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Plan Z by Leslie Kove Paperback – December 1, 2018

by Betsy Robinson (Author)

4.5 12 ratings

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A Trip Down the Rabbit Hole of America--Winner of Mid-List Press First Novel Award

As a little girl growing up in Squitchit, New York, Leslie Kove doubtless imagined that she and her two siblings would one day marry, have kids, and make ordinary productive lives for themselves. But by 1970, her brother, Peter, has died in Vietnam. Her sister, Susan, a scholarship student at Bennington College in Vermont, has changed her name to Sabra-Sou and dances topless in political demonstrations. And Leslie, a high school senior, has no idea what to say when people ask her what she's going to do with her life: She needs a plan.

This first-person tragicomedy begins with Leslie's visit to Bennington in May 1970 and continues over two decades as she journeys through "the rabbit hole"--like a modern-day Alice in the Wonderland that is America. (Originally published in 2001 as winner of Mid-List Press's First Series Award for the novel, this is a revised edition.)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the funniest books I have read in a long time. ... a fabulous read."
--Sixth Sense radio show, KKNW, Seattle

"Nothing makes for a more absorbing story than a great main character. Leslie Kove is as entertaining as a protagonist can hope to be. . . .Robinson's writing style is very entertaining and fun to read, but there's also a subtle underlying depth to her main character. In between all the laughs and unusual situations, the reader gets to see there's more to Leslie than meets even her own eye."
--Carpe Libris Reviews

"A fetching, cleanly narrated coming-of-age tale."
--Publishers Weekly

From the Back Cover

"You could say that if Holden Caulfield were a couple of years older and a girl he might have written just such a book as Plan Z by Leslie Kove, but you would be wrong. Betsy Robinson has her own sadder and wiser (and, on occasion, very funny) voice, and her own set of priorities. With this prize-winning first novel, a diverse and original new talent has arrived on the literary scene."
-- Marvin Barrett, author of Second Chance and Spare Days

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (December 1, 2018)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 263 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1790603404
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1790603404
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.66 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,419,494 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #19,055 in Coming of Age Fiction (Books)
- #94,999 in Literary Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.5 12 ratings

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Betsy Robinson

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Betsy Robinson writes funny literary fiction about flawed people. Her novel The Last Will & Testament of Zelda McFigg is winner of Black Lawrence Press’s 2013 Big Moose Prize and was published in September 2014. This was followed by the February 10, 2015 publication of her late mother, Edna Robinson’s, novel, The Trouble with the Truth (edited by Betsy), as the debut book of Infinite Words, a new imprint of Simon & Schuster. Betsy’s first novel, Plan Z by Leslie Kove, was published by Mid-List Press in 2001 as winner of their First Novel Series Award, and in October 2016 she published a revised edition of it exclusively on Kindle. Betsy has been a working journalist for over a decade; she was managing editor of Spirituality & Health magazine for almost seven years and she currently freelances as a book editor.

Betsy is a former actor (appeared in John Sayles films Return of the Secaucus Seven and Lianna). Her awards include winner literary (short story) award, Chronogram magazine, 2003; a Writers Guild East fellowship to write two screenplays (The Love Convention and Ms. Manhattan, mentored by Writers Guild-assigned mentor David Rayfiel); and first prize winner Dubuque Fine Arts 1-Act Contest in 1984. (For a complete bio and free stories, see www.BetsyRobinson-writer.com.)

Betsy Robinson is available for book club discussions of her books!

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4.5 out of 5

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A Smart, Ascerbically Witty, Austerely Shared Coming-of-Age Tale

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2020

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’I had a childhood. Then I grew up.'

Born in a small town outside New York City, this is, more or less, how this story begins, and for a time, this matter of fact view of life, no frills, no bells or whistles, is how young Leslie Kove views life, and navigates her way through her days – both future, and past.

As this begins, it is 1970, and she was a senior in high school, and she travels up to Bennington in Vermont to visit her older sister, which proves to be an eye-opening experience, and from there various events of the 70’s propel things along a course that provides both an entertaining view of the era, and some wisdom gained along the way, as well. And, yes, this is a coming-of-age tale – but it is a smart, acerbically witty, austerely shared coming-of-age tale that is also so much more. Incredibly moving at times, entertaining in others, this explores the rites of passage from childhood to adulthood, and along the way, finding a better understanding of that journey.

This is the third book of Betsy Robinson’s that I’ve read, the first being The Last Will & Testament of Zelda McFigg followed by Conversations with Mom: An Aging Baby Boomer, in Need of an Elder, Writes to Her Dead Mother, which convinced me that I not only appreciated her friendship here on goodreads, but consider her as a sister-of-my-soul, which was cemented even more when I read this one.

Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2010

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This is one of those novels that sinks into you and then sneaks up on you as well. What I mean by that is it starts very easily and naturally... Leslie's voice (the main character telling the story) slides on in and engages us right from the start. (Always a great sign!) I enjoyed her fascinations and experiences, her thoughts and views. I feel many readers can relate to this character even though we haven't necessarily had those events -- but there's something universal in Leslie that we can relate to. So..."instantly engaging" is how I'd describe the novel.

The second part, the sneaking up part, occurs in the latter half of the middle part and certainly again strongly in the end. We live with Leslie for so long in such a funny, what happens next sort of way and then -- wham! She really pulls us in to gut level. I loved that -- and appreciated it. Leslie's experiences and realizations are gut wrenching at times, but in a good, self-transforming way.

Author Betsy Robinson is a wonderful writer -- funny and profound, insightful and genuine. I hope to read more soon!

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AM

You’ll want to know Leslie Kove

Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2020

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Betsy Robinson and I have been Goodreads friends for a while now, frequently commenting on each other’s reviews. I knew she was a writer and I thought I might read one of her novels some time, but I never got around to it. To be clear, she never asked. Recently, Betsy provided a free kindle copy to anyone who wanted it, as she said goodbye to the paper version of this, her first novel, when the publisher closed its doors . A generous gesture when many of us seek a diversion through reading during these trying times. What prompted me to read this now was an exchange that we had on our reviews of [book:Writers & Lovers|45289222] , with Betsy commenting on her motivation to write. “I write to discover.” I knew I should read this now because that’s why I read .

When we first meet Leslie Kove at 17, she is so matter of fact about things . I thought at first devoid of emotion - “... my brother was dead, my father wasn’t...” I was impatient at first with Leslie. She was naive and quirky and seemed younger than 17, but she eventually starts to blossom before our eyes. It wasn’t until I got further along that I realized how much that one sentence meant. She’s visits her sister Susan at college and goes along on a trip the trip to Washington on a peace march and visits officials at the Pentagon. What she said made me sit up and take notice. A Pentagon official tells these kids “That we had a duty to the brave soldiers who’d died there to see this thing through.” “Then I said I didn’t think my dead brother would mind at all if we reneged on this commitment, that how come it was people like them and my father who were so hot to fight, and if they really wanted to prove something, why didn’t they just go there themselves and send all the guys like Peter home.” I thought , you go girl! I grew to like her and care about her as she experienced her first job, her first love and I think it’s because she was so genuine, never any pretense as we see her move through the years from 17 to her mid 30’s. My least favorite part was Leslie’s stay at the commune in Greece. While it reflects the time of peace, free love and drugs, I couldn’t relate and she seemed so out of her element there.

Thankfully there is humor here, as Leslie struggles to figure out who she is, her work life and her love life, just what’s her plan. The humor serves as a buffer to some pretty heavy duty things going on here - alcoholism and suicide and abuse and war and the death of her brother in Vietnam. I found it particularly sad that she and her sister Susan While in touch don’t see each other for years. This story was for me a reflection of times that I remember well . I was reminded of the quiet and peaceful demonstrations of my college days at an all women, Catholic college. I was reminded of how much I detested the Vietnam War. I was reminded of the plans I had at various times in my life and how they changed, maybe not from plan A -Z, but they changed for one reason or another. What I discovered was a moving, if not heartbreaking story about a character that I will remember. I’ll remember Leslie Kove not just because I felt for her and liked her, or because of what she endured, but because she somehow musters the passion and the strength to move forward. I wanted to climb into the story so we could be friends.

Thanks to Betsy Robinson for the copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2016

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Treat yourself to this book!! Robinson's view of the world makes for fun reading. I loved the prose. I loved the characters.

You can see my full review on Goodreads.com ([...]) or at my website
[...]

Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2020

This is a heartfelt and funny story that keeps you turning the pages to find out how one young woman from a troubled family comes to terms with life during a time when Vietnam and the counter culture were changing how we made life decisions.

Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2001

This novel touched me deeply. I was immediately absorbed by the character of Leslie Kove and found myself feeling her feelings and thinking her thoughts. Her life, in all its messiness, affected me viscerally, reminding me that there is perfection in every encounter, relationship, circumstance. We all make plans and end up adjusting and shifting them over and over. Leslie Kove takes us on this journey of change with courage, humor, and resilience. We can all benefit by taking the journey with her.

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Kristi L. Hood

A girl without a plan works for me

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2001

I picked this book up and could not put it down. I was immediately swirled away by the life a girl overwhelmed by the events of her life and doing her best to swim the currents. The naivete of the main character reflects the childlike nature of so many of children of the 60's. Her adventures are surreal, funny, often painful. Yet, her determination to push on spoke to me, and her closing plan blew me away. A very rewarding read.

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2001

As the book cover says -- it's like Catcher in the Rye, but for the 70's generation. Funny, insightful, fun, and lots of vivid memories.

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Sandy Hogarth, Author of The Glass Girl, Because of You I Am and The Other

Original and fun.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2017

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What a wonderful imagination this author has. Very different characters. The novel zips along and is full of surprises and makes you think. What more can you ask.

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