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Post by sparklymouse on Feb 22, 2013 20:43:33 GMT -5
^Mind explaining that statement a little further?
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Post by candykane on Feb 22, 2013 21:01:48 GMT -5
I'd be interested in hearing more about that as well...
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Post by greer on Feb 23, 2013 3:46:48 GMT -5
Yeah, uh, what???
DM always seemed like a "band-aid" baby to me.
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Post by thejunkbucket on Oct 14, 2015 15:51:09 GMT -5
Okay, I know this was ghostwritten, but d**n! Ann had some serious man issues. Could Kristy's father have been any more of a bastard? FFS! The guy apparently didn't even pay child support?! How did he get around that? I'm sure there's a horde of irresponsible deadbeats who want to know his secret. If I recall, you're from Australia, so probably things are different there, but in the US my father was able to shirk his responsibilities by simply moving to another state. In our case, he relocated from Massachusetts to Iowa. At one point, he had a warrant for his arrest should he set foot in MA again, but he never did. Also, like Kristy's dad, he never made the effort to keep in touch. |
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Post by thejunkbucket on Oct 14, 2015 16:02:45 GMT -5
Hee, yes I could definitely see her doing that. Though if she really wanted to piss him off, she should be rooting for the Red Sox. Maybe she just really likes the Mets. Or maybe Ann does. *shrug* Heh, the Yankees were playing the Red Sox the night that Kristy was born. I agree, if she really wanted to get back at her father, she would've become a Sox fan, since their rivalry is the most legendary and tempestuous in Major League. Incidentally, it bothered me that Kristy was a NY fan at all. Connecticut is part of New England (along with Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine) so shouldn't Kristy's allegiance be to the New England teams? They are the Boston Red Sox (baseball), the Boston Celtics (basketball), the Boston Bruins (hockey), and the New England (formerly the Boston) Patriots. Furthermore, New England is so-called Red Sox Nation, and you'd be pressed to find any native New Englanders who are not Sox fans. |
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Post by thejunkbucket on Oct 14, 2015 16:04:25 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure the movie came first because Patrick in the Portrait Collection looks identical to Patrick in the movie  Yes, the movie came out first. This book was published in 1996, and the film was released in the summer of 1995 though it had been filmed the previous year. |
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Post by bscfan1997 on Oct 14, 2015 21:23:51 GMT -5
Kristy's is one of my favorite portrait books next to Stacey and Claudia. She is such a bright, humorous child!
My favorite parts are when she snuck to see the Car Man movie, she and her brothers let their friends come over with their mom at work and getting locked in the bathroom with smelly old Louie, and Kristy sneaking around her dad. The story of her birth and the snowmen business were boring.
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Post by thejunkbucket on Oct 15, 2015 11:10:54 GMT -5
I just realized, how could Patrick not know that Kristy was a lefty? In the photo of them playing catch on page 29, Kristy is wearing a glove on her right hand... so she can throw with her dominant left hand.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2017 18:12:41 GMT -5
Leaving 10, 8 and 6 year olds home by themselves? Hmm. Yeah, I just read this one for the first time, and that really stuck out to me--especially when you look at the Pike triplets and Jeff Schafer! (I haven't gotten ahold of Dawn and Too Many Sitters yet, but still!). And I also just read "Mind Your Own Business, Kristy!" for the first time (got it in the same bundle with the portrait) and there's a point where Charlie mentions the bank called and he made Elizabeth show him how to write a check for the mortgage? Yikes. I don't want to be judgmental, but seriously, it does seem kind of irresponsible of Mrs. Thomas to just leave kids that young on their own every day. A ten-year-old latchkey kid wouldn't bug me that much, but minding two younger kids? I know the BSC is wacky about ages, but still. Even if she couldn't afford a regular baby-sitter, I'm sure she could have arranged for Kristy to stay with the Kishis after school, and sent Sam to a friend's house or something--if not every day, at least a couple days a week. Or even just ask Mimi or Mary Anne's sitter or the other neighbors--the Goldmans?--to check in on them quickly every afternoon. For a place as small-town-feely as Stoneybrook, it doesn't seem like those people would mind. The Carman and Camp Topnotch chapters, by contrast, I really liked because Kristy seemed so much more like a kid, not a hyper-responsible six-year-old. (Would you trust Karen Brewer to take care of a baby? She'd throw a hissy fit when the baby wouldn't play Let's All Come In, or something). NO KAREN BREWER WOULD NOT THROW A HISSY FIT!!! |
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Post by Kylie90210 on Mar 6, 2017 21:49:56 GMT -5
Yeah, I just read this one for the first time, and that really stuck out to me--especially when you look at the Pike triplets and Jeff Schafer! (I haven't gotten ahold of Dawn and Too Many Sitters yet, but still!). And I also just read "Mind Your Own Business, Kristy!" for the first time (got it in the same bundle with the portrait) and there's a point where Charlie mentions the bank called and he made Elizabeth show him how to write a check for the mortgage? Yikes. I don't want to be judgmental, but seriously, it does seem kind of irresponsible of Mrs. Thomas to just leave kids that young on their own every day. A ten-year-old latchkey kid wouldn't bug me that much, but minding two younger kids? I know the BSC is wacky about ages, but still. Even if she couldn't afford a regular baby-sitter, I'm sure she could have arranged for Kristy to stay with the Kishis after school, and sent Sam to a friend's house or something--if not every day, at least a couple days a week. Or even just ask Mimi or Mary Anne's sitter or the other neighbors--the Goldmans?--to check in on them quickly every afternoon. For a place as small-town-feely as Stoneybrook, it doesn't seem like those people would mind. The Carman and Camp Topnotch chapters, by contrast, I really liked because Kristy seemed so much more like a kid, not a hyper-responsible six-year-old. (Would you trust Karen Brewer to take care of a baby? She'd throw a hissy fit when the baby wouldn't play Let's All Come In, or something). NO KAREN BREWER WOULD NOT THROW A HISSY FIT!!! That's your only comment about this book about your FAVOURITE character?  |
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livvy
Sitter-In-Training
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Post by livvy on Jul 17, 2022 12:04:09 GMT -5
Why did the kids have to help out with the house? They were just kids? Couldn't Elizabeth woke and run her household?? People do that all the time now.
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Post by CharlotteTJohanssen on Jul 25, 2022 11:51:43 GMT -5
BSC and woke sounds so wrong in a sentence 😆. I think Elizabeth would have done find by herself but I imagine Charlie choosing to help her while everyone had their usual chores. Elizabeth didn’t force Charlie to quit any teams or anything.
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Post by m0drnmoonlight on Mar 6, 2023 14:36:54 GMT -5
Hee, yes I could definitely see her doing that. Though if she really wanted to piss him off, she should be rooting for the Red Sox. Maybe she just really likes the Mets. Or maybe Ann does. *shrug* Heh, the Yankees were playing the Red Sox the night that Kristy was born. I agree, if she really wanted to get back at her father, she would've become a Sox fan, since their rivalry is the most legendary and tempestuous in Major League. Incidentally, it bothered me that Kristy was a NY fan at all. Connecticut is part of New England (along with Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine) so shouldn't Kristy's allegiance be to the New England teams? They are the Boston Red Sox (baseball), the Boston Celtics (basketball), the Boston Bruins (hockey), and the New England (formerly the Boston) Patriots. Furthermore, New England is so-called Red Sox Nation, and you'd be pressed to find any native New Englanders who are not Sox fans. This actually makes sense to me because Stoneybrook is part of the metro NY area. As someone who grew up in the area, I've noticed that southern CT baseball fans tend to like one of the NY teams (mostly Yankees) and the further north they like the Red Sox. My cousins grew up in CT and they're Yankees fans but I also know people from CT who are Red Sox fans. I can't say too much about the book because it's been years since I read it. But I remember being a little annoyed they basically recycled the plot from the movie! |
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Post by oldmeanie on Apr 29, 2023 11:53:50 GMT -5
Another good portrait. I always really liked the Car Man story (and yes, that movie sounds SUPER dumb. But I can definitely see little kids loving it). I liked in the end when they were all acting out the rest of the movie.
Oh man. Patrick is a vile human being. I hate him so much. I didn't remember this, but he made Elizabeth watch a game while having labor pains, which... wow. Tbh I'm not even sure what to say to that other than he's very selfish.
Then the "On Our Own" chapter made my blood boil. What. An. A*****e. He just abandons his family out of the blue, not even leaving them any money (maybe he did? It's unclear how Elizabeth covers food and mortgage etc afterwards. But if he did, it's definitely not much, and heb doesn't regularly send child support. Scum bag). I can't imagine how humiliated Elizabeth was when she called his work. That's just awful that she found out that way.
I don't even have words for what he did... despicable isn't even strong enough. This guy basically didn't even care if his family starved or were living on the streets. Heck, they nearly ran out of money. He left his (currently not working) wife and FOUR KIDS, ONE OF THEM AN INFANT, AND A NEW PUPPY alone without any notice! This should be illegal. I just... I just can't. They talk about this in every chapter 2, but man is it actually rough to read about.
She was lucky she lived in Stoneybrook and found a really good job right away. Realistically, she would've been stuck with low wage jobs.
There is an inconsistency here that always really bothered me: in Kristy and the Snobs, she says they got Louie right after she was born (which sounds about right in regards to his health problems), but in this one, they got Louie right after David Michael was born. Argh! That's a pretty big inconsistency. The original makes more sense because I don't think he'd be having health problems typical of a senior dog at only 7. Strangely, I don't really see anyone bring this up.
The skunk part was actually really funny. It's just comedy gold, especially when they're stuck in the bathroom (and Claudia thinks they're going to starve to death lolol. Also, she has an endless supply of junk food at this age and Kristy has no idea how. Neither do I. She couldn't have had much of her own money at this age), Louie shakes off the tomato juice, and Elizabeth discovers the bathroom looking like a crime scene. Amazing lol.
I have to say that I'm not a big fan of Elizabeth. Now, allocating chores is smart. I think every kid should help with the housework, especially cooking... it teaches them early on how to do it and lessens the work of the parents. But I think she asked for way too much of them, especially poor Charlie: "cleaning the kitchen after breakfast on weekdays, scrubbing the bathrooms, doing the laundry, putting out the garbage, and giving David Michael his bath every night." That's way too much. I think she should have rotated the laundry and bathroom chores. And giving DM a bath every night? Should not be his responsibility.
I also feel like it's crazy that she's asking 6 year old Kristy to "take care of David Michael when asked" on weekends. That should have been rotated as well. I agree with everyone saying she could have gotten more help from neighbors and/ or Nannie (maybe Nannie wasn't retired yet though) instead of putting all this on her kids. It also kind of rubs me the wrong way that she basically wants them to prove they can take care of themselves and the house. WHAT?! That's ultimately her job and her kids are all 10 or younger. Yes, they should be helping out, but they shouldn't have to prove anything.
I don't fully understand why they all had to come straight home from school (obviously someone should be there to walk Louie, but otherwise...) What difference does it make if they go to a friend's house? Odds are there would be an adult present so it's technically safer. Idk, maybe I'm missing something.
How come Charlie was basically head of the household at 10 but Kristy had to beg to be able to babysit DM at the same age?
Argh. I guess it ended up working out for them, though.
The Camp Topnotch chapter was just... all right. I would've preferred something that included Mary Anne or Claud. It felt like filler tbh. Maybe this one is why she got a B+ instead of an A.
I don't mind that the last story is basically the movie, because it does feel like it should be in an autobiography. And I feel awful for Kristy. I can understand her being excited about seeing her bio father (not a big fan of how she says he's her "real father." No he's not, he's biological, but Watson is the one who actually cares about her), and them he turns out to be... such a jerk. I bent believe he made "short leash" jokes when he ABANDONED HIS FAMILY WITHOUT NOTICE. He has no right to joke about Elizabeth. Omg. Then he only wants to see her, which is... weird. Making her keep him a secret is just awful. Then he just leaves again without a word. If I were Kristy, I would not have given this man a second chance. I would not have flown out to his stupid wedding in California later. Nope. I'd ghost him just like he (practically) ghosted his entire family. He's garbage.
I feel bad that Kristy just keeps wanting to give him a chance. He doesn't deserve it and she doesn't deserve to be hurt again.
Whew. I think I'm done ranting about Patrick lol. I love how Watson gets Kristy the correct glove. I love seeing them get closer as the series goes on. It's one of the best long-running plots in the series (probably the best actually).
So, yeah, this one is good. I just can't stand Patrick.
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