This Full House

This Full House by Virginia Euwer Wolff returns to the lives of LaVaughn and Jolly as the conclusion of the Make Lemonade Trilogy. LaVaughn is now working to get into college and hopes that her involvement in the Women in Medical Science program with the famed Dr. Moore will help her reach this goal. It turns out that Dr. Moore has some secrets of her own, and, let's face it, LaVaughn can never help but be curious. In the meantime, while Jolly is absent for a good portion of the book, busy studying for her G.E.D., her children Jeremy and Jilly take on new importance in this novel that questions the role of mothers in the lives of children, and the meaning of their absence (also furthered by LaVaughn's pregnant friend Annie). Jody also returns in this last installment, adding to LaVaughn's general confusion and giving her a glimpse into the potential that college could hold.

Told in prose, This Full House is fast-paced and does not take long to read despite being nearly 500 pages in length. As LaVaughn's participation in Women in Medical Science is central to the book, it makes sense that there be a lot of science throughout the novel, but I have to admit that the amount was at times intimidating. The scientific details were remarkable, of course, but often too technical to be appreciated by a non-science person like myself. Still, Wolff's This Full House deals with teenage pregnancy and parenthood impressively, especially considering the current political side to this issue. Overall, a more than satisfactory conclusion for LaVaughn and Jolly, full of emotion, even despite the wait. 8 out of 10.