CANDY KANE by Janet Lambert

I got to listen to CANDY KANE this summer read by the inimitable Lady Chardonnay as we cut cross country. She is a wonder at reading aloud and before she began she told me that many people she knows consider this one of Lambert's weaker outings. However, she said she loves it because to her it shows how an emotionally abused girl overcomes the expectations of others through her innate kindness. With that in mind, I fell in love with Candy as well.
There was some silliness in the reading - we cussed out Barton for his baby-man shenanigans, we saluted Major Kane every time his rank was mentioned, we bonded over our loathing of Leigh and Marcia. But ultimately we enjoyed this trip into a world where problems can be solved with a permanent wave and some singing talent and where matchmaking is always a good idea.
Last week, when I was rereading this, I annotated my copy with all my opinions about the goings on and someday I may make those amazing insights public. But for now I will talk about those covers. 
Holy cow!
The paperback cover looks downright salacious! Candy looks like a girl on the make. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Sure, she learns a bit how to work those feminine wiles by the end. But our Candy is really a stalwart little soldier with a heart of gold. 
The other two covers are more in keeping with the book. She has her braids and her sensible shoes, but those braids are neat, and she is cute, and she even has the option of two different outfits!
The story is that Candy is the daughter of a successful businessman who gets called up to active duty in the early days of WWII. Her mother is a trophy wife of epic proportion and her older sister is a shallow socialite. 
Candy and her dad move to Georgia to a military post while mom (who is never called mom, but rather Marcia because she is a cold bitch who is obsessed with her beauty) and sis (the less said about her the better) stay home and close up the apartment and farm. 
Candy meets the family next door - warm, loving mom who shows Candy what good parenting looks like, new best friend Anne and whiny mansplaining Barton. 
There is also Cleoretta, the friendly cook/housekeeper and Nana, Candy's childhood nanny who is a source of love, comfort and wisdom.
Candy meets a soldier (with whom she shares NO romantic interest) and fixes him up with the pure-of-hear Jane. When sister Leigh finds out that he is richie-rich-rich she tries to steal him away, but good sense and true love prevail and Candy ends up singing at a talent show and in the process learns how to be more "grown up", alas...
The emotional abuse Candy suffers from her mother is real. There is no love there, only nagging and and real fear. I honestly don't know if Lambert was aware of how vicious Marcia is to her daughter. (Don't worry, in WOAH MATILDA she is a changed lady and things seem to be going well. Barton is the problem in that book. Well, Barton and war...) It is a bit too easy how quickly Marcia begins to appreciate Candy when Candy becomes more feminine and shows a talent for singing. It is really her kindness that makes her worthy of having a book named after her. But, whatever...
I loved this book. I am a Candy fan and I loved having the opportunity to have the book read to me and then go back again and make sure it was just as good as I remember. It was!