What Became of Her

Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0064472108, Paperback)

M.E. Kerr is one of the 10 big names in young-adult fiction, and she has written many highly praised books, most notably Gentlehands and Deliver Us from Evie. What Became of Her, Kerr's 12th teen novel, is a big, sprawling saga of two intricately related generations in the ironically named town of Serenity. At the center of the story is the fabulously wealthy Rosalind Slaymaster, who has left her ranch in Texas to return to the family mansion called Peligro, or Danger. There she entertains lavishly, exerting her will over the town where she was humiliated as a girl. As the teenage Rose Fitch she was taunted for her stutter, her innocence, her work at the Dare funeral home, her mentally handicapped father. As Rosalind Slaymaster, she is tough and tall in her jeans and boots. Still, she is strangely attached to a two-foot leather mannequin she calls Peale--and is harsh and cold with Julie, the teenage girl she has adopted to keep the doll company. On another level, 16-year-old E.C. Tobbit and his light-fingered friend Neal form an alliance with Julie that undercuts and is linked to the events of the previous generation. A scorecard of characters helps, but teen readers who are willing to pay attention will be rewarded with many "Aha!" experiences in this challenging but ultimately satisfying novel. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell