THE CHEESE STANDS ALONE

by Marjorie M. Prince ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 19, 1973

The Cheese Stands Alone takes place on an island where the same families have been summering for generations and the same five children, now in their teens, have formed a closely knit Pack since pail and shovel days. Daisy's fifteenth summer begins unpromisingly when the Pack's only other female member shows up in a bikini and boggles the boys -- Pan, Wiggles and even Uno with whom Daisy had always come first; they immediately change her nickname from Stinky to Boobs. By the time that Uno forgets Boobs for drama coach Mrs. Darnell and the private ""extra coaching"" she provides for the older boys, Daisy is posing secretly for Mr. Potter, a thirtyish portrait painter and object of consuming speculation among the temporarily husbandless mothers. Overheard snatches of the mothers' gossip and concern about her own mother's brief tennis affair with Pan's father shake Daisy's faith in grownup infallibility, but more important is the confidence in herself, undermined by Boobs' impact, that Mr. Potter helps to restore with his uncondescending conversation and one mutually surprising kiss. And when in the last days of summer Daisy's interest turns to Pan, whose kisses promise ""dark passions"" even though he isn't a Scorpio, we know that's not the end -- simply a good place to be at the time.

Pub Date: Sept. 19, 1973

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1973

Categories: FICTION