Girls in Trouble

September 29, 2003
A starred or boxed review indicates a book of outstanding quality. A review with a blue-tinted title indicates a book of unusual commercial interest that hasn't received a starred or boxed review. GIRLS IN TROUBLE Caroline Leavitt. St. Martin's, $24.95 (368p) ISBN 0-312-27122-0 Leavitt's uneven but earnest eighth novel examines the emotional price a bright Massachusetts teen pays when she chooses "open" adoption for a baby she gives birth to at 16. It's 1987, and smart Sara Rothman has fallen in love with "black sheep" Danny Slade. When he vanishes after learning she's pregnant, Sara gives the baby up. Leavitt (Coming Back to Me) poignantly depicts the consequences of that choice for everyone concerned: Sara, who misses her baby and Danny both; Abby and Jack, Sara's well-meaning parents; Danny, the young father; George and Eva Rivers, the attentive but naïve adoptive couple; and Anne, the child. At first, Sara visits the Riverses daily—she loves Anne, and the Riverses had cared for her while she was pregnant. But her presence becomes intrusive, and eventually, Eva takes a stand: "We adopted Anne," she tells Sara. "We didn't adopt you." Sara then makes a desperate attempt to steal the infant, and when she's found, the Riverses move and deny Sara visiting rights ("Open adoptions are only enforceable in Oregon," a lawyer tells her). Fifteen years pass, and Leavitt's focus wavers; a fuzzy reunion between Danny and Sara is particularly unconvincing. The novel's portrait of dreamy, adolescent Anne and her relationship with the older Riverses is sharper, as is the realistic, bumpy reunion of birth mother and daughter. An unflinching depiction of maternal need and the dynamics of adoption, this tale is a sharp reminder of the importance of honesty in life decisions. Agent, Gail Hochman.

November 15, 2003
In this pull-at-your-heart novel, Leavitt (Coming Back to Me) once again proves how adept she is at creating fully fleshed characters. Sixteen-year-old Sara is pregnant, abandoned by her boyfriend, and desperately wanting to do what's right. Enter George and Eva, an older couple unable to have a child and desperate to make their family complete. The three decide on an open adoption, and soon Sarah is spending an increasing amount of time with George and Eva, much to the dismay of her parents, who want her to move on with her life. After the baby's birth, Sara is surprised at the immediate bond she feels with her child. She is even more surprised when she finds that she is no longer welcome in George and Eva's home, as she had been promised. The consequence is a rash act that ultimately bars Sara from her child for years. This is a wonderful story of family relationships, the choices we make, and whom we can count on. Recommended for all public libraries.-Nanci Milone Hill, Lucius Beebe Memorial Lib., Wakefield, MA

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2003
By the time 16-year-old Sara acknowledges her pregnancy, she is well into her second trimester. When her boyfriend disappears and her parents push her toward adoption, she chooses an open, loving couple, Eva and George, who make Sara feel like part of the family. After her baby's birth, though, Sara becomes increasingly unstable and attached to her child, and her visits to Eva and George's home become difficult and intrusive. A wild crisis separates the families: Eva and George leave town without notice; Sara moves to New York City, where she tries to finish college, start a career, and build adult relationships. A decade later, she realizes that she must reconcile her past and find her daughter before she can move forward. In this wrenching exploration of parent-child relationships, Leavitt captures the tensions and rhythms of family attachments--the unspoken language, the simmering resentments and sweet hopes, the blinding, protective love that can both damage and heal. Ripe for movie adaptation, this will appeal to fans of Jacqueline Mitchard's novels.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)