Pray, Love, Remember by Mary Stolz
"Pray, Love, Remember" by Mary Stolz is a coming-of-age novel that explores themes of family, friendship, and personal growth against a backdrop of loss. The story centers on Dody, a high school senior who initially exhibits self-centered behavior but gradually matures through her experiences. The narrative unfolds as Dody takes on the responsibility of being a governess for a young child during the summer, where she learns to prioritize the needs of others over her own desires.
A significant event in the story is the death of Simon, a young man Dody befriends at the beach, which catalyzes her emotional development and acceptance of life's challenges. Despite the somber themes related to death, Stolz’s writing ultimately conveys a sense of hope and renewal, as Dody reconciles with her family and embraces her newfound maturity.
The novel has received mixed reviews, with some praising its realistic approach to difficult topics, while others critique it for its themes. Nonetheless, it resonates with young readers and is regarded as a noteworthy addition to literature that addresses young love and personal growth. Stolz has authored over fifty books, and "Pray, Love, Remember" remains significant in her body of work aimed at young audiences.
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Subject Terms
Pray, Love, Remember by Mary Stolz
First published: 1954
Type of work: Domestic realism
Themes: Emotions, family, friendship, and jobs and work
Time of work: The 1950’s
Recommended Ages: 13-18
Locale: Plattstown (backdrop setting)
Principal Characters:
Dody Jenks , a high school senior who is facing all the social, physical, emotional, and economic problems of maturingMrs. Jenks , a full-time mother, wife, and community volunteerMr. Jenks , Dody’s father, who works for a construction company to provide for his wife, Dody, twelve-year-old Marge, Joyce the daughter-in-law, Larry the son who sells shoes, and Clement the grandsonSimon Roth , the boy with whom Dody falls in loveBen Youngs , Dody’s steady boyfriendMr. and Mrs. Mccambridge , who hire Dody to live in their home to take care of nine-year-old Donna
The Story
Pray, Love, Remember is a realistic story of emotions, family, friendship, and work. Although the story includes death (a common occurrence in books to achieve the maturity of the character), Dody, a high school senior, manages to deal positively with the tragedy and is able to continue with her life. The reader, therefore, is spared much emotion during Pray, Love, Remember.
Dody is the dynamic, changing character in Pray, Love, Remember. Her beginning actions (arguing with her older brother to the extent that he almost leaves; breaking a date to babysit when bribed to do so; refusing to give up her room when her brother, his wife, and their child move back; walking away in embarrassment when her mother begins to cough uncontrollably; dreaming of leaving Plattstown for her own advancement) are selfish. She admits to herself that she prefers a sweater to her brother and a jacket to her steady boyfriend. By the summer after her senior year she has begun to assume some responsibility: She agrees to get a job to help the family; she is a dependable governess; she puts others ahead of herself; and she even mends the relations with her brother.
Stolz’s narrator is omniscient: She is able to tell the reader the thoughts and actions of all the characters, especially those of Dody. By knowing their thoughts, seeing them in action, and hearing their conversations (which include slang), the reader becomes interested in them and their fates.
Dody manages to leave town after her senior year by agreeing to serve as a governess to a child at a summer home near the ocean. She puts the child’s every whim and need ahead of her own. Donna’s parents take advantage of Dody’s desire to do well by not offering her even a few hours off during the first several weeks. Finally, Dody manages to find an hour to herself while Donna naps and goes to the beach alone. Dody meets Simon Roth at the shore. They immediately strike up a conversation and find they want to see each other again. Dody begins to show maturity as she continues to care responsibly for her charge, but asks firmly but politely for some time off occasionally to spend with Simon. Mrs. McCambridge is uncomfortable that Dody is associating with someone renting one of those “wicked little cottages!” Through her relationship with Simon, who is Jewish, Dody realizes that she, too, has been a snob in the past. She says, “I had to meet a person I liked before I even tried to understand.”
When Simon is killed in a car crash, Dody discovers she has the strength to go on with her life. Dody realizes that she can do nothing about what has happened and reaches an acceptance. “The dawn was coming and the birds were pretty sure it should be greeted...and [she] accepted what the birds did. . . .” Dody’s change in values and priorities and her acceptance of death seem to provide a moral lesson for the reader.
The ending of Pray, Love, Remember (despite the death of Simon) is a happy one of a family reunited, a young girl with maturity and changed values, and a feeling of hope for the future.
Context
Bookfinder groups Pray, Love, Remember with Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms (1929). Stolz’s writing, however, ends on a more positive note, takes place some forty years later, and tells of the death of a young boy instead of a young girl. Another love story for young people that deals with the death of the male character is Bristow’s Jubilee Trail (1950). Like A Farewell to Arms, Jubilee Trail takes place during an earlier time. Norma Klein’s Sunshine (1971), also recommended for the young reader, takes place in the 1960’s and describes a marriage in which an eighteenyear-old wife and mother dies from cancer. Since she is aware of her illness, the mother records her thoughts on tape. Stolz’s character, however, dies suddenly; the reader is spared the excessive sentimentality present in Sunshine.
Pray, Love, Remember features the death of a main character, standard fare in many books that seek to bring about the maturity of a young person. Other books may even include the death of or separation from an animal to bring about this change from youth to maturity. Some of these animal books are Old Yeller (1956), Good-bye, My Lady (1954), Rascal (1963), A Day No Pigs Would Die (1972), Where the Red Fern Grows (1961), Biggest Bear (1952), The Yearling (1938), and Lad: A Dog (1919). In these books, the separation from or the death of the main character or of the animal enables a character to mature and to face problems in life. In Pray, Love, Remember, the main character’s acceptance of that which she cannot change (the death of Simon) enables the reader to see that the growth toward maturity will not be stunted.
The reviews of Pray, Love, Remember are mixed. Words like “mature approach,” “challenging,” “can take root in young people’s consciousness and achieve a measure of good,” “fine book,” “thought-provoking,” “sound realism,” contrast with other reviews saying “. . . may not be the best of this writer’s books for young people...,” “trite theme,” and “could be better handled.” The ultimate test on a market is whether it is read by the public. Pray, Love, Remember was widely read by the youthful audience.
Pray, Love, Remember is not Stolz’s only book for children and young people. She has written more than fifty books, which have been published in about thirty languages. Many of these have been published in Braille. When one is trying to list books about young love for young people, remember the book Pray, Love, Remember.