Mary Anne reflects on how it's nice her haircut has enabled her to get to know lots of other girls at the school, whom the BSC never really liked:
It's a great moment when MA realizes this, but notice how after she makes up with the BSC, she never once mentions talking to these people again. This club is a freaking CULT.
I'm guessing that MA and Dawn would have a complex relationship - they started off as friends, then very quickly became step sisters and are now being brought up in the same household. That's actually a massive step to takeNot to excuse Dawn's behavior, but this is a good point that the books kind of gloss over. They try to act like Dawn and Mary Anne would have the exact same relationship after they became step sisters, and rather than have realistic depictions of problems they would have, they come up with these bizarre moments when one or both of them are completely off their rockers, instead of subtle changes that would have more realistically happened. For a series so devoted to helping girls grow into their
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Sorry Richard, but it really pisses me off when people that choose to eat meat refer to themselves as "carnivores."--I'll give Richard a pass here. I think he was trying to joke around. Richard is such a serious person, I imagine this is as much of a jokester as he can be
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Thing is, Dawn says "it's not that earth shattering" and yet the BSC treat this like it's a crime against nature. Also, MA is looking forward to surprising Logan and Dawn is deliberately condescending her excitement and ruining it for her. Eugh.
I think the point in your break is true, and it relates to a comment I made in part 1 relating to my own experiences, in which I've often experienced my friends longing for me to be more confident, but only if they're the ones that get to take credit for it... so it's still all about keeping the quiet ones in check. MA totally neglects their opinion and goes along with it anyway, showing a real determination to think for herself... This is, in the BSC, the worst thing you could possibly do.
These girls are being horrible. African violet them now and run for the hills.
I second that emotion. That's just what I thought when I read Mary Anne Saves The Day, and Claudia and the New Girl. Those are just two of the many books in this series where the protagonist is all, "The BSC is mad at me! What do I do? What if we're not friends anymore?!" and I'd be thinking, "So what? Cut your losses and get some REAL friends, i.e. people who won't shun you if you dare to get a makeover or talk to someone who's not in the cult."
Once again, we learn just how "confident" and "independent" Dawn really is. Jealous hag.
I never read this book as a kid - I think the last one I read before I "aged out" was book 58, so I never got to know post-haircut Mary Anne. Now reading them as an adult I haven't been able to bring myself to pick up this one yet knowing I would encounter the girls acting like little hell weasles.
I would have LOVED this sort of makeover as a 13 year old, and would love to have a day like that with my daughter one day, so credit for Richard for being awesome about it, but I gotta say he and Sharon both lose points for not seeing how MA is being treated and intervening. They should have picked up on Spawn and her pass-ag hissy fit on the first night, taken her aside, and tried to sort it out then. Instead it's grown into bullying behaviour.
Once again Stonybrook parents fail, and fail hard, which is so much harder to bear when it comes from the only decent parents in the 'brook.
Agreed! In the book MA mentions how they clearly know what's going on. Don't understand why they just let them get on with it and at least try to talk to either of them about it.
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It's a great moment when MA realizes this, but notice how after she makes up with the BSC, she never once mentions talking to these people again. This club is a freaking CULT.
I'm guessing that MA and Dawn would have a complex relationship - they started off as friends, then very quickly became step sisters and are now being brought up in the same household. That's actually a massive step to takeNot to excuse Dawn's behavior, but this is a good point that the books kind of gloss over. They try to act like Dawn and Mary Anne would have the exact same relationship after they became step sisters, and rather than have realistic depictions of problems they would have, they come up with these bizarre moments when one or both of them are completely off their rockers, instead of subtle changes that would have more realistically happened. For a series so devoted to helping girls grow into their ( ... )
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I think the point in your break is true, and it relates to a comment I made in part 1 relating to my own experiences, in which I've often experienced my friends longing for me to be more confident, but only if they're the ones that get to take credit for it... so it's still all about keeping the quiet ones in check. MA totally neglects their opinion and goes along with it anyway, showing a real determination to think for herself... This is, in the BSC, the worst thing you could possibly do.
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I second that emotion. That's just what I thought when I read Mary Anne Saves The Day, and Claudia and the New Girl. Those are just two of the many books in this series where the protagonist is all, "The BSC is mad at me! What do I do? What if we're not friends anymore?!" and I'd be thinking, "So what? Cut your losses and get some REAL friends, i.e. people who won't shun you if you dare to get a makeover or talk to someone who's not in the cult."
Once again, we learn just how "confident" and "independent" Dawn really is. Jealous hag.
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I would have LOVED this sort of makeover as a 13 year old, and would love to have a day like that with my daughter one day, so credit for Richard for being awesome about it, but I gotta say he and Sharon both lose points for not seeing how MA is being treated and intervening. They should have picked up on Spawn and her pass-ag hissy fit on the first night, taken her aside, and tried to sort it out then. Instead it's grown into bullying behaviour.
Once again Stonybrook parents fail, and fail hard, which is so much harder to bear when it comes from the only decent parents in the 'brook.
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