Dragged from California to Utah to Massachusetts in the wake of their mother Colleen's chaotic existence, Justine and Rona watch as visions of the family's "great new life" quickly fade. Colleen just can't get it together and Justine, reluctantly progressing toward the alien territory of adolescence, is increasingly called upon to act as a caretaker for her younger sister. Assigned in class to keep a pioneer diary "from a child's point of view," Justine invents an alternate world-not an easier place, but one where she's in charge and where, if she tries hard enough, she will be able to convey herself and her sister over the treacherous terrain of their childhood. A smart and poignant novel full of courage and heart.
There may not be words to describe how good this audio is. Precocious 12-year- old Justine travels cross-country with her loving but totally dysfunctional mother, Colleen, and her younger sister, Rona. As Colleen goes from one abusive man and losing job to another, Justine struggles to keep the family together. Simultaneously, she writes a "pioneer diary" chronicling a wagon trip West in which the mother is totally in charge. Jen Taylor gets inside Justine, exasperatingly ditsy Colleen, whiny Rona, the teasing boys and well-meaning but clueless teachers at school. Just the different ways they say "Justine" tells you volumes about who they are and how Justine sees them. As Colleen sinks into near catatonic depression and the wagon gets mired in snow, the story switches back and forth more rapidly; Taylor, however, never loses control. A wonderful listening experience right to the end. J.B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly...
Insightful and bitterly funny, this is a winning effort.
About the Author
Stephanie Rosenfeld is the prize-winning author of What About the Love Part? She has also been published in The Missouri Review, Northwest Review, The Massachusetts Review, and many others. Originally from Manhattan, Rosenfeld now lives in Salt Lake City.
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Massachusetts, California, Timbuktu
by Stephanie Rosenfeld
