. As she unconvincingly struggles to choose between lovers, Vic ponders with Jinx the roles fate, honor and individual responsibility play in life. During weekend visits to her ancestral home, Surry Crossing, Va., Vic is entertained by the smalltown antics of her womanizing Uncle Don and sex-deprived Aunt Bunny, and the Wallaces, neighboring middle-aged sisters who pathetically vie for their elderly father's favor. Brown's tendency to tell rather than show ("Raised in a judgmental family, Chris had survived by nourishing her sense of rebellion. She didn't know what she was looking for until she met Vic") and filler dialogue ("Sit down. It's my turn to give you a Coke" and "Mother, do you want a refill?" "No, thank you. But you may clean the ashtray") wear on the reader, and the one-dimensional characters and soap opera story line provide little relief. Brown's good-natured humor and exuberant treatment of her themes may satisfy her fans, but she's unlikely to pick up new readers this time around. 8-city author tour.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.From Library Journal
Brown, the author of the Sneaky Pie Brown mysteries, returns to her lesbian roots in Alma Mater. Vic and Chris are two coeds who meet at William and Mary College and, much to their surprise, are mutually attracted and launch an intense affair. Though Vic is involved with the star football player, and though neither woman has ever considered the possibility that she might not be heterosexual, this life-changing turn of events does not seem to faze either of them. Brown usually excels at offbeat characters, and while she does offer readers an amusing and outlandish supporting cast (thanks to the Southern locale), her latest novel lacks the freshness and believability of her now classic Rubyfruit Jungle. Still, fans will welcome her return to the theme of her earlier work. Recommended for most public libraries.
- Caroline Mann, Univ. of Portland
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
- Caroline Mann, Univ. of Portland
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
If knowledge were acquired by carrying books around, I'd be the sharpest tool in the shed, Vic thought as she carted the last load up three flights of stairs on a hot summer day. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
If knowledge were acquired by carrying books around, I'd be the sharpest tool in the shed, Vic thought as she carted the last load up three flights of stairs on a hot summer day. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointment,
By A Customer
This review is from: Alma Mater (Paperback)
I love the Mrs. Murphy series, but Rita Mae Brown seems to flounder without the helping hand of Sneaky Pie. This book was just plain boring. There was a lot of supposedly "witty repartee" by Vic's family and friends that had nothing to do with the story and appeared to be in there just to show how cute they all were - I found myself starting to skim every conversation in the book. The "quirky" characters came across as demented and strange, and I got tired of all the emphasis on how beautiful Vic and Chris and various others were - I think this was supposed to be some political statement that not all lesbians are masculine and ugly, but she kept making this point over and over, and it got tiresome. Vic made more long, tedious speeches than a politician, and at times the book felt more like a lecture than a story, with some sex scenes thrown in that were also surprisingly dull, given how steamy they were - in fact, very little seemed to happen.If this is your first Rita Mae Brown book, don't judge them all by this - the Mrs. Murphy series is a million times better.
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW!!!!!!!!!,
This review is from: Alma Mater (Paperback)
This is truly the best book I have ever read! I could read it over and over again. It is like reading my life story in a book. Thank you Rita Mae Brown for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel.
4.0 out of 5 stars
halarious grown up book,
By A Customer
This review is from: Alma Mater (Paperback)
I got this book thinking mystery, wrong. It is however a truely funny book. I even read some of it aloud to my husband, he loved it, too.
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