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LI'L MAMA'S RULES

Jackson's second (after Caught Up in the Rapture, 1996) again explores the intricacies of dating and relationships in the '90s, predominately among middle-class African Americans, with some wry- -and eminently universal—observations on the battle between the sexes (``It's all in the mind, not the behind''). Madison is in many ways a typical Modern Woman. At 30, she's got a solid career as a teacher at a private school, a great apartment, a snazzy designer-wardrobe, and loving friends and family (including a younger sister with Tourette's syndrome). Madison also has a history of disastrous dates. The only man she's ever loved was her first real boyfriend, one Christopher Anzel, who proposed to her just before he finished medical school years before. But when Chris confessed that he'd cheated on her—three times, no less—Madison kissed him good-bye. Since then, the men ``out there'' have proved to be even worse than she'd feared, or else unavailable. There's Terrence, who may have had pectoral implants; boss Tommy Thompson, her lecherous headmaster; her gay best friend Malik, another teacher at Mighty Avalon Preparatory School; Mitchell, who's white and ``freaks her out''—and on and on. When Madison starts getting expensive, tasteful gifts from a ``secret admirer,'' she naturally hopes her luck is turning; but when the admirer reveals himself as none other than Chris Anzel, who has made himself scarce for the past eight years, complications ensue. Unfortunately, Jackson doesn't have enough faith in her love story and introduces—late—what's becoming the all-too-common plot twist of AIDS; the end of the book succumbs to triteness in the form of safe-sex messages. When Madison realizes what's truly in her heart, she learns to jettison her preconceptions about relationships. The story would have been more convincing, though, if Jackson had resisted the temptation to preach. (Author tour)

Pub Date: June 1, 1997

ISBN: 0-684-81842-6

Page Count: 272

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1997

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THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE

Heartfelt, yes, but pretty routine.

Life lessons.

Angie Malone, the youngest of a big, warm Italian-American family, returns to her Pacific Northwest hometown to wrestle with various midlife disappointments: her divorce, Papa’s death, a downturn in business at the family restaurant, and, above all, her childlessness. After several miscarriages, she, a successful ad exec, and husband Conlan, a reporter, befriended a pregnant young girl and planned to adopt her baby—and then the birth mother changed her mind. Angie and Conlan drifted apart and soon found they just didn’t love each other anymore. Metaphorically speaking, “her need for a child had been a high tide, an overwhelming force that drowned them. A year ago, she could have kicked to the surface but not now.” Sadder but wiser, Angie goes to work in the struggling family restaurant, bickering with Mama over updating the menu and replacing the ancient waitress. Soon, Angie befriends another young girl, Lauren Ribido, who’s eager to learn and desperately needs a job. Lauren’s family lives on the wrong side of the tracks, and her mother is a promiscuous alcoholic, but Angie knows nothing of this sad story and welcomes Lauren into the DeSaria family circle. The girl listens in, wide-eyed, as the sisters argue and make wisecracks and—gee-whiz—are actually nice to each other. Nothing at all like her relationship with her sluttish mother, who throws Lauren out when boyfriend David, en route to Stanford, gets her pregnant. Will Lauren, who’s just been accepted to USC, let Angie adopt her baby? Well, a bit of a twist at the end keeps things from becoming too predictable.

Heartfelt, yes, but pretty routine.

Pub Date: July 1, 2004

ISBN: 0-345-46750-7

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Ballantine

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2004

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MAGIC HOUR

Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.

Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.

Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.

Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.

Pub Date: March 1, 2006

ISBN: 0-345-46752-3

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Ballantine

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005

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