The Rise and Fall of a Teen-Age Wacko

by Mary Anderson

Laura hates the mountain cottage where she is spending the summer, so when she gets a chance to go back to New York City she does, and accidently gets into a Woody Allen movie

Genres: Young Adult

169 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1980

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.

Born in 1939, Mary Anderson is an American author of mystery novels for children and young adults.

Reviews

[Lyn-Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Circa 1980 with a blow drier on the cover, family summer vacations and a Woody Allen mention - reaffirms I was born during the wrong era. This book is a little gem and made me slightly heartsick for a world I wish I lived in.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

FotL Chanute

The red cover shown is just wrong, in detail and in vibe. The blue cover, https://www.paperbackswap.com/Rise-Fa..., is better - more appealing, and much more true to the vibe. Though details are still wrong.

Short chaotic book. Not sure of the role of some of the episodes. Not sure of the abrupt ending. But it's one that a person who read it as a young teen is likely to remember for a long time. And as soon as I listed this on paperbackswap, it was snapped up.

I wonder if it turned anyone on to Woody Allen? I was never into him... um, maybe the actual style of the book is an homage? I mean, better at humor, but wanting to say something meaningful, as a quote from the director indicated was his goal?

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I re-read this after seeing a video of myself at age 12 in the early 80’s talking about how much I loved this book. I found it interesting to read as an adult the sad state of desperation Laura was in and how lonely and sad she really was. I can see why I loved this book as a young teen-the dream life of living in NYC, shopping at Bloomies , exploring the “fancy” lifestyles and chasing after a dream of being an actress. as I hope (and would imagine I hoped this at age 12), is that in the end Laura hopefully does pursue her dreams and turn out ok!

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book 500 times as a kid, so much that the spine broke and half the pages fell out. It was interesting to remember the things that stuck with me. I’m actually very amused with myself for loving this so much 35 years ago!

[Helle Huxley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foundational reading from my youth. Defined a part of me.

[Sarah Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel very conflicted about this book, and, truth be told, that is the main reason I had to give it four stars. In my mind, any book that gives you a strong emotion (whether love, hate, or confusion) has done it's job. The main character, I hate. There are few people in this world who could be spottier than Laura Andrews, but on the other hand I respect her. She knows who she is and she unapologetically follows whatever path she thinks is best even if it is crazy, shallow, and not very well thought out. However, despite the achingly frustrating main character the writing style is charming and easy to read. It shows a unique viewpoint we often don't get to see as readers. Instead of the artsy creative soul suffocating in a shallow materialistic world, Laura is a materialistic girl suffocating in a creative world she could never feel apart of. And for that I almost felt bad for her. Almost.

[Melanie Biehle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I first read it in 6th grade, and I checked it out of the library repeatedly. Several years ago I found a used copy online, snatched it up, and promptly read it again. Last week I read it again and it took me back to my pre-teen summer.

[Jacqueline Peyerk · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read. I enjoyed the point of view which is where the main character who loves everything fashionable complains about her art-loving family rather than the art-loving teen complaining about fashionable family. It was a fresh perspective and I enjoyed the book.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best piece of youth lit out there but as a memory from my childhood, it's pretty good. Fun to read again after all these years.

[Georgia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was just a little too wacko for me....