Entertainment : Books & Poetry
McCafferty's third installment focuses on college life
By Susannah Elliott, Entertainment Editor
May 1, 2006 | 6:38 a.m.
McCafferty gave us 2001’s Sloppy Firsts and then its sequel, Second Helpings, which garnered a huge following from readers of all ages – almost entirely through word of mouth. The stories are told in the voice of Jessica Darling, a not-so-typical teenager who finds herself in the typical high school surroundings of Pineville, N.J. Her commentary on high school happenings is a witty, tongue-in-cheek analysis of the people and customs that exist in many towns in America.
Second Helpings, which was released in 2003, ended at Jessica’s high school graduation. Charmed Thirds picks up the summer after her freshman year of college, after experiences at Columbia University have changed her slightly. While she still seemed to be the student least in need of a reality check at Pineville High, Jessica grew to be more insightful and practical at college.
Her actions during her university years, however, became more like the typical college student. While nothing rivals Second Helpings‘ ecstasy incident, Jessica shows little shame in her alcohol-related activities or sexual acts. McCafferty comes dangerously close to offending readers who related to Jessica’s lack of questionable activities in high school.
“Naturally, a lot of people are saying, ‘Hey, it’s college,’ but my college life doesn’t seem to be reflected in her actions,” freshman Lauren Ackley said after finishing the novel.
Many readers find it hard to adjust to the college Jessica, as opposed to her high school counterpart. Part of the problem may be that, while Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings covered only three years altogether, Charmed Thirds stretches until just after Jessica’s college graduation. The subsequent gaps between entries are realistic for a student as busy as over-achieving Jessica, but they often leave more to be desired in the flow of the story. The reader is left to fill in the spaces with the day-to-day development of Jessica’s personality.
Most of the problems readers would find in Charmed Thirds, in fact, are through the shock of Jessica’s change in character. College students know better than most, though, that students change a great deal between the first day of college classes and graduation. Therefore, no one should be surprised when Jessica starts making seemingly out-of-character decisions that negatively affect her life. For instance, her relationship with Marcus Flutie falters, and her fantasies switch to those of her married, Spanish grad-student partner for her summer project; her “GOPunk” Republican RA; and the emo freshman who lives down the hall (one of those “bright-eyed, death cab cuties”).
But those rooting for a Marcus-and-Jessica ending should not fret. Ackley, who admits Marcus Flutie has “really ruined her love life” because of his ideal guy-ness, admitted that though the middle of the book was “weak,” the ending was worth the read.
All things considered, Charmed Thirds’ only shortcomings lie in the discrepancies between it and its predecessors. Readers should not begin the book expecting to hear a carbon copy of the Jessica Darling they came to know through McCafferty’s first two novels. They will be able to see how far every original character has progressed, but new ones also are introduced – these stemming from the archetypes that can now be found on college campuses across the nation. Through comments on everything from Martha Stewart to Facebook, the endearing cynicism that is the essence of Jessica never leaves, but her growing insight is used less on the people around her and more on figuring out herself. In fact, she never quite succeeds. Many college students might be able to relate to her simply because, despite every life-changing revelation, she graduates and still has no idea where to go next.
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Visit Megan McCafferty’s Official Web site at: http://www.meganmccafferty.com