In Fleming's mildly comic debut, 19th-century dreams of riches and renown wither in the Florida wilderness, but an ambitious postmaster stakes his last hopes on a determined young immigrant who wants to redeem himself by carrying the mail. Earl Shank arrived in Figulus a shipwrecked sailor, but grandiose schemes of transforming the backwater hamlet into a bustling port prompted him to stay on. Now, after a series of big ideas vanished like mirages in the Florida heat, Earl has only the postmaster's job to show for his efforts—until the day when he looks up from the mail to the vision of Josef Steinmetz coming through his door. Josef has come down to start a citrus grove, only to find that his wife so loathes pioneer life that she spends all her time indoors, wrapped in mosquito netting; at the first chance, back she goes to Brooklyn. Despondent, Josef decides to atone by walking the beach as Earl's carrier, but he makes the 70-mile trek in bare feet since a pair of top-quality shoes sent by his honored late uncle never arrive. Adventures en route, including abduction first by Indians, then by murderous scavengers, bring him to the end of his trek blistered and delirious, and the prospect of a return trip prompts him to throw his mailbag into the ocean and board a steamer bound for New York. He's seen by a roving New York Times reporter, however, whose imagination is so fired by Josef's savage, shoeless aspect that he writes a human-interest series about him. Immensely popular, though mostly fictional, this account soon creates a legend, leading a shipping magnate to come to Figulus for the full story and precipitating a tourist boom, with Earl reaping the profit and the glory. Best in its views of dreamers facing reality through wildly convoluted decision-making: a gently amusing, lively tale that manages to be diverting without being riveting.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-571-19879-1
Page Count: 216
Publisher: Faber & Faber/Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1995
Less bleak than the subject matter might warrant—Hannah’s default outlook is sunny—but still, a wrenching depiction of war’s...
The traumatic homecoming of a wounded warrior.
The daughter of alcoholics who left her orphaned at 17, Jolene “Jo” Zarkades found her first stable family in the military: She’s served over two decades, first in the army, later with the National Guard. A helicopter pilot stationed near Seattle, Jo copes as competently at home, raising two daughters, Betsy and Lulu, while trying to dismiss her husband Michael’s increasing emotional distance. Jo’s mettle is sorely tested when Michael informs her flatly that he no longer loves her. Four-year-old Lulu clamors for attention while preteen Betsy, mean-girl-in-training, dismisses as dweeby her former best friend, Seth, son of Jo’s confidante and fellow pilot, Tami. Amid these challenges comes the ultimate one: Jo and Tami are deployed to Iraq. Michael, with the help of his mother, has to take over the household duties, and he rapidly learns that parenting is much harder than his wife made it look. As Michael prepares to defend a PTSD-afflicted veteran charged with Murder I for killing his wife during a dissociative blackout, he begins to understand what Jolene is facing and to revisit his true feelings for her. When her helicopter is shot down under insurgent fire, Jo rescues Tami from the wreck, but a young crewman is killed. Tami remains in a coma and Jo, whose leg has been amputated, returns home to a difficult rehabilitation on several fronts. Her nightmares in which she relives the crash and other horrors she witnessed, and her pain, have turned Jo into a person her daughters now fear (which in the case of bratty Betsy may not be such a bad thing). Jo can't forgive Michael for his rash words. Worse, she is beginning to remind Michael more and more of his homicide client. Characterization can be cursory: Michael’s earlier callousness, left largely unexplained, undercuts the pathos of his later change of heart.
Less bleak than the subject matter might warrant—Hannah’s default outlook is sunny—but still, a wrenching depiction of war’s aftermath.Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-312-57720-9
Page Count: 400
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Dec. 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2012
In his quest for easy moolah, Owen learns that the road to financial solvency can be rocky and fraught with work. Greene (Owen Foote, Soccer Star, 1998, etc.) touches upon the often-thorny issue of chores and allowances: Owen’s mom wants him to help out because he’s part of the family and not just for the money—while Owen wants the money without having to do tedious household chores. This universal dilemma leaves Owen without funds and eagerly searching for ways to make a quick buck. His madcap schemes range from original—a “free” toilet demonstration that costs 50 cents—to disastrous, as during the trial run of his children’s fishing video, Owen ends up hooking his ear instead of a trout. Enlisting the aid of his stalwart, if long-suffering, friend Joseph, the two form a dog-walking club that becomes vastly restricted in clientele after Owen has a close encounter with an incontinent, octogenarian canine. Ultimately, Owen learns a valuable lesson about work and money when an unselfish action is generously rewarded. These sudden riches motivate Owen to consider wiser investments for his money than plastic vomit. Greene’s crisp writing style and wry humor is on-target for young readers. Brief chapters revolving around a significant event or action and fast pacing are an effective draw for tentative readers. Weston’s (Space Guys!, p. 392, etc.) black-and-white illustrations, ranging in size from quarter- to full-page, deftly portray Owen’s humorous escapades. A wise, witty addition to Greene’s successful series. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2000
ISBN: 0-618-02369-0
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2000
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