The Breakable Vow
Grade 9 Up Annie, 18, is looking forward to the rest of her life. She's been in a relationship with Kevin, and they are certain that they're in love. He has a temper, but that doesn't concern her because she knows that he cares deeply for her. Several weeks after spending a night together, Annie discovers that she is pregnant, and her life begins to spin out of control. Deeply religious, she refuses to accept Kevin's offer of money for an abortion, and, after a tumultuous pregnancy, has a baby girl. Her partner's abuse ebbs and flows, and his threats and her fear that he will take Mary from her keep Annie in the marriage. It takes a final, violent event to prove to Annie that she has to break free--but is it too late? Unfortunately, the novel is marred by awkward sentence structure and didacticism. While the conversations between characters are more realistic, teens will be put off by the pedantic tone of the narration. This is an important topic, but the book is too long and rambling to hold the interest of young adults.--Lynn Evarts, Sauk Prairie High School, Prairie du Sac, WICopyright &copy; Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.