A long, long time ago, I read Mrs. Mike in middle school. I remember enjoying it, so when I discovered Kathy Little Bird, a sequel, in the store one day, I decided to pick it up. I didn't realize at the time that it was a second sequel, following The Search for Joyful. No matter.Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed. The book just seemed to drag on and on about a character I didn't particular care for, Mrs. Mike's granddaughter. She was a bit selfish, hypocritical, and self-righteous. Now, I don't have to like the main character to enjoy a novel, but I have to at least enjoy the plot. The story takes us from Kathy Little Bird's beginnings as a teenager to herself as a middle-aged adult. It shows her rise to and descent from stardom (she's a singer), all of which were a bit tedious to read. Then there's her relationships with men in which she's a hypocrite and deserves the bad relationships she keeps falling into. The ending does little to satisfy this reader. After closing the book, I thought, "That's it? That's how it ends? I kept reading for this?" There wasn't a satisfying conclusion for me.I will say that the writing itself was good, but the ideas behind it could have used a boost. I most likely won't go back to read The Search for Joyful or any further stories related to Mrs. Mike.
