Seventeen

LITERARY FICTION:  William Baxter doesn’t want anything to do with girls. No way. Never. Then he meets the new girl in town, Lola Pratt, and those feelings start to change. William must navigate how to understand his changing desires, his hormones, and coming into adulthood. Somehow, he’s also got to figure out how to woo a woman into wanting to marry him.

Mr. Tarkington’s novel is a well-pieced-together tale of young love and how growing up is hard to do. A great deal of humor is laced within his writing as the hero, William, finds himself in a lot of tricky and amusing situations. Listeners will get a kick out of all his shenanigans. Both William and Lola are characters everyone can relate to. There are a few potentially offensive stereotyped portrayals of African Americans in this story. Because the novel was written so long ago, much of it is written in the context of that time frame. Outside of that, however, the story has stood the test of time and is still very relatable in this modern age!

Stacy Gonzalez gives a performance full of charm. She has a somewhat quick pacing which doesn’t always fit with the tone of the story. That being said, she is a talented reader and fills her words with the emotions of the characters. She captured William’s struggle of growing up perfectly.

This story is the kind that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy by the end. There’s a reason it has stood the test of time and will continue to do so!

Chelsea Andersen