Lenora Mattingly Weber (1895–1971)

Beany Malone is a senior in high school in this ninth volume of the series devoted to her adventures at school and with her family and friends, and is now the editor-in-chief of Hark Ye, Harkness High's school paper. Excited at all of the school events ahead of her, and looking forward to the Christmas-time return of her special beau, Andy Kern, serving in the Marines off in California, Beany little realizes what a time of trial is in store for her. Coming into conflict with her beloved show more older brother Johnny, when he takes up with Garnet Storm—a dishonest and manipulative girl of the absolute worst sort—and won't hear a word spoken against her, she is also disturbed by the feeling that her friend Rosellen, Andy's gentle and kindhearted younger sister, confined to her wheelchair after a childhood bout of polio, is trying to tell her something important. Distracted by all the many doings in her life, Beany is wholly unprepared when Rosellen suddenly dies, and is unsure how to handle Andy's storm of grief and anger. Will things ever be the same between them, and will Beany be able to reconcile with Johnny...?

Originally published in 1959, and then reprinted in 2008 by Image Cascade Publishing, A Bright Star Falls was an immensely engrossing, entertaining and ultimately heartbreaking book. It is certainly now one of my favorites of author Lenora Mattingly Weber's fourteen-volume Beany Malone series, beautifully capturing the heartbreak of loss—the confusion, regret and rage it creates in those left behind, when a loved one dies. I thought the author's depiction of Beany's changing perception of Rosellen—her belief that she is almost ready to walk again, her knowledge that something is troubling her friend, and the bitterness of her realization of what that was, once it was too late—was sensitively done, as was her depiction of Andy's first enraged rejection of everything having to do with the loss of his sister. The well-meaning relatives, the priest's message in his eulogy, Beany's own attempts to prevent him from going off the rails—everything only make him angrier, something I think rings very true, in the initial stages of grief. I also thought her depiction of the relationship between Johnny and Garnet was interesting, particularly the way in which any opposition on the part of Johnny's friends and family only caused him to dig in his heels. The eventual conclusion of that storyline, and the final confrontation between Johnny and Garnet, was very satisfying to witness, for Beany and for the reader! This is one I would recommend to readers who have enjoyed previous entries in the series, although they should be prepared for some very sad passages. show less

Beany Malone is back in this sixth entry in Lenora Mattingly Weber's fourteen-volume series devoted to her adolescent and young adult adventures with her family, and with her various beaus. Having now settled into an easy, somewhat carefree relationship with Andy Kern, Beany is startled when she hears from her old boyfriend Norbert Rhodes—her first love—and finds herself in all kinds of complicated situations when she agrees to keep his return to Denver a secret. She also finds herself show more in all kinds of hot water when she takes newcomer Dulcie Lungaarde, a carhop at the Ragged Robin who is a "more-thanner"—a young woman who does more than hold hands with boys—under her wing. Of course, this being a Beany Malone book, all of the hurt feelings, uncertainties and controversy are happily resolved by the end...

Although I certainly enjoyed reading Make a Wish for Me, and plan to continue on and finish the Beany Malone series, somehow this wasn't quite the equal of earlier books, in my estimation. Weber is as skilled as ever at depicting her young heroine's emotional ups and downs, and I particularly liked the way she captured Beany's conflicted feelings about Dulcie—sometimes angry at her protege and sometimes protective of her—as this felt quite realistic. I thought the exploration of the issue of young adults and their experimentation with physical affection—what was and wasn't permitted, the lines the young people themselves drew, in determining what was right—was very interesting, and opened a window into how this was viewed in the 1950s. It was amusing moreover, to see how Beany and her contemporaries compared themselves to the restrictive "old days" (the 1890s), as I suspect many current readers might do the same, when it comes to today and Beany's time. All this being said, I did find that there was a somewhat nasty undertone to this one, related to Dulcie—the way the boys and girls talk about her behind her back, for instance—that was unpleasant, even while being completely believable. The acceptance of the idea that it is the woman or girl who is morally responsible, if matters go too far, while no opprobrium is attached to the boy or man who was also involved, left a bad taste in my mouth. Again, this was realistic for the time period, but is distasteful all the same, and detracted from my enjoyment. Leaving that aside, this was still well worth reading, and is one I would recommend to those who have read and enjoyed the earlier books in the series. show less

The loving and democratic Malones, known as "those awful Malones" to their next-door neighbor, "Mrs. Socially-Prominent Adams," must contend with a series of challenges, both individually and as a family, in this heartwarming children's novel from 1943. Told from the perspective of sixteen-year-old Mary Fred Malone, and set shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the story chronicles the doings of the Malones in the first year of America's involvement in World War II, as father show more Martie Malone, a respected newspaperman, leaves his children for a few months to report on events in Hawaii. Recently married eldest sister Elizabeth, with her newborn son in arms, returns to the family home as her serviceman husband Don is deployed. Fifteen-year-old Johnny Malone must work to repay the Wyoming woman whose egg delivery he destroyed in a car accident, while also attempting to earn the money needed for a new typewriter—necessary, if he and elderly family friend Emerson Worth are to write a history of the early days in their hometown of Denver. Thirteen-year-old Beany, convinced her tiny bedroom is fit only for a baby, has her eyes set on a redecoration project, one that will do away with juvenile rabbits and usher in the sunshine. And Mary Fred herself...? She must contend with Mr. Chips, the horse she bought from the riding stable with her prom dress money, and the competing claims of her new friendship with Ander, a Wyoming ranch boy in Denver to go to medical school, and her infatuation with high school sports hero Dike Williams, the uncontested king of Harkness High. Between all of this, their domineering step-grandmother Nonna descending upon the household in their father's absence, and the demands of helping servicemen and war orphans, the Malones have a lot on their plate...

The first of Lenora Mattingly Weber's fourteen-volume Beany Malone series, begun in 1943 and continuing through Come Back, Wherever You Are, published in 1969, Meet the Malones introduces readers to the eponymous Malone family and their chaotic but loving home in Denver. It is with the second book, Beany Malone (1948) that the heroine of the entire series was apparently revealed. However that may be, I found this first book in the series immensely charming, and raced through it in happy enjoyment. I found the period setting fascinating—this isn't historical fiction, even though set in a historical period, as it was written contemporaneously—and thought that some of the ideas presented, such as Martie Malone's insistence that it was his family's duty to keep their home open to the needy created by the war, were very poignant. They made me feel rather wistful, seeming like a relic of a bygone era in which civic duty was not so foreign of a concept to our culture. On a lighter note, there was quite a bit of slang here, some of it apparently unique to the high school attended by Mary Fred and Johnny, which also made this feel very much a product of another time. I appreciated the fact that the Malones were a middle-class Irish-American family, and that their Catholicism was a natural part of the story—not foregrounded, but a consistent undercurrent in their lives. Given the dearth of Catholics in mainstream American children's literature, both then and now, this is very welcome. Finally, the characters themselves really came alive, and I felt invested in their stories. Despite never feeling any doubt about the eventual resolution of both the Nonna and Dike Williams storylines, they elicited feelings of strong anger in me, and satisfaction when they eventually came to their inevitable conclusion. I finished this one with a desire to read the sequels, which I plan to do in short order, as well as other books by the author. Recommended to readers who enjoy lighthearted vintage fiction for children, who are looking for children's books featuring loving Catholic families, or who want stories set during World War II. show less

The Malone family return in this follow-up to Meet the Malones, with youngest sibling Beany—full name: Catherine Cecilia Malone—taking over as protagonist from her older sister Mary Fred, the heroine of the previous book. Now sixteen, Beany is a student at Harkness High, where she has a strong crush on Norbett Rhodes, the nephew of the very man her father, newspaper columnist Martie Malone, has been crusading against. As if being "enemies" with Norbett weren't enough, Beany finds herself show more worrying about the happiness of each of her elder siblings when her father is sent away to Arizona for a few months, in order to regain his strength after a protracted illness. Deciding that the Malone way of opening their hearts and home to the world is misguided, and can only lead to pain, Beany tries to influence and guard each of her family members from vulnerability. But as she witnesses Mary Fred confronting a choice between popularity and what she knows is right (and what her heart wants); Elizabeth steadfastly waiting for and then supporting Don, her wounded veteran husband who is newly returned from World War II; and Johnny finding a way to help elderly family friend Emerson Worth realize his dream of seeing the early history of Denver preserved, she slowly discovers that the Malone way is best after all...

Published in 1948, five years after Meet the Malones, Beany Malone is also set around five years after that first book, shortly after the end of World War II, which looms large in the story. The storyline involving Don, who must have his injured leg amputated, would be one example of this, but so too would the entire sub-plot involving Mary Fred and Ander (whom I was happy to see were together as a couple!), and the controversy stirred up by returning GI college students with little interest in observing campus traditions. I thought that these elements of the book were quite interesting, from a historical perspective, offering a snapshot of the personal and cultural adjustments that would have been necessary on all sides, to integrate thousands of young men back into American society, after the horrors of their experiences in the recent war. I also found them quite moving, and admired both Elizabeth and Mary Fred for their response to the challenges they faced. Beany herself made a wonderfully sympathetic protagonist and heroine, so wholeheartedly invested in those she loves, even while imagining that it was possible to fence off her heart. The reader realizes immediately that this is a futile effort, but watching Beany come to that realization is one of the chief delights of the book. I found her romance with Norbett charming, and also frequently amusing, as she is so oblivious, and he so obtuse. If I had any criticism to make of the book, it would be the way in which the storyline involving Kay and Faye Maffley was resolved. While on the one hand I appreciated the way in which Weber explored the problems arising from a mother who attempts to be a peer and friend to her child, rather than their parent, on the other hand I found the overly pat and almost anti-climactic conclusion to that sub-plot rather unsatisfying. Despite this critique, I enjoyed this one every bit as much as, perhaps even a bit more than the first, and am eager to continue on with the story of Beany and the Malones. Recommended to anyone who has read and enjoyed the first book in the series, and to readers who enjoy lighthearted vintage fiction for children, or who are looking for children's books featuring loving Catholic families. show less