Dancing Backward in Paradise
Vera Jane Cook
Reviewed by Amy Lignor
This story is filled with adventure – from the
rural south
where the country roads can take you into the middle of a desolate
nowhere – to
the busy streets of the Big Apple.
Grace Place
is our heroine. She’s lived her whole
life thus far in the Paradise Trailer
Park in Hixson, Tennessee. The author introduces us fairly quickly to
life in the small trailer park – offering up the worst tidbits of
Grace’s life
for our entertainment. In addition to
various horrible things that happen to young Grace, we also get to read
about
her amorous encounters with Lenny Bean, her handsome partner in Hixson. Of course, Grace’s mother wants more for her
young daughter and insists that Grace save her money and move to the
big city
where she can find fame as an actress.
To go along with her mother’s wishes, Grace goes to work as
a cleaning lady for a very rich woman, Betty Ann Houseman so she can
try and
save up her money to go to New York. But she soon discovers that her new boss has
a passion for men and it doesn’t take too long for the woman to lure
Lenny Bean
into her clutches.
Not only at this point is Grace upset, but she also uncovers
a plot that the eccentric Bean family has devised in order to steal
Betty Ann’s
estate. Filled with anger and
resentment, Grace and her best friend, Ginny, run to New
York City.
This is where the story really picks up. Not
only is this a real “fish out of water”
entering the big, bad city, but using the 1960’s – the chaos,
turbulence and
vibrant viewpoints of this era – makes a delicious backdrop for Grace’s
adventure.
Most of the characters are well-written, if a bit
stereotypical, but Grace does shine in her own Southern eccentric way. The plot of the story is solid, and the
scenery from “big backwoods” to “Big Apple” is presented very well. It almost reminds me of Barbara Anton’s
wonderful book, Egrets to the Flames,
which also blended the colorful scenery and vibrant family characters
into a
comfortable, entertaining novel.
Enjoy.