Review of Make Lemondade by Virginia Euwer Wolff
(Poetry, Humor, New
Media Category)
1. Wolff, V.E. (1993). Make lemonade.
New York, NY: H. Holt.
2. Plot Summary: In this novel in verse,
Virginia Euwer Wolff tells the story of Verna LaVaughn, a fourteen year old
high school student, who needs a job in order to begin saving for college. She
meets Jolly, a seventeen year old mother of young Jilly and Jeremy who needs a
babysitter BAD. No one responds to an ad that Jolly posts except for Verna
LaVaughn. Against the advice of her friends and with her mother’s ever present
eyes watching over her, LaVaughn continues to babysit Jolly’s children and
becomes very emotionally attached. As LaVaughn begins making more plans for her
future in order to get out of the place she lives, she has to decide whether to
continue to help this struggling family out or to put her own wants and needs
first. Jolly must decide whether to continue down the dangerous path she is
going or to turn the lemons in her life into lemonade.
3. Critical Analysis: Euler Wolff writes a very poignant novel
all in free verse poetry using simplistically beautiful language. This novel is
the first of a three part series. The other two books follow LaVaughn as she
continues trying to reach her goal of going to college. Make Lemonade has been received multiple awards and several high
compliments from reviewers. A Booklist
starred review states, “Rooted not in a particular culture, but in the
community of poverty, the story offers a penetrating view of the conditions
that foster our ignorance, destroy our self-esteem, and challenge our
strength.” Themes of resilience, perseverance, and fighting for a better life
will stand out to readers throughout the story. Wolff does an excellent job of
bringing these themes to life through her figurative descriptions and the
dialogue between the characters.
The poetry
seamlessly moves the reader through the plot of the story. It reads like a
novel with dialogue and characterization; however, the use of frequent similes,
metaphors, repetition, and unique punctuation will remind readers that the
novel is in poetry form. The reader will also pick up on how even though a
person can be very young, life experiences can age you and make you view the
world differently. LaVaughn, who at fourteen has been very sheltered (and very
loved) by her mother, then meets Jolly, who at seventeen, has had two babies,
been fired from more than one job, and has not been protected and loved by
parents. Their two worlds collide, creating an unusual friendship that works in
the long run.
A Publishers Weekly, starred review,
writes that Make Lemonade is,
“Radiant with hope.” The theme of hope is the one that shines through the most,
and the metaphor of making lemonade out of lemons is the perfect piece of
figurative language to describe the characters’ situations in the novel. The
literal planting of lemon seeds to make lemons within the story is symbolic of
LaVaughn’s fight to bring sunshine into Jolly, Jeremy, and Jilly’s lives and to
help Jolly realize her potential to make a better life for herself and her
children. The novel ends on an unforgettable note that will leave readers
thinking about that message of hope.
References
Amazon Ink.com. (2014). Book jacket for
make lemonade. Retrieved August 3, 2014, from
http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FMake-Lemonade-Book%2Fdp%2F0805080708%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1407293348%26sr%3D8-1%26keywords%3Dmake%2Blemonade
Review of make lemonade by Virgina Euwer Wolff [Review of Novel].
(1993). Booklist Retrieved August 3,
2014, from www.booklistonline.com
Review of make lemonade by Virginia Euwer
Wolff [Review of Novel]. (1993). Publishers Weekly. Retrieved
August 3, 2014, from www.publishersweekly.com
Wolff, V.E. (1993). Make lemonade.
New York, NY: H. Holt.
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