Abstract
Reviewed by: Hollywood & Maine Karen Coats Whittenberg, Allison. Hollywood & Maine. Delacorte, 2009 166p. Library ed. ISBN 978-0-385-90623-4 $18.99 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-385-73671-8 $15.99 Ad Gr. 5–8 In the second novel about spunky Charmaine (from Sweet Thang, BCCB 6/06), Maine has come to terms with the adorableness of her obstreperous cousin Tracy John, only to find herself having to adapt to yet another live-in relative. The last time we saw Uncle E, he had jumped the bail provided by Maine’s family, and while everyone else is tearfully delighted to find a repentant E on their doorstep, Maine is not ready to let go of her resentment and welcome the prodigal. Meanwhile, she is totally over her ill-conceived crush on the opportunistic Demetrius and has [End Page 301] transferred her affections to self-contained, mannerly Raymond. Her obsession with becoming a model seems distinctly out of character for this smart 1970s girl, and the episodic account of Maine’s year leaves some serious gaps for readers to fill in both in terms of plot jumps and emotional about-faces as she negotiates relationships, career dreams, and family loyalties with her characteristic wry wit. Nonetheless, she’s a sympathetic protagonist, and her sesquipedalian tendencies render her diction quaint and her stinging retorts and observations quite funny for readers with some facility to appreciate rhetorical finesse and smooth out narrative bumps. Copyright © 2009 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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