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Post by BuckinghamAlice on Feb 21, 2012 20:41:05 GMT -5
I really liked Abby's book. This is only the third Abby book I've read (after Welcome to the BSC, Abby and Abby's Lucky Thirteen) and I've actually liked her in all those books, but I didn't care much for her in the other girls' books.
I almost cried reading about when her dad died. It took me back to when I lost my grandpa (who I was very close with as my parents are divorced and my dad lives across the country where I rarely get to visit). It obviously hurts any time you lose a loved one, but losing him so suddenly must have been just heart wrenching. It makes sense that the family is still coping and recovering in Welcome to the BSC, Abby.
I like her relationship with Anna a lot, but I have to agree that the stuff with their mom was a little forced and awkward. Jonathan was obviously closer with the girls while the mom focused more on her job. (Not that there's anything wrong with that, though.)
And this book sort of proved me a bit wrong about Abby. I thought her constant joking was a Chandler Bing style coping mechanism, but she's apparently always been like that.
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Post by virgoscorpio on Feb 22, 2012 0:44:37 GMT -5
^ One thing about Abby and Anna is where I like them a lot, and I do see them as being close, I didn't see them being *very* close. I always felt there was something between them that was slight tension or something unspoken. They don't strike me as being as close as some twins I know or even as close as my sister and I (who aren't twins, a year apart, but very much like twins). Maybe it was their differences?
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Post by BuckinghamAlice on Feb 26, 2012 2:23:50 GMT -5
^ Yeah, ITA. They definitely don't seem as close as you would think of some twins, but they still have a really great relationship. It's kind of an interesting take on the twin relationship... usually in books or movies, twins are either super close and finish each other's sentences or they're desperately trying to prove to the world that they're different people and have a sort of forced distance between them. I think these two were a lot closer when they were younger but drifted apart some as they got older because they were so different. But they still have a special relationship that doesn't quite compare to anything else in their lives.
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,234
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Post by oldhickory on Feb 26, 2012 15:56:09 GMT -5
^ i absolutely love that their relationship was like that. it would be too easy (and predictable) for the writers to make them the same -- like the pike triplets, the shalliber twins, the early arnold twins, etc. i know there are twins out there whose personalities are the same, but that isn't true for all twins, and plus there are a whole lot of siblings who aren't twins and who have the kind of relationship that abby and anna have.
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Post by virgoscorpio on Feb 26, 2012 20:47:34 GMT -5
^ Yeah, ITA. And also, it would probably make twins who are not as close relate to them more and not think they're "weird" twins.
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Post by sparklymouse on Dec 11, 2012 20:55:44 GMT -5
I expected great things from this one since so many people have said that it’s their favorite. It was too depressing for me. Abby said something at the end like “Maybe the autobiography I wrote is too sad, but my dad died and that is sad”. No argument on that one. From Birth to Backpack: I was surprised that Abby’s parents were surprised that the twins were a month early. Aren't multiple births pretty much always early? The girls sounded a lot like the Arnold twins in their early years. LOL at the creepy old lady twins that Abby and Anna still remembered years later. One thing that jumped out to me was when Abby said she didn't like the fact that people stared at twins. Sorry, Abby. I’m totally guilty of that. Red and Blue Just Won’t Do: All of the BSC have had some bad teachers! This woman just sounded stupid. “I don’t want a brick to fall on your head, so I have to be able to call out the right name.” Abby said that was in the actual letter that the teacher had sent home. If I were Abby’s parents I would have been “…wuh?” Abby’s classmates sounded like a bunch of little a-holes, too. One kid pointed at Anna, said that pink was for girls and blue was for boys, so “this one” must be a boy. Jerk. I hope Anna was allowed to grow her hair out if she ever wanted too. They were still doing the long hair twin/short hair twin seven years after the first haircut, so it made me wonder a little. Without Dad: I was expecting more stories with Dad. As everyone said, the story was so effective because everything about that day was so normal. Abby’s mom sounded a lot like Elizabeth after her divorce, except I assume Elizabeth burned Patrick’s bathrobe in the back yard rather than wear it creepily for four years. (Wasn't she still wearing it in one of Abby’s regular books?) The Shooting Star: This sounded like a perfectly nice vacation to me. The “new” New Year’s Eve traditions that they started weren't exactly creative. Grill out dinner, make special punch (orange and cranberry juices and ginger ale. Isn't that what every punch is?), share resolutions. I thought the shooting star at the end was cheesy. New Places, New Faces: The move to Stoneybrook was random. I hated that Abby’s mom didn't discuss a move with the twins or get their opinion on houses before she bought one. They handled it extremely well. I thought it was interesting that Abby could tell that Kristy liked Anna more and then put so much effort into making Kristy like her. She said “Every day I tried to make her laugh one more time than the day before”. That’s a little odd, but cute too. Abby’s book had a similar feel to Mary Anne’s. I appreciate that they went so deep and personal for a school assignment, but it made the stories drag on a bit too much. The fact that Abby wasn't a great student anyway and then procrastinated until the weekend before the paper was due made me think she got a pity A-. (I thought Anna’s one paragraph description of her paper sounded more creative and interesting than any of the books that we got to read.)
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Post by virgoscorpio on Dec 11, 2012 21:07:52 GMT -5
^ In regards to your question about twin births being born early: I've also heard that, too, so I agree that it really wasn't a huge surprise. But maybe she just added it in there for information sake. I was a single birth, born 3 months prematurely, and I would definitely add that into my biography.
The bath-robe: On one hand, I can understand why Rachel would have worn her husband's bath robe -- as a way to feel connected and close to him. But I think it would have been way too much for me. The daily reminder of him, especially something as personal as a bathrobe, wouldn't help me move forward.
Abby vs. Mary Anne's Book: I see what you mean when you say there's a similarity between them. However, at the same time, these books were soooo different to me. There was something about Abby's Portrait vibe. I don't know whether it was because it was published later, or what, but if has a more "loose" vibe to me. I don't know if this will make sense to anyone else :S
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Post by zoar3 on Dec 12, 2012 11:54:18 GMT -5
Mr. Stevenson, had he been alive and in the picture, could have helped bring Mary Anne and Richard closer together. I think he came across as a great dad, very vibrant, and involved. Richard, well, I just admire and feel so badly for him at the same time. Old story, won't drag all that up again, I promise. I just mean if Mary Anne had gotten to see how close Abby and Anna were to their dad regardless of whether he was single or married, it might have encouraged her and/or Richard to reach out more for one another. Probably still me wishing MA and Richard had been closer since I loved Richard before the ghosties "loosened" him up to the point of indifference. :/
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Post by virgoscorpio on Dec 12, 2012 16:54:28 GMT -5
^ I agree. If Mr. Stevenson was still alive during the series, I bet he would have been portrayed as one of the best dads.
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Post by sparklymouse on Dec 12, 2012 17:15:00 GMT -5
If Mr. Stevenson was alive then the family never would have had a reason to move to Stoneybrook. I didn't really understand how Mrs. Stevenson chose it anyway. Her friend from Stamford was like "move to this tiny town that I don't live in".
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Post by zoar3 on Dec 12, 2012 18:27:57 GMT -5
^What friend from Stamford?
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Post by anzuhana on Dec 12, 2012 18:50:41 GMT -5
^ Her best friend was called Amy Burke.
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Post by sparklymouse on Dec 12, 2012 19:21:12 GMT -5
^Yes, her friend, Amy, lived in Stamford. Mrs. Stevenson took Abby and Anna to visit Amy and her daughter shortly before she announced that they were moving. Amy took the Stevensons to lunch at a cafe in Stoneybrook.
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Post by zoar3 on Dec 12, 2012 23:26:54 GMT -5
^Thanks to both of you. I don't remember that at all!
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Post by anzuhana on Dec 13, 2012 9:08:21 GMT -5
^ I'm pretty Amy sure was mentioned only in this book, so if you haven't read this book recently, it's not surprising you wouldn't remember.
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