More to Life Than Mr. Right — Rosemary Stones

Gr 9-12-- A collection of previously unpublished short stories with a feminist bent, this book by a set of British authors presents an interesting view of a teenage girl's world. ``A Family Likeness'' takes a girl from the anguish of losing her father to the satisfaction of knowing she can follow in his artistic footsteps. ``Different Rules'' explores going from being friends to being a one-night-stand. ``The Sexy Airs of Summer'' considers the age-old chauvinistic view of a girl ``asking for it'' because of her attitude and dress.``Stilettos'' presents an interesting and much more practical use for those high-heeled shoes. ``Twelve Hours: Narrative and Perspectives'' shows how a divorcee's affair with a new boyfriend produces a role reversal between mother and daughter. ``India'' explores the difficulties encountered when a person who is a product of two cultures attempts to reconcile one with the other in the course of romance. ``Hermes and Aphrodight'' gives the love affair of the Greek god and goddess and its resultant offspring, Hermaphroditus, a different twist as it tells in folktale style the lives of a man and a woman who lived most of their lives disguised as the opposite sex. ``The Year of the Green Pudding'' shows how love can often drive all other thoughts out of even a sensible, caring person's mind. All in all it's an engaging collection of stories tied together by a young adult, feminist point of view. These stories will touch a cord in even a non-feminist's being because of the universal realities of being feminine. --Kathryn Havris, Mesa Public Library, AZ