Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 27, 1993 TAG: 9306270180
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Mary Ann Johnson Anna Wentworth
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Rosie O'Neal comes to grips with death and, by extension, with life in Cathie Pelletier's new novel. William's suicide has left Rosie with no answers to her questions, no outlet for her anger, no resolution for her grief. Pelletier's talent is that she has us laughing as well as weeping throughout Rosie's ordeal.
The humorous repartee between a demented mother, an obese gay uncle, a snide chain-smoking sister and a college roommate who moves into Rosie's house with her husband and lover first forces Rosie to seek relief in withdrawal and ultimately into acceptance. With the eye of a naturalist, Pelletier invokes images appropriate to the northern Maine small town setting. She writes extensively of birds, flight, falling and stars.
"The Bubble Reputation" evidences Pelletier's lofty ambition. At times the effort is obvious and self-conscious, but the laudable result is the further development of a literary ideal. That is certainly a worthwhile accomplishment.
_MARY ANN JOHNSON
The Cat Who Went into the Closet. By Lilian Jackson Braun. Putnam. $19.95.
Lilian Jackson Braun's "The Cat Who..." novels, about a debonair millionaire detective and his two brilliant Siamese cats, can be a bit precious at times but the latest in the series manages to avoid the cloying cuteness of some of the titles. "...Into the Closet" is an interesting and clever tale (no pun intended). Jim Qwilleran has rented an elderly mansion in the town of Pickaxe for the winter in order to be closer to civilization. The house is owned by an eccentric widow now living in a mobile home in Florida. Shortly after Qwilleran takes charge of the house, however, the old woman commits suicide - or does she?
When Koko, Qwilleran's male Siamese starts bringing an odd assortment of treasures out of the many closets in the old house, the items lead Qwilleran into an acting job, a ride in a dogsled, an investigation into a fraudulent property scam, extortion and a couple of murders. A typical winter for Qwilleran and his cats.
The citizens of Moose County, Pickaxe and Brrr are charmingly portrayed and their depiction helps make this one of the better examples of this admittedly lightweight and frothy series.
\ Mary Ann Johnson is an alumna of Hollins College
Anna Wentworth also reviews books and plays for WVTF-FM.
by CNB