From Publishers Weekly
In this show-biz drama by the author of Beaches, two first cousins and former best friends rekindle their friendship while struggling with questions of mental illness, genius and personal integrity. As teenagers, Sunny and Dahlia Gordon created an intense bond though a shared love of music. Sunny, five years older than Dahlia, is the wilder and by far the more creative of the two, and her talent inspires Dahlia to write lyrics. Their music is good, and their friendship singular, but when Sunny's eccentricities devolve into a dangerous mental illness and her well-meaning family can no longer cope with her, she is placed in a mental institution. The cousins lose contact with each other until 25 years later, when Dahlia is living in Los Angeles and earning a living as a masseuse while trying to sell her songs. Possessed of an ambitious pragmatism that allows her to slide easily into ethical lapses, Dahlia reconnects with Sunny, who is living in a halfway house in San Diego, in order to get a song out of her. From this point on, the women are together again, each helping the other find her way out of desperate situations. Dart keeps the story moving at a fast clip with generous helpings of weddings, funerals, sing-alongs and spontaneous disrobings of the (gorgeous) Sunny. These made-for-the-movies moments are balanced by Dahlia's acerbic wit, making this an entertaining if formulaic read. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Moira Driscoll's hushed voice gets a good story off to a slow start, but listeners who hang in through the first couple of tapes will be glad they did. A down-on-her-luck songwriter tries to stage a comeback through her schizophrenic cousin. Their separate journeys intertwine through paths of music, family history, and romantic love to daring destinations for each. While Driscoll's breathy narrative never lose its muzzy quality, her characterizations exhibit individualism and depth, particularly those of the two cousins. Her portrayal of a young child doesn't ring true, but this insignificant character matters little. Driscoll's compassion for complex people and situations saves the performance. R.P.L. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
She may not write the songs the whole world sings, but budding songwriter Dahlia Green has had one bona fide hit and is on the verge of a second. Trouble is, she can't take sole credit for the song that has caught the ear of a Hollywood producer; this she shares with her cousin, Sunny, a schizophrenic who has been out of Dahlia's life for 25 years. Getting Sunny's signature is the ticket to Dahlia's dreams of stardom, and like other visions of a golden life, will be nearly impossible to obtain. As Dart turns to the heady world of entertainment for her familiar themes of love, family, and friendship, she shines the spotlight on the recording industry and a love of music that offers both her unsettled young women characters a means of escape. Despite the predictability of its conclusions, Dart's latest novel unexpectedly excels at shedding light on the dark subject of schizophrenia. By transforming Dahlia's selfish ambition into selfless empathy for her cousin's illness, Dart again demonstrates her considerable talent for showcasing sympathetic characters facing serious situations with grace and aplomb. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description

Cousins Dahlia and Sunny Gordon were best friends growing up, bound by a shared love for making music that was as pure, powerful, and radiant as the California sunshine. When Dahlia's soulful lyrics combined with Sunny's soaring melodies, magic happened, and they promised they would stick together all the way to the top. But a darkness was already descending on Sunny, one that would ultimately plunge her into a nightmare of solitude and schizophrenia. And after their lives were torn apart, a quarter of a century would pass before the cousins would meet again.

After long years of fruitless struggle, Dahlia still dreams of making it in the L.A. music business, a dream that comes to rest on one song. A lucky break has brought a composition she and Sunny wrote long ago to the attention of a powerful Hollywood producer. Desperate for success, Dahlia must find her cousin in order to secure the rights to the song that will win her fame and great fortune. But the world Sunny Gordon now inhabits is a place of madness and despair, and her obstinate refusal to sign a contract only infuriates Dahlia and strengthens her resolve. There are no depths Dahlia will not sink to in order to get what she wants -- even if it means moving her tragically damaged cousin, demons and all, into her own home.

Yet selfish motives and greed are, remarkably, leading Dahlia somewhere she never imagined she'd go. For the first time since she was a girl -- and perhaps the first time ever -- she will have to put someone else's needs before her own, and her life will be unexpectedly transformed in the process.

And sometimes, even when real life reaches its cruelest and lowest ebb, miracles do happen ...


About the Author
Iris Rainer Dart is the author of eight novels, including the much-beloved New York Times bestseller Beaches. The mother of two children, she lives in California with her husband.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Cousins Dahlia and Sunny Gordon were best friends growing up, bound by a shared love for making music that was as pure, powerful, and radiant as the California sunshine. When Dahlia's soulful lyrics combined with Sunny's soaring melodies, magic happened, and they promised they would stick together all the way to the top. But a darkness was already descending on Sunny, one that would ultimately plunge her into a nightmare of solitude and schizophrenia. And after their lives were torn apart, a quarter of a century would pass before the cousins would meet again.

After long years of fruitless struggle, Dahlia still dreams of making it in the L.A. music business, a dream that comes to rest on one song. A lucky break has brought a composition she and Sunny wrote long ago to the attention of a powerful Hollywood producer. Desperate for success, Dahlia must find her cousin in order to secure the rights to the song that will win her fame and great fortune.

But the world Sunny Gordon now inhabits is a place of madness and despair, and her obstinate refusal to sign a contract only infuriates Dahlia and strengthens her resolve. There are no depths Dahlia will not sink to in order to get what she wants - even if it means moving her tragically damaged cousin, demons and all, into her own home.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In this show-biz drama by the author of Beaches, two first cousins and former best friends rekindle their friendship while struggling with questions of mental illness, genius and personal integrity. As teenagers, Sunny and Dahlia Gordon created an intense bond though a shared love of music. Sunny, five years older than Dahlia, is the wilder and by far the more creative of the two, and her talent inspires Dahlia to write lyrics. Their music is good, and their friendship singular, but when Sunny's eccentricities devolve into a dangerous mental illness and her well-meaning family can no longer cope with her, she is placed in a mental institution. The cousins lose contact with each other until 25 years later, when Dahlia is living in Los Angeles and earning a living as a masseuse while trying to sell her songs. Possessed of an ambitious pragmatism that allows her to slide easily into ethical lapses, Dahlia reconnects with Sunny, who is living in a halfway house in San Diego, in order to get a song out of her. From this point on, the women are together again, each helping the other find her way out of desperate situations. Dart keeps the story moving at a fast clip with generous helpings of weddings, funerals, sing-alongs and spontaneous disrobings of the (gorgeous) Sunny. These made-for-the-movies moments are balanced by Dahlia's acerbic wit, making this an entertaining if formulaic read. (Nov.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Los Angeles masseuse and songwriter Dahlia Green has a rickety van and a house in disrepair. Years ago, she co-wrote a big hit, but the money isn't coming in as it once did. In reality, Dahlia is a talented lyricist who doesn't write music very well. She used to work with her cousin Sunny, a schizophrenic composer whom she hasn't seen in 25 years. When Dahlia has an opportunity to sell one of their old songs, she suddenly needs to find Sunny and get her to sign a contract. But ravaged by her mental illness, Sunny is stubbornly difficult, and Dahlia fears that her dreams of money pouring in will come to nothing unless she passes the songs off as her own. The author of Beaches has written a compelling tale about mental illness and how greed and selfishness can threaten relationships with family, friends, and lovers. This immensely readable work is highly recommended for all popular fiction collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 8/03.]-Samantha J. Gust, Niagara Univ. Lib., NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews