Product Description

(YA) Andrea Grouper, chronic wise-ass and Air Force brat, has plenty to keep her busy. When she isn't battling her chauvinist father for freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, she's keeping a wary eye on her best friend (who is under psychiatric care), avoiding her best friend's creepily manic boyfriend, fending off the poetic attentions of her own boyfriend, and hiding her crush on his best friend. Add an uncaring school and a loving but clueless family to the mix, and you've got Andrea's life in a nutshell--rollicking good times, the anger of the oppressed, and painful insecurity. In other words, adolescence.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1227401 in Books
• Published on: 2001-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 183 pages

Review

A very accurate and on target portrayal of the emotional conflict that today's teens face. The characters are well developed, and very believable, so much so, that I could mistake several of them for my own nieces! Ms. Davidson writes a cohesive, telling and endearing story of the lives of the 6 central characters. And she does so with a special flare and expert craft. Highly recommended for young adults and their parents, aunts, grandparents. Well done! ~ A Writers Choice Literary Review

A YA novel, ADVENTURES OF THE TEEN FURIES is about as true to teen life, in language and in emotional conflict, as any book I've read--and as a former high school teacher, I have read a great many. The characters are teens, with all that implies: mixed-up, prone to emotion, loyal, creative, wanting to grow up,

afraid, and, above all else, lovable. If I had a daughter in the proper age group (eleven or twelve to sixteen or seventeen), I would ask her to read this book--not once but twice because it has some very valid advice cunningly concealed in its lively plot. Good job, Ms. Davidson!" Highly Recommended! ~ Under the Covers Book Reviews

Customer Reviews

Wonderful and compelling YA offering by Ms. Davidson...
I have read and loved all of MaryJanice Davidson's novels and novellas and decided to give her Young Adult offering a whirl. This is a wonderful novel with a great deal of humor and some poignancy to boot. Andrea Grouper is a typical teenage girl going through growing pains while convincing her paranoid driving coach that she has been driving since she was eight years old and keeping her eye on her troubled friend Meredith. When she convinces Meredith to join her in visiting her old friend Brenda, she does not know how she would interact with her. But it turns out that not only is Meredith adored by Brenda and a new crop of male friends, she also becomes part of a game in which they pretend to be superheroes and villains. They also have some adventures with the male friends. Andrea accepts to become George's girlfriend while she drools for Kyle, the one Brenda has set her eyes on. Meredith hooks up with Terry, who is as eccentric as she is at times. However, how will the group cope with Meredith's suicidal episodes and the extreme side effects from her medications? How will they cope with the knowledge that she'd had a nervous breakdown a few months before? Will Andrea be able to break free from George and tell Kyle how she feels about him? And are their imaginary characters a way to escape from their sometimes troubled realities?

This is one of the best Davidson stories I have read. She has a wonderful sense of humor, as all of her faithful readers are well aware, but she also adds some dark situations and poignant scenes in this offering. Meredith saddened me at times. She goes through some rather painful things brought on by her depression. She has a wonderful friend in Andrea. Speaking of whom, Andrea is the signature Davidson heroine in that she is a smart mouth and is fiercely independent. She likes the idea of having a randy boyfriend who worships her even though she is not that into him. Those scenes made me laugh. Terry is also hilarious. He is a hopeless flirt who is not afraid to voice his opinion on everything. Kyle is the quieter one of the bunch, but he also turns out to be as three-dimensional as the other characters. As said earlier, this is one of Davidson's best stories. This also happens to be one of her first writing efforts. She started out writing Young Adult books and then branched out into writing romance and fantasy (or a combination of both genres). But she will release another YA book later this year. Adventures of the Teen Furies is a true testament of just how talented and versatile Ms. Davidson is. She is now one of the most popular romance/paranormal authors out there and for good reason. I recommend this YA novel most highly.

Witty and True to Life
It is unusual to find a story that can make even the difficulties of the high school years seem both fun and funny. Davidson succeeds in showing realistic characters and situations in a positive way - without being preachy. I almost miss my high school days... almost.

Funny and realistic
I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of life as a teenager (although it did bring back some painful memories!). Well written and thoughtful, Adventures of the Teen Furies explores the often painful, confusing world of adolescence with humor and honesty. Ms. Davidson obviously remembers what it was like to live through, and she uses that knowledge to great effect as she follows her characters through some of the pressures and decisions that plague teenagers. I highly recommend this to all readers.