The Girl’s Guide to Sloppy Firsts. (Wait, That’s Not Right!)
Posted in Books and tagged with Book Review, Books, Family, Guest Blogger, Kricket, Must Read on 09/29/2010 08:00 am by Jenn
Welcome to the second installement of our discussion and the third day of A Week of Kricket! Go here to see the first part.
This book (Girl’s Guide) doesn’t focus solely on Jane. Why do you think the author included that section “The Best Possible Light” about her brother’s ex-girlfriend’s, ex-husband and the family who lives in the same building as Jane’s aunt?
I have wondered about that, I liked that story…but I felt that it was kind of out of place. As it was one of the earlier stories I assumed that each story would have a different protagonist, until it flipped back to Jane.
Jane struggles to be authentic in her dating life and ultimately takes some not-so-great advice from a self-help book. I hate playing games. I never know that I’m playing until it’s too late. Then it’s not really fun. There is no sportsmanship in that! Why is it so hard to catch a mate when you’re being “authentic”?
I totally agree with you with the game playing. There has to be a fine balance before you unleash your authentic self on a potential beau. You want to be yourself, but you also don’t want him/her to know that you spend Saturday mornings in threadbare sweatpants scouring the internet for Ryan Gosling gossip until 2pm, then eating a disgustingly large peanut butter and jam sandwich…dropping much of it on grungy t-shirt…and not getting up to wipe it off right away. You also don’t want this person to know that…in the winter you don’t shave your legs every two/three days. Worry about your cats like they were your children. Still hold out hope or fantasize of getting together with your ex/your highschool history teacher/Ferris Bueller. (As SITC put it, your “super secret single behaviour”) I really wonder where, when, and how romantic game playing begin. Did cavemen wait a few days before returning to the cave? But then I remember how our life span has increased and think that a caveman or woman most likely conked their intended over the head with a mallett and dragged them off into the sunset. Ah, the good ole days.
What’s the worst dating advice you’ve ever received?
I’ve actually received some pretty great dating advice, sadly I don’t follow it. The first dates into a relationship I can ace. Then I get bored, or find some insane excuse not to be with the person any longer. Sometimes the excuses are warning bells blaring that have solid proof for pushing the escape button. I have also sabotaged myself in relationships, as I have had several situations of me falling for the unrequited fellow, and that cancelling out real feelings I could have for someone who actually likes me the way I should be liked/loved. I think that was a lot like how Jane operated. She was with someone who was older, had an addiction problem and changed a lot when he was with her. Self-sabatoging behaviour. I think we’re all guilty of it at some point.
Jessica had the opposite problem in Sloppy Firsts. She was trying to hard to be like everyone else, but when she showed her true-self, she became more interesting (and interested) in Marcus. He actually gets her to break the rules in a big way. Have you ever broken the rules for a guy?
I sure have, and it ended up biting me in the arse. Hard, like a crocodile. He was a close friend many moons ago. So many rules broken with that one. I used to be such a ballsy kid, when I was ten I uttered the phrase “shut up and kiss me” to my intended at the time. I have drunkenly uttered the phrase “we would have such interesting looking children” and decided many a pub night that is a “great” idea to call my crush, or go and knock on his dorm room door for a 3am chat. Thankfully, my rule breaking lately has consisted of being quiet and awkward when I’m around someone that I am interested in. I am not being honest with myself when I’m like that.
Jessica struggles between two things she is good at; running and school. She is good at running, but her Dad keeps pushing her to be better. He even put together a film of all the screw-ups she had in races and made her watch it. I think everyone can relate to that in some way. Although it may seem exaggerated in the book, I think that everyone has had issues with their parents where they pushed you to do something you didn’t want to do.
Definitely, I found the Darling parents very realistic. Parents are human and they have their own issues, in some cases so many that it equals an entire subscription. They natter, and push, and want you to be the very best version of you. In some cases they do so because it’s an outward expression of themselves, but mainly and ultimately…it is out of love.
I see why you chose both of these books for me to read. They are definitely well-written and, most importantly, the characters are easy to realte to. Do you think that guys can get the same thing from them?
I really hope so. The stigma of a man reading a “chick lit” book is a hard one to crack. If a man has read either of these books, please point me in his direction so that I can club him and drag him back to my cave. Ha ha…will do! I don’t know if they could get the same thing from them really because men are engineered by society and our culture to be a certain way, just as we are. I would think a man could definitely appreciate each of these characters, and their insight, but I don’t think they would get the “aha” moment like a woman could.
Well thank you for joining me this week!
THANK YOU! It is a huge honor.
Tomorrow is the last day of The Week of Kricket. She guest posts on my blog! See you then.
Yeah, That Just Happened!
September 29th, 2010 at 9:37 am
Ha I am so glad this was up early! When I first came to the page I thought it was yesterday’s post and was sad… now I am happy… this is some interestin’ readin’ you got there
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September 29th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
You know it is true love if you show your “real” self and your beloved doesn’t run screaming for the hills. The flip side is that you have to accept their “selfness” too.
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