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3.21 AVERAGE
3.21 AVERAGE
I will straight-up say I would have enjoyed this a lot more had I not gotten so caught up in the Traveling Pants series.
For me, this was a little like a next-generation re-do of the first series. It's sweet in the right places, it shares the same core message of healthy female friendship, but it just didn't have the same impact.
Part of the problem was the reader. This genre is not her forte; she'd do better with single-main-character domestic fiction or love stories. In fact, I didn't know Polly's name was Polly until I saw it typed here because the reader usually sounded like she was saying "Holly." I would have preferred multiple readers who had a real sense of their characters, giving each girl a unique voice and personality.
Even so, I don't think that would have totally saved the book. That spark just wasn't there for me. I got the point of the willows. I got the point of growing apart and coming back together. I just never really clicked with any of the girls or their summer adventures. I also found the trackbacks to the TP series to be both gratuitous and distracting, which is something addressed in the interview after the story. The publisher/interviewer loves the idea and the author wanted to have the connection between all the girls because she likes it when that happens in the books she reads. It appears we have different perspectives on the topic.
For me, this was a little like a next-generation re-do of the first series. It's sweet in the right places, it shares the same core message of healthy female friendship, but it just didn't have the same impact.
Part of the problem was the reader. This genre is not her forte; she'd do better with single-main-character domestic fiction or love stories. In fact, I didn't know Polly's name was Polly until I saw it typed here because the reader usually sounded like she was saying "Holly." I would have preferred multiple readers who had a real sense of their characters, giving each girl a unique voice and personality.
Even so, I don't think that would have totally saved the book. That spark just wasn't there for me. I got the point of the willows. I got the point of growing apart and coming back together. I just never really clicked with any of the girls or their summer adventures. I also found the trackbacks to the TP series to be both gratuitous and distracting, which is something addressed in the interview after the story. The publisher/interviewer loves the idea and the author wanted to have the connection between all the girls because she likes it when that happens in the books she reads. It appears we have different perspectives on the topic.
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants has been a series that has surprised me. I went into it thinking it would be a light fluffy summer read and end up loving it so much and really feeling like it spoke to me. I have been putting off finishing the series because I knew this was a side story that didn't feature any of the main girls from the main series. My hesitation was proven accurate. I didn't connect with these girls as much as the first group, I'm not sure why. I enjoyed the story, but it just didn't have the "punch" that the others had for me.
That being said, I did enjoy the idea that the original Sisterhood kind of took on a mythical status in their hometown/school among younger girls. That was an interesting perspective that I could definitely see actually playing out. The themes of sisterhood and self discovery were still very strong and definitely the saving grace of the story.
Overall, this series will stay as an unexpected favorite and hold a special place on my bookshelves for years to come. Maybe, someday, if I have a daughter, I will pass these on to her to enjoy when the time is right.
That being said, I did enjoy the idea that the original Sisterhood kind of took on a mythical status in their hometown/school among younger girls. That was an interesting perspective that I could definitely see actually playing out. The themes of sisterhood and self discovery were still very strong and definitely the saving grace of the story.
Overall, this series will stay as an unexpected favorite and hold a special place on my bookshelves for years to come. Maybe, someday, if I have a daughter, I will pass these on to her to enjoy when the time is right.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Eating disorder
Minor: Bullying
Similar to her Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, Brashares weaves the story of three lifelong friends as they spend their summer vacations separated (in more ways than one).
Jo, Ama, and Polly planted willow saplings early in their friendship and see them as a symbol of their lives. As they've grown older their friendship has started to strain and they've started to grow apart. The summer after their eighth grade year the three girls are all headed in different directions - Jo to the beach, Ama to an academic camp, and Polly plans to spend the summer babysitting. Again, similarly to Sisterhood, the girls all learn valuable lessons as the summer progresses.
Side note: it's also fun to see secondary characters from the Sisterhood series make appearances.
Jo, Ama, and Polly planted willow saplings early in their friendship and see them as a symbol of their lives. As they've grown older their friendship has started to strain and they've started to grow apart. The summer after their eighth grade year the three girls are all headed in different directions - Jo to the beach, Ama to an academic camp, and Polly plans to spend the summer babysitting. Again, similarly to Sisterhood, the girls all learn valuable lessons as the summer progresses.
Side note: it's also fun to see secondary characters from the Sisterhood series make appearances.
Good book. make sure you read the Sisterhood books before you read this. it takes place in the same town and makes references to the Sisterhood books without having them be the main characters.
I really liked the Traveling Pants Books, but I was not super impressed by this one. It took me awhile to get into it and I never felt fully connected to the characters, but I did become more engaged with it towards the end.
I liked the Sisterhood books so I decided to pick this up. I really enjoyed this book. It reminds me what true friends go through and how they grow apart sometimes. Yep its a Young Adult book but the story is great.
It was good..but it could not measure up to the Sisterhood Novels. Really, its a good book if you're looking for something short and meaningless(when viewed while your reading it) its a good book. But..if you want something as meaningful and connected as the REAL Sisterhood..then you should just read the Sisterhood..
Let me start by saying that if you're expecting this book to have anything to do with the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants aside from a very minor, tangential plot thread, you're going to be disappointed. You may even be a little angry at Ann Brashares for so clearly selling out. I mean, come on. The Sisterhood is not growing with this book. If anything, the Sisterhood is dying a little inside over the saccharine-sweet plot/themes/characters of its "companion novel".
Still...I didn't hate it. Yes, Brashares threw everything but the kitchen sink at us here (perhaps knowing it was her last hurrah so, what the hell, let's put in every trite and ill-conceived plot point known to man and call it a day). And yes, her delivery was so dumbed down at points that I was offended both on my own behalf and on behalf of the Sisterhood with which this book is associated. For some reason, though, I found myself wanting to wrap my arms around these characters at the end and coo, "There, there now. Everything's ok. You made it through." And I'm not just talking about their problems.
So...meh? But I guess meh is better than pure disgust. I feel like Brashares should be happy with that.
Still...I didn't hate it. Yes, Brashares threw everything but the kitchen sink at us here (perhaps knowing it was her last hurrah so, what the hell, let's put in every trite and ill-conceived plot point known to man and call it a day). And yes, her delivery was so dumbed down at points that I was offended both on my own behalf and on behalf of the Sisterhood with which this book is associated. For some reason, though, I found myself wanting to wrap my arms around these characters at the end and coo, "There, there now. Everything's ok. You made it through." And I'm not just talking about their problems.
So...meh? But I guess meh is better than pure disgust. I feel like Brashares should be happy with that.
Fun, light read, but not great. Sisterhood is way better..even by the fourth book
Listened to it on my ipod. A fun read. Nice to see some familiar characters in a different setting.