I Stay Near You: One Story in Three

by M.E. Kerr

Passed from generation to generation, a gold ring inscribed with “I Stay Near You” mysteriously manipulates a complex chain of events. “Kerr is at her comic and poignant best.”-- Booklist “Different eras, conflicting life styles, and contrasting social backgrounds are interwoven into a tale that should captivate readers.”-- School Library Journal

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Romance

203 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

M. E. Kerr was born Marijane Meaker in Auburn, New York. Her interest in writing began with her father, who loved to read, and her mother, who loved to tell stories of neighborhood gossip. Unable to find an agent to represent her work, Meaker became her own agent, and wrote articles and books under a series of pseudonyms: Vin Packer, Ann Aldrich, Laura Winston, M.E. Kerr, and Mary James. As M.E. Kerr, Meaker has produced over twenty novels for young adults and won multiple awards, including the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her lifetime contribution to young adult literature.

Reviews

[Anna Wenninger · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5! This was my moms fav book growing up :’) she actually stole it from the library and the book still has the check out slip in it😅 she checked it out first on November 12, 1986 and then stole the book. It was an easy read and I liked how the story wrapped up and how all the characters were connected. Kind of a sad ending but just like they say in the book, “you can’t count on people out here”. I prob wouldn’t have gone out of my way to read it but she was very passionate and I’m glad I read it!

[Kathleen Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories based on my home town.

[Taia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of my book is “I Stay Near You”. This book is written by M.E. Kerr. The Lexile level of I Stay Near You is 930. A short summary of this book is, the first story takes place in the nineteen-forties. The story of Mildred Cone is told by Mildred's classmate, Laura Stewart. Mildred attends East High instead of the school in her own neighborhood in hopes that she'll win a college scholarship that will take her out of the poverty she grew up in on the west side of town. Her hard work comes to nothing when she meets and falls for Powell Storm, Jr., heir to the rope factory that supplies most of the town's jobs. Powell dies a war hero leaving Mildred his ring and carrying his baby. Vincent Haigney, Mildred's son, is destined to be a great musician. His love affair with Joanne Fitch almost derails him. Years later it still affects his life and his relationships with those who love him. Powell Storm Haigney tells his story in letters to his rock star dad, Vincent, beginning with a concert they attended together in 1975 when Powell was six years old. Kerr weaves the tale of each generation together while staying true to the period, lifestyle, and the voice of each of her characters
The Author includes multiple relationships. Good relationships, bad relationships and relationships that people didn’t really know were relationships. I think that shows us as a reader to be careful on what kind of relationships we have and to be careful in those relationships because you never know what’s gonna happen. That’s why parents sometimes worry about their kids being in dating relationships because you never know what can happen in them and parents want you to make the right choices. Parents are better at making choices that suit their responsible and respectful sides with kids.
I Stay Near You is a really good book. I would recommend it for anyone in 7th/8th grade or higher because it’s not a really appropriate book for smaller kids because it has some inappropriate stuff that kids might be uncomfortable with. I liked this book because it was interesting seeing the strong characterization and strong dialogue. I have always enjoyed the genre Romance if I find the right fitting of a book. There were many relationships and things that go wrong in between them. I can relate that to life today because friend relationships aren’t always perfect and that’s the same with romantic relationships like you get in arguments and fights. My favorite part was when these two people kissed and then found out that one was dating another person so then they acted like they were related. I think the author wanted us to feel how they were feeling in a relationships because they always showed how one another felt about each other.

[Hillary Hollon · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I Stay Near You" tells the story of three generations of one family. It begins with the story of Mildred and Powell told from Laura's perspective. Powell and Mildred are two teens who should not fall in love because of the difference in their status. Powell comes from an extremely rich family and Mildred comes from the tracks (where no girl lives). The second story is about Mildred's son, Vincent, as he falls in love with Joanna. Joanna is a crook and has been working in her family's sketchy antique shop. Mildred does not approve of their relationship, and Joanna eventually ends up leaving and Vincent is left heartbroken. The third story is about Vincent's son Powell. This is a story about a son and his father who is too doped up to have a relationship with his child. It eventually comes full circle and brings Mildred and Laura back into the story.

I had a hard time liking this book because the characters were not very likable. None of them seemed to progress in their lives and seemed to just wallow in their regrets and shortcomings. Even Laura was two faced as she tried to be friends with Mildred (especially when she became attractive) but talked behind her back and excluded her most of the time. Each character had very obvious flaws and none of them seemed able to resolve those flaws or improve themselves. However, the stories are interesting and it is nice to have three short stories that all tie together.

Content Warnings:
Sexual Content: Teen Pregnancy
Profanity
Violence: Mentions of war
Substance Abuse

[Andrea Gonzalez · Rating 2 out of 5]

A gold ring is passed down from generation to generation in which it tells the story of the relationships of three generations of one family. Personally, it was hard to read the book because I didn’t find the characters interesting and didn’t make me feel any sort of attachment to the characters. If the author had fleshed out the characters more it would have made me be invested in the character’s lives. I also thought the plot wasn’t very interesting either because there wasn’t anything that was worth wanting to know more about. However, the thing that I did like was how the author split the book into three generations of people so that it made it easy to understand for the reader. I also felt that the plot was somewhat predictable even though the story spanned over three generations of a family. The only reason that I ended up finishing the book was because I don’t like to leave books half read and I wanted to know the ending.

[Wendopolis · Rating 4 out of 5]

ME Kerr is one of those authors who is underrated, mostly because her style of writing isn’t the usual. Most of her works could be considered outdated, but like SE Hinton, there are still things to learn and appreciate in Kerr’s writings. This book isn’t as good or thought provoking as Gentlehands or even the Fell series, but still enjoyable once you get through the first few pages, which are a bit comical or try to be but comes across as awkward.

Still, a solid read.

[Kyla · Rating 3 out of 5]

***1/2 I really wanted to love this book. The story of three generations, I really liked parts one and two but the last chapter which also happened to be the longest truly felt long. And other than Ace, I can't really say I found any of the characters particularly endearing. As far as being a book read in Schools, definitely better than some I read in School. If you have time, check it out but don't expect a masterpiece.

[Kayla Fadiman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet short story, liked the full circle moments & how it goes through different generations. Wish it had a different ending though :(

[Sadie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story in this was strong, but each successive story was less so, ending on a low point for the third act... though I enjoyed the music references!

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Award winning M. E. Kerr - the author of many classic young adult novels including the Books of Fell - has written a poignant trilogy about love and friendship that lasts a lifetime. 'I Stay Near You' refers to the inscription in a gold ring, a family heirloom belonging to the wealthy Storm family.

The first story takes place in the nineteen-forties. The story of Mildred Cone is told by Mildred's classmate, Laura Stewart. Mildred attends East High instead of the school in her own neighborhood in hopes that she'll win a college scholarship that will take her out of the poverty she grew up in on the west side of town. Her hard work comes to nothing when she meets and falls for Powell Storm, Jr., heir to the rope factory that supplies most of the town's jobs. Powell dies a war hero leaving Mildred his ring and carrying his baby.

Vincent Haigney, Mildred's son, is destined to be a great musician. His love affair with Joanne Fitch almost derails him. Years later it still effects his life and his relationships with those who love him.

Powell Storm Haigney tells his story in letters to his rock star dad, Vincent, beginning with a concert they attended together in 1975 when Powell was six years old. Kerr weaves the tale of each generation together while staying true to the period, lifestyle, and the voice of each of her characters.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a pack of friends who write books for young-adult and middle-grade readers (all of whom you should read). This is not just because I’m incredibly blessed to know smart, talented people, but also because this is Minnesota and you can’t throw a lutefisk without hitting someone who writes books for people who aren’t yet considered grown-ups. Seriously, this state is filthy with young-adult, middle-grade, and children’s writers*.

Because of this I hear about a lot of fabulous young-adult writers both old and new. However, none of them have ever spoken about one of my very favorite young-adult writers, M.E. Kerr.

read more.

[SSparkles85 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book in high school on a whim and adored the plot, although it was rather short. I would have preferred more in depth development of the characters and further details to fill in missing gaps of their stories, but overall it was a lovely read and fun to revisit in my late 30s. “Nagozu Aldean” is a phrase I will continue to treasure throughout my life.

4/5 stars I loved the story and the different narrators, but the book does mention some delicate situations (i.e. teen pregnancy, sex before marriage, drug use) without being graphic—because of this I would suggest 18+ to read.

[HeavyReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am really intrigued by the style in which this book was written.

Three different narrators tell three different stories about three different people who are related (mohter/son/grandson). All of the stories build upon each other and are related. It's very well done.

Now I remember why I liked the writing of M.E. Kerr when I was a young teenager. She (she is a she, right?) has a simple writing style, easy to read, but still absolutely engaging. I feel invested in her characters, like I want to know what's going to happen to them.

[Doan · Rating 2 out of 5]

When i started to read this book, i immediately wanted to know how he ending was going to be. I was kinda hoping for a happy one but i was skeptical about it. I saw this book in the librAry while lookin for the book IF I STAY and the cover looked interesting so i picked it up. Out of three stories i like the third one best. It was empowering yet it grasps your sympathy.i like KERR's writin style because it's simple And easy to read. I doubt the teens will like this book just because it doesnt have a happy ending. But overall, its still a good read.

[Lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in jr high and parts of it really stuck with me. I searched and searched for it but couldn't remember it's title. Finally a goodreads group helped me and I was so excited to read it again. It is a good little book about love and loss. I do wish it had a happy (or at least happier) ending but the ending is more realistic and just kind of leaves you with a meh feeling. I'm glad I finally have my hands on this book again though and I'm sure this quick read will be one I'll go back to multiple times.

[Blanca · Rating 1 out of 5]

My friend told me this book was really good I saw gave it a try. Bad choice. The book was so boring and all the characters were unlikeable. Mildred`s character really got to me, and was very annoying. Since the first part of the story was told in Laura`s POV, I couldn`t really grasp the true love between Mildred and Powell. And the guy only had like a couple of pages of dialouge. I really didn`t like this book at all.

[Marlathemom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in my early days as a seventh-grade English teacher, and the first section of this book will never fail to intrigue me; life and love in the 40's under the threat of war is so fascinating, and the characters seem so authentic. In my opinion, the second and third sections pale in comparison, but it's still a worthwhile read about one piece of jewelry and the way it connects three generations.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story of family secrets and how they percolate down through time. There are 3 stories, the grandmother's, the father's, and the kid's. Kerr has a deft hand and captures the nuances of each moment in time very well. It's a resonant book, and each of the characters is believable and rounded.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

The stories weren't particularly interesting (not enlightening), and I found all of the characters rather unlikable. Nothing about this book stands out, but it's hardly the worst book I've ever read.

[Shakira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mildred and Cake are what I remember about this book. The story is more than memorable. I have read it 3x or more. The generational take on this story and the ring's connection to it made it truly a stand out book for me.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was 12 I probably read this book like 3 or 4 times. All I could remember was "NAGOZU ALDEAN". It was my favorite book. I'm tempted to read it again as an adult and see if I have the same reaction 12 year old me did. 12 year old Sarah would have given it 5 stars....

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of three generations of a family, made of haves and have-nots. The title, I Stay Near You, comes from an inscription on a ring passed down to sons in the family.

[Marion · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was wonderful written n i found it so hard to believe it didn't have a happier ending to it

[Ifahh · Rating 1 out of 5]

All I can say is... it's quite a dull read for me.

[Faye · Rating 1 out of 5]

i thought this one was interesting but as i started reading, i know this would be one that is very predictable and that's why it ended up boring and somewhat lame.

[Jonathan Hutchins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inexplicable that this wonderful author is out of fashion and out of print in the UK. This is another of her lovely poignant edgy skilfully written teen tales

[Lee Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just didn't capture my interest at all.

[Michael O'Hearn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this book enough, but there were things--not outlandish things, but small things--that made it hard to believe at times.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Or thereabouts. It was high school. I can't remember that much about it. Liked it, I think.

[Priscilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was okay, not too bad