SuitabookEnthusiasm
Polly Shulman
- Reading
- Pause after the school-dance and musical episodes to compare the girls’ expectations with what actually happens. Ask how comedy affects the reader’s view of awkwardness, and whether the ending answers Julie’s question about love.
- Themes
- Friendship and influence: Ashleigh’s latest obsession draws Julie into recreating a literary world and pursuing its romantic ideal. The book?s stance on this remains unclear.
- Literature and imitation: Ashleigh imitates the novel’s heroines through speech, dress and the search for True Love. The premise invites comparison between a literary ideal and lived experience, though the book’s final view of imitation is unclear.
- Romantic expectations: A shortage of suitable “Mr. Darcy” figures contributes to misinterpreted signals, missed opportunities and dating mishaps. The book?s stance on this remains unclear.
- Worth knowing
- Romantic pursuit, dating mishaps and missed or misinterpreted signals are central.