Items related to Life Without Friends
Synopsis
After testifying at a murder trial, Beverly Johnson fears that all of her classmates will blame her for the deaths of two students, because of her association with their killer, Tim Connors
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Reviews
Grade 7-10 This sequel to Friends for Life (Avon, 1983), a tale of drugs and murder, deals with another of Tim's victims, his one-time girl friend, Beverly. Already alienated by her parent's divorce and her mother's subsequent suicide, Beverly bears an additional burden of guilt. She knew better than anyone how crazy Tim was; she had been a victim of his violent temper. If she had only told someone about him, perhaps the murders could have been avoided. She blames herself for the death of a classmate, and so do fellow students, who avoid her. She cuts off the overtures made by her stepmother and resists the help of the psychiatrist she visits weekly. But she finds herself initiating chance meetings with Derek, a young groundskeeper who works in a nearby park. Although at first she's sure that her father won't approve, she finds a tender heart under his wise-guy wit and begins tentatively to trust him. When she finally confesses her involvement in the murders, his understanding allows her to start forgiving herself and to finally accept her new family. While the story veers toward melodrama at times, it is compelling, and readers will appreciate the hopeful note at the end of the book. Eleanor K. MacDonald, Palos Verdes Library District, Calif.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Beverly had a rough junior year at her exclusive Boston prep school. She got involved with the wrong crowdso wrong that now two kids are dead, her former boyfriend is on trial for murder, and she's the chief witness for the prosecution. Bev's an outcast at school; she starts her senior year isolated and hopeless. It truly is "life without friends" until she meets Derek at the Public Garden. He's a young maintenance worker and a world apart from her preppie ex-friends. His wit and friendship gradually break down her defenses and she starts to care again. With a less skillful writer this could have been yet another bleak catalogue of contemporary teenage problems: divorce, suicide, drugs and self-destruction. But White (the author of several YA novels) has created a believable heroine kids will care about, as well as a highly readable, satisfying story.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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