(1/28/2009)
Summer Sisters- a contemporary fiction about romance, friendship, youthfulness, and all of life's obligations - revolves around two foil characters; Caitlin and Victoria. Caitlin is the epitome of a beautiful and daring girl, who evolves into a bold and intriguing woman. Blonde-haired, outspoken, passionate, and incapable of separating emotion from reason- she is comparable with the luscious and domineering characters of the classics; Madama Ratignolle from The Awakening and Marianne from Sense and Sensibility. Victoria is a reserved, polite and wise woman who resembles Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Predjudice and Elinor from Sense and Sensibility in character. She is capable of governing her actions through reason and careful planning. Overall, this book exemplifies the eternal differences in women and how, although time changes, the mentalities of heroines remain the same. The classics are still evident in even the most modern of fiction novels. Judy Bloom proves that.