Not without Anna
ReviewsRoseann Marlett, Romantic Times Book club
Not Without Anna is an eye-opening read about the dangerous—and in this case, deadly—gap between the lives parents believe their children are leading and the reality. Detailed and graphic, this book is an unsettling look at the challenges that many teenagers face today.
When Katherine Marshall's daughter Anna drowns while attending a graduation party, Katherine realizes that she was out of touch with her daughter's life. As the investigation into Anna's death proceeds, Katherine learns that her daughter used drugs and alcohol and had been sexually active. When his son—Anna's former boyfriend—commits suicide, Charles Beckett learns that he must work with Katherine to save other teenagers from the sad fate of their own.
Well-written and compelling, the book ends on as hopeful a note as possible given the subject matter. But this is not a book to read if you are looking for something uplifting or relaxing. (Jan. '04., 158 pp., $11.99)Grace Kone, who writes as Blair Bancroft
My immediate reaction, upon finishing Not Without Anna, was that it should be required reading for every parent of a teen or preteen. Then I realized that was only half the story. Teens and preteens need to read this book as well. And grandparents, who are perhaps even more clueless than the parents in this chilling story of drugs, sudden death, anguish, guilt, and—finally—rebirth. Not Without Anna is a modern morality tale, a story of good, well-meaning parents who had no idea what was happening with their children. It also delves, first-hand, into the anguish teenagers can suffer over little things, as well as over problems that are truly almost insurmountable. It shows in stark reality how teenagers risk death when they just think they are being cool. Not Without Anna opens eyes on both sides of the age gap. I heartily recommend it.
THE INDIFFERENT EARL Signet, March 2003
THE MAJOR MEETS HIS MATCH Signet, August 2003
A SEASON FOR LOVE & THE INCONVENIENT MATCH Signet 2004
Not Without Anna is not for the faint of heart. When Anna is found dead after a party with friends, her distraught mother tries to uncover the secret life of her teenage daughter. This is a heartbreaker - a gritty, realistic read - a behind the headlines story of the results of teenage alcohol and drug use. NOT WITHOUT ANNA is a primer of the facts of life about teenagers in today's world and not an easy read for parents who think:
"Not my child!"
CEMETERY SILK, Wildside Press
THE PLAGUE DOCTOR, Winter 2002
Not Without Anna is a gut-wrenching look at the problems of teenage drug use and sexual activity in today's society. Without judgment, Vicki M. Taylor explores the lives and emotional upheaval of a group of teenagers after the drowning death of one of their friends during a drug-fogged swimming party.
In similar fashion, she explores the emotions of the bereaved mother, left alone after her daughter's death with only the girl's diaries, discovering that the child she thought she knew did not exist.
s friends, loved ones, and a shocked town try to come to terms with the death, fingers begin to point and tempers flare. And just when you think you have it all figured out, a shocking twist changes everyone's life--forever. Not Without Anna is not to be missed.
Babs Lakey, Futures Mysteries Anthology Mag
Vicki Taylor's, Not Without Anna, is a must read! Meet a heroine with spunk! I love that in a woman! Don't YOU make the mistake I did, you order in and prepare yourself for a late night, or you'll find yourself running around town doing errands with your nose in a book and it's hard driving that way—not to mention dangerous! Better that you leave the driving to Ms. Taylor—you sink into your favorite chair, enjoy twists and turns, spiked with romance—in relative safety!
Katherine Sutcliffe
Not Without Anna is a beautifully written, heart-tugging story. Compelling from start to finish. Bravo, Ms Taylor!
Vicki M. Taylor, in her new book Not Without Anna , reaches into the hearts of the reader by delving into the world of young people today and the issues they face: drugs, peer pressure, career choices and just daily living. Not Without Anna should be read not only by every young person, but also by every parent. You will never view these things in the same way; you will see them through your heart's eyes.