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A review by finesilkflower
Stacey vs. Claudia by Ann M. Martin
2.0
Stacey is immediately drawn to Jeremy Rudolph, the cute new Pacific Northwestern boy in school, but she encourages Claudia to go after him, as Claudia is single and Stacey is not: she has Ethan. Claudia is enthusiastic but enlists Stacey’s help, as she’s too nervous to manage on her own. Stacey accordingly invites Jeremy to go to a movie with her and Claudia, then gracefully bows out and plays sick, sending them off together.
In the midst of this, Stacey and Ethan are having relationship problems. Ethan has a new Sunday art class which cuts into the only time they could have spent together, and Stacey takes this as a sign that he’s losing interest. She wonders if she’s gotten involved with a workaholic, just like her mother did. Just as things seem to be coming together for Claudia and Jeremy, Stacey and Ethan break up.
Jeremy drops by after his date with Claudia to tell Stacey how sorry he is that she couldn’t come to the movie. He asks her to go out with him some other time. Stacey tells him she’d like to, but asks for time to think it over. Stacey asks for Claudia’s blessing, but Claudia, upset to find out that Jeremy doesn’t like her, refuses to give it. This is why you should never ask for permission, especially if you plan on going ahead and doing what you’re going to do anyway.
Stacey feels guilty, but doesn’t stop flirting with Jeremy, and becomes angry at Claudia when Claudia tells Jeremy that Stacey has a boyfriend. Stacey and Claudia has a huge fight, in which Stacey wounds Claudia by slamming her with the hard truth that, regardless of what Stacey does or does not do, Jeremy will NEVER like her.
In a last-minute page-count-padding twist, moments before Stacey is supposed to leave for her Big Date with Jeremy, Ethan shows up at her door and tries to win her back! She says no. So. There that is. Stacey goes on the date with Jeremy and has a good time.
A weird subplot has Stacey befriending Rachel Griffin, another new kid, sort of. She’s returning to Stoneybrook after moving away in sixth grade, conveniently before we joined the series. All the old-school BSCers hate Rachel, but Stacey likes her, leading her to conclude that people can change, but suggesting to us that Stacey has gone over to the dark side. Rachel and Stacey’s bonding over being so much more worldly than everyone else because they’ve lived in London and New York, respectively, and Rachel pushing an all’s-fair-in-love-and-war philosophy does nothing to discourage this reading.
There’s a sympathetic Stacey story in here somewhere. Fighting over a boy can certainly drive a wedge through a friendship, with both parties feeling high emotions and neither one being at fault. Stacey arguably did the right thing by asking for Claudia’s permission, and Claudia’s refusal to grant it is understandable too, but has that every swayed anyone? Stacey could have put a little more effort into refusing Jeremy’s advances after that, but when two people are attracted to each other, no promise is going to keep them apart. Stacey has a point that her dating or not dating Jeremy won’t change Jeremy’s (lack of) feelings for Claudia, and I even sympathize--in a wincing kind of way--with Stacey’s tactless way of putting that fact. However, Stacey’s obnoxious bonding with the redeeming-quality-free Rachel and her cavalier discarding of poor Ethan really make her seem hateful, even in her own book.
Timing: September
Revised Timeline: Third academic year postgrad. I guess Jeremy is the new boy in Claudia and Stacey’s--group of friends? workplace? regularly-scheduled social group (e.g. kickball team)?
In the midst of this, Stacey and Ethan are having relationship problems. Ethan has a new Sunday art class which cuts into the only time they could have spent together, and Stacey takes this as a sign that he’s losing interest. She wonders if she’s gotten involved with a workaholic, just like her mother did. Just as things seem to be coming together for Claudia and Jeremy, Stacey and Ethan break up.
Jeremy drops by after his date with Claudia to tell Stacey how sorry he is that she couldn’t come to the movie. He asks her to go out with him some other time. Stacey tells him she’d like to, but asks for time to think it over. Stacey asks for Claudia’s blessing, but Claudia, upset to find out that Jeremy doesn’t like her, refuses to give it. This is why you should never ask for permission, especially if you plan on going ahead and doing what you’re going to do anyway.
Stacey feels guilty, but doesn’t stop flirting with Jeremy, and becomes angry at Claudia when Claudia tells Jeremy that Stacey has a boyfriend. Stacey and Claudia has a huge fight, in which Stacey wounds Claudia by slamming her with the hard truth that, regardless of what Stacey does or does not do, Jeremy will NEVER like her.
In a last-minute page-count-padding twist, moments before Stacey is supposed to leave for her Big Date with Jeremy, Ethan shows up at her door and tries to win her back! She says no. So. There that is. Stacey goes on the date with Jeremy and has a good time.
A weird subplot has Stacey befriending Rachel Griffin, another new kid, sort of. She’s returning to Stoneybrook after moving away in sixth grade, conveniently before we joined the series. All the old-school BSCers hate Rachel, but Stacey likes her, leading her to conclude that people can change, but suggesting to us that Stacey has gone over to the dark side. Rachel and Stacey’s bonding over being so much more worldly than everyone else because they’ve lived in London and New York, respectively, and Rachel pushing an all’s-fair-in-love-and-war philosophy does nothing to discourage this reading.
There’s a sympathetic Stacey story in here somewhere. Fighting over a boy can certainly drive a wedge through a friendship, with both parties feeling high emotions and neither one being at fault. Stacey arguably did the right thing by asking for Claudia’s permission, and Claudia’s refusal to grant it is understandable too, but has that every swayed anyone? Stacey could have put a little more effort into refusing Jeremy’s advances after that, but when two people are attracted to each other, no promise is going to keep them apart. Stacey has a point that her dating or not dating Jeremy won’t change Jeremy’s (lack of) feelings for Claudia, and I even sympathize--in a wincing kind of way--with Stacey’s tactless way of putting that fact. However, Stacey’s obnoxious bonding with the redeeming-quality-free Rachel and her cavalier discarding of poor Ethan really make her seem hateful, even in her own book.
Timing: September
Revised Timeline: Third academic year postgrad. I guess Jeremy is the new boy in Claudia and Stacey’s--group of friends? workplace? regularly-scheduled social group (e.g. kickball team)?