MADreads

I’ve got the blues

November 15th, 2007 Molly - Central

Sometimes the reader is ready for a series to end.  Sometimes the series is played out.  Sometimes you just don’t care.  Not so with Forever in Blue:  The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares.  This final installment in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series finds Bridget, Carmen, Lena, and Tibby during the summer after their freshman year in college.  Their lives have drifted apart but their bond is still strong and during this final summer, they must decide how to maintain their lifelong friendships while moving into adult life.

Bridget spends the summer abroad on an archaeological dig in Turkey, Carmen finds herself an unexpected actress, Lena studies art in summer school and Tibby experiences a pregnancy scare.  There are professors, nasty room-mates, nude models, break-ups, make-ups and a trip to Greece.  And the traveling pants get lost. 

But that’s OK.  The girls have grown so much over the course of the series; they know they will be fine without the pants.  They still find themselves in predicaments, make mistakes, and count on their friends to understand, but they no longer rely on the magic of the pants to keep them together, give them confidence or help solve their problems.  They now have the confidence to solve problems for themselves.  They are secure in their friendships and know they will remain true, even as they grow older and down different paths.

Although the series is ending, these characters still have a lot to offer.  I am hoping that Brashares introduces some spin-off series, especially one featuring Lena and the Greek Kostos.  Until then, bon voyage.

Entry Filed under: Recreational Fiction, Romance, Young Adult