Genre: Fiction

Author's Name: Elizabeth Appell

Title of Book: Lessons from the Gypsy Camp

ISBN Number: 0-312-31921-5

The following review contributed by: Dian Moore

Ten-year old Lolly Candolin has decided to rebel. Either her father stops drinking, or she’s cutting her hair.

Her father, lawyer Regan Candolin, doesn’t care much for Lolly’s ultimatum, and after she cuts her hair, he forces her to wear an itchy, wool cap over the mess she’s made on her head. But that’s not all. A firm believer in consequences, the unlikable Candolin forces Lolly to accompany him to the levee, where he proceeds to dump her old, best-friend cat. 

At times disturbing, perhaps because of its realistic voyeurism into a home wrought with alcoholism and mean-spiritedness, Lessons from the Gypsy Camp is riveting.

Lolly proceeds to look for her cat, Bo, and visits the other side of the levee where all children of good upbringing are forbid to go – this book’s equivalent to the ‘other side of the tracks.’ While there, Lolly befriends Tick, a young-girl home-schooled by her healer mother, Sophia.  

The other residents of the small trailer park also take a liking to Lolly and add layers to this novel, which keeps the pages turning. Meet Maltilda and Ducky, a husband and wife who are determined to outdo each other in their threats to kill each other; Bob Bob, a literal giant of a man who never misses a shot but misses the subtle meanings of life; and Sam, a man in love with Sophia who owns a cougar, which is Cougarville’s secret.

Lolly becomes more involved daily with the residents of Cougarville and discovers more than she needs to know at ten-years old. She also manages to draw her grandfather into her secret visits which results in his being wounded by the cougar.  

She is horrified and angry at the people of Cougarville, but doesn’t realize the full ramifications of her actions. The sheriff proceeds to kill the cougar; the sheriff is murdered; and Sam is tried for the murder.

Lolly discovers more secrets and her knowledge leads her to testify against her father in court as he proceeds to prosecute Sam in the murder of the town’s sheriff.  

Though the book is fascinating, the prose at times slips to read like a young-adult novel, which this is not. The subjects of alcoholism, cruelty to animals, grudges, revenge, murder and insanity clash with the storytelling style.

I would not recommend this book for unsophisticated young readers, as the images portrayed are vivid enough to leave disturbed marks in a child’s mind.  

On the other hand, I would have liked to seen this story told in a more adult style to fit the adult sophistication level of the material. Though children today face horrid circumstances, and the events portrayed reveal both the best and worst of humankind, Appel’s approach leaves the adult wanting more; but provides too much information for a child to absorb and process without an educated parent’s firm and guided supervision.