Anne Emery (1) (1907–1987)

One of the few Anne Emery books I hadn't already read. This one was good, combining serious matters with some maltshop book-like qualities. Marya's Polish-American immigrant family lives in the Chicago tenements; Marya is not ashamed of where she comes from, but she does have the ambition to better her life through hard work and study, particularly of music and the violin. One of her biggest concerns is keeping her younger brother, Peter, from falling in with the wrong crowd, which happens show more to include Marya's boyfriend, Tony, whose own ambition consists of making money as quickly as possible even if the means are shady. show less

Dinny meets and starts dating Steve, a charming freshman at Rosemont College. Feeling special and needed is part of the appeal of this romance for Dinny. But the relationship with Steve becomes time- consuming and at times, overwhelming. And Dinny may feel needed, but Steve seems needy.

Anne Emery is a great writer, and this is one of her best young adult books. I'm sure it will seem a little dated (okay, a lot dated) to teenagers now, but it is still a fun book to read. Jean Burnaby (featured in many of Miss Emery's books) begins her senior year in high school and is soon caught up in the sorority clique. Disguised as 'service clubs' at her high school (since sororities are forbidden), The Nightingales are the group that notices Jean and soon she finds herself caught up in show more her social life with them. This causes problems with her family, her friends not in the sorority and most of all, her boyfriend Jeff. How Jean resolves her problem and ambivalence about the sorority makes for a interesting read. Oh, and a few references to the word 'queer' are even amusing, in this PC age. In one, Jean worries that the sorority will think she's 'queer' for missing an important event. Toward the end, when Jean decides to hand in her Nightingales pin, she imagines that her sorority sisters are thinking, "Are you queer?" No, they were not wondering if she had turned lezzie. I got a big laugh of that one. show less

Set in the 1950's, this teen novel by Anne Emery focuses on the pros and cons of going steady. The central character Sally Burnaby is the oldest child of a large, active, traditional family. She is thrilled when she becomes pinned to her boyfriend Scotty shortly before graduation. I found Scotty to be an irritating and controlling person. Scotty gives Sally constant advice. He suggests that she hone her tennis and diving skills. He suggests books for her summer reading. These show more "recommendations" affect Sally's self-esteem; she often feels inadequate and depressed after their dates.When Sally is invited to Scotty's home, he treats her like any other guest, rather than a girlfriend. Despite their relationship flaws, they discuss forgoing college and plan to be married in the autumn. I found the description of Sally's summer job (clerical work at a local university) to be interesting. Sally regards the work (stuffing envelopes and typing registration cards) to be dull and tedious. She often makes errors and is reprimanded by the brusque and efficient office manager Carol Colbert. As the summer progresses, Sally reevaluates her goals and evolves into a stronger person. The themes of this 1950's youth novel are relevant today. show less