The Sterile Cuckoo

by John Nichols

“A hilarious, sad…all too true novel about the rough underside of a college love affair.”—John Knowles, author of A Separate Peace

When eighteen-year-old Jerry Payne first meets Pookie Adams at the Friarsburg, Oklahoma, bus depot, he is hardly aware that this moment marks the beginning of the most memorable love affair of his life. Overwhelmed (and yet secretly enchanted) by her zany, rambling monologue, Jerry is relieved to leave her in St. Louis as he continues to New York. Thinking he’s seen the last of her, he heads off to college, only to be pursued by seventeen lengthy letters, and before he knows it he’s involved with a seemingly crazy, startlingly honest girl who adores him. During the next two years, Pookie helps Jerry leave behind the fun-seeking, beer-blasted fraternity man he has become, as she teaches him to open his heart to her. Then, almost as suddenly as she appeared in his life, she disappears from it, leaving in her wake an eternal trail of love and wonder.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Romance, Classics, Novels, Contemporary, Modern Classics

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

John Nichols is the author of the New Mexico trilogy, a series about the complex relationship between history, race and ethnicity, and land and water rights in the fictional Chamisaville County, New Mexico. The trilogy consists of The Milagro Beanfield War (which was adapted into the film The Milagro Beanfield War directed by Robert Redford), The Magic Journey, and The Nirvana Blues.

Two of his other novels have been made into films. The Wizard of Loneliness was published in 1966 and the film version with Lukas Haas was made in 1988. Another successful movie adaptation was of The Sterile Cuckoo, which was published in 1965 and was filmed by Alan J. Pakula in 1969.

Nichols has also written non-fiction, including the trilogy If Mountains Die, The Last Beautiful Days of Autumn and On the Mesa. John Nichols has lived in Taos, New Mexico for many years.

Reviews

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can tell Holden Caufield to go home and stop bitching and moaning. I'll take Pookie Adams any day. The book is quite a bit different from the film (which has virtues of its own - notably Liza Minnelli's heartbreaking performance); is it better? What do you think? (Yes, it's better). John Nichols has done a masterful job of drawing two characters just coming into flower - emotionally needy, confused, exhilerated, excited, horny, discovering sex, questioning the sincerity of their feelings for one another; it's truly an amazing piece of writing (especially as it was his debut). If you've never read it you're in for something special, and then pass it on to an adolescent in your life (boy or girl) - maybe they'll discover you don't have to be a vampire or a wizard to feel "different" or "confused" or "special."

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Several years ago, during the spring semester of my junior year in college, as an alternative to either deserting or marrying a girl, I signed a suicide pact with her.”

Right from the opening line it’s evident that The Sterile Cuckoo isn’t your typical boy-meets-girl type of story. Sure it’s about being in the throes of first love as all of the hallmark feelings of awkwardness, enthusiasm, and horny sexual abandon are present, still this isn’t a charming or passionate love story, and Jerry Payne and Pookie Adams are hardly a couple you’d want to swoon over and root for.

The couple meet-cute at the bus depot where they are both headed off to their prospective colleges. Upon first sight, Pookie is smitten with Jerry. An extrovert without a censor, Pookie proceeds to tell Jerry her life story. Jerry, a dopey sponge of a guy, is parts intrigued, annoyed, and bewildered by Pookie who is like a human zig-zag --- she’s up and down, cussing you out one minute and then snuggling up to you. Pookie vibes to a “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” beat. She zings off one-liners, rambles and philosophizes, and looks at the world out of a different set of binoculars than the average person --- she wins Jerry over with her ‘weirdness’, and not much else.

From the sidelines, Pookie appears to be someone to admire because she goes against the grain and has a unique spin on life. As a couple, her and Jerry look awesome because they are outsiders, their rebellious nature to be themselves in a world full of frauds and posers is empowering.

Eh…nope.

When you get up close to them, Pookie and Jerry are really just insufferable and self-absorbed children, two people who are ‘two much in a little bag’ who just simply *switches to Rihanna’s voice* found love in a hopeless place. A very hopeless place.

Honestly, their ‘love’ wasn’t really ‘love’ to me, more like mutual exploitation. Okay, exploitation is a harsh word, but it just felt they were both using each other in their own tragic, immature ways. Both had never received an ounce of real affection in their lives and so they were trying to fit some semblance of what they thought love was into their sad little affair. Pookie was tragically needy to points of severe obsession (there is a really unsettling moment where Pookie begs and pleads with Jerry over the phone to visit him during Spring Break). Jerry seemed to grow into caring for Pookie, but he still had a frat boy mentality, just that his was at a lowered temperature.

John Nichols does do a great job placing you into the wild and weird wilderness that is college. He pegs how unapologetically self-absorbed college kids can be and how they react to their first tastes of freedom away from parental hawk eyes vividly. Anthropological it was, I could almost picture Nichols hunkering down behind a beer can fort, shielding his eyes from the beer spray, describing the habitats of the animalistic alcoholic undergrad with a clipped, documentarian voice. He is spot-on with his observations so much so that I got bored by it at certain points like the long-winded chapters where Pookie and Jerry are loading up, stumbling, and partying around Jerry’s frat house. With these chapters I was reminded why I avoided the frat party scene like the plague in college and was hip to be a square who stuck to making homemade margaritas and sneaking them into the movie theaters with my college gal pals.

Sometimes The Sterile Cuckoo was a joy to read other times it was a chore. Nichols has spurts of great turns of phrases. Some lines I really loved (“Innocence—the powdered sugar on a doughnut” / “her words were blown back at me like bright leaves”/ “[two crows] saw us move, and like nightmares silently took off”) and his description of snapping harp strings representing the counting down years of adolescence was beautiful. But sometimes he got cute to where he was just throwing words just to see what stuck.

For how vibrant Nichols makes the dialogue in this book, it’s rather dark in its tone, cynical and swings in shades of grey. Pookie’s character was nagging at me the whole time reading because I wanted to know what was her deal. I got some form of an answer during some unsettling scenes when her and Jerry spend a weekend in New York City. One point they are in a hotel room and Pookie is just rattling off incoherently, sitting wrapped up in a shower curtain one minute and pulling feathers out of a pillow next --- the scenes read manic. Being around a close friend who was diagnosed as a manic depressive, Pookie seemed to be having an ‘episode’. I just couldn’t pass these scenes off as ‘oh, she’s being weird again, nothing to see here folks’.

The title does need re-examination though. It’s a great, cagey title that is never fully explained in the text, only by way of a strange poem that Pookie tells Jerry during the hotel scene. Unsure I am of who the ‘sterile cuckoo’ actually is. My curiosity drew me to get nerdy and look up about cuckoo birds and how they could apply to the characters. Some things stood out to me:

* Cuckoos are solitary birds that never appear in pairs or groups.
* They are also more inclined to be ‘heard’ not ‘seen’.
* Their eating habits are strange because before they swallow, they take time to process their prey first by rubbing them back on hard objects and then crushing them with a bony plate that is in their mouths.
* Cuckoos are prone to lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. When they are hatched, they grow fast to points where its evicted before it’s mentally developed, and it has to rely on instinct that is passed on genetically, not physically.

Hmm. Sounds like Pookie is the ‘cuckoo’ in this sense: loner; forgettable in appearance; only saying strange, abrasive things to be ‘seen’. The nest part interests me. Pookie’s home life is filled with neglect, her mother ‘abandoned’ her by way of her death, and her father and step-mother severely ignored her and she is continuously passed off to other relatives, other ‘nests’, her mental capacity not truly stimulated, nor matured along the way.

The key definition for “sterile” means “sexually infertile” aligning with Pookie’s false pregnancy and her wistful conversation about children. The further definition of “sterile” means "lacking in imagination or vitality, not stimulating”, this applying to Jerry mostly, as he is often seen following the crowd, never once having his own thought. “Sterile” also means "lacking any power to function, not productive or effective” which can apply to Jerry for sure, but even more so to Pookie. After her episode in New York Pookie has lost power to function, she wants to drop out of school, and she isn’t effective towards Jerry anymore as he feels he can’t give her all that she is wanting from him. Jerry thus has to ‘evict’ her from his ‘nest’, his ‘life’.

Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but after looking those definitions up, I now feel they are both ‘the sterile cuckoo’ in question after all.

So why the 2 stars? The book was just okay for me, it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, and maybe I was disappointed with how removed I felt from these characters. I just didn’t care for them and mid-way in didn’t really care what happened to them, even though the last chapters redeemed them somewhat. What I appreciated though was that Nichols decided to do something unexpected and unconventional with a romance story, crushing the idea of perfect first love into grainy little pieces and serving it without syrup. The realism is what sticks to this story because love isn’t always fruit juice and champagne --- sometimes it’s a stiffer, sourer drink than that.

//

Songs In The Key of ‘The Sterile Cuckoo’
Rihanna – We Found Love (obviously)
Sia – Sweet Potato
Fine Young Cannibals – She Drives Me Crazy
David Bowie – “Heroes”

[Amber Dyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, man. This book was given to me by an ex-boyfriend who knew I would love it. I loved it so much, maybe as much as I loved him. Then he would laugh at me whenever I would talk about it (which was often), and say, "Oh, you just wish that *you* were Pookie, don't you?" in a nasty, derisive, and withholding way.

That was true. I did wish that, but it still feels like a punch in the gut when I think about it all these years later.

And that's kind of what this book it like: a love story that you know will end tragically, but you still root for them, and it's kind of a punch in the gut, but worth it for the ride.

Plus, it was my introduction to John Nichols, and his stuff is all amazing.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been casting about for something that really comes boffo out of the gate and grabs me and this did it. This was made into a movie with Liza Minnelli around 1969, I think, which I vaguely remember seeing, part of anyway, and it was a popular novel in the mid-'60s; the story of a shy nerdy guy who meets a wacky girl as he's going off to college. I got this for 50 cents at Half Price Books.. So let's see how it goes. It should be very fast.

FYI, I have an earlier edition than the one depicted here. Mine was printed in 1969 (List: 95 cents!) to coincide with the release of the film and shows Liza and other characters from the film on the front and back.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
Wow, this one rollicks! The girl is crazy and talks a mile a minute and naturally the dude is a bit of a science nerd and gives her free reign to do so. She provides a nice vessel by which the author can freely express himself and show his mad skills -- the best of which is that he keeps it moving and it's never boring. Some of it is, admittedly, overdone and precious, and I'm not thrilled that the girl's name is "Pookie", but whatever, this is just fun to read...

ONE THIRD MARK:
Well, it does get overly precious and cutesy at points (the thing with the fish drawings in the sand might cause some to wretch), but by God the thing is written so smoothly and I just enjoy the shit out of this mentally disturbed free spirit Pookie. Jerry Payne and his college antics are a bit tiresome and I still don't get much of a sense of who he is or what he thinks, if anything. And whatever we're getting about Pookie comes from his perspective; and in this the author seems to give him more perception than he seems to display about much else. This is a college novel about what college was like a half century ago, so it will come off as dated to some, but that, in itself doesn't bother me. For now I'm giving this book the benefit of the doubt mainly for being written so well; the sentences and the pages just fly with little wind resistance.

HALFWAY:
The two have finally had their first sex after a long drawn-out nervous dance of sorts and it was charmingly handled.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
The last quarter of the book has a certain lyricism, a sense of inevitability that I liked. Pookie really "owns" her own sexuality, far more so than her uptight boyfriend. This is the two and a half year story of a first love marked by frustration, failed connections, striving for understanding - two young people needing love but never quite fully connecting. It's hard to imagine anyone quite fitting well into Pookie's limitless universe. Both characters in the book seem to flounder; like many young people their futures are a foreign concept. I liked this book a lot, admired Nichol's excellent ability to write clean, simple prose that flows without being simplistic. The preciousness of it constantly made me question whether it was great literature or not, but, ultimately, it was such a relief to read a book written for readers and not so much for posterity. Though I think this book might have a good chance for rediscovery.

ALSO:
There are a couple of instances of casual racism in the book that kind of stuck out like a sore thumb; I question whether they are supposed to be part of the characters or are/were part of author Nichols' worldview and attitude, only because they are stated so casually. I didn't want these blips to ruin the book for me, and they didn't. They just seemed odd to me.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read my mom's old hardcover six or seven times when I was a kid. College! Drinking! And sex! But beyond, a sweet story about first love with a wacky female protagonist. I'm not sure it would merit five stars if I read it again, but it was a five star read at the time.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Nichols is the author of The Milagro Beanfield War. I have not read that yet but the movie adaptation (1988) was great. I guess that is how he got on my Big Fat Reading Project lists.

The Sterile Cuckoo was published in 1965 and was his debut novel. It was also adapted for a film in 1968. On his website he calls it a "wacky college romance." It is that and is wacky because of the female character Pookie Adams. She is probably the most unusual female I have come across in novels and that is saying something because I seek out unusual female character in my reading.

I enjoyed Pookie, I enjoyed the story. Lots of sex and drinking and crazy fraternity buddies and that uncertain groping that goes along with first love, college, first sex and first heartbreak.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having just read The Remains of the Day after seeing (and loving) the film adaptation first I thought I’d try another novel of a film I love, The Sterile Cuckoo. This was a very different ballgame. The film and the book are very different beasts. The film focuses on the two main characters and, of the two, Pookie dominates; it’s Liza Minnelli’s film and she rightly deserved an Oscar nomination IMHO. The book, however, is narrated by Jerry and so Pookie is interpreted for us. Of course she’s a mystery—that’s the attraction—but that mystery is diluted by the book’s filling in her backstory. In the film virtually every actor is uncredited apart from Minnelli and Wendell Burton and so it feels like a chamber piece; they’re the only ones onscreen for some 80% of the time. In the novel, the story takes place over three years. This was shortened to a single school year for the film which was definitively a wise choice. In that respect it reminded me a little of Sweet November in which Sandy Dennis’s character blows into Charlie Blake’s life, changes it forever, and then vanishes again. Although too old for the part I can imagine a young Dennis giving a credible performance as Pookie Adams: fragile, quirky, offbeat.

Jerry Payne is nowhere near as interesting a character as Pookie. He’s almost the Nick Carraway character whose job it is to observe and record. What Pookie sees in him is quite beyond me other than he’s available when she’s vulnerable. She clings to him from the moment they meet but I’m not convinced it’s love at first sight. Besides doesn’t love at first sight need to be mutual? Jerry makes it very clear at the start of the book that he was far from bowled over by her. He goes to his college and she to hers and it’s months before they meet again. In the interim she writes long, semi-fictional letters to which he never replies but she refuses to take the hint. And that’s the thing about her even in the book: she drives events on by the pure force of her personality; Jerry’s seduced by her desperation. There’s no doubt that there’s something captivating about her but how long until the novelty wears off? Three years feels too long but with gaps between visits it’s believable. It also allows time for both of them to grow. The thing is they seem to grow in opposite directions. Jerry becomes somewhat more level-headed but Pookie’s neuroses finally overpower her and she ends up quitting school. As Roger Ebert put it in his review of the film back in 1969:

When they're able to fulfil their needs simultaneously, they convince themselves they're in love. But making love is not the same thing as giving love, and the movie is about how they gradually figure that out. It shouldn't take them as long as it does, but Pookie is so neurotically dependent that she hangs on much too long. And Jerry is slow. Stupid might be a better word.

That neatly sums up the book too for all its differences.

There’s a lot of drinking and partying in the novel which isn’t in the film. It’s probably realistic but it also paints the two as more social animals than either of them is. Of course the beauty of the book is that the walls of words that break over Jerry’s head, especially on the bus ride when they initially meet, can be pored over and relished; in the film you were just left breathless.

The book’s not perfect—it started to drag a little towards the end and I found the sections without Pookie less interesting—but it certainly has its moment and I particularly liked the ending. The film is bookended by bus journeys—and very nicely done—but in the novel there’s a final chapter a year after which works well too. Of course we would never have had the film without the book but although the film’s not perfect either I did prefer it to the book.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I find depictions of ethnic groups and nationalities to be more than cringe-worthy and am disappointed that in 1965 this was culturally accepted.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drawn in by the initial surprise at Nichols' verbal gymnastics and admirable concision in drawing characters, I soon began to tire of the characters themselves, and grew impatient with their immaturity. He has probably drawn us an excellent likeness of his own privileged, misspent youth, though I suspect it was highly exaggerated. The love story he presents never has the thrill of actual emotion in it, though he tries, within the bounds of writerly restraint, to cast that spell. The rampant sexism and racism of the early sixties is neither challenged or considered, as in so many books, and will date this book until enough time has past to allow us to look upon it as document rather than an entertainment. His writing is very good, his story basic, and his characters lack depth.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

A not-great book with some really great passages. Nichols certainly can write, but spends too much time practicing not being able to write. I'm not exactly sure what the motivation of this book is: push idiosyncrasy to the limit, de-mystify young love, see how random a paragraph can get?

I'm not one to bemoan plotless books but, let me put it this way: if this were a treasure map, the elephant's wings would flap fart dust through the crayon blue sinkhole of Pookie's alarm clock.

[Alan Dupay · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Knowles, author of A Separate Peace, said it best in his review: “A hilarious, sad…all too true novel about the rough underside of a college love affair.” It wasn't my college experience, but seems to fit many descriptions of college life that have been related to me, although that is not to say it was the norm.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a poignant book that I read it in just two sittings. And I'm even more impressed with how much I enjoyed this book inspite of being wholly annoyed with the main character's choices throughout the novel.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

the best opening line ever

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was NOT better in this case! Shock! That said, it was quite different from the movie. Jerry is such an asshole in the book. He is not the quiet, awkward, painfully shy co-ed who is bewildered by Pookie. In the book, he is hard-drinking, insecure, fratty, conforming, and a truly awful boyfriend to Pookie. Pookie is pretty much the same (and the role Liza was born to play by the way.) It made me so much sadder for Pookie that she falls in "love" with this guy who barely even shows that he likes her much of the time. In the movie, she is outwardly more in love with him than he is with her, but the power dynamics aren't nearly as lopsided. Also in the movie, she is totally lonely and a complete pariah. In the book, she has this roommate who she is kind of nominal friends with and she gets along with Jerry's alcoholic fraternity brothers in a surface level partying kind of way. In both iterations, Jerry is this savior for her because she was a deeply unstable and insecure person. But in the book her obsession seems much more misguided.

In the 60s, this was probably a very risqué and modern take on a college love affair during the sexual revolution. Pookie and Jerry are a complete mismatch and their relationship is incredibly tumultuous throughout. They have lots of sex, usually initiated by Pookie, fight at the drop of a hat, and Jerry generally can't figure out her long winded and poetic monologues. But it never really felt like a loving kind of bewilderment like in the movie, but more judgmental embarrassment while feeling kind of shackled to her, every so often proclaiming "I love you Pookie Adams," even though he clearly doesn't. How sad!!

There were many many scenes that the movie left out. Several weekend-long frat parties, Pookie practically giving Jerry a concussion as she throws herself at him and he smacks his head on the train station platform, Pookie's senior year of high school where she gets in a horrific car accident leaving most of the passengers dead. Most notably, Jerry drunkenly rapes her roommate (!!) and later after she forgives him (?!) Pookie suggests a suicide pact! (Now that I think about it, the movie was so different from the book that it should really be "loosely inspired by the novel," instead of "based on the novel.") The raping scene was totally shocking and horrible. It was so briefly glossed over, I suppose because the whole book is from Jerry's point of view and he didn't seem to think it was a big deal. He is sloshed out of his mind and just climbs on top of Nancy Putnam. His explanation is so lame, "Pookie, please! I'm sorry! Come on, Pookie!" I guess it just shows that Pookie is so desperate for love that she'll never willingly leave this boyfriend no matter what he does or how he treats her.

I think the whole book is leading up to Pookie's mental breakdown and the suicide pact. Beneath Pookie's manic ramblings is a deep void that she unsuccessfully tries to fill with sex, Jerry's love, and feeling kind of proud that she is different. There's a really sweet scene on a carousel where with each revolution, more and more children start flocking to Pookie and her horse and by the end she is holding them all rapt in some very Pookie-like story. Quickly though, this little moment of happiness and childlike innocence is snuffed out. In the end, she drops out of school and sends Jerry a suicide note. Jerry and the reader don't know if she actually went through with it and he never sees her again.

All of this said, it's a great skeleton of a story, and a great psychological character study. But Liza Minelli as Pookie is a true work of art, and the way that the relationship is told on film is just better than in the book.

[Devin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow I came across The Sterile Cuckoo, and it sounded intriguing enough between the sex and college love affair. Older literally really isn't something I read too often, since I'm far more apt to seek out a newer novel. It's always good to switch things up, though, and switch it up I did!

I don't know if it's because I'm used to reading modern literature compared to older novels (say, pre-1990's) but old literature often feels bland to me and that I'm never that sucked in. The Sterile Cuckoo was unique enough to hold my interest, per se, but it was something I had no desire to plow through to find out what happened. The book opens with Jerry Payne and Pookie Adams meeting at a bus depot, and she talks to him nonstop, even though he is not all that interested. She writes to him, he doesn't write back, then eventually the two do meet and thus blossoms a relationship.

Pookie Adams is very strange and annoying, but at the same time it was very amusing. The book follows their relationship as it grows and goes on, and that's really it. For the most part, nothing super exciting happens.

What I'm trying to convey is that some aspects of The Sterile Cuckoo, while enjoyable, didn't make it a great read for me. While it had some parts I felt were good, overall it gave me a "meh" reaction upon reflecting if I liked it or not upon.

Afterward I rented the movie that came out a few years after the book to see how it fared, and the book was better. A film based on the book came out in 1969, and while nice to sit down and watch, I felt was way too different from the novel. All the movie did was take the characters and put them in a relationship. Everything else that happened in the book was omitted, including the book's ending, which really irked me since, without saying what happened, is a really big and important part of the story to omit!

Enjoyed my review? You can find more at Devin's Book Hub.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It seemed that against the palm of my hand I could feel the shape of her heart softly thumping away, like something trying to unsuccessfully to unfold its wings in that cramped space and fly away."

While parts of this have definitely not aged well and several passages are now particularly cringeworthy given contemporary norms, I still fell in love with this novel and Pookie Adams. If you enjoyed Catcher In The Rye or Breakfast At Tiffany's, you'll probably like this, but I suspect many readers under 40 will find it problematic. Nichols had a gift for absurdity and humorous writing, and I found his stylistic voice here captivating.

[R. Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an odd statement from me but, the Movie was much better. The Book was entertaining, but it didn’t make me care for the characters the way the movie did. I loved the Movie and it’s taken me a while to read the book. Too bad there was no VW in this one. And the trip to New York was boring. All through the the book I kept wait for, “Jerry Payne, what a lousy name!”

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty old book, but I think it holds up. College kids still get drunk. I liked it because the kids didn't feel sorry for themselves, like a lot of the recent books about twenty year olds. I also liked how odd Pooky was. How did she think all those things up, I'll never understand, but I liked her.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book randomly at a bookstore and was immediately intrigued by the title, it did not disappoint.

The sterile cuckoo is an extremely fun read with a captivating plot and characters that are enjoyable to follow. Pookie Adam’s is probably one of the best female protagonist I have ever found. Highly recommend!

[Lisa Tangen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankly, I enjoyed the movie of this book so much that I worried I wouldn't like the book. Those fears turned out to be unfounded. I liked the book as much as the movie. It gave a new perspective on the story and characters. Best of all, I got to spend more time with Pookie Adams and Jerry Payne.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Made me realize how much i despise love plots. This one wasn't that bad cause it was sort of the entire point of the book and Pookie was charming but it just didn't do it for me, short book but it took me forever to get through because it was a slog at points.

[Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Picked up this book in the laundry room. It’s terrible.

[Danna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite book but I did finish it.

[Ricky Foos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved her and hated him. What else can you say about this particular book.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read.. I wonder if John Nichols influenced Tom Robbins or was influenced by Salinger .. ha ha get my drift :)

[Robert Bastone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great representation of young love. Jerry fumbled the bag with pookie who just wanted the most out of life and love.

Between this and “Mary” by VN I am in need of a love story that works out.

[Adriana Segura · Rating 2 out of 5]

book quite literally fell apart on me while reading, not sure what that means

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was riveting - so crazy and well told.

[Han · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nostalgic, entertaining picture of college life in the 60's--makes Animal House seem tame. The similarities between young adult relationships then and now are astounding. I enjoyed reading the erratic thoughts of the quirky protagonist, a strong female lead who is held back by social rules and oppression. Liza Minnelli won an Oscar nomination for this role, which was perfectly cast. Splendid writing. Docked a star for the casual racism. This was the first time that I couldn't find a book (for leisure, not school) at any nearby public or university libraries.

[globulon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good find for me. I find I have this dilemma sometimes that I want to read something really and truly random, not in the sense of being avant garde, but in the sense of something I haven't heard of before and don't have any reason to read. The other horn is that I'm always afraid it will be a waste of time, there are so many books I have good reason to think I will like. I won't always, but the point is both having a reason to read a book and not having a reason to read a book are both attractive at times.

Long story short, I got this at a library book sale and picked it for absolutely no good reason and read it and liked it quite well. I don't think I would make any claim for it being very deep but it was a fun read and I got to have that sense of discovery that is always absent when just reading stuff that you know everyone knows is there. There's more mystery.

Not a whole lot to say about the book. It's the story of a relationship from beginning to end and was quite appropriate to my teenage life.