R osie Meyers bears more than a little resemblance to Isaacs's other heroines. Like them, she is a keen observer with a buoyant charm, seeing the humor in situations where others might find only despair. And of course she shares some details of identity with them: ethnicity (Jewish), residence (Long Island), and class (upper- middle professional).

Beyond these similarities, there are also some differences. Perhaps because of her position as role model to high school students, she is not so inclined to spout offhand comments; she usually thinks before she speaks. And perhaps because she has negotiated more of life's passages, with reasonable success, she lacks Judith Singer's restlessness or Marcia Green's uncertainty about her own achievements. She is not poised on an invisible brink, ready for events that will change her own selfimage as well as her life. Indeed, if Richie's murder had not occurred, she would...