The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
amandasbookshelf1992's review
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
maxreads09's review
5.0
I have to say how well written these books are. Hats Off to [a:Robin Jones Gunn|41954|Robin Jones Gunn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1407387746p2/41954.jpg]!!
lis_ellie_'s review
2.0
read Christy Miller, they said. it will get better as the series goes on, they said. and here I am still blinking in confusion *blink blink*.
to be fair, it's entertaining. it's hard to be bored reading this series, although I do roll my eyes at least once per page. it's thought provoking for me, more so than encouraging. I'm probably just too old. and it's not that I am dismissing the hundreds of good reviews and testimonials of other girls who say this book was so helpful and so life changing. I have no doubt that it did good to them. which makes it hard to review.
undoubtedly one can learn many lessons from the Christy Miller series, but it's really packaged for people with a particular life experience, and I'm not one of those people. I wonder about Robin Jones Gunn a little and what her intention was—was it to write things as they are with morals one can draw from the stories (ie high school girls are probably boy crazy and it's likely they will make mistakes with a Rick, but watch what happens to Christy so you can avoid it! look for a Todd!), or was she being a little idealistic, like, here's how it should be, and then throwing in some pitfalls and struggles along the way to make it more realistic (ie, you should find a guy like Todd but watch out, you may encounter some Ricks in your life!)?
if was meant to be realistic, then I must say realism looks so sad. and if it was idealism, I must say idealism looks so sad. I would like to think she meant it as a look at reality while at the same time writing a story of growth and searching for something more.
motives and deep theoretical thoughts aside, the only thing I can say is that it was entertaining! and I want to find out what happens to the characters next! but I don't think the characters really hold up under my scrutiny of "what makes a character real, likeable, or unique". Christy is still very insecure and has no confidence in herself (see how she acts with girls on the ski trip, so conflicted on how to act when they are being mean to her best friend); Todd is a distant figure of perfection—he's portrayed as far too ideal, far too imaginary, far too much like some unattainable celebrity crush; Rick is given another chance, not just by the characters, but by the author, to be a jerk again, just the same as he always was. I do not feel a love between Christy and Katie—their friendship seems theatrical, like it was written according to a rulebook or something. I do not feel Christy's feelings about God—they remind me too much of myself, some eight years ago, trying to feel all the right feelings about failing, because I just didn't know God well enough to feel it. Whether or not a portrait of reality, the Christianity of Christy Miller just doesn't go deep enough for me. Maybe that's the point, or maybe it's not. I'm not trying to say that the author should have done differently—I can't say that because I don't even know her intentions. But no matter when you might have given this book to me, when I was ten or now that I'm twenty, the Christianity of this series would not have satisfied me.
And unfortunately, I think that is all that the series relies on. Without the Christianity aspect, what is there about Christy or Todd or Rick or Katie or the plot that will really hold up under the microscope? it reminds me of when I was around eleven and I'd kill time at the thrift stores by reading Sweet Valley High.
Ah, wait a minute... suddenly I see some light. Wasn't this written about the same time? hmm, it all makes more sense now. Well,,, definitely better than Sweet Valley High as far as I can tell XDD ENLIGHTENMENT HAS COME TO MEEEEEE. I see how it is.
Last but not least, DOUG IS THE RIGHT GUY! HE'S LIKE REALISTIC BUT UPRIGHT! he's not a lowdown jerk like Rick and not a super-spiritual-super-perfect Todd! he loves God but he's normal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm on the Doug squad. 100%.
Now... how to get the rest of the Christy Miller series (college, marriage, baby years) when my library doesn't have them???????
to be fair, it's entertaining. it's hard to be bored reading this series, although I do roll my eyes at least once per page. it's thought provoking for me, more so than encouraging. I'm probably just too old. and it's not that I am dismissing the hundreds of good reviews and testimonials of other girls who say this book was so helpful and so life changing. I have no doubt that it did good to them. which makes it hard to review.
undoubtedly one can learn many lessons from the Christy Miller series, but it's really packaged for people with a particular life experience, and I'm not one of those people. I wonder about Robin Jones Gunn a little and what her intention was—was it to write things as they are with morals one can draw from the stories (ie high school girls are probably boy crazy and it's likely they will make mistakes with a Rick, but watch what happens to Christy so you can avoid it! look for a Todd!), or was she being a little idealistic, like, here's how it should be, and then throwing in some pitfalls and struggles along the way to make it more realistic (ie, you should find a guy like Todd but watch out, you may encounter some Ricks in your life!)?
if was meant to be realistic, then I must say realism looks so sad. and if it was idealism, I must say idealism looks so sad. I would like to think she meant it as a look at reality while at the same time writing a story of growth and searching for something more.
motives and deep theoretical thoughts aside, the only thing I can say is that it was entertaining! and I want to find out what happens to the characters next! but I don't think the characters really hold up under my scrutiny of "what makes a character real, likeable, or unique". Christy is still very insecure and has no confidence in herself (see how she acts with girls on the ski trip, so conflicted on how to act when they are being mean to her best friend); Todd is a distant figure of perfection—he's portrayed as far too ideal, far too imaginary, far too much like some unattainable celebrity crush; Rick is given another chance, not just by the characters, but by the author, to be a jerk again, just the same as he always was. I do not feel a love between Christy and Katie—their friendship seems theatrical, like it was written according to a rulebook or something. I do not feel Christy's feelings about God—they remind me too much of myself, some eight years ago, trying to feel all the right feelings about failing, because I just didn't know God well enough to feel it. Whether or not a portrait of reality, the Christianity of Christy Miller just doesn't go deep enough for me. Maybe that's the point, or maybe it's not. I'm not trying to say that the author should have done differently—I can't say that because I don't even know her intentions. But no matter when you might have given this book to me, when I was ten or now that I'm twenty, the Christianity of this series would not have satisfied me.
And unfortunately, I think that is all that the series relies on. Without the Christianity aspect, what is there about Christy or Todd or Rick or Katie or the plot that will really hold up under the microscope? it reminds me of when I was around eleven and I'd kill time at the thrift stores by reading Sweet Valley High.
Ah, wait a minute... suddenly I see some light. Wasn't this written about the same time? hmm, it all makes more sense now. Well,,, definitely better than Sweet Valley High as far as I can tell XDD ENLIGHTENMENT HAS COME TO MEEEEEE. I see how it is.
Last but not least, DOUG IS THE RIGHT GUY! HE'S LIKE REALISTIC BUT UPRIGHT! he's not a lowdown jerk like Rick and not a super-spiritual-super-perfect Todd! he loves God but he's normal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm on the Doug squad. 100%.
Now... how to get the rest of the Christy Miller series (college, marriage, baby years) when my library doesn't have them???????
samantha_voss's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
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