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A Slice of Life
by Francine Brokaw
Home School by Charles Webb
If you think the name Charles Webb sounds familiar, it is. This is the man that wrote the bestseller The Graduate, almost fifty years ago. And even if you didn’t read the book, odds are that you saw the 1967 movie. Who doesn’t remember Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock, the college graduate who returns home to indecision about his life, and finds his parents’ friend, Mrs. Robinson willing to give him some guidance? However, Ben fell in love with Elaine Robinson, to the dismay of Mrs. Robinson, who, along with her husband Mr. Robinson, did everything they could to keep the two young lovers apart.
Home School is the sequel to this story. If you recall, Benjamin whisked Elaine away from her wedding at the end of the movie. This story takes up several years later and fills in the missing pieces. (Rent the movie if you are confused about the original story.)
Elaine’s father died, leaving her his suburban house in New York. Because of a lot of discourse between Elaine and her mother, the Braddock’s decided to move across the country from California to New York to get away from Mrs. Robinson.
The Braddock’s have two young sons whom they insist on home schooling. This causes an uproar in the local school system. At the time, home schooling was a new idea and not widely accepted. But Elaine and Benjamin know they can do a better job at preparing their sons for life than the local school, and are really good at it. Everything is going along fine until the principal insists the boys return to school. They are given only a few days to get their boys back in school. Without being able to think of any other solution, Ben calls on his mother-in-law for some help. And the old Mrs. Robinson from the past comes out to do her part for her family, while at the same time planning on staying there after the deed is done, to the surprise of Ben and Elaine.
The story continues as Mrs. Robinson moves in and overstays her welcome. Although the actors from the movie are older now, and Anne Bancroft who played Mrs. Robinson is no longer living, it’s easy for readers to visualize these actors reprising their characters as the story unfolds.
Ben invites another home schooling family to visit for awhile. These people are free spirits and their children still nurse from their mother, even though they are not babies, or even toddlers. Their visit does not sit well with Mrs. Robinson, however in characteristic form, she finds a way to get along with them. After all, she is Mrs. Robinson. And what does this woman do better than anything else? Seduce, seduce, seduce.
Benjamin’s quick repartee with his mother-in-law is priceless. The fast-paced dialogue is witty and wonderful. The characters interact without missing a beat.
While this story is not as striking as the original, it does add another chapter to the characters that have been living in our heads without closure for decades. The movie Rumor Has It attempted to follow up on the characters, but the original author, Charles Webb, now takes his famous characters into a new dimension, his way.
Home School is fun for those who thoroughly enjoyed reading the original book. And who knows, perhaps this one will make it to the big screen too. It is not as absorbing as the original story, but who can resist? Here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson. Again.
© 2008 Francine Brokaw
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