Sunday 7 September 2014

The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares

Carmen, Tibby, Lena and Bridget have been friends for years and are used to spending their summers together.  But when circumstances force them to all go separate ways one summer, they decide to keep in touch through letters and by exchanging a pair of blue jeans, that miraculously suit each and every one of them.  As the jeans travel with the girls across the world, they all have some defining experiences.  Carmen thinks she is spending a quiet summer with just her Dad, only to be confronted with a big surprise.  Lena is off to Greece to visit her grandparents, Bridget is at a soccer summer camp and Tibby is stuck at home, working in a shop.  Through the stories of the four girls, Brashares addresses common teenage experiences such as falling in love for the first time and coming to terms with new step-parents.

I really enjoyed The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (although not it's awful cover!).  I'm currently reading Moby Dick, so I picked up this book as I needed something light, quick and engaging to go alongside it.  And Sisterhood certainly filled that brief.  Within a few pages, I was hooked into the story and the switching of perspectives between the four girls made the pacing really snappy. It's sometimes very satisfying to be reading a book that you can immerse yourself in completely and get through in only a few days.

What's clever about Sisterhood is that Brashares manages to create four main characters that are diverse enough for every reader to relate to one of them, or at least one of their experiences.  Tibby feels left behind and like she doesn't quite fit in anywhere.  Bridget is loud and confident, but rushes into sexual experiences too quickly.  Lena struggles with shyness and finds it hard to express how she feels, and Carmen has to deal with a new step-family.  I personally related most to Lena, as I know that I am too much of a closed book sometimes, so I enjoyed her character development and how she started to learn to open herself up and share what she was feeling.

I finished Sisterhood excited to read the next volume in the series.  I won't be picking it up straight away, but I'm sure I will be reading this who series sooner rather than later.

Source: Personal copy
First Published: 2002
Score: 3.5 out of 5

7 comments:

  1. This is probably my favorite YA series ever. I just loved how she made the four distinct characters (like you said) but they had such a strong bond. You really should read the rest! Thanks for bringing it all back -- made me want to read it again.

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    1. I'm definitely going to read the rest - I already own the next 2 so only need to pick up Forever in Blue.

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  2. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and like you, I liked how different the girls were. I wish there were more books in the YA canon that were paeons to friendship.

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    1. I liked that the romances weren't the main focus too, it made a nice change from lots of other YA titles.

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  3. I have no idea why I haven't read The Sisterhood of Travelling Pants by now when I've heard so many good things about it... Not to mention I was the target audience age when it first came out. I enjoyed reading your thoughts, thanks for the reminder, Sam!
    :-)
    Bits & Bobs

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    1. I only read it as I finally got around to watching the film, which I loved. Hope you enjoy it :)

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  4. This is a fun series and I think Brashares captures teen friendship where you make your own little family very well. I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

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