Going Going

This is the only book I've read by her, so I don't know how the books usually are. But I LOVE this book! I've read it about 5 times (like I do with any book I love) and it still doesn't get old. The descriptions in the book are all so good! (When she's talking about food, I always get hungry!!!) Florrie, (the main character), is a cool girl with a purpose. She hates franchises. She doesn't hate the people who work at them, but she hates their whole existence. She hates them because they clear out cool, independent places for their boring, generic crap.. One of the great things about this book is it's not your average cause. Usually, it's like 'save the trees' or something, but Nye puts out a message that's often forgot about. Yeah, you're sad when your favorite coffee shop goes out of business, but do you question it? Do you think, huh, I wonder if this place would've survived if Starbucks had never been? I'm sure some people do think about these things. But it's great for this message to be put out there. Anyways, I love the book, all the characters, and the kind of strange way the author writes. It's kind of a welcome change of pace, and I hope to read other books as well-written as this one.

I may be prejudiced, since I am a fan of Nye's poetry. Or I may be prejudiced because I, like the central character in this novel, love old neighborhoods and believe the ubiquitous, china-shipping strip-mall school of architecture is slowly killing our souls. Unlike some previous reviewers, I found this novel to be compelling, so much so that I read almost the entire book in one sitting. In my opinion Nye put just as much gravity, joy and truth in this novel as she does in her poetry.

This book captures your attention from the first page. I was instantly charmed by Florrie, the main character. She is an idealistic young girl with a cause. She, as her grandfather before her, is saddened by the loss of so many small businesses in her neighborhood. Her neighborhood just happens to be downtown San Antonio. Nye describes this city so beautifully that I find myself wanting to move there. Florrie's cause is to boycott all of the large franchise establishments, hoping to help the small businesses stay afloat. The characters are engaging, the setting is charming, and Nye's writing is lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed this book - and I'm an adult with children in the target reading age!