First Year

by Barbara Schnell

Stevie O'Neill, a young LA actress, recklessly marries visiting Robert Anderson and follows him to South Dakota. There, she discovers that her Hispanic/Irishancestry doesn't bother her blue-eyed blonde in-laws, but her lack of domesticskills does-a situation Mom Anderson is determined to correct.This orphaned, metropolitan smartass becomes an unwilling Martha Stewart ina student trailer park-but her life is not all drudgery. In Los Angeles she's a gruntin an army of wannabe celebrities; in South Dakota she's a star because of abeer commercial. Her brief fame even gets her a teaching job at the University.Stevie's new existence is filled with adventures most city girls neverexperience-or want to. She goes pheasant hunting; she survives blizzards; shedrives the Hereford Queen in the Homecoming parade. She's thrown into anextended family circle and learns to deal with all that goes with family life.In the first year of an impulsive, hormone-driven marriage punctuated bymisunderstandings and reconciliations, Stevie discovers that her PrinceCharming has skid marks in his tights. Should she stick with him? At least for onemore year?" engaging and believable. Stevie is an appealing heroine."-Kirkus Discoveries

326 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2003

Reviews

[Ioanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witty, entertaining, surprisingly deep, this novel was not only fun to read, but made me uncomfortable more than once. That's what good literature should do, right? The characters are real and complex, and although I disliked pretty much all of them at the beginning, they all grew and learned, so that I closed the book rooting for them – even the most annoying of them!

One point I didn't like was the tendency of the thin and beautiful main character to disparage other women because of their size. But I think that as the book progressess she learns the lesson that there's more to people than looks. I'd have liked this to be a little more clear.

I laughed out loud more than once while reading this book. Schnell's wit always cracks me up!

[Gabe Lamster · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Year was great!

First Year was entertaining and delightful to read! The book flowed from beginning to end and I couldn't put it down. It made me laugh and even brought a tear to the eye. Absolutely loved it. Hope she writes more.