A.M. P.M. Lovetime

Addie Mandell is recovering from having her appendix removed when a clown stops by her hospital room to cheer her up. She falls in love with his routine, a romantic vignette. Peter Michaelson is that clown, and long after he takes off his makeup, he is still thinking about Addie. But they didn't even exchange words, let alone phone numbers. Now the reader is set up for a comedy of errors, where Addie searches for her clown, and Peter searches for his patient. But it doesn't happen. They find each other, fall in love and stay in love. A little conflict occurs over who has the most honest best friend, and they both suffer from their families' small apartments and a lack of privacy, but that's nothing. This is a look at an ordinary romance; it's gentle and likable, but there isn't much of a story here. (12-up)