ACTS OF LOVE

by Maureen Daly ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 1986

Here, from the author of Seventeenth Summer, a novel of romance and adolescent passion that also deals with love lost and found. Henrietta (Retta), 16. is a ""Caldwell,"" scion of an important, land-rich family in tiny, rural Zenith, Pennsylvania. Her parents are waging a battle to prevent a superhighway from cutting through their land. Amid the resulting tension, Retta falls in love with Dallas Dobson, 18, recently moved to Zenith with his father, Danny, who grew up in Zenith. left to pursue the rodeo life and women, and was supposedly crippled in the motorcycle accident that killed Dallas' older brother. Retta and Dallas' romance progresses, as does the juggernaut of highway development, forcing Retta's parents into a decision to move to California. Retta does not lose Dallas, however, and herein lies an aspect of the story that will tantalize Daly fans. In the attic, Retta comes across a story written by her mother as a teen-ager, telling of her romantic encounter with a boy while ice skating. The boy was Danny Dobson; the story is Daly's ""Sixteen,"" an account of love discovered and lost. ""Sixteen"" is an evocative and powerful story. Ideally, readers should know it before reading Acts of Love. However, teens will enjoy the novel on its own and rejoice at the promise of love fulfilled.

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1986

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 160

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1986

Categories: CHILDREN'S