Heart's Desire

May 23, 2005
In this disappointing sequel to Beginner's Luck
, spunky teen Hallie Palmer is finishing up her first year at the Cleveland Art Institute, juggling student loans, finals and the ever present dilemma of when and how to lose her virginity. Amid her troubles, Hallie is called upon by her former quasi-guardian, Bernard Stockton, to help him win back his boyfriend, Gill, so she agrees to stay with him once again and earn money doing garden work for the summer. (Bernard still shares a home with his 60-something, pornography-writing, cause-driven mother, Olivia, and her Italian live-in lover, Ottavio, as well as with Olivia's unpredictable pet chimpanzee, Rocky.) As a sign of changing times, Hallie's harried mom asks for her help with Louise, Hallie's party girl younger sister. Gill contemplates leaving his gay lifestyle to marry a woman and start a family, Bernard decides he wants to adopt a Chinese baby and Hallie can't get sex off the brain. Though Pedersen tries hard to match the zany, madcap atmosphere of Beginner's Luck
, the sequel lacks the fresh spirit and charm that made its predecessor so winning. Agent, Judith Ehrlich
.

May 15, 2005
Hallie Palmer comes home from college with lots of problems. She is broke and without a boyfriend, and her complicated family life has gotten worse. Her employer-guardian, Bernard, has broken up with his longtime lover; one of her sisters is in trouble; and every guy she meets has issues. Undaunted, the ever-capable Hallie gets to work. She will find a boyfriend, help Bernard, earn money, and, as a bonus, save her town, a weird mix of Mayberry and Las Vegas. It all seems a bit much, and when Pedersen throws in an alcoholic chimpanzee and a story that owes a lot of its momentum to her previous book, " Beginner's Luck" (2003), one wonders how it can work. But oddly enough, this sweet-natured and inviting book manages splendidly. Readers are quickly drawn into Hallie's world and are ready to cheer for her and her motley crew. Funny, tender, and poignant.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)