Long Time Between Kisses

by Sandra Scoppettone

Why did I chop my hair off and dye it purple?

Well, if you think it was to get attention on the street, then you've never been to SoHo. That's where I live. It's a sort of artists' community in lower Manhattan, and you've got to have something a lot more drastic than purple hair to stand out in this place.

My best pal, Elissa, thinks maybe I did it because I'm going through some major changes in my life. Like breaking up with my boyfriend, Dino. And like falling in love with Mitch. He's this incredibly gorgeous guy who's skipped out on his parents and is making it on his own. Which is tough to do because he has this disease that's crippled him. Mitch doesn't want to be dependent on anyone. But I'm starting to realize that it's no good going it alone.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction

207 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 28, 1982

About the author

Also wrote as Jack Early.

Sandra Scoppettone first emerged as one of the best hard-boiled mystery writers using the name Jack Early for her first three novels that included A Creative Kind of Killer (1984) that won the Shamus Award from the Private Eye Writers of America for best first novel. She had started writing seriously since the age of 18 when she moved to New York from South Orange, New Jersey. Scoppettone in the 1960s collaborated with Louise Fitzhuh and in the 1970s wrote important young adult novels. The Late Great Me depicting teenage alcoholism won an Emmy Award in 1976. Her real name was revealed in the 1990s with the start of a series featuring PI Lauren Laurano. Scoppettone shares her life with writer Linda Crawford.

Reviews

[Nadia Brumell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard of this book from Ms. Todes. At First, i thought the book was going to be boring because of the cover but when i began to read it i immediately knew i was wrong. In this book the author expresses a great deal of strong vocabulary. I think the other wanted readers not to judge others and to believe in their selves and love them selves. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy love stories. If i had to sum up this book in one sentence i would say, Billie James, the novels protagonist, feels as if she needs to change herself at this point in her life and she goes crazy and it leads her to making different decisions. From this book i learned that you shouldn't change yourself for anything or anyone. Thus book was really good, not only could you connect it to real life, but you felt as if you were actually apart of the book.

[Elisa Vangelisti · Rating 1 out of 5]

Non mi piace. Non mi piace la prosa di Sandra, che si dilunga in spiegazioni inutili. Non mi piace il tono di Billie, la protagonista, che va bene che ha sedici anni, ma è una s….za menefreghista e superficiale. Non mi piace il ritratto che fa l’autrice degli italiani (“mangia spaghetti”, niente di che, ma detto da un’italiana fa calar la tristezza). Non mi piace il nome dell’amica di Billie, Elissa (ma che nome è?). E non mi piace saltare le pagine per arrivare a un aspetto piacevole della trama che magari arriverà anche, ma io non ho pazienza di aspettare. Abbandonato.

[Maddalenah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un romanzo che adoravo da adolescente, mentre ora mi appassiona decisamente meno.
Comunque interessante per i temi difficili trattati in maniera relativamente leggera: le malattie terminali, le droghe, la ricerca della propria identità.

[Vanlilith · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Irene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Carino ma molto noioso

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

NYC YA romance that I thought was going to be queer but wasn’t.

[Paola Marchese · Rating 2 out of 5]

Non mi ricordo ero piccola ma non mi entusiasmava

[Becca :)) · Rating 3 out of 5]

L’ho letto per la scuola ma mentirei se dicessi che non mi è piaciuto