Signs of Life [Hardcover]

Shattered by the recent death of her twin sister, 17-year-old Hannah has little hope that a family vacation to Lascaux, France, site of the famous cave paintings, will lift her spirits. The last thing she expects is to fall in love with a Gypsy. Hannah, however, cannot help being attracted to Stefan Kremo, a professional juggler she meets on a river bank. Stefan, a member of a traveling circus, helps Hannah rediscover a psychological dexterity she has not experienced since the night her sister was killed. The backdrop of mysterious caves serves not only as a romantic landscape but also as a connection to Hannah's subconscious yearnings. Through a cycle of dreams about a primitive girl creating paintings on stone, Hannah relives the tragedies of her past and learns how to survive the present. Both a love story and a study of grief, Ferris's (Relative Strangers) tender novel celebrates the regenerating power of love and the resiliency of the spirit. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Grade 8-10?Hannah Flood, 17, and her parents learn how to live after the death of Hannah's identical twin sister. On a cathartic holiday in the Lascaux region of France, they each come to terms with their grief, and readers are left with the impression that they will begin to function again as a cohesive family unit. The setting is just unusual enough, and the supporting characters just original enough to elevate this work above formulaic YA fare. Hannah meets Stefan, a gypsy circus performer who re-opens her heart. She can then begin to accept the loss of her sister. There are some delightful scenes between Hannah and Stefan that offer just the right amount of romance to keep teenagers interested. None of the characters are stereotypes: even Hannah's parents are dynamic and real. Their foibles are clearly articulated, and the troubles she experiences with them extend from their personalities and events. Some interesting factual information about the region flows effortlessly within the context of the novel. Another unusual component is a series of dreams in which Hannah seems to experience events in the life of an ancient cave painter. The insight gained from them moves her towards healing. The conclusion, when Hannah's mother begins to thaw and to reach for her surviving daughter, seems a bit contrived, and even rushed, but it is satisfying.?Lucinda Lockwood, Thomas Haney Secondary School, Maple Ridge, BC
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 6^-10. Seventeen-year-old Hannah and her parents are having trouble getting over the death of Hannah's twin, Molly. To regroup, they take a trip to France, to Lascaux to see the painted caves. While her mother sleeps and her father tours, Hannah meets a Gypsy juggler whose family runs a circus. Through this brief but intense relationship, as well as her realistic nighttime dreams of prehistoric life, Hannah learns how to unbottle the grief that has paralyzed her since Molly's death. The emotional stakes are high here, and Ferris does tend to crank up the melodrama, especially at the book's conclusion. However, the interesting juxtaposition of modern romance and prehistoric life works well enough, and readers will be engrossed by the outcome of Hannah's tangled relationships. There's enough about the caves themselves to pique the interest of kids who might have archaeological leanings. Ilene Cooper

Hannah, grieving over the loss of her sister, visits the prehistoric cave paintings at Lascaux with her parents, where she has mysterious dreams, falls in love with a gypsy circus performer and begins to put her life back together.