Throwing Roses

by Elizabeth Ridley

When Branda Raggan nearly dies in a car accident, her mother does everything possible to help the 17 year old cope with her injuries. She sends her daughter off for a visit organized by Special Assistance Holidays, but Branda runs away after arriving. Rescued by a 6'5 middle-aged transvestite with a heart of gold, Branda begins to appreciate life again ... A deeply felt first novel, with lyrical writing throughout. -- Publishers Weekly

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 187794629X
• ISBN13: 9781877946295
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Permanent Press (NY)
• Length: 131 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.8" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

An Engaging Tale

This story begins with seventeen-year old Branda Raggan hospitalized by a traffic accident, which gravely damaged one knee and jostled her brain. Branda's streetwise mother, the hard-drinking proprietor of a neighborhood bar in Milwaukee, worries over her only living child whose father skipped out long before the story begins. No friends visit Branda during her several weeks in the hospital; she has only her mom and mediocre therapy to help her wrestle with memory lapses, blackouts and a scrambled psyche. Branda is crippled; whereas the busted knee only hinders her physical advancement, her bruised mind obstructs her spiritual furtherance. Before she leaves the hospital however, Molly, a compassionate nurse, sneaks Branda into the elevator and they visit Katherine, a comatose girl whose parents are presumed dead. Katherine has been there seven years. Branda, lingering in darkness, cannot relate to her former friends. Her loving mom fails in her attempts at remedy and sends Branda to tour London with a small group of people with special needs. Upon arriving in London, Branda flees from that depressing group of invalids and finds refuge with Lady Sabrina, a lonely, fifty-something drag queen foraging for relevance in the sunset of his life. Ms. Ridley does a good job counter pointing the pains of Branda and Lady Sabrina during their separate journeys in pursuit of mended psyches. Branda's knee brace, Katherine, and the hopeless invalids are adroit symbolic choices. And the resolution is clever, far better than the one I had expected. "Throwing Roses" delves into the psyche traumas of two strong willed individuals who would otherwise have to scrounge for a commonality. As such, it's an engaging tale.

An enjoyable book. I'd like to read more from this writer.

Throwing Roses, tells the story of an adolescent, Branda, struggling to find herself after an auto accident. Her confusion and frustration are real, and as a reader I was immediately invested in her struggle. The author has a way with words and the writting was at times powerful. Branda's struggle with the existence of God seemed appropriate, and her unorthodox relationship was nicely written. I would have liked more background on the characters, especially Sam and Branda's mother. As a physician, I was disturbed when Branda stopped taking her seizure medication. The medical aspects were at times fuzzy, but overall Throwing Roses is a good first novel.

Can't wait for the next book.

ms ridleys first novel demonstrates a compassion toward adolescent yearning for acceptance unparallelled by other writers. Through the characters of 17 year old Branda Raggan who endures a painful recovery after a near fatal auto accident and middle age English drag queen, Sabrina, ms ridley conveys the pain and transformations all adolescents experience at some time in their lives.It is a true lesson in optimism, love, freedom courage and survival.A must read