Penny Lane
Sitting For The Arnolds
The Girl With Colitis Goes By
Posts: 2,888
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Post by Penny Lane on Mar 15, 2008 12:11:04 GMT -5
I just reread, and I have to say that I hate how Mary Anne acted. Yes, it was not nice of Dawn to tell Kristy first -- but she had a reason, she tried to explain, and Mary Anne just freaked out, and then acted passive aggressive for 90% of the time she had left with Dawn. I can't believe the parents didn't catch on and try to intervene. I also don't know what it was so difficult for Dawn to find alone time with someone she lives with. It's not like they are in college and can just avoid each other by sleeping at their boyfriend's houses. No, they live together and are 13 years old. The subplot was weird. I feel like they keep revisiting the broken bone scenario, and it's just not interesting anymore. What could be interesting would be the visit from CPS after a child broke a bone at a house with 10 children and no parents. Also: Ben and Mallory. Their phone call seemed so weird. "What can we do?" "I wish we could go swmming" "I know, let's baby-sit!" Because that's exactly what 11 year old boys want to do. I liked the chapters about Dawn packing to move. I've moved a lot, and I'm currently in the process of trying to figure out how to move from Michigan to Washington State, without a car. Let me tell you, it's not easy trying to decide what you should take and what should stay at your parents house. I mean, yeah, the stuff might still be there and you will visit, but you know that it won't be your home anymore. And that's hard to decide what mementoes to take and what to get rid of. I also, like Dawn, have a problem with throwing things away because it seems so wasteful. I really am a lot like Dawn, except I don't like southern California very much.
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Post by aln1982 on Mar 15, 2008 16:37:09 GMT -5
^ I haven't read this one for a while but remember feeling the same way about MA. She often irritates me with her lack of communication because I think she creates a lot of her own problems. I would assume their parents did catch on but wanted to let them "work it out" on their own. ;D I never really liked it, though, that Dawn and MA didn't seem to totally make up at the end of this book - though I think that's definitely understandable. Once a relationship is wounded, it can't be repaired without scars (not to sound cliche.... ;D) I need to reread now as I don't remember the packing at all. Good luck with your move, PennyLane! Where are you going in WA?
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Post by m0drnmoonlight on Jun 4, 2008 17:44:32 GMT -5
I waver back and forth with Dawn. Sometimes I like her, other times she's whiny and annoying and too preachy with her environmental rants. She was a favorite of mine when I was younger, but I don't really remember freaking out much when she left. And I'd think Kristy would be FUMING if she was leaving, because that would mean one less babysitter! I know she was really pissed off when Dawn left in #67.
Mary Anne was insane in this book, though I do see why she'd freak out. Still, she takes things way to the extreme. However, the teacup smashing is made of so much win hahhaha.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2008 21:33:21 GMT -5
I hated how this book seemed to drag on ad on. Dawn makes her decison in the first chapter and its like after that there is no climax
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courtky10
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,125
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Post by courtky10 on Jun 11, 2008 21:35:28 GMT -5
I thought the plot and subplot of this book were both boring.
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Post by booboobrewer on Jun 11, 2008 22:12:21 GMT -5
I always want to reach through the book and shake some sense into Mary Anne. I can identify with the way she's acting--feeling hurt about something but being pretty bitchy about it too, and not wanting to work things out--but I just want to tell her that it's all for the best to forgive/make up! Especially when Dawn makes that nice meal for the two of them.
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Post by liss31d on Jun 22, 2008 8:19:14 GMT -5
I have to say that I do feel awful for Mary Anne in this book. The reason is because she was very supportive of Dawn leaving for 6 months to be with her Dad and brother and she was never passive aggressive or explicitly angry at Dawn for wanting to leave to California. BUT in this book, after having been told by Dawn a million times before that she was definitely coming back and then realising that Kristy, Claudia, Stacey, Robert and Logan knew Dawn was leaving before she did... bloody hell I would have smashed that mug as well! She must have really missed Dawn those 6 months she was awat, but she coped with it, knew she could trust her to come home and often defended Dawn when the BSC were acting very sceptical about Dawn coming back.
I don't think the way she behaved throughout the book was pleasant at all. Passive aggressive behaviour can be irritating but it was very clear that she felt really hurt about the situation. She had been so excited about getting a sibling for the first time... then eventually she practically ends up an only child again... Also I imagine Mary Anne felt that Dawn leaving was personal as well. That she preferred her California friends to her... which sadly does happen in California Diaries.
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Post by sparklymouse on Aug 30, 2008 14:02:02 GMT -5
I've wanted to smash things more than once, so I have no issue with Mary Anne throwing a coffee mug. (As long as she cleaned it up. Wouldn't want Tiggy-Tiggy to cut his little paw on anything.) Mary Anne ended up having to move out of her childhood home for no reason and all she ended up with was a flaky step-mother. Heck, I'd throw a mug and maybe a plate too.
It's funny how everyone acted like Mary Anne was the last to know about the move. Uh, Mal and Jessi found out later at a club meeting and they were all "You need to be happy. Bye." Heh.
I liked the contrast of Jessi's long meaningful letter to Dawn (and she even sent it before Dawn left so it would be waiting for her!) and Claudia's little letter ending with an apology for smushing chocolate on it.
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supprazz
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,106
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Post by supprazz on Sept 15, 2008 7:01:06 GMT -5
I thought Mary Anne was such a b*tch in this book, I didn't feel sorry for her at all. She was being selfish and even had the nerve to leave the party with Logan or something like that. She could have warmed up when Dawn made her that nice dinner, but she was being an uptight b*tch. Didn't she want to spend the last few days with Dawn having fun? I'm glad at least her family and the rest of the BSC supported her decision.
I used to whine about Dawn for years, but now I think Mary Anne is the bigger drama queen, and I can see where Dawn is coming from sometimes.
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fluffycakes
Junior Sitter
A silken-haired beauty with a laugh like pealing bells
Posts: 868
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Post by fluffycakes on Sept 15, 2008 22:26:46 GMT -5
Yeah I pity Mary Anne in this book. Dawn is such a obnoxious brat. All that coast hopping Actually, I can understand where Dawn's coming from. I can completely understand what it's like to feel like you have two homes in two completely different places. You never feel 100% completely happy in one place, because you miss the people and things from your other home. But when you go there, you miss the people and things you left behind. It's frustrating. I don't see it as brattiness - I think it's just human nature to feel like that under the circumstances. But that's just my opinion. Mary Anne annoyed me in this book. I can understand why her feelings were hurt, and we all know that Mary Anne doesn't do well when trying to express herself, but she really got on my nerves. However, the mug-smashing incident is epic, so I guess I can forgive her for her passive-aggressiveness for most of the book. ;D I don't care for the subplot. To be honest I've never read it in its entirety. The Christmas in July idea is cute, but...I just don't care for the whole thing.
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supprazz
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,106
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Post by supprazz on Sept 17, 2008 8:38:10 GMT -5
I thought Christmas in July was cute, I liked reading about the fake snow and the part with the presents.
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wanderingfrog
Sitting For The Arnolds
Official BSC Archivist
Posts: 2,552
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Post by wanderingfrog on Sept 18, 2008 19:04:53 GMT -5
I used to whine about Dawn for years, but now I think Mary Anne is the bigger drama queen, and I can see where Dawn is coming from sometimes. In general, it's Dawn that I can't stand, but MA is frequently a total beeyotch in interactions with Dawn. They definitely bring out the worst in each other. They're supposedly super-close best friends, but they're constantly fighting. They're frenemies.
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supprazz
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,106
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Post by supprazz on Sept 19, 2008 7:01:40 GMT -5
Yeah I agree that when they are fighting, they're horrible to each other! I wanted to slap Dawn when she told Mary Anne she had a boy haircut and clown makeup and then blamed it on being jealous of her and her dad. Mary Anne and Dawn remind me so much of my cousin and I who felt like my sister when we were younger, she was like Dawn when she had to criticize everything, act holier than thou like she's always right and get jealous and throw out insults as a result; and I was the shy and sensitive one, but when I was mad, I threw a scene as mary ann would so I still have a soft spot for mary anne although I think she overdoes it sometimes like with rubbing in that she has Logan and saying her skirt looks tight on her and stuff like that.
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Post by virgoscorpio on Nov 21, 2008 23:02:38 GMT -5
I kind of saw Mary Anne's point in this. I felt a bit sympathetic to her in reading this. Everyone has to realize that, sometimes, it's harder for the person who is not making the decision because they don't have that sense of control. In fact, Mary Anne has no control over the situation and that in itself is frustrating (in addition to being sad about the situation).
Also, Mary Anne not reacting so heavily - meaning, not saying such a heartfelt goodbye to Dawn - is kind of pointless. Especially since Dawn makes a point of saying, several times throughout this book, that she will be back to visit at Christmas and during the summer. So technically, saying such a big goodbye isn't needed (because it's not, in fact, goodbye). Perhaps Mary Anne not reacting as much was her way of trying to make it not such a big deal so she wouldn't breakdown and be completely unhappy and depressed when Dawn was gone.
Perhaps because the book was narrated by Dawn, we didn't get much of Mary Anne's side.
What I disliked about this book was the lack-of-lead-up. Was it just me or did Dawn wanting to move come really suddenly in this book. In MY opinion, it was like, "Bam! Dawn wants to move." I think the BSC authors could have utilized this a bit more in previous books as a follow-up. It maybe would have made it seem more realistic. Because, a part of me thought this book was pretty sudden and fast-pased (which isn't necessarily a bad thing).
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Post by luckymojo on Nov 23, 2008 21:30:40 GMT -5
^ Ann doesn't hate MA...
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