Never So Green

by Tim Johnston

School's out in Big River, Iowa, and Tex Donleavy, a kid who keeps his nose in the books and his deformed right hand deep in his pocket, is looking forward to a blissful summer in the company of Linda Volesky, the vivacious beauty who happens to be his father's girlfriend. Instead, Tex gets dumped on his mother's doorstep, where Farley Dickerson, the big oaf she's just married, and his two kids have made themselves at home. Nobody's more surprised than Tex, then, when he discovers he likes his new stepfather, that he actually wants to spend the summer at Mom's, and that he - Tex Donleavy - is going to play ball on Farley's Little League team. And then there's the plucky and brooding Jack, Farley's daughter, who becomes Tex's closest ally, as well as his greatest source of confusion. In all, it's shaping up to be a summer full of surprises - though nothing can prepare Tex for the biggest surprise of all, a secret so terrible that it will change the lives of every member of his family.
Through his careful, lyrical prose, Tim Johnston expertly balances the pain of inching toward maturity with sly humor, making his fiction debut an auspicious occasion.

Genres: Fiction, Sports

240 pages, Hardcover

First published October 31, 2002

About the author

Tim Johnston is the author of the novels THE CURRENT and DESCENT, the story collection IRISH GIRL, and the YA novel NEVER SO GREEN. A New York Times, USA Today, and Indie national bestseller, Descent has been published internationally and optioned for film. The stories of Irish Girl won an O. Henry Prize, the New Letters Award for Writers, and the Gival Press Short Story Award, while the collection itself won the 2009 Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction. In 2005 the title story, “Irish Girl,” was included in the David Sedaris anthology of favorites, Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules. Tim’s stories have also appeared in New England Review, New Letters, The Iowa Review, The Missouri Review, Double Take, Best Life Magazine, and Narrative Magazine, among others. Tim holds degrees from the University of Iowa and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. A carpenter for most of his adult life, he has also taught creative writing at The George Washington University and the University of Memphis. He is the recipient of the 2015 Iowa Author Award, and currently lives in Iowa City, Iowa.

Reviews

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was Tim Johnston’s first novel and he’s come a long way since then. But this was still a good story.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tex has always been an outsider, self-conscious of his withered hand. So what could be worse than having a step father whose a former jock and a current Little League coach? And Jack, his new step sister, is also a good ball player. But between Farly and Jack, Tex becomes a pretty good pitcher and is soon playing on Farly's team.

Things aren't perfect, though. There's Dunsmore on his team who's never at a loss for an insulting remark aimed at Tex. And Tex finds himself attracted to Jack and jealous when other guys notice her. Unfortunately, Jack has a disturbing secret that Tex finds out about and he must decide what is the best thing to do for all concerned.

[Gail Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Johnston's other books a little better, but this is his first book and once I got to the main conflict, the book went fast. I couldn't put it down. Johnston involves Iowa in all 3 of his books I've read. I hope he'll have another one coming out.

[sandra rose lamontagne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I Go 👍👏🦉

Great story and well written. I enjoyed the way it flowed into a summer that would forever be the beginning of to young lives and the change in the direction of adult lives. All interwoven to a great story I will long remember and continue to think about for weeks. Thanks to you. Wonderful read.

[Fluffy]

not what i was expecting

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed Tim Johnston's debut novel. Complicated family dynamics and serious subject matter in a YA novel. Amazon's suggested age bracket is ages 8-12, which absolutely seems too young to me.

[Holly Noel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a big Tim Johnston fan. This was his first novel. Read like YA. He’s come a long way as a writer.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ryan Vanden Boom

Never So Green
Schools out for the summer and for most teens this means sleeping in, hanging with friends, and playing baseball. However this was not the case for Tex, the protagonist in the novel, Never So Green by Tim Johnston. Tex uncovers an intolerable secret! Tex spends the summer living with mom for the summer. His stepfather, Farley teaches him how to play baseball. Tex has never played baseball because of his right arm that was deformed from birth. Tex practices and practices until he becomes a great pitcher and leads his team to the playoffs. Tex has discovered that he is a great pitcher and loves the game of baseball. Summer was going great for Tex until he discovers a harsh reality, some things kids should never see. The lives of every member of his family change forever.
One main theme of this novel is teen confusion about sexual matters and morality. The conflict is Tex doesn’t know how to react when he discovers his stepfather touching his stepsister inappropriately. Tex loves his stepfather Farley, but knows what Farley is doing is unacceptable. Tex is trapped with a decision of a lifetime, whether or not to tell his dad. His dad is a lawyer and Tex realizes Farley could be sent to jail. Jack, his stepsister tries to convince Tex into not telling.
One thing I liked about this book was how Johnston always left you with a question at the end o each chapter. This made you want to keep on reading, and never had a dull moment in the book. The author also was very detailed; you could always have a vivid picture in your mind about what was going on. There was never an uninteresting moment in the book.
One thing I did not like about the book was that the content was very different than what I thought it would be. I predicted this novel to be a cheerful book about little league baseball. The author tried to tie together the all American game of baseball and the theme of incest. I thought this was somewhat unrealistic and at times thought the novel was telling two stories at the same time. Sexual abuse is a very serious emotional issue that is very disturbing.
I really liked the authors writing style of this novel. The author deliberately continued to switch from the setting of the baseball field to the setting of the dysfunctional family issues in the home. Johnston’s style of writing gave you the feeling of being there with Tex.
I feel like everyone would enjoy this book. The characters are true to life and deal with issues that many of us are faced with everyday. I would give Never So Green by Tim Johnston three out of five stars.

[Allison Renner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Johnston’s writing style. He seems to perfectly capture the thoughts and life of a twelve-year-old boy. Tex is adjusting to his mother’s remarriage - his new stepfather, baby sister, and Jack, who is just barely older than Tex. His new family is in love with baseball, but Tex has a gnarled hand that has kept him from ever playing, or even having friends at school. With the help of his stepfather and Jack, Tex learns to play ball… and a whole lot more. This was a really good book, but I felt like the biggest plot point came too close to the end, and wasn’t properly resolved. Really interesting, though.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tex was born with a bad hand, but that doesn't stop Jack, his new stepsister, from making him try on her ball glove. Tex turns out to be a good pitcher and he joins his stepfather's Little League team. During the summer, Tex learns a lot about himself and must deal with a terrible secret he discovers about Jack.

[Allison Berryhill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this YA book by Tim Johnston after devouring his adult novel "Descent." This was interesting, and good in many ways, but over-written at times. It is also a serious book, dealing with hard issues; I'm not sure what student I could hand it to.

[Courtney Chappell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. Although at some parts, I sort of just glazed over it. These parts were mostly the baseball games. I think that the author just didnt describe the games all that well. It seemed kind of boring. I personally like baseball games, but I couldnt bear to read about them in this book.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great coming-of-age story with likable characters and interesting plot. Situations were handled thoughtfully, sensitively and realistically. Really like author's feel for 13-year-olds' emotions and language.