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Title: Obnoxious main character--but try and put the book down!
Review: If it's true that there is some of a book's main character in the author, I pity Jo Dereske's family. Helma Zukas is a self-righteous, prim old maid who seems to have a case of arrested social development. And her best friend, Ruth, borders on the unbelievable. On the other hand, it is pretty much impossible not to finish the first book, and then want the others in the series immediately. It's because we see touches of humanity starting to emerge from Helma Zukas...and we want to be there for the final unveiling. Also, some of her ways take many readers back to a time when social conventions were stiffer...but the world was a lot nicer place!
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