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Tenderness
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Plot Summary of Tenderness
"15-year old Lori Cranston runs away from the hopelessness of home. All she is looking for comfort and tenderness. During this time, an 18-year old named Eric Poole has been released from prison after murdering his parents. Lori remembers the one time she met Eric, and decides to cross paths with him again. In love with a murderer, Lori joins Eric on a journey that can lead to freedom or destruction."
Isabel, Resident Scholar

"Lori is a 15-year old girl who often gets taken advantage of because of her fully developed body. She feels lost and sometimes leaves home. Lori sees 18-year old Eric Poole on television being released from juvenile detention, and so begins her fixation not to be satisfied until she can kiss him. Eric only kills to experience that brief moment of irrevocable tenderness before death. When the two cross paths the embark on a journey literally and emotionally until the sad surprise of an ending. "
Leah, Resident Scholar

"A physically developed but emotionally edgy Lori Cranston, 15, runs away from her alcoholic mother and mother's annoying boyfriends. She hitchhikes south to Wicksburg, Massachusetts, where she used to live and once encountered Eric Poole just after he had committed his third murder of a teenage girl. Poole has been in a juvenile prison the past three years for the killing of his mother and stepfather, but he is being released upon his 18th birthday.

Lori is looking for true tenderness and the deranged killer Eric seeks the odd feeling of tenderness he felt just as he was about to strangle each of the girls, for whose deaths he was never caught. Detective Lt. Jake Proctor, burdened by the unsolved killings of five teenage girls he investigated as a cop in Oregon more than 20 years before, suspects Eric of two of the unsolved Massachusetts murders, is sure the boy will kill again, and is determined to put Eric away for good. The re-acquaintance of Lori and Eric will determine the long-term destinies of all three characters."

David Loftus, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Tenderness
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%




Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story: - 1980's-1999
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
The crook is.... - stalking/killing innocents
Crime Thriller Yes
Mostly a criminal POV story Yes
Is Romance a MAJOR (25%+) part of story? Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - unemployed
Age: - a teen
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How much violence does he/she use? - none
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - a teen
Profession/status: - killer
Motive of antagonist - kicks
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast
Small town? Yes
Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Misc setting - prison

Style
Person - rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths? - 5-7
Sex Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references - touching of anatomy - descript. of breasts
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to Tenderness
Finding Mary Blaine by Jodi Thomas
Never Look Back by Linda Lael Miller
Getting Hers by Donna Hill
To Die For by Linda Howard
Hark by Ed McBain


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