I finished reading Sisterhood Everlasting about a week and a half ago, but I had to reflect on it before writing this review. Ann Brashares' lastest offering is the fifth {and presumably final} novel in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. If you've read the other books, or seen the movies, you're familiar with the characters ~ outspoken and ambitious Carmen, who wishes to be an actress; shy, beautiful Lena, the artist; free-spirited, athletic Bridget {or Bee}; and quiet, quirky Tibby, an aspiring filmmaker. The girls have been best friends literally since birth, and the books chronicle four consecutive summers in their teens as they come of age.
The first four books in the series focus on the friends as teenagers, and as such, are geared towards a younger audience {although I read them in my twenties}. Sisterhood Everlasting takes place ten years later, as the girls are scattered across the globe, nearing their 30th birthdays. The overall tone of this book is heavier than the previous installments, as they deal with more "adult" issues.
I spent a large portion of the week or so that it took me to read Sisterhood unhappy with the direction that Brashares chose to take the story. The book starts out pleasantly enough ~ just like with any series, revisiting familiar characters is like catching up with old friends. The first few chapters bring the reader up to speed on who is doing what in life now {Carmen, for example, is a working actress in New York, thanks to the magic and free license of fiction}. Brashares throws more than one unexpected twist into Sisterhood, though, and I found myself questioning how necessary some of those choices were.
I actually can't say my opinion on the plot line itself without giving away some of the twists, which wind up being an integral part of the story overall. I will say that I was really disappointed when I hit the first big "surprise", a few chapters in to the novel. It almost made me not want to keep reading, because Brashares' vision for these girls and where their lives would take them was clearly completely different than what I had expected. I pushed ahead though, partly because I like to finish something when I start it, and mostly because regardless of whether I agree with the choices Brashares {or the characters} had made, I was still emotionally invested in their lives and I wanted to see how the rest of the book played out.
Sisterhood offered several more twists and turns as it progressed, some completely unexpected and some not quite as shocking. It took me until almost the end of the novel to feel at peace with the direction the story had taken. Ends were tied up, as in any proper chick-lit piece, and finally things seemed to make sense again ~ for myself, and for the girls. I still don't think I agree with the life choices that Brashares laid out for at least some of the characters; but I respect the fact that ultimately they are her characters and she knows them better than the rest of us do.
Bottom line ~ if you were a Sisterhood fan {books or movies} before, you'll appreciate the opportunity to catch up with the girls now that they're "grown ups". Just expect the unexpected when you curl up with this latest installment of the girls with the pants. I wouldn't even mind a future book or two checking in on the sisterhood ~ just please no more crazy surprises!
xoxo
Bean
{photo credit: amazon.com}
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