This was a great book which dealt with homelessness, and the community's reaction to a homeless woman. The opening scene in this book was surprising, and the book continues that way until its resolution. There are no sympathy games played in this novel, but you can't help but loving each one of its characters.

The story of two siblings growing up in Miami Beach during World War II is the neon backdrop for the telling of this coming of age story. The main character, Hilary, is a young girl about to enter puberty, searching for advice about her impending "womanhood." The hilarious adventures Hilary and her brother, Freddie, get themselves into is semi-Judi Blume-ish; however, this is not to say this book is derivative in any way. The preamble to the book, "The innocent and the beautiful have no enemy but time," is attributed to Wm. B. Yeats, and is very telling of the book's outcome. That this book was also a nominee for the Pulitzer Prize in fiction should convince everyone that it is a required reading. E.W.Mayerson is one of my favorite authors.

I actually had this woman as a teacher while earning a master's in creative writing. She made my class read her book, and after that moment I lost all respect for her not only as a professor, but also as a writer. Her writing is stiff, unintelligible, and monotonous. Her metaphors are feeble and floppy. Her slight attempts at being humorous are dull are forced. It is, quite frankly, an embarrassment as a writer, that works like this are even published. Don't waste your time.

I've read all of Mayerson's fiction, and, without a doubt, this is a great book. She has changed her writing style and her subject matter with each novel, and this one proves this writer can "bang them out" like no one else. Great for the historical backdrop; great for the story-line.

I actually had this woman as a teacher while earning a master's in creative writing. She made my class read her book, and after that moment I lost all respect for her not only as a professor, but also as a writer. Her writing is stiff, unintelligible, and monotonous. Her metaphors are feeble and floppy. Her slight attempts at being humorous are dull are forced. It is, quite frankly, an embarrassment as a writer, that works like this are even published. Don't waste your time.

This book is about a woman with Down's syndrome, which is a difficult subject to write about. However, EWMayerson does an excellent job of weaving the medical issues of such a complex person into an entertaining novel. The use of humor through out this book gives it a measured pace, when reading about the grim reality of "Sanjo," the main character. The ending is very satisfying, and over all, for a debut novel, this is one hell of a successful attempt.

I actually had this woman as a teacher while earning a master's in creative writing. She made my class read her book, and after that moment I lost all respect for her not only as a professor, but also as a writer. Her writing is stiff, unintelligible, and monotonous. Her metaphors are feeble and floppy. Her slight attempts at being humorous are dull are forced. It is, quite frankly, an embarrassment as a writer, that works like this are even published. Don't waste your time.