Emily Chase

my sister recently unearthed this novel from my dad's attic, and i was like, "finally!" as a kid, i wanted to read it so bad because there are teenagers on the cover!! but overall, it was a letdown. a couple notable-ish things:

1. i have read two early 1980's novels for female teenagers in about as many days, and BOTH had minor characters named Doris. this doesn't seem realistic. i think i would have enjoyed both novels more if there were more Staceys, Traceys, and Lisas.

2. this passage illustrates nicely why i read shit like this:

Dana hurriedly scrawled her name on the sign-out sheet
taped on the outside of the door. Along with the room number,
there were artistic renditions of their names. Each roommate had
done her own.
Dana had written her name in an elaborate, arty print;
Faith's was in fat, balloony letters; Shelley had cut letters out
magazines and pasted them together--"like a ransom note," Dana
had said. Shelley had actually been kidnapped only a month
earlier and didn't think Dana's comment was very funny.

i do think Dana's comment is _very funny_, but i would NEVER laugh about it in front of Shelley, you know?

2a. one reason i would laugh at Dana's jokes despite how offensive they might be to Shelley or anyone else is that Dana has really neat gear: "Dana slipped some tapes into her Walkman, clapped on the headphones, and flopped onto her bed, facing the wall." tapeS?! is like a dual-deck thing? can she make mixes using her Walkman? i want one.… (meer)

I saw a mention of this title somewhere on the ‘net last year, and it was like a lightbulb going off in my memory. This was the book that inspired by adolescent desire to go to boarding school (unfulfilled, which is probably just as well, as I doubt the reality would have equalled the fantasy). I immediately tracked down a copy for nostalgia’s sake, and the forgot about it until it showed up in my mail several months later.

I really expected it not to hold up to time, but I have to say, I’m impressed and how well it did. There were some incredibly frivolous moments, but there were some weightier ones as well, including racial stereotypes and running away. Not up to today’s standards, but respectable for the early 80’s, I suppose. Either way, I enjoyed it for the quick, easy read it was and still is. I still want to go to boarding school. And summer camp.… (meer)