lilafowler
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,163
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Post by lilafowler on Jul 3, 2006 12:39:41 GMT -5
Sometimes I think we should have a separate place for the non-book-specific BSC discussions, because this doesn't exactly seem to fit here with all of the individual book talk. Anyway, I was inspired by this comment of macca's in the Kristy and the Baby Parade thread:
It's pretty much undeniable that the quality of the earlier books is better than that of the later ones -- Kristy's Big Day would wipe the floor with Claudia's Big Party -- but do you think it can be pinpointed exactly where the series started to slide? I don't think it was entirely the fault of the ghostwriters, since AMM wrote Graduation Day and I found that book to be pretty lame, except for the fact that it was, you know, the last of a 213-book project.
I think it's interesting that #45 was suggested as the point where the books' quality dropped, because before when I tried to pick out the book where it happened, I chose #46, Mary Anne Misses Logan. I thought it was unrealistic that MA and Logan would get back together.
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starrynight
Sitting For The Kuhns
The Royal Diner of Pizza Express
Posts: 4,004
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Post by starrynight on Jul 3, 2006 12:53:32 GMT -5
Hmmm....I remember "Get Well Soon, Mallory" as being the book that first made me think the BSC was getting lame when I was a kid. I think it was probably more of a slow decline rather than one book that was just terrible.
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Post by sotypical42483 on Jul 3, 2006 13:27:05 GMT -5
I haven't read all the later books, but I'll chime in anyway. Although there are certainly books with lame plots, I don't think it means the entire SERIES went downhill. IDK, maybe I'm just too nostalgic, cause I still love even the later books I've read.
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Post by greer on Jul 3, 2006 15:41:13 GMT -5
I think I'm the only person in the fandom who prefers the later books. Sure, they're lower quality, but if I wanted to read quality I'd read something else. I just find them more interesting for some reason. Maybe because they're the books that were coming out when I was actually buying them, because I started reading in 1992.
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lilafowler
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,163
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Post by lilafowler on Jul 3, 2006 16:15:59 GMT -5
I agree with you -- the later books are more interesting! They got more and more unrealistic, but obviously, it would be boring to read about the actual lives of eighth graders.
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Post by sparklymouse on Jul 3, 2006 19:21:56 GMT -5
I don't remember the exact name of it (Stacey's Big Crush?), but #65 was the last book I read before I decided to stop with the series. The series had been going for about five years before I started reading them, but I had run to the book store each month for books 36-65. I remember getting a bit bored with 60 and above. I honestly don't know if they were getting sucky or if I was getting too "cool" for them. Now I've collected a ton of the later books and am looking forward to reading them whether they're crappy or not.
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Jul 3, 2006 20:55:32 GMT -5
Mind you, there is still crap pre-#45.
For instance, Jessi and the Superbrat? Hardly a masterpiece. Dawn and the Older Boy? Somewhat enjoyable, but pretty far-fetched, unrealistic and badly written.
Hmmmm, come to think of it, there isn't one point where the books quality started to slide. There were plenty of earlier ones that totally sucked and plenty of later ones which are great. I think just every now and then, Ann and her ghosties came out with a shocker.
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jen
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,156
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Post by jen on Jul 6, 2006 6:43:34 GMT -5
Greer!! I like the later ones better than the early ones! The ones that I reread the most are from the 30s onward, so I don't really know the first 30 that well, despite them being the originals. A lot of my favourites come from the end, and I think there are some later books that are well written. Despite the absolutely horrible ones, like Claudia's Big Party and Stacey McGill... Matchmaker?, there are some good ones at the end (I quite liked Jessi's Big Break and The All-New Mallory Pike). I actually thought the writing style/voice got a bit higher-quality in the later books... But maybe that's just me.
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Jul 6, 2006 22:02:31 GMT -5
I have to admit, the later ones ARE actually more enjoyable. Maybe its the plots or something? But I feel the early Ann-written ones were technically of higher quality.
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Post by morbiddadestiny on Jul 6, 2006 22:46:01 GMT -5
i like a lot of the later ones too. they're much juicier. i think that overall, there are many books scattered throughout the series that are useless and kind of suck. but there's no one specific point where it all went downhill.
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Post by greer on Jul 6, 2006 23:09:53 GMT -5
I feel a lot better now. I always feel like such a weirdo because most people in the fandom love the Ann-written ones and really hate on the ghostwriters. I mean, let's face it, Ann's no Dostoevsky. She's not even a Judy Blume or Beverly Cleary.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2006 23:40:43 GMT -5
I enjoy the better writing and detail of the early books, and I enjoy the kind of more “modern” feel of the later ones. I think it’s the middle section that’s kind of lame.
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lilafowler
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,163
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Post by lilafowler on Jul 6, 2006 23:49:54 GMT -5
^Yeah, that's a good point. The middle ones are dated AND don't attempt character development. They just sort of suck.
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Jul 7, 2006 5:44:13 GMT -5
^ totally agree re middle books. When they became solely ghostwritten they actually improved! Strange. Of course, certain ghostwriters were better than others.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2006 7:03:05 GMT -5
The last book Ann wrote was #58, Stacey’s Choice.
I agree that later book were more interesting, but pre-58 most of the duds imo were ghostwritten, IMO.
Some the “duds” pre-58:
Jessi Ramsey Pet Sitter (Ann) Dawn on the Coast (Jan Carr) Jessi and the Superbrat (Jan Carr) Stacey and the Mystery of Stoneybrook (Ellen Miles) Dawn and the Older Boy (Mary Lou Kennedy) Kristy and the Baby Parade (Ellen Miles) Mary Ann Misses Logan (Ann) Dawn’s Big Date (Susan Weyn) Dawn Saves the Planet (Jahnna Beecham and Malcolm Hillgartner)
There are others, I’m sure, but almost all Jessi books are boring anyway. And yeah the books were solely ghostwritten for a while, but I really don’t think they improved until a good time had passed since Ann stopped writing them (with some exceptions in-between). Once the books became less dated and more modern, they got better.
Finally, I don’t know that I’d dismiss Ann’s ability as a writer. The Baby-Sitters Club is meant to be fluff. Ann did win a Newberry Honor for a non-BSC book. And from what I’ve heard about the California Diary where Mrs. Winslow dies, it’s one of the best, Ann wrote that.
I just feel the need to defend Ann, a little. I don’t think she was trying to put her best writing forward with the BSC. She was just trying to get the books out.
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