Melody Murray's Books

There's a lot here to like. I especially liked the Catholicism of the family- that's a religion that gets a lot of ink via memoirs but in my experience, not so much in kidlit or YA. As a kid I knew way more about Jews and Episcopalians than I did about Catholics. I also loved the way the war was woven through the narrative. When the father tells his kids that their house must always be open for the soldiers to visit, I admit to tearing up a bit. When did we lose that commitment, and why? The wicked stepgrandmother was a bit too wicked, the saintly father a hair too saintly- all the characters were a little too much themselves, I think. There was a certain emphasis on defining traits that was wearing. Weber paints with a mighty broad brush.I liked Mary Fred, the protagonist, very well. Her growth and confusion were believable and interesting. Johnny and Elizabeth, while both too good to be true, were fun to have around. And it was neat to see Beany from the outside after reading her book first.Dated, sure. Questionable assumptions to be inferred from Nonna's career woman/evil bitch persona? Maybe yes. Wholesome? And how.