Bad Girl Creek

April 30, 2001
The bestselling author of such hits as Hank & Chloe
and Blue Rodeo
launches a trilogy with this sentimental novel of communal life and reinvented family, centering on four women who come together, tending to each other and healing old wounds. Phoebe DeThomas has lived carefully all her life. Thirty-eight years old and in a wheelchair because of a bad heart, she's always felt dwarfed by her flamboyant aunt Sadie and her successful brother James. Now Sadie has died, bequeathing her a flower farm on California's Central Coast. In order to make a go of it, Phoebe takes in three women as boarder/farmhands. Each of the three is "homeless," having recently undergone traumatic life changes: Ness, a black cowgirl with a horse and a secret fear that she has AIDS, has lost her job; Nance, a down-on-her-luck Southern belle, has broken up with her boyfriend; and Beryl, a former kindergarten aide with a prison record, has been evicted from her apartment. All have families that are less than perfect and, living under the same roof, they soon become like blood relatives as they share their secrets and learn to trust again. Mapson combines poignancy with the good-natured banter of girlfriends in her tale of women in transition, waiting to be reborn. Short on conflict but long on comfort and characterization, this is neither the author's best nor her deepest work. Still, there are enough of the quiet charms that fans have come to expect for them to tune into the second installment when it is released. Agent, Deborah Schneider. 50,000 first printing; BOMC, Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternate selection; 13-city author tour.

August 1, 2001
Adult/High School-When her aunt dies, Phoebe DeThomas finds herself the owner of a 40-acre flower farm, complete with debts and only one farmhand. Having to deal with her bad heart, her life in a wheelchair, and the financial problems brought on by the inheritance, she takes in three boarders who assist in running the farm. The women form strong bonds that help them all through the joys and heartbreaks of their lives. Phoebe finds love but has to battle pneumonia along with her other problems. Ness, the strong-willed, protective black farrier, discovers that she may be carrying the AIDS virus. Beryl has been in prison for murder, and Nance struggles to recover from her relationship with a boyfriend, even as she falls in love with Phoebe's brother. The setting is a picturesque area along central California's coast, where the weather and environment become major factors in the success or failure of the flower farm. Mapson draws another layer of interest with the detailed storytelling that deals with the naming of Bad Girl Creek. This helps define the physical geography as well as the people who live there. A contemporary story with a realistic perspective and a positive ending, this book should appeal to readers who have enjoyed Barbara Kingsolver's work.-Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Copyright 2001 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2001
Phoebe DeThomas's beloved Aunt Sadie dies and leaves her a 40-acre flower farm in California but not the means to maintain it. Through sheer ingenuity, physically disabled Phoebe secures three animal-loving roommates to help her work the land and save her inheritance. That the women become such devoted friends so quickly stretches credulity. Almost immediately, they become deeply entangled in one another's troubles, dealing with such life-and-death issues as AIDS, prison, and serious repercussions from childhood illnesses. Wonderful men arrive on the scene and rescue them all, reminding the reader of vintage Hollywood. Well-drawn settings and interesting characters aren't enough to rank this among Mapson's (The Wilder Sisters, Blue Rodeo) best. A pleasant diversion and the first of a proposed trilogy. Purchase to meet demand. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/01.] Bettie Alston Shea, formerly with Charlotte & Mecklenburg Cty. P.L., NC

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2001
There's not a woman alive who wouldn't want to spend time with the ladies down at Bad Girl Creek. This is a place where the wounded are welcome, but only if they bring their pets, and the price of admission is a willingness to work the flower farm that supports them. Phoebe, Ness, Nance, and Beryl, four women of wit and grit, transcend their individual pain to revel in the promise their combined lives make possible. Nearly homeless, running from abusive ex-lovers or other past digressions, the other three are rescued by Phoebe, who just as desperately needs them in order to save herself. There really are no "bad girls" here, just women who've made some bad choices. Like the flowers they nurture, the women's lives unfold and blossom under the pure light of unconditional friendship. Mapson's women are complex and caring, funny and fierce, strong and fragile; in short, fully evolved characters you'd want to know in real life. Maybe if you're lucky, you already do.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)