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Overview
The year is 1924, the heyday of the revived Spiritualist movement. Fourteen-year-old Annie and her mother are successful purveyors of psychic chicanery; they move from town to town, cashing in on the fad for clairvoyant guidance.When they arrive in Peach Hill, Annie is once again compelled into her part of the act: she has to pretend that she’s the village idiot in order to more easily listen in on gossip that her mother can put to use as a fake seer. But something happens in Peach Hill. Annie’s tired of missing school, drooling, and keeping her eyes crossed. This is not the way to attract the kind of male attention she wants. She decides to drop the guise, but no sooner than she does, her mother comes up with a new scam. Now she’s a faith healer and Annie’s troubles have just begun.
This is Marthe Jocelyn at the height of her powers as a novelist. How it Happened in Peach Hill is by turns funny, suspenseful, and heartbreaking as it explores the world of those who peddle hope and comfort for profit.
From the Hardcover edition.
Synopsis
Annie's mother has special powers.Annie's mother is a master at drawing out secrets.Annie's mother is the one and only, the irresistible Madam Caterina.Annie and her mother come to Peach Hill, the latest in a string of towns where Mama sets herself up as a spiritual adviser who can put people in contact with the "dearly departed." Fifteen-year-old Annie is Mama's invisible secret weapon—she gathers important information about clients by pretending to be an idiot. After all, people will say anything in front of an idiot.But Annie isn't invisible, she's smart as a whip, and she longs to break out of this role and into a real life with friends and school. Annie may be under Mama's spell—but not for long.Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Jocelyn (Mable Riley) delivers a lively historical yarn set in New York State during Prohibition and the waning years of the spiritualist movement. Young Annie serves as the clever and feisty assistant to her mother, a clairvoyant and spiritual adviser, as they move from town to town to escape exposure and the law. When they arrive in Peach Hill, N.Y., however, the ruse begins to unravel. Annie, now 15, must pretend to be "dimwitted" and to eavesdrop on the townsfolk for the sake of the act. The tension becomes palpable when Annie develops other plans for herself that include a boy named Sammy Sloane, honesty and a normal life (her clever plot to escape idiocy is inspired). Yet the heroine finds it difficult to extricate herself from her mother's tantalizing sphere of influence. Annie makes a convincing heroine, and a set of unique and sympathetic characters swirl around her, including a troubled but clear-thinking daughter of a preacher and a seemingly severe but insightful truant officer. Others, such as Peg the housekeeper and Sammy, serve the story line but seem too naïve to be fully credible. Nonetheless, the gripping intrigue and pacing of the story will engage young readers as they root for Annie to break free and become her own person. Ages 9-12. (Mar.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationKLIATT -
Narcissistic, selfish mothers frequently pop up in literature, as we all know. Here is another one. This mother makes her living as a scam artist, and drags her daughter Annie into the act. They have to move frequently, when they are exposed as fake seers. Annie's mother is beautiful and she attracts men easily. Annie has been pretending to be a disturbed, handicapped child: she falls down, she drools, and she listens to gossip around town to give her mother information to use in her act. After they move to Peach Hill, Annie decides to be miraculously cured because she is interested in a boy and she is tired of being a freak. This cure is fine for business—it is impressive, after all—but it means Annie will have to go to school now because the truant officer is on her case. The plot gets complicated; other characters are developed. All the while Annie starts to put distance between her mother and herself, no longer willing to be swallowed up in her mother's plans. The plot is inventive and the dialog is witty and fast. Annie is so smart, and she also has learned to be devious from living with her mother. When she matches wits with her mother, it's very satisfying. And so is the ending. This unusual story is quite entertaining and well written.Kirkus Reviews
In 1924, Annie and her mother, an elegant but fraudulent clairvoyant, move among upstate New York towns, profiting tidily by telling seekers what they want to hear. Annie assists by eavesdropping in town and reporting crucial details about clients to Mama. Newly ensconced in Peach Hill, Mama has Annie assume life as an "idiot," with roving eye and drooling mouth, the better to avoid detection. Clever Annie chafes under this odious burden, and when truant officer Mrs. Newman deposits her in first grade, she orchestrates a "cure" for herself, one-upping the furious Mama. Jocelyn seamlessly weds Annie's lively narration with plenty of well-constructed dialogue, as Annie struggles between her practiced role as shill and newly beckoning experiences: tenth grade, friendships and magnetic classmate Sammy. Even secondary characters emerge whole, with housegirl Peg mothering Annie far more lovingly than Mama, suspicious Mrs. Newman surreptitiously proffering aid and ostensibly wealthy Mr. Poole meeting his match in lovely, scheming "Madame Caterina." The strife of Helen, abused daughter of a more dangerous charlatan, contrasts soberingly with Annie's troubles. Colorful and engrossing. (Fiction. 11-15)From the Publisher
“Inventiveness, humour and a sharp understanding of human nature underlie every sparkling word of this story…. Highly recommended.”—The Toronto Star, Deirdre Baker
“The blend of coming-of-age, adventure, and intrigue, framed by details of small-town life and a classic con, will appeal to fans of spunky female characters and readers of historical fiction alike.”
— Quill & Quire
"...a rollicking coming-of-age story...Readers will not soon forget this unconventional mother-and-daughter team." — School Library Journal, Starred review
"...the gripping intrigue and pacing of the story will engage young readers as they root for Annie to break free and become her own person." — Publisher's Weekly