Scarlett Fever

by Maureen Johnson
ages: 12+
First sentence: “So let’s set the scene, shall we?”
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It’s the end of the summer, Hamlet (in the dining room) has closed, and Scarlett is nursing a broken heart. Sure, he was never her boyfriend. And, sure, he was a bit of a cad. But that doesn’t stop her obsessing over him (to the point of watching his commercial on the internet a couple… well, maybe 50… times a night).

And it seems the rest of her life is falling apart, too: she still works for the crazy Mrs. Amberson, whose latest client, Crystal, has a whack-job for a mom and a morose older brother whom Scarlett has the misfortune of being in biology with. Her older brother, Spencer (sigh; I know, he’s only 19, but still!) can’t seem to land an acting job, until he lands a part as the baddie in the TV show Crime and Punishment (a nice tribute to Law and Order). Suddenly, he’s the most hated man in New York. Her older sister Lola seems to be going off the deep end, wandering aimless through her life. And — possibly scariest of all — her younger sister, Marlene, is being… nice.

After the slowish beginning (in which I try to remember what Suite Scarlett was about without rereading it), the book picked up speed, and I fell into Maureen Johnson’s wonderful writing style: full of patter, swooning, humor and intelligent asides. About two-thirds of the way, I started wondering how on earth MJ was going to wrap the story up; there seemed to be a lot more loose threads than a book could adequately wrap up. And I was right: she doesn’t. I do have to admit I was a bit disappointed: instead of ending the book, MJ seems to just… stop it. Which, while exciting and all (can’t wait for the next book), is also frustrating. I don’t mind series and sequels, but I do like to have each individual story tidily wrapped up.

But that’s a minor quibble. It’s the Martins (who are still quirkily wonderful), it’s a fabulous portrait of New York City, it’s happiness in a purple cover. You don’t hear me complaining (much).

6 thoughts on “Scarlett Fever”

  1. I finished this one over the weekend and absolutely loved it (though I TOTALLY AGREE about the book just stopping. Really awkward. I don't remember Suite Scarlett being that abrupt).

    My favorite part may have been Melanie's sudden niceness, and how that just freaks Scarlett out. Lots of hilarity in this one, as always.

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  3. I thought of you while I was reading, Amanda. And I actually noticed the lying this time around. There wasn't much — though one instance was a big one, and I wonder if it'll come back to bit Scarlett in the butt — but there was some.

    And Angela, I wasn't as amused with this one. I wonder if it was me, though.

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  4. I thought this was great fun. I do recall feeling satisfied but still interested at the end of Suite Scarlett, but this one had the classic YA cliffhanger and that did kind of bug.

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