'Secret' life of the British teenager
As a Jane Austen fan, I'm interested in all kinds of adaptations of/sequels to/retellings of her work. I am sure that Austen has inspired many women - and probably some men as well - to write, and her stories are a great, if intimidating, place to start. As you can imagine, the quality of these adaptations vary from writer to writer, and making a modern adaptation can be an especially tricky business. What if your vision of a beloved character - the witty Elizabeth, the meddlesome Emma, the peerless Anne - isn't the same one held by your readers?
The sisters Dashwood - reserved Ellie, outgoing Abby, and tomboyish Georgie - have no idea why their father left their mother for the superficial, self-absorbed Pandora, but you can't choose your stepmothers. But the divorce doesn't uproot their lives - it takes the death of their father to do that. Suddenly poor and with Pandora claiming their house, the Dashwood girls are forced to move - and transfer to a public school. This means that Ellie, who has a crush on Pandora's cute nephew Blake, comes face-to-face with Blake's girlfriend, the bitchy Lucy; and Abby makes friends with a girl who has a crush on rocker Nick, who in turn develops a crush on Abby. Soon, everyone is embroiled in a game of keep-track-of-your-crush - which is made more interesting when Abby falls hard for fast-moving Hunter. It becomes obvious that the hardest thing about secrets is having to learn them.
Okay. Listen. This book is not good enough to warrant a serious review, even from an out-of-work blogger like me. There's this rule they teach you in writing classes all over the world called "show, don't tell." I don't think anyone has told Rushton about this rule. So much about this book strikes me as superficial: the characters, the plot, the lessons learned. The only real moment is when the dad dies and the sisters and mother have to grieve. Needless to say, everything that comes after this feels stale and drab - even the romantic complications, which aren't allowed room to breathe. The character arcs are pat and unexciting (especially Georgie's - a waste of space) and the romantic interests fail to make any impression. Seriously, Hunter and Nick only show up in the second half of the book, which means we barely get to know them. And Abby, so flighty and charmless, is especially not worth caring about.
This book fails both as an adaptation of Sense and Sensibility and YA fiction. The themes of class and money are hardly touched upon. A later scene where a character drinks and then drives has no energy and only serves as a rushed morality lesson. Even the funny British slang felt forced.
Not enjoyable at any level. Rating: 1 not-so-secret secrets out of 5.
Okay. Listen. This book is not good enough to warrant a serious review, even from an out-of-work blogger like me. There's this rule they teach you in writing classes all over the world called "show, don't tell." I don't think anyone has told Rushton about this rule. So much about this book strikes me as superficial: the characters, the plot, the lessons learned. The only real moment is when the dad dies and the sisters and mother have to grieve. Needless to say, everything that comes after this feels stale and drab - even the romantic complications, which aren't allowed room to breathe. The character arcs are pat and unexciting (especially Georgie's - a waste of space) and the romantic interests fail to make any impression. Seriously, Hunter and Nick only show up in the second half of the book, which means we barely get to know them. And Abby, so flighty and charmless, is especially not worth caring about.
This book fails both as an adaptation of Sense and Sensibility and YA fiction. The themes of class and money are hardly touched upon. A later scene where a character drinks and then drives has no energy and only serves as a rushed morality lesson. Even the funny British slang felt forced.
Not enjoyable at any level. Rating: 1 not-so-secret secrets out of 5.
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