From: Karen L. Simonetti <klsimonetti>
Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2001 11:44:32 -0500

Unfortunately, I have not yet had a chance to read -True Believer-; so my comments (observations?) will be limited to Virginia Euwer Wolff's first book, -Make Lemonade-. To begin with, there is the title. I still have trouble with the phrase "Make Lemonade" as I'm always associating it with
"If life gives you lemons, then make lemonade" (or some such phony optimistic nonsense). In my mind, the phrase association is so limiting; a bit too sappy? And compared to the power of the first person narrative and plot, I just think there could have been a better (more clever) title. Did anyone else have trouble with this title?

I'd also be interested in hearing from those who have read -True Believer-: Did the title of the first book carry over? And when I here/read "True Believer" I am reminded of Sojourner Truth. {Of course, I just got through reading Nell Irvin Painter's -Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol-....see what happens when you watch CSPAN's "American Writers" series?}

Alas, Roger Sutton has not sent me my copy of the May/June 2001 Horn Book, but Wolff''s writing style (which I don't stop to bother identifying as poetry or not - Does anyone think this is a mistake?) is so powerful, so forceful, so soulful that I am swept away. Wolff has brought me into the interior voice of La Vaughn. It is, as Megan so aptly termed, "explosive writing" that opens up not only the action on the page, but the interior of the reader. It is daring writing: Opening the door (how blasted trite) to the very essence of La Vaughn. Can the reader go there? Yes! Wolff makes it possible, feasible, believable and poignant without being weighed down by the circumstances of La Vaughn's life (as set forth in the narrative). La Vaughn is someone I want to know. She has a spirit (in Hebrew the word would be "nefesh" which incorporates many, many aspects of the word "soul" - and could take up an entire post unto itself) that wraps itself around the reader's heart and doesn't let go. Yet, at no time, does one feel burdened by the circumstances of her life. Do others have this reaction to the narrative? Again, does it carryover to the sequel?

As to the "broken lines of text", maybe its due to my love of stream of consciousness reading (and writing)- but I was never aware of it. I was just there; Wolff's writing style clearly conveys the immediacy of situation in the most subtle of fashions. True genius...

Karen Sue...bravely posting and disclaiming all poorly communicated concepts...

PS: When Wolff was writing -Make Lemonade- did she know/conceive/feel that there was another book/a sequel to it? Will there be more? And do you all imagine that these titles would be crossovers for adults?

Karen L. Simonetti phone: 312.337.7114 email: klsimonetti at earthlink.net
Received on Tue 03 Jul 2001 11:44:32 AM CDT