Johnson, Maureen - The Key to the Golden Firebird

[oyceter]

Sisters May, Palmer, and Brooks Gold are still coping after their father's recent death. Middle sister May is saddled with responsibilities, including learning to drive so she can help her mother out; older sister Brooks is drinking; and younger sister Palmer is quietly freaking out as everyone continues to ignore her. It's a slow, quiet story of how things fall apart and even more slowly begin to heal, and while most of it is from May's POV, we get a lot of Brooks and Palmer as well.

This and Bermudez Triangle are my favorite of Johnson's books, largely because both of them focus less on an external plot and more on the characters' growth, particularly how all the characters affect each other. The Golds feel so real, from the tired mother to the sibling squabbling to the way people ask things of you when you have nothing left to give, the way they're too busy when you're about to fall down, and just when everything's about to come apart, everything begins to come together again.

I particularly loved Palmer and her fear, the way she faded into walls to watch. It was harder to love Brooks, who's mostly lost in a chemical haze, and I see a lot of myself in May, from the desperate attempts to grab control to the way she pushes people away just when she needs them most. Though the romance between May and boy-next-door Pete wasn't the center of the book, I liked it, particularly the last bits.

But most of all, I loved the three sisters and the absence of their dad, an empty space that affects everything. I love the way Johnson weaves baseball in throughout, from their dad, Palmer, and Brooks' love of it to May's inability to play, and how it all fits together in the end. I, um, sort of bawled through the entire last half of the book, where everyone's broken bits come together, but things end up okay. Definitely recommended, especially if you like authors like Sarah Dessen.

Links:
- rilina's review
- gwyneira's review

Comments

[sarahtales.livejournal.com]

I just read Suite Scarlett and am overflowing with Maureen Johnson love - but yes, this one may still be my favourite. :)

[oyceter]

Yeah, I love this one, in a "I bawled straight through" way. It is a good way! Even though by the time I hit the end, I couldn't breathe through my nose and had trouble swallowing because it would plug up my ears....

Once I stopped tearing up, I flipped back and read some good bits over again and once again plugged up my sinuses.

[gwyneira.livejournal.com]

Yay, you read it! And you pinpointed exactly why I too like this and The Bermudez Triangle more than any of Johnson's other books (though I do like the others, too).

[oyceter]

I really like it! It reminds me a lot of Dessen's The Truth about Forever, though it ends much better. I love the ending so much!

[furies.livejournal.com]

i LOVE this book. seriously, it's what convinced me that reading more YA teen chick lit wasn't a waste of my time.

palmer. palmer freaking broke me, over and over.

AND CAMDEN YARDS.

this is definitely my favorite maureen johnson. by far.

[oyceter]

I loved the entire part about Camden Yards so much! And was bawling when May talked to Pete and her mom about her dad.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_kirsty/]

Hi. I often check out your journal to read all your awesome book reviews and recs, and I just wanted to say hallo now that I'm adding it to the official reading list. :)

[oyceter]

Hi! Welcome, and thanks!