ALEX IN ROME CL

In Rome to compete in the 1960 Olympics, Alex Archer takes in the sights in the Eternal City, begins a relationship with an expatriate New Zealander, and prepares for the biggest swim meet of her life.

Grade 6-8-- In this sequel to In Lane Three, Alex Archer (Houghton, 1989), Alexandra swims in the Rome Olympiad. Readers who enjoyed the first novel will be disappointed by this one, which lacks the insights and descriptions of aspects of competition so crucial to the earlier story; those unfamiliar with the first title will be confused or kept in the dark by several references. With rival Maggie ill in New Zealand, the swimming takes on a mechanical, secondary role. Alex practices and wins the bronze, but her long-awaited dream takes a back seat to another, never fully developed thread--her relationship with Tom. The alternating first-person chapters do not convey to readers just what these two see in each other. Tom doesn't seem to know what he wants other than to pursue a singing career; a revelation about his true identity, which readers anticipate, is hardly climatic, and his reasons for leaving his native New Zealand are vague and minor. The unsatisfying plot, along with abbreviated or run-on sentences, awkward phrasing, overblown phrases and descriptions, and Kiwi jargon, will lose all but the most determined readers. --Susan Knorr, Milwaukee Public Library, WI
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This sequel to In Lane Three, Alex Archer continues the saga of the New Zealand swimmer as Alessandra arrives in Rome to compete in the 1960 Olympics. Intimidated by her older, more experienced rivals, 15-year-old Alex undergoes a week of intensive training, yet manages to find enough time to become better acquainted with Tom, an intriguing fellow New Zealander who is studying opera in Italy. Because Alex and Tom take turns narrating the chapters, their growing intimacy comes across as inevitable, even unremarkable. Indeed, by the time the games begin, Alex and Tom have become fast friends, and Tom shares the excitement and glory when Alex wins the bronze. The book's last 60 pages, which recount blossoming in the aftermath of victory, are anticlimactic. More memorable are New Zealander and onetime champion swimmer Duder's descriptions of the Games and her portrayals of dedicated athletes who experience a mixture of hope and fear as they strive toward their personal best. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.