This was part of a job-lot of books I bought on ebay for release. Although this one looks intriguing... Mount To-be-read is already out of control... so... off into the wild with this one!

From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Suzanne Leslie Simmons
''What is it about adolescence that draws us to relive its pain and turmoil through books, movies, and television? Perhaps it is the advantage or safety of hindsight, or the comfort in realizing that even those who seemed so confident were suffering, too. Seventeen-year-old Lucille Odom is one such seemingly mature teenager who tries to hold her family together when her mother leaves abruptly - the ice cream melting in the grocery bag on the front seat of the car - and her twenty-five-year-old sister returns home with a new husband and a baby on the way. As life falls into place without her mother, it becomes clear that Lucille is not as strong and mature as she portrays herself to be. Josephine Humphreys has created a fully believable portrait of an adolescent in Lucille, who eventually realizes that she does not have all the answers, nor do the adults around her. She is challenged to turn outward and to deal with the hard truth of why her mother left; as she moves beyond her own needs she begins to understand the complexity and full circle of love - parental, filial, fraternal, sexual, and self. Written in deceptively simple and direct language, this is a story of growing up - with all its pain and glory - and of a family becoming individuals in order to remain a family.''

Again, I found this book at Parliament station on my way to work in the morning. I always feel a little excited when I see the orange sticker on the front. It's a great way to find books to read. I will re-release this after I have read it.