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the_herbal_carnivore's review against another edition
4.0
My children give it a higher rating than I; I think it was a 3.5 ☆ and my least favourite book in the series. There were several good moments throughout the book and it was cute how it ended where it began.
roseleaf24's review against another edition
5.0
I love the Penderwicks. Calm and loving family, but quickly paced book and constant fun and laughter. In this book,been see the family grow and come together in wonderful ways. I love how Birdsall has aged her characters according to time passing, but still has a main character who is most relatable to the target age group. I love seeing the little girls from the first book grown up, and the honest look at the lives they have chosen.
katiebtatton's review against another edition
4.0
Sweet and funny, but it didn't have the one perfect line that I've found in the other books in the series. The addition of Alice and Jack's sibling relationship in contrast to the way the Penderwicks took care of each other made me sad.
aelane23's review against another edition
4.0
A good end to the series. I would have liked more bows tied up at the end, but that's just me. :)
guk's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this series and the time span that allowed the children to grow into their distinct personalities.
twicebaked's review against another edition
1.0
I'm so confused lol
There are a lot of spoilers ahead and I'm sure anyone who read [b:The Penderwicks in Spring|22693811|The Penderwicks in Spring (The Penderwicks, #4)|Jeanne Birdsall|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407711827l/22693811._SX50_.jpg|26186166] will have a premonition about what's coming, but if that book hasn't spoiled anything for you, stop while you're ahead.
Here are my issues with the book, apologies in advance for how many times I repeat myself, I am not cut out for reviews.
Spoiler
- 1. Dùšek has no character. You don't know anything about him, how he and Skye met, or how (perhaps why) they got together...only that he's from the Czech Republic and has four siblings. I kept getting the feeling that Dùšek was introduced simply to get Skye out of the way so that Batty could marry Jeffrey. It felt forced to bring in a brand new character in the very last book, to marry off Skye. It read more like a Baffrey fan fic and less like a series finale.
- 2. Jeffrey has SO MUCH (more) personality (than Dùšek), and a huge connection with Skye - an incredible friendship through the whole series, and they're constantly there for each other. Why Birdsall wrote their relationship like this only to split them up is beyond me, but the entire thing feels forced and unnatural. You can't expect the same level of affection we have towards Jeffrey to automatically be transferred to a brand new character simply because we're told that Skye likes him better than Jeffrey. Let's be honest, Batty was a side character until book four, it wouldn't feel like Birdsall was trying to get her out of the way like it did with Skye.
- 3. Lots of people would argue with me on this one, but the series has been centered around Skeffrey and their relationship since book one, Birdsall has really been milking it, so what was the point? Why would you string us along this whole time. (proof:
Spoiler
Point Mouette: pages 78-79, 116, 117, 199, 230-238, 241-242, 244, 258-260, 282-283. If you think that's not enough, point me to the places in the book where Batty and Jeffrey have [more] chemistry, I'm interested in what you think. I'd also have proof from the other books, but those are the ones I have written down. If I get a chance to reread the series and write down more proof, I'll come back and update the list.- 4. Why is Skye getting married at Arundel...but not to Jeffrey. And Rosalind getting married...but not to Cagney. Weird decision. Seems awkward to get married in a place where the memories are filled with you being love-smitten (Rosalind) or loved (Skye) with/by someone else. Tommy never even saw Arundel, has no connection to it - why wouldn't you choose somewhere you share memories of (for example, the place he proposed)? Jeffrey's memories are his being love-smitten with Skye, and growing up under the wing of a helicopter mom. Good times. Why make him relive that, at your wedding to someone else? Oh and then there's Dùšek, whoops forgot about him (wOnDeR wHy), but Dùšek is the other fiancé marrying a girl who was running around w a different guy the last time she visited. Doesn't that seem like a serious lack of judgement on their part? Did Birdsall even think about the setting, or was it purely for nostalgia?
- 5. The whole book felt like Pride and Prejudice (I kept expecting Skye to suddenly realize Jeffrey is The One - even though his mother would write him out of the will, etc. like Lady Catherine), especially in the first and fifth books. It centers a lot around Skeffrey, and apparently for absolutely no reason. Except maybe to get us to buy the next book. (if you want a comparison of similarities,
Spoiler
the first is my compilation and the second is another Skeffrey fanhttps://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/19347913-little-women-vs-penderwicks-all-the-similarities?comment=180830509#top
- and -
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/19310661-literature-references-lw-theory
- 6. Skye is so different. No longer funny, really quiet (and when she does speak, she talks like Jane of all people - see #9), doesn't even come into the story much, even though she was p much the MC until book 4 (which is when Skye's character changed so abruptly and she became really rude to Jeffrey. I'm betting that's bc Birdsall was tryna make Batty's character more sympathetic so that the Skeffrey shippers would start shipping Baffrey instead, which is such a cop out).
- 7. Batty seems to genuinely care for Wesley, so why the sudden maybe-I-want-Jeffrey-instead? Again, an abrupt change in affection for absolutely no logical, realistic reason. With a smoother, realistic transition, I'd actually be open to it because it would be convincing. This just felt like poor writing.
- 8. Again, why does Jeffrey have way more personality than Dùšek, if we're supposed to support Skye's new dude? Birdsall makes it incredibly difficult to like him. He speaks ONCE - in Czech. You can't even tell what he's saying. Which reminds me...
- 9. Since when can Skye speak another language?
(someone translated what they said on pg 279 and I dare you to tell me this doesn't sound like Jane.)
Spoiler
Dùšek:
"Poj' k mne, ty moje mala morska hvezdice."
"Come to me, my shooting star."
Skye:
"Chvili na me pockej, Dusku."
"In a moment, wait for me."
Dùšek:
"Honem. Styska se mi."
'Come on. I miss you."
Skye:
"Ano. I do too."
"Yes. I do too."