Blue Plate Special

Michelle D. Kwasney
Chronicle Books (2009)
ISBN 9780811867801
Reviewed by Victoria Gonzales for Reader Views (11/09)

 

The novel begins with a Jewish proverb, “What the daughter does, the mother did.” Any woman or teen girl can connect with this book if they have ever been in love or made a mistake. This is a beautiful, touching, and well-written book. The style is wonderful; it really enhances the book to read a little bit of each woman’s story as the novel progresses. The connections between the women are fascinating to discover little by little, and the story is so interesting. Desiree’s story is written entirely in free verse poetry in first person.

The author, Kwasney, is not only an excellent writer, but also a good poet; for example she writes: “I’ve never been inside/ randolph’s department store/ I thought it was strictly/ for the blue hairs./ a saleslady with/ apple red lipstick that bleeds/ into the cracks around her mouth/ eyes us as we come through the door.” Desiree leaves her home after she discovers she is pregnant. The two other women are equally as intriguing. Madeline has an irresponsible mother and discovers love for the first time. Ariel also falls in love, but finds that it was not what she expected.

 

I would recommend expanding upon this novel, and it would be wonderful if the story continued with either the same women, or introduced new characters. It is a very good idea, and though this story is fine on its own, it would be enhanced if it were a series.

 

The author is very good at making this novel accessible to every woman. She understands women of different generations, and shares this knowledge with the reader. My favorite part was finding the small details that connected the women through the three stories. It is just such a wonderful book, and I highly recommend it to any woman who wants to understand herself, or other women in her life. “What the daughter does, the mother did” is a perfect introduction to the novel, and also would make a good conclusion, I think the author wants the reader to realize that we are all more similar than we are different, and we would do well to share our experiences with each other and learn from them and become better women. I highly recommend “Blue Plate Special” by Michelle D. Kwasney to mothers and daughters alike.

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