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VOIGT, CYNTHIA Come a Stranger: A Tillerman Family Novel
Fawcett Juniper, 1987. Mass Market Paperback. Good. 1987 PRINTING. Spine faintly creased, sticker remnants on spine and front cover, minor cover edge wear, pages toned. "Mina Smiths, whom many readers will remember from Dicey's Song (Atheneum, 1982), takes center stage in this addition to the Tillerman saga and holds it with energy and spirit. The story takes her from age 10 to 15, following her from a youthful dancer, full of herself and her ambitions, to a wise and realistic young woman. The key to her growth is Tamer Shipp, a young pastor who drives her home from the station once she leaves the dance camp from which she has been dismissed, perhaps because puberty has harmed her talents, perhaps because she is black. When Tamer's honesty and understanding help her through the first pain, she begins to love him, forming a relationship which will be central to her perceptions of the world around her for the ensuing three summers. There is little plot here, but the story moves well, with the theme, Mina's changing view of the world and her place in it as a young black woman, carrying it in a rich current. The events are seen through Mina's eyes, as are the characters who, nonetheless, emerge with strong identities of their own. In the last third of the book, the Tillermans come into focus as Mina learns about Bullet (The Runner Atheneum, 1985) from Tamer, who loved and hated him. It is her relationship with the Tillermans and with Tamer which brings the story to its climax, as Mina finds a way to complete the circle, bringing a measure of peace to all. Voigt tells her story smoothly, getting inside of Mina's perceptions easily and believably. To catch the resonance of the story, it would be helpful to have read the earlier books about the Tillermans, although, except for minor lapses in character description and incident, this does stand well on its own. Voigt permits readers to know her characters in a way they rarely know people in real life." -- School Library Journal.
Offered for US$ 1.50 by: Yesterday's Muse Books - Book number: 055914