The 25 Pains of Kennedy Baines

Emily Walters Gregor is a graduate student in 20th-century American
literature and an ESL writing tutor at the University of Minnesota.

Kennedy Baines, 15, is trying to balance the annoyances and temptations
of growing up with the desire to remain true to herself—a girl who
loves singing, Jane Austen, and her family. When her mother’s friend
and the friend’s son, Colin, come from Britain to stay with the Baines
family in Victoria for part of the summer, Kennedy is torn between
imagining Colin as her own Mark Darcy and the way he actually treats her
and those around him. At the same time, family conflicts, from her
mother’s growing pursuit of self-actualization to the news that her
best friend’s parents are separating, further shake Kennedy’s
certainty about the world around her and her own identity.

This coming-of-age story follows the standard trajectory of a
bildungsroman, including a climax through which Kennedy finds her inner
strength and discovers that there are those around her who accept her
for who she really is. The story is exceptionally well written and
offers a strong female protagonist. Kennedy, though flawed, is
ultimately a person of integrity. She is also a memorable character who
will resonate with readers and, perhaps, inspire in them similar
strength. Highly recommended.