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 enlarge | Author: Sarah Willis
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy New: $13.33
You Save: $0.67 (5%)
New (4) Used (8) from $12.34
Rating:  45 reviews
Sales Rank: 447039
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Paperback
Pages: 288
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5 x 0.8
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
ASIN: B0013L2F08
Publication Date: May 1, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new! Beautifu!! May have a small remainder mark (ink mark) along the edge. gift quality, crisp, clean, multiple copies available, prompt shipping, excellent service.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 45
 A quietly memorable coming-of-age in a bygone era... January 22, 2008
Joanna Mechlinski (CT, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
At fifteen, Tamara Anderson hates being different. But thanks to her parents' free-thinking ways and vagabond spirit - totally contrary to the conventional 1950s American lifestyle - Tamara and her younger siblings Robert and Megan start over in a new school each year. In fact, moving every spring is about the only thing the trio CAN count on.
The year of 1954, however, things are different in a way that no one could ever have anticipated. Tamara's mother has become sluggish, no longer seeming to care about her former passions. At night, she coughs incessantly, as the family tries to pretend nothing is wrong.
Meanwhile, the family's acquaintance with their new neighbors, the Murphys, threatens them spiritually and emotionally. The Murphys - especially eldest daughter Helen - are devout Baptists, intent on "saving" the atheist Andersons.
Yet despite her parent's vehement objections, Tamara finds that she's eager to embrace the concept of God. She wonders about his nature, why he would let her mother become ill - and whether God might just be the only thing left to save her family from total disaster.
This quietly-told story of a young girl's coming of age, their struggles to stay afloat both physically and emotionally when they're faced with the possible loss ofo their mother, and the idea of what really constitutes conventionality is bound to leave an impression upon readers' minds.
Great Book Club Selection June 22, 2007
Laurel Bradley (Wisconsin)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
In the spring of 1954, Tamara Anderson is fifteen when her family moves into the pretty farmhouse across the road from the tar-papered house. Tamara is the oldest of three children. Her father is a painter whose landscapes require new locations for inspiration. The family moves yearly arriving weeks before the end of one school year and leaving weeks before the completion of the next.
Some things that stay is a coming of age story in which Tamara faces more than the standard fair of parental misunderstanding, sexual awakening and sibling confrontations. Raised in an extremely liberal, atheist family, Tamara has of none of the body/sex hang-ups so many of us grew up with and her sexual awakening is refreshingly guilt-free. Moving constantly, she dreams of stability and a more-than-fleeting connection into society. In the course of the story, she tries out the Baptist church with the neighbors from the tar-paper house--neighbors who are more than the junky cars littering their front yard. In light of her atheistic upbringing, Tamara's contemplation of God, organized religion, prayer, and fate vs faith adds an interesting layer. She faces ethical dilemmas, maternal illness, paternal selfishness, and, of course, sexual awakening.
A deep, meaty story, Sarah Willis' Some things that stay is a great book club selection. My book club read it and loved it. The concepts raised yielded plenty of spirited conversation. I recommend it.
Reviewed by: Laurel Bradley, Author of A Wish in Time
A Wish In Time
Great Read June 13, 2007
Marey (IL)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I really liked everything about this book -- first person narrator, coming-of-age, and interesting story. Glad I read it.
Absolutely touching, simple, honest, and wonderful book! March 2, 2007
K. Caldwell (North Jersey, USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
For some unknown reason, Some Things That Stay had been one of those books that sit on your bookshelf for years, passed over in favor of others, unread for such a long time you forget it's even there. I'm thankful to say that finally changed. I began reading this book only a few weeks ago and it quickly became one of my favorites. I was taken aback by how such simple language could be so beautiful. Willis doesn't write in a flowery, wordy style and it was such a relief, a break from the pattern of many other books I've read. The story was told simply and honestly, which couldn't be more appropriate for the simple and honest story that it is. It was such a sweet tale that I had no trouble getting deeply involved in. I felt for the characters; they were easy to relate to and their stories were quite enjoyable to follow. Even the houses took on a life of their own, as did the surrounding landscapes. It was just a truly exquisite book, and now that it's been read and enjoyed so thoroughly, I can assure you that it will not return to the back of my bookshelf anytime soon. I can only hope Sarah Willis' next book is as fulfilling as this one.
My first read by this author... August 22, 2006
DB (Pennsylvania, USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
and I am impressed enough to read more. Thank you Ms. Willis for the fine entertainment.
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