My Davy

Parri MacDonald #4

by Janet Lambert

When a sixteen-year-old girl makes plans to break into the theater, her famous theater parents enlist the aid of her West Point cousin in convincing her she is not yet mature enough.

Genres: Fiction

159 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Janet Lambert, born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, was a popular girls' story author from 1941 through 1969 (and beyond to today). She wrote 54 books during that time about a number of different girls and their families. Her most popular series were about the Parrishes and the Jordons. These stories, and many of her other series, became entwined as the various characters met each other, married, and then had children of their own!

Janet, having an interest in both the theater and writing, decided to write her own plays in which to act. She did achieve her goal and appeared on Broadway. When she married a career Army officer, her life on stage came to a close, but her stories were still flowing. Knowing well the "life of the Army," many of Ms. Lambert's books are set on Army posts throughout the United States.

Legend has it that her stories started as bedtime stories for her children while they were overseas. Each night, the author would tell the next "installment" of the series. Later, after her kids were grown, she penned one of her stories (Star Spangled Summer) and—according to legend—it was sold to a publisher the very day after she sent it to them.

Reviews

[Karen Plummer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never understood why Janet Lambert selected this title for this particular book. It just doesn't fit. This is the last of the official Parri MacDonald books and, in my opinion, the best of the four although still am not really liking Parri much. She's just not a fully formed character in my head. She's more overly dramatic than her mother (Penny's occasional dramatic moods seem to really fit her personality, but Parri's are just too over the top for me).

In this book Penny and Josh are in a quandary about what to do with their children since they need to be in California to do a film version of one of their plays. They are torn between dragging the two kids (16 and 12) out to california, putting them in boarding schools, or letting them stay at home with their various relatives looking after them. Joshu at 12 doesn't much care one way or another... he'll do what's needed, but Parri is determined to throw all kinds of problems at her parents. Her plans are to either go to California and get her own agent and begin acting or go live in New York City with a friend and go to the child actors school. It takes the combined efforts of the entire family, but particularly sensible cousin Davy Parrish, along with Parri's sort of boyfriend Mose to get Parri back on track.

I love Lambert's books so much and it makes me sad that I can't love and adore her Parri series. I've tried, but I just can't seem to like this girl. I gave the book 4 stars because of everyone else in the book. For Parri alone, I'd just give it 1 star. *Sigh*

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the last book in the Parri MacDonald series. Though this book is titled “My Davy” it is more about Parri than Davy. Parri is, as Davy bluntly tells her, “a spoiled, selfish brat.” Not the kind who throws temper tantrums, but the kind who makes life miserable for those around them because they are only concerned with themselves. Parri can be sweet and fun, but she wants to be grown up, but not have anything change. Something that can’t happen. One minute she wants to go to California with her parents when her mother makes a movie, but the next she wants to stay at home. Then she’s wants to do this, or that. Things do get straightened out in the end, but I can’t say that Parri is one of my favorite characters.

There are a couple of euphemisms in this book, but not many.

[Meg W · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the last instalment for the Parri Parrish series it was bittersweet to read. Although a good character by herself she isn't high on my Janet Lambert heroine list. Sadly we don't get to see how her future turns out but we surely can make an educated guess ;).

[Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Determined to finish my Janet Lambert Parrish/Jordan/Macdonald novel series review, but it's getting more and more dificult. They are not aging well. I have one more to go.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Janet Lambert's books always deserve at least 4 stars. However, this one was not one of my favorites. It seems like it was a stop-gap book between others and written to just advance the story. But there is only one more Parrsh-Jordan book in this long series. The primary character is Parri MacDonald and frankly, I wondered why the book was named MY DAVY. Davy is Parri's cousin, Davy Parrish. In this book Parri, at 16, is between childhood and adulthood. Her famous parents are going to Hollywood to make a movie and Parri doesn't know if she wants to go or stay at home with her grandparents overseeing. Davy did add his wisdom to help her make a decision.