Love is Never Enough (Bianca Bradbury)

Why I have this book:  So you know how you have books from your childhood that stick in your mind forever? This is one of those books. I must have read it several times when I was a pre-teen. I could not remember the name of it... I just remembered some details. I'm pretty sure that I owned it, but maybe I just checked it out from the library again and again. (This was before I developed library-book-phobia.) (Haha)

This book and one other came to mind from time to time... and finally a couple of months ago I looked online for some kind of site where you could put a book description and others would suggest books that could be the one you're trying to remember. I found a group like this on Goodreads, so I posted my two descriptions and within an hour had the title of the other book. The next day, I remembered what seemed like could be the title of this book, did a search on it, and lo and behold... I found it!

So anyway, this is that book. What I remembered was actually the original title: A New Penny. (This title is also listed on the cover. Funny that I could remember that little footnote and not the real title.) I think I thought it was "A Shiny New Penny"... but in any case, it came up and seeing the cover just brought back so many memories.

Neither book was in print anymore, so I went out on a limb and bought both of them used. USED! I never buy used books! I don't even really read library books. Too many bad experiences with finding green, sticky gunk and blood smears on pages and wondering if anyone took the book to the toilet with them. (Seinfeld, anyone?)

Okay, so I read Love is Never Enough yesterday. It was like going back in time. I still liked it, but I think mostly because I liked it before. The story isn't amazing, the characters aren't well developed. It definitely is a product of its time (published in 1971), and the protagonist is whiny and immature... more so than most girls I know who are that age.

I'll keep it just because it holds some nostalgia for me. I might even read it again. It's kind of like a "comfort read" just because it's from my childhood.

P.S. I'm pretty sure that even in 1971, it was sick and wrong to leave your baby outside the store while you shop or at home while you run to the store. Yikes.

Clean. I don't recall any swearing (although I did doze off a time or two while reading, since it was very late) or anything inappropriate. The main characters "had" to get married, and that is mentioned a couple of times.