 |
| ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
| |
| |
|
| #1 | |||
| Absolute Fan   Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 6,274
| Sloppy Firsts Series April 13th: We will be REREADING Sloppy Firsts in anticipation for Perfect Fifths Anyone can join, but let us know!     Sloppy Firsts When her best friend, Hope Weaver, moves away from Pineville, New Jersey, hyperobservant sixteen-year-old Jessica Darling is devastated. A fish out of water at school and a stranger at home, Jessica feels more lost than ever now that the only person with whom she could really communicate has gone. How is she supposed to deal with the boy- and shopping-crazy girls at school, her dad’s obsession with her track meets, her mother salivating over big sister Bethany’s lavish wedding, and her nonexistent love life? Quotes from the book: "I do everything I do because it will look good on my college applications. Depressing, isn’t it?" "I’ve censored my true feelings more and more, replacing them with lies that I know everyone wants to hear. I’ve felt like I’ve lost my right to have an opinion, just because I know no one will back me up." "So I'm sloppy seconds, is that what you're saying?" "Oh no, Jessica, you're sloppy firsts." Second Helpings Jessica Darling, the lovably cynical heroine of Sloppy Firsts (2001), is about to begin her final year of high school. She is not looking forward to it. Her best friend, Hope, has moved away, leaving her with only budding-movie-star Bridget to confide in. She also is doing her best to forget Marcus Flutie, the oh-so-sexy guy who captured her heart the year before, only to break it. Jessica has resolved to apply to Columbia University, but after the 9/11 attack, she's doubly certain her parents won't hear of her going to school in New York City. She's flattered by the attentions of Len Levy, a hot brainiac, who just might be the one to drive Marcus from her mind, not to mention relieve her of her virginity. As the time to graduation ticks down, Jessica discovers she knows less about Bridget, Marcus, and the other people who surround her than she thought she did. Quotes from the books: "Being Busy = Avoiding My Issues." "Ever notice how people wait until they’re not going to see you anymore to say something nice to you?" "I never understood the point of being sad when I could choose to be happy." Charmed Thirds Jessica Darling is back. She is now attending Columbia University and is still in love with her high school boyfriend, Marcus Flutie. But Marcus is going to a Buddhist college in California, so they don't get to see one another very often. As perhaps befits a college student, Jessica has gotten a lot franker about sex, and about life in general, after some time on her own. She ages from a freshman to a graduate; gets an internship at an outwardly hip, but actually dysfunctional magazine; makes (and loses) new friends; and even plans to move in with a guy. She also comes to terms with her parents and her sister. She loves Marcus and wants to stay true, but still finds herself in wildly inappropriate hookups–with a punk Republican, with a married man, and with an ex-boyfriend. Several of Jessica's old flames and acquaintances reappear–McCafferty has developed a world of characters from Pineville, NJ, who are all changing and growing in believable (but often surprising) ways. Quotes From The Books-- "I don’t want a funeral, and I definitely don’t want to be buried in a cemetery because I don’t want anyone feeling guilty about not visiting my grave." "Love may have the longest arms, but it can still fall short of an embrace." "Sex. Is there anything that starts out more miraculous then turns so mundane? Before you do it, sex is this mysterious thing that’s just out there… waiting. You know you’re going to do it someday. But when? And with who? And what will it feel like? OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH. And then you do it and those questions are answered and even if it’s good, even if it’s really, really good, you discover that maybe all the time and energy you spent obsessing about your virginity might have been better spent contemplating something else." Fourth Comings Her answer is to finally break it off with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Marcus Flutie, who, after cleaning up his drug habit, studying Buddhism and spending some time in Death Valley, is now at Princeton. But before she can break up with him, he pops the question, and she mulls her response for a week. The bulk of the novel is made up of Jessica's satirical observations on life in New York: the tiny room in a basement sublet she shares with her best friend Hope; her nonjob for a magazine that pays so little she has to mooch off of her older sister; her friends who convince her to go to a club where she is hit on by a seven-foot-tall drag queen named Royalle G. Biv. Quotes From The Books "Where's my syllabus to guide me through life?" "Putting feelings into words makes them so. Once words are spoken (or written…) they take on a greater significance." "I want the freedom to drink too much and throw up. I want the freedom to be a hypocrite. I want the freedom to make mistakes and not have you make me feel bad about them." (credit to Rachel) 10 Things You Need To Know About Perfect Fifths: 10. Four words: Marcus Flutie shower scene. 9. The 74-page conversation between Jessica and Marcus was inspired–in part–by the movie Before Sunset. This film’s final moments make for the most gorgeous, heart-stopping ending I’ve ever seen on screen. 8. When I saw a photo of this painting in the newspaper, and read that it’s called The Desperate Man, my first reaction was, Oh my God! The Desperate Man! MARCUS! I ripped it out and kept it on my desk for months as I wrote Perfect Fifths. Late in the novel, a character makes the same connection and Marcus isn’t too flattered by it. 7. Fifty-six poems written by Marcus and Jess Here is one of his: XXXIII. He writes Everything we say (what we don’t say, even more) has double meaning 6. Randomly opened to page 178: “Jessica worries there are far too many hours to fill with amusing anecdotes and idle gossip, especially when Marcus is pushing for truth and dare. And Marcus fears that time is too short for anything but, particularly after Jessica’s professed reluctance to play along.” 5. It takes place over eighteen hours in/around an airport. This quote (from Naked Airport, a nonfiction book about aviation and architecture) inspired the final scene: EXCUSE OUR APPEARANCES. WE ARE TEARING DOWN YESTERDAY TO MAKE ROOM FOR TOMORROW. 4. Bridget and Percy, Scotty and Bruiser, Len and Manda, Bethany and Marin, Paul Parlipiano, Mac, Hy, and--of course!--Hope are all part of Jessica's life...and the story. SUPPORTERS 1. frodobaggins07 2. How Cute Is She 3. x3nerd __________________ Lisa His fangs were out some, too. I was embarrassed, horrified, and absolutely ready to jump him. Last edited by frodobaggins07; 04-06-2009 at 09:04 PM. | |||
| Reply With Quote |
| #2 | |||
| Master Fan  Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 16,145
| Hey. I love this series so much. In fact I know the author a little bit- she is soo sweet  __________________ I believe in anything Brody♥Bilson | |||
|
| Reply With Quote |
| #3 | |||
| Absolute Fan Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 6,274
| I love it too!  Would you like to be added? And that's so awesome you know her! __________________ Lisa His fangs were out some, too. I was embarrassed, horrified, and absolutely ready to jump him. | |||
|
| Reply With Quote |
| #4 | |||
| Master Fan Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 16,145
| I don't really know her, I met her once at a book signing  Yes add me to the list!!!I do know some awesome facts about Perfect Fifths. 1. takes place ALL in an airport 2. takes place in January 2010 3. Marcus & Jessica see each other for the first time in 3 years __________________ I believe in anything Brody♥Bilson | |||
|
| Reply With Quote |
| #5 | |||
| Addicted Fan  Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,531
| Quote:
__________________ Alex... Alex, is the man I love. Icon by Chelle | |||
|
| Reply With Quote |
| #6 | |||
| Master Fan Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 16,145
| Yeah Megan is very much Jessica  except older... I am SOOO excited for the next book. Do you want me to write up about the books? So we can have a beginning thread/quotes etc? __________________ I believe in anything Brody♥Bilson | |||
|
| Reply With Quote |
| #7 | |||
| Absolute Fan Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 6,274
| I am so excited for the next book also, I can't believe that she did another one but YAY! And that sounds perfect if you want to do that!  __________________ Lisa His fangs were out some, too. I was embarrassed, horrified, and absolutely ready to jump him. | |||
|
| Reply With Quote |
| #8 | |||
| Master Fan Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 16,145
| Its the last book- I heard it has good closure. Okay I will rewrite it up sometime this week- I am really busy with schoolwork so not right now, sorry __________________ I believe in anything Brody♥Bilson | |||
|
| Reply With Quote |
| #9 | |||
| Absolute Fan Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 6,274
| That's awesome. And thank you so much, take all the time you need. And good luck with all your schoolwork! __________________ Lisa His fangs were out some, too. I was embarrassed, horrified, and absolutely ready to jump him. | |||
|
| Reply With Quote |
| #10 | |||
| Master Fan Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 16,145
| lol thanks I have a whole essay to write Tonight for Tomorrow  __________________ I believe in anything Brody♥Bilson | |||
|
| Reply With Quote |
| #11 | |||
| Absolute Fan Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 6,274
| That's insane!  I hope you'll get through it. __________________ Lisa His fangs were out some, too. I was embarrassed, horrified, and absolutely ready to jump him. | |||
|
| Reply With Quote |
| #12 | |||
| Master Fan Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 16,145
| lol I am on my last paragraph for this essay thank goodness!! I'll write up quotes soon. __________________ I believe in anything Brody♥Bilson | |||
|
| Reply With Quote |
| #13 | |||
| Addicted Fan  Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 4,568
| I haven't read any of the books yet, but I plan on picking up the first one the next time I go downtown to Powell's. __________________
| |||
|
| Reply With Quote |
| #14 | |||
| Absolute Fan Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 6,274
| I hope you enjoy it! It's a really amazing series, very original. __________________ Lisa His fangs were out some, too. I was embarrassed, horrified, and absolutely ready to jump him. | |||
|
| Reply With Quote |
| #15 | |||
| Elite Fan  Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 38,919
| I've only read the first two books of the series, I don't know if I'll finish it. __________________ | |||
|
| Reply With Quote |
  |
| Bookmarks |
| Tags |
| books, megan mccafferty, sloppy firsts |
| Forum Affiliates | |
| Thread Tools | |
| |
