Give and Take

by Norma Klein

Eighteen-year-old Spence is going off to college at the end of the summer. He doesn't have a lot of experience with women, and when he meets twenty-year-old Audrey, he's surprised by her ideas about relationships.

Genres: Young Adult

217 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Norma Klein was born in New York City and graduated cum laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa from Barnard College with a degree in Russian. She later received her master's degree in Slavic languages from Columbia University.

Ms. Klein began publishing short stories while attending Barnard and since then she had written novels for readers of all ages. The author got her ideas from everyday life and advised would-be writers to do the same -- to write about their experiences or things they really care about.

Ms. Klein died in 1989.

Reviews

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Spence. He's eighteen, and he has a job donating sperm, which he feels really good about. He's got a scholarship to college in the fall. His friend Linc has married Taffy, the girl Spence used to date in junior high, and they already have a baby and are very unhappy. Spence meets Audrey, who's twenty and already divorced. Spence is a good guy, and he thinks Linc should treat Taffy better and try to be happy with his life as it is.

I like that Audrey wants to be a pilot and doesn't want to get married again, and that Spence sometimes feels like she's using him. But the book takes an odd turn near the end, with both Taffy's and Audrey's stories.

[Grace Chan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sex scenes and F bombs galore, are all of Norma Klein's books like this? 🤣🤣

I had to keep asking myself if this was YA because we have plenty of sexy-time scenes in this book, lollll
Spencer, our 18-year-old protag, falls for an "older" woman, Audrey, who is the ripe old age of 20 🤣She is divorced and worldly, but of course! And she....AHEM...shows him how worldly she is 😈
Meanwhile, there's this OTHER chick Taffy who Spencer used to date, who is now unhappily married and unhappily a new mother. Taffy all but throws herself at Spencer every chance she gets, and well, he ends up sleeping with her too.

A coming of age tale with characters that annoyed the bejeezus outta me, and yet I found myself engaged and wanting to see their stories through. I'll seek out other works from Miss Norma, as her writing pulled no punches, and never felt patronizing or judgemental to teenagers.

[Kelley Nice · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read "It's OK if You Don't Love Me" by Norma Klein and it was very good. Therefore, I read this book. However, I was very disappointed in this book. The first two times he had sex was first with the new girlfriend and second with his old now married girlfriend. And, each time, he hated it after it was over. He got in a big argument over it with his new girlfriend and basically he called his new girlfriend a slut. And, after fucking his old girlfriend, he felt awful and told her to stay away.

However, most of the story was not about his relationship with his old and new girlfriends. Instead, it was mostly about his relationship with his grandfather and grandmother. I found that to be very boring.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars because I like Norma Klein even when she's off her game. Here, she's off. She frequently writes about younger boys with older women but this time it feels far-fetched.

[Reading with Cats · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was…not good. DNF at 30%

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a gut punch! Complex characters and a very upsetting plot twist. Classic Norma Klein.

[Lo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh Norma, you have me by the throat!