Moriarty's crowning achievement with this novel was her creation of such an honest, real character in Evelyn Bucknow, a gifted but poor student living with her irresponsible young mother on the outskirts of a small Kansas town. The author also captures in brutal reality the scary uncertainties of poverty - when the family car breaks down Evelyn can't go to school, her mother Tina can't go to work and the only available help comes with definite strings attached.

Evelyn and Tina grow up together as the novel progresses, maturing and finding their places in the world - one of the book's primary themes is that of education, or more fundamentally the power of one person to teach another. Eveyln is influenced by her Bible-thumping grandmother at the same time that a progressive Biology teacher at her school fights for the right to teach her students evolution. Evelyn's life is forever changed when one teacher tells her that she's gifted: "She takes off her glasses, still looking at me. I take off my glasses too, because for a moment I think she is going to place them on my eyes, the way you place a crown on someone's head when they become queen. Welcome to being smart." It is this 'strength of smarts' that girds Evelyn through the traumas of adolescence and leads her to a college scholarship and the elusive possibility of freedom.

I really enjoyed this book, I give it four stars. The characters are real, the writing clear and honest and the themes univeral - and yet, Moriarty keeps the story feeling fresh and as-yet-untold, in my opinion quite a feat. ( )

Kansas, in the 80s, is when and where Evelyn (10) and her mother, Tina, make ends meet. They both struggle as a family and as individuals, meanwhile trying to do their best and learn from past mistakes to make a better life for themselves.

I appreciated Moriarty's writing and her ability to realistically portray this family; their personalities were genuine and honest. However, even though it was a well-written character study of a coming-of-age girl, I found it to be slightly boring. (3/5)

Originally posted on: "Thoughts of Joy..." ( )

This would be a great book club selection - lots to talk about - with some interesting characters - and a great heroine. ( )

Young gifted and poor. Smart but clueless about boys. Evelyn is navigating the high school landscape in an attempt to make it to college unscathed. Her best friend falls in love with her crush. The most beuatiful girl in school is killed in a car crash that seriously injured two other classmates, and Everlyn's brother is disabled...a lovely book about a seeming hopeless case. it's not a fairytale, but it's no horror either. ( )

Evelyn lives with her single mother and religious grandmother, and they struggle to make ends meet. A math prodigy, limited by her circumstances, Evelyn is encouraged by her teachers to participate in a state wide contest. ( )