Tomato Girl

*****UPDATE Where was I when Jayne died in 2010? I just found out and feel really sad. She was such a wonderful writer, and even replied to me kindly. I hadn't realized, I was searching to see if she had written anything new. I am really sad. This has been a throw away day. Wow, I did not expect this......more

This is a wonderful novel. It’s reminiscent of other Southern coming of age novels such as Bastard Out of Carolina, but it’s definitely original. The writing was excellent and there are many beautifully written passages, and the tale is so vivid that as I read I was easily wrapped up in Ellie’s life......more

Tomato Girl is a fairly standard coming-of-age story, occasionally daring in some aspects, but, on the whole, rather mediocre. It covers territory that many such stories do -- parental sex and infidelity, insanity, viewpoint-character bad behavior -- but delves into them more deeply and disturbingly......more

Jayne Pupek's "Tomato Girl" was a book I couldn't put down. Well-paced, funny, and authentic with vulnerable and memorable characters, Pupek throws the proverbial rocks at her protagonist, 11-year-old Ellie Sanders throughout the book -- Ellie's troubles never seem to relent, except when she lets th......more

The voice that greets me in Tomato Girl is so rich and authentic that I am not surprised to find that the author is a native of Virginia. Jayne Pupek is a poet (Forms of Intercession) and author, whose writing has appeared in many literary journals. My first thought upon finishing her debut novel wa......more