Exclusive interview with author Marie Maxwell and a review of her novel about a 15-year-old girl who learns what family really is
Rating: 3 Stars
Review by Gabrielle Pantera
“It was only after it was finished and the initial draft had gone to my agent that there was a celebrity court case in UK covering a case with a sleazy music manager who was very much the same as the one in the book,” says Maggie author Marie Maxwell. “It was a bit spooky. I was pleased it occurred after the book was written.”
The book is set in the late 1960s and its central character, Maggie Wheaton, is a teen who will soon turn 16. Confident and bright, yet emotional as most teens are, she lashes out at those who have her best interests at heart. She is impetuous and thinks there’s always something better for her. Maggie’s well-off parents had her late in life are old fashioned. A terrible accident on Maggie’s birthday will change her life forever.
Maggie captures the age of first infatuation and its effects. The characters struggle with the repercussions of past mistakes. The story is so in Maggie’s head that other characters can seem neglected. Another point-of-view could have opened up the story. What are others in the book thinking and why? And while it’s set in the 60s, the story doesn’t plant enough historical references to root it there. It feels very modern.
Maggie is the third book in series. The first two are Gracie and Ruby. “I did a lot of overall research for all three sagas,” says Maxwell. “But, Maggie needed less because I can remember quite a lot about the 60s. The 40s and 50s research was so engrossing I learned far more than I actually needed. My first seven books [under her real name Bernardine Kennedy] didn’t need as much research because they are more current and cover situations and circumstances I know about. The joy of research in the 21st century is the Internet. I especially loved the access to old photos and newsreel which really gave me the feel of the times I was writing about.”
Maggie is Maxwell’s tenth published book. “My first books were contemporary sagas which were quite gritty,” says Maxwell. Ruby, Gracie and Maggie are gentler, post-war sagas.”
Before writing books, Maxwell wrote many features for magazine and newspapers. “My writing career is actually quite long and varied. I’ve written about most things over the years, eventually specialising in travel features which was great fun. I got to travel to nice places all over the world which was perfect for me because after being brought up abroad I have always suffered from itchy feet.”
Maxwell says that that no matter how much you plan and plot a book and however much work you put into figuring out the storyline, the end result is always unpredictable. “The characters will change personality. The good guys can become the baddies or even die and the ending will be a bit of a surprise to me.”
Maxwell’s Everything is not Enough was City Girl Book Of The Month selection in the UK. Maggie has yet to be optioned for film or TV.
Maxwell is currently writing two books, a Bernardine Kennedy contemporary, and a fourth book, Fay, to follow on Maggie.
Maxwell lives in Southend-Sea, at the mouth of the Thames on the Essex coast of England. She was born in Walthamstow in London, but her family relocated to Singapore where she lived until age 11. Her father, an accountant, changed jobs and the family moved to Lagos, Nigeria. At age 17 Maxwell went to school in England.
The author can be found at www.bernardinekennedy.com, on Twitter @BerniKennedy and on Facebook both as Bernardine Kennedy and Marie Maxwell.
Maggie by Marie Maxwell. Hardcover: 224 pages, Publisher: Severn House Publishers; First World Publication edition (May 1, 2015), Language: English, ISBN: 9780727884763 $28.95
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