SVH#37 - Rumors
Sweet Valley High #37 - Rumors or, The One Where It All Comes Right In The End
Okay, not much to snark at in this book, because it's actually quite decent. Still, for your reading pleasure, here's a recap of the A and B plot.
The A Plot:
My only reason for calling this the A plot is that this is what the title is about and what's described on the back of the book, but really more time is spent on the B plot. Guess the ghost writer didn't have enough time to think up the details for this one.
Susan lives with her guardian whom she calls Aunt Helen. She doesn't know who her mother really is, but Aunt Helen has promised to tell her when she turns 18. She doesn't mind not knowing too much, because she loves Aunt Helen and has a good life. Her boyfriend, Gordon is the son of one of the more snobbish families in town - so snobbish they put even Lila to shame actually - but she believes that he's nothing like them, and is happy to spend time with him, even if it means spending time with them as well. In fact, the first time we meet her, she's out playing golf with the in-laws.
Gordon has asked Susan to the Bridgewater Ball - an event only the most important people in Sweet Valley can go to, and the frustrates Lila to the point of distraction that not only is she not able to go without an invite (because in her eyes it's galling that she's not considered 'one of the most important people in SV') but nobody has invited her either! And here that nobody Susan is going just because she landed a rich boyfriend. Who does she think she is anyway?
That's when it dawns on Lila that since nobody knows who Susan is, she might as well make up a past for her - or rather, invent a mother. She drops a few well-placed hints to Cara and Caroline, who are still the two largest gossips in town despite attempting to mend their ways, and soon everybody knows that Susan's mom is in fact NOT somebody famous or well-off, but in the hospital for the criminally insane for having killed somebody.
Immediately most of the student body starts treating Susan like a pariah, because everybody knows that the faults of the mother is the shame of her daughter as well, and how DARE she pretend she's somebody, hanging out with the rich, when in reality she's little better than a criminal herself. Even her oh-so-wonderful boyfriend Gordon believes the rumours over her protestations that she still knows nothing about her mother, and - blaming it on his parents - cancels their date and unceremoniously dumps her.
Susan rushes home in tears and BEGS Aunt Helen to tell her who her mother is, but despite seeing how distraught Susan is, all Aunt Helen does is cry "I can't!" and rushes from the room. Suspicious much?
Elizabeth and Allen Walters are the only people who don't believe in the rumours and who don't care about them even if they were true. Elizabeth, because she'd never do such a thing, Allen, because he's in love with Susan. They try to cheer up Susan as best they can, and Allen asks her out on the evening of the Ball to give her something else to think about, and she immediately accepts, making him "the happiest guy in school".
Meanwhile Lila has managed to suck up to Gordon enough that he's asked her to the ball instead. What a bitch!
In the midst of all this, famous director Jackson Croft is coming to Sweet Valley to do a casting call for a new movie he's making. Completely out of the blue he turns up at Susan and Helen's house to talk to Aunt Helen. Turns out that he's the father of Susan!!! He and Helen(!!!) had a 'thing' 17 years ago. He left Helen to pursue his career not knowing that she was pregnant, and has now come back to see the daughter he only just discovered that he had. Logically he assumes that Susan knows, and therefore unthinkingly reveals to her who her mother is. Susan is immediately shocked into tears and then angry that 'Aunt Helen' would hide this from her for so many years, but with the help of Jackson she realizes what a selfless thing her mother has done - allowing her to grow up as the daughter of somebody grand, rather than the bastard child of a simple waitress.
While the immediate love and understanding between Susan and Jackson seems rather unrealistic, I did find this following quote from Susan about her mother really sweet: "When I was little I used to wish that whoever my real mother was would go away and leave me alone with you so - so you could be my mother. I never let myself love you as much as I wanted to, because I thought I should save it for my mother, but now I can!"
Now everybody knows who Susan is. Granted, her mother is just a waitress, but her father is a famous director! That's good enough for anybody! Even Gordon who re-invites Susan to the ball - without uninviting Lila first. Oooh burn! Susan, however, has discovered who her *real* friends are, and tells him "I'm busy on Saturday - and every day after that!" Yay! And Lila, who overheard the invitation, now knows Gordon for the pig he is, and dumps him in front of everybody. Go Lila!
The B Plot:
Because of a sex-ed class about older women being able to get pregnant too, Jessica convinces herself that her mother is pregnant. She overhears her and Ned talking about names, and about something the twins shouldn't know yet, her mother is cranky and gets cravings AND she finds a bag of baby-clothes in her mother's closet.
That Jessica goes off on a wild goose chase is nothing new, but she manages to convince both Elizabeth and Steve that she's right, none of them realizing that there may be other, perfectly valid, reasons for her behaviour. Because they can't think of any, they don't exist.
The three kids are convinced that their parents won't tell them, because they're worried about what their reaction will be, so they start a campaign to show their parents how much they love babies... only to end up having Ned and Alice ask them which one is in trouble!
Finally they decide that enough is enough and ask their parents straight out (which I would just have done from the start, instead of all this sneaking around. But I guess that doesn't make a good storyline), and it turns out that no, Alice is NOT pregnant. The clothes were for a baby-shower, she and Ned were talking about going away on vacation and leaving the twins home alone, and the rest were just coincidences! Good job, jumping to conclusions, girls. Jessica is used to being wrong, but Elizabeth is properly chastened to have let Jessica drag her along like that.
Thus ends one of the more decent SVH books :)
Okay, not much to snark at in this book, because it's actually quite decent. Still, for your reading pleasure, here's a recap of the A and B plot.
The A Plot:
My only reason for calling this the A plot is that this is what the title is about and what's described on the back of the book, but really more time is spent on the B plot. Guess the ghost writer didn't have enough time to think up the details for this one.
Susan lives with her guardian whom she calls Aunt Helen. She doesn't know who her mother really is, but Aunt Helen has promised to tell her when she turns 18. She doesn't mind not knowing too much, because she loves Aunt Helen and has a good life. Her boyfriend, Gordon is the son of one of the more snobbish families in town - so snobbish they put even Lila to shame actually - but she believes that he's nothing like them, and is happy to spend time with him, even if it means spending time with them as well. In fact, the first time we meet her, she's out playing golf with the in-laws.
Gordon has asked Susan to the Bridgewater Ball - an event only the most important people in Sweet Valley can go to, and the frustrates Lila to the point of distraction that not only is she not able to go without an invite (because in her eyes it's galling that she's not considered 'one of the most important people in SV') but nobody has invited her either! And here that nobody Susan is going just because she landed a rich boyfriend. Who does she think she is anyway?
That's when it dawns on Lila that since nobody knows who Susan is, she might as well make up a past for her - or rather, invent a mother. She drops a few well-placed hints to Cara and Caroline, who are still the two largest gossips in town despite attempting to mend their ways, and soon everybody knows that Susan's mom is in fact NOT somebody famous or well-off, but in the hospital for the criminally insane for having killed somebody.
Immediately most of the student body starts treating Susan like a pariah, because everybody knows that the faults of the mother is the shame of her daughter as well, and how DARE she pretend she's somebody, hanging out with the rich, when in reality she's little better than a criminal herself. Even her oh-so-wonderful boyfriend Gordon believes the rumours over her protestations that she still knows nothing about her mother, and - blaming it on his parents - cancels their date and unceremoniously dumps her.
Susan rushes home in tears and BEGS Aunt Helen to tell her who her mother is, but despite seeing how distraught Susan is, all Aunt Helen does is cry "I can't!" and rushes from the room. Suspicious much?
Elizabeth and Allen Walters are the only people who don't believe in the rumours and who don't care about them even if they were true. Elizabeth, because she'd never do such a thing, Allen, because he's in love with Susan. They try to cheer up Susan as best they can, and Allen asks her out on the evening of the Ball to give her something else to think about, and she immediately accepts, making him "the happiest guy in school".
Meanwhile Lila has managed to suck up to Gordon enough that he's asked her to the ball instead. What a bitch!
In the midst of all this, famous director Jackson Croft is coming to Sweet Valley to do a casting call for a new movie he's making. Completely out of the blue he turns up at Susan and Helen's house to talk to Aunt Helen. Turns out that he's the father of Susan!!! He and Helen(!!!) had a 'thing' 17 years ago. He left Helen to pursue his career not knowing that she was pregnant, and has now come back to see the daughter he only just discovered that he had. Logically he assumes that Susan knows, and therefore unthinkingly reveals to her who her mother is. Susan is immediately shocked into tears and then angry that 'Aunt Helen' would hide this from her for so many years, but with the help of Jackson she realizes what a selfless thing her mother has done - allowing her to grow up as the daughter of somebody grand, rather than the bastard child of a simple waitress.
While the immediate love and understanding between Susan and Jackson seems rather unrealistic, I did find this following quote from Susan about her mother really sweet: "When I was little I used to wish that whoever my real mother was would go away and leave me alone with you so - so you could be my mother. I never let myself love you as much as I wanted to, because I thought I should save it for my mother, but now I can!"
Now everybody knows who Susan is. Granted, her mother is just a waitress, but her father is a famous director! That's good enough for anybody! Even Gordon who re-invites Susan to the ball - without uninviting Lila first. Oooh burn! Susan, however, has discovered who her *real* friends are, and tells him "I'm busy on Saturday - and every day after that!" Yay! And Lila, who overheard the invitation, now knows Gordon for the pig he is, and dumps him in front of everybody. Go Lila!
The B Plot:
Because of a sex-ed class about older women being able to get pregnant too, Jessica convinces herself that her mother is pregnant. She overhears her and Ned talking about names, and about something the twins shouldn't know yet, her mother is cranky and gets cravings AND she finds a bag of baby-clothes in her mother's closet.
That Jessica goes off on a wild goose chase is nothing new, but she manages to convince both Elizabeth and Steve that she's right, none of them realizing that there may be other, perfectly valid, reasons for her behaviour. Because they can't think of any, they don't exist.
The three kids are convinced that their parents won't tell them, because they're worried about what their reaction will be, so they start a campaign to show their parents how much they love babies... only to end up having Ned and Alice ask them which one is in trouble!
Finally they decide that enough is enough and ask their parents straight out (which I would just have done from the start, instead of all this sneaking around. But I guess that doesn't make a good storyline), and it turns out that no, Alice is NOT pregnant. The clothes were for a baby-shower, she and Ned were talking about going away on vacation and leaving the twins home alone, and the rest were just coincidences! Good job, jumping to conclusions, girls. Jessica is used to being wrong, but Elizabeth is properly chastened to have let Jessica drag her along like that.
Thus ends one of the more decent SVH books :)