The Magic of Blue Denim (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants – A Book Review)

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Sisterhood #1)

Author: Ann Brashares

Published: 2001

On Goodreads

My Rating:

Rated F for four true friends and one fated pair of jeans that worked some unexpected magic.

Four very different friends. One pair of magical jeans. And a summer apart…

Carmen, Lena, Tibby, and Bridget are as different as can be but have known each other since as long as they could remember. As they prepare for their first summer apart, blooming into the ladies they’ve yet to become, they discover a pair of jeans that shouldn’t fit any of them, yet fit all of them. This is most definitely fate. Through courage and leaps of faith, each discover a piece of themselves and open their hearts to life-changing possibilities. From falling in love to creating space in one’s heart.

This book took me by surprise in subtlety. This series has been o my TBR since I finished high school. This was light, fun, witty, and I instantly fell in love with it. This wasn’t some gushy ‘circle of friendship forever’ kind of story. This was fleshed with true friendship. Where friends love each other like family, tell them what they need to hear versus want to hear.

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The interweaving of these four friends was an unexpected adventure. This adventure is different from others. It’s not filled with death-defying antics or an end-of-the-world to stop. This is coming-of-age growing up and finding love. Love with others, with friends, family, and yourself. I almost forgot that books like this existed. We’re so consumed in the fear and rage of toxicity that this kind of love gets swept to the dark depths of myth. But this really reawakened the thought that love is still possible. It’s not some figment and it is unpredictable.

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Each story was impeccable and had me swirling in the feels. From Carmen feeling like she had no dad as he prepared for a wedding to a new wife she had no idea about to Bridget feeling ready and determined to take the next step in her sex-life to Lena slowly coming out of her introvert shell and fall for the Greek boy her grandparents set her up with. Even Tibby’s adventure with a summer job and meeting Bailey was an eye-opening moment. There was so much relevancy in each one that was relatable. I can’t imagine one bad thing out of this book. These four girls were wisps in the wind of change.

I know, cliché and cheesy. How horrible. But this book wasn’t either of those two things. Rich in life and learning and truly reaching out to hearts that never knew this was what they needed. A perfect balance of heart, fun, and love. Who knew that something like a pair of jeans could help encourage so much? Life and magic comes in many forms. LOL. And I can’t say no to good denim. Now if only I could find a pair of jeans like these.

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Moving past my mushy moment, I was in love with Brashares writing style. Her characters’ letters to each other being used as transition points between each girl was genius and fun and gave a deeper understanding of who they are. It was so personal, flippant, and emotional. It gave so much to each arc in the book and revealed a lot about everyone. From Bridget’s manic depression to Carmen’s inability to be angry at her father to Tibby’s irritancy about being the odd duck out on summer adventures and then Lena’s struggle to let the thought of love in her heart. Each story was interconnected by these letters and though they were short, they spoke volumes and brought so much to this book.

Now, I live on the thin line of reading a book before seeing its movie or series. That wasn’t the case here. Still, the casting of the movie was perfection. It lined up wonderfully as did the character portrayals. A lot can be said for how the movie came out storyline-wise, but all in all, the adaptation was wonderful and I can’t deny that.

Overall

I was certain this might’ve been childish but it really wasn’t. At 20 years old, this book goes into my classics pile with delight and will remain on my shelves. I fell so in love with it. It was realistic and sweet and came to me as a great reminder to not take things for granted and to allow myself to take risks in a scary world and that I’m allowed to be mad if I’m mad. Sometimes people think it’s not okay to be upset because it’s just as bad as crying. It’s considered weak. I’m tired of feeling that way. Still, this book took me to a place I thought was myth and reminded me that emotions make a human, and there’s a lot of good ones as much as there are bad ones. More so, that summer can still hold a little something special, like discoveries, if you look in the right places.

Quotables:

“Magic comes in many forms. Tonight it comes to us in a pair of pants. I hereby propose that these Pants belong to us equally, that they will travel to all the places we’re going, and they will keep us together when we are apart.” (Carmen, p. 20)

“I’m afraid of time. I mean, I’m afraid of not having enough to. Not enough time to understand people, how they really are, or to be understood myself. I’m afraid of the quick judgments and mistakes that everybody makes. You can’t fix them without time. I’m afraid of seeing snapshots instead of movies.” (Bailey, p. 171)

“Sometimes you tell yourself the things you need to hear.” (p. 238)

“Her need was as big as the stars, and he was down there on the beach, so quiet she could hardly hear him.” (p. 265)

More to come soon…                                                                                               

  -K.

Song Today? Breathe by Michelle Branch

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