Departures: Two Rediscovered Stories Of Christy Miller And Sierra Jensen (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
Well, that was big waste of time.NOVELLA 1: NOW BOARDING AT GATE 10Post-break-up with Todd, Christy Miller travels back 'home' to the North Woods of Wisconsin for her grandparents' 50th anniversary party. There, she reconnects with her childhood crush, Matthew. I'm telling you, for a Christian girl who didn't start dating 'til she was 16, and never moves past “light kissing,” Christy has had more boyfriends in her high school years than anyone I've ever known. o.O Boys just pop up out of the woodwork for her left and right. She's never single.This novella didn't annoy me as much as the full-length Christy books did. Why? Because Todd and Doug are not in this book. As you may or may not remember, Todd and Doug tend to be preachy and bossy. Finally, in this small vignette, Christy is the one who makes her own decisions and choices. It's true that Matthew is a Christian, a year “younger” in his Christianity than Christy, but he doesn't seem to have inherited the “I get to tell you what to do because I have a penis” attitude that Todd and Doug have.Now, leaving Christy on her own to make her own decisions and come to her own conclusions is a bit frustrating. She's very insecure, wishy-washy, and self-doubting. But she always pulls through in the end. This novella was especially good because I think Christy makes a smart decision in it. She goes back to her hometown and is slammed with all these intense feelings of seeing her childhood crush again. And it seems as if he's single and interested, too. Things are complicated because Melissa, another childhood friend, seems to have a crush on Matthew, and is always around him. When Christy directly asks Matthew if he and Melissa are/were dating (good for you, Christy), Matthew basically tells her “it's complicated” and doesn't elaborate. Um, warning! Boys won't give you a straight answer about their dating past/present = shady. Christy ends up in the uncomfortable position of feeling as if she's “competing” with Melissa for Matthew's affections. Awkward. I wanted to tell her, “Don't compete for a boy's attention. If he likes you, he will pay attention to you and not other girls. Just ¡cálmate!” It's just my personal opinion that you shouldn't let a guy come between you and your friends just because he flirts with both of you. I know this is going to fall on deaf ears, because teenagers (and adults!) can't really help how they feel, but I feel like this was a dick move on Matthew's part. I know he didn't mean to, but riling up two girls to fight over you is wrong and cruel.In the end, Christy is like, “This was just a crush. It's been fun catching up, bye.” Good for her. Perhaps Matthew and Melissa will end up together, perhaps not. o.OThings I liked: 1.) Christy and her little brother David, who have shown only annoyance and animosity towards each other throughout the series, play a secret midnight game of Monopoly. It was sweet and I liked getting that hit of sibling-love that I crave. Your sibling can be your closest friend, and I liked seeing them get along for once.2.) This scene, in which Christy's grandma tells her the secret to knowing who to marry. It's a choice, you know,” Grandma said, peering through her bifocal glasses and looking steadily at Christy. “You get to know someone and then you ask yourself, 'Would I like to spend the rest of my life with this person?' If the answer is yes, then you wait until you have a big argument. Or until something goes wrong, or he does something you don't like. And when things are at their lowest, you ask yourself again, 'Would I like to spend the rest of my life with this person?' If the answer's still yes, then you know you're in love.” Then we have to discuss this “practice dating” thing. When Christy reappears in Matthew's life, he thinks that she's still with her ex-boyfriend, Todd. But he believes that this is the perfect time to get in some “practice dating” (he thinks he's inexperienced.) He soon finds out that Christy is single but still keeps treating her as if he's interested in her romantically. Is he actually romantically interested in her, or is he just using her for “practice?” The fact that he's hiding her status as a “practice girlfriend” is what really disturbs me. The idea of “practice dating” is not new to me, however, all the boys I knew who wanted to do it told the girl upfront about what was going on and what was going to happen and what their intentions were. Of course, “practice dating” itself is problematic, because even if both parties go into it with eyes open, fake relationships lead to real feelings. Just like adults who say “friends with benefits” or “we'll just be sex buddies” - oftentimes this leads to messy confusion and hurt feelings eventually. I think Matthew was a jerk for a.) playing Melissa and Christy off each other, and b.) setting up Christy as his “practice girlfriend” without her knowledge or consent.NOVELLA 2: IN THE EVENT OF A WATER LANDINGPerhaps this novella annoyed me more because I don't know Sierra Jensen as well as I know Christy Miller. I finished this story thinking it was completely pointless.It has almost no plot. Sierra and her best friend, Jana, go up to the cabin for a long weekend. With them are Jana's 19-year-old brother Gregg and his best friend Tim. To add even more flirting options, Danny (Jana's childhood crush) is at the resort, too.Things I Liked:1.) Sierra wears a skirt made out of men's ties that she designed herself. Super-cool.2.) Sierra is a lot more forceful and decisive than Christy. She actually knocks a man out with a soda can because he grabbed her. I like this more dynamic personality of hers.Things I Didn't Like:1.) The utter lack of plot. It's just a big flirting fest. Sierra flirts with Gregg, Danny, and Tim. Jana flirts with Danny and Tim (Gregg's her brother.) Nothing ever "happens" because this is a Robin Jones Gunn book. Also, Gregg and Tim are 19. I'm sure they see the girls (aged 15) as more "little sister types" than "hottie-types" - at least I HOPE so.2.) The fact that even though Sierra and Jana are supposed to be "best friends," they just fight a lot and compete for boys a lot. Doesn't sound like a good best friend relationship to me.3.) The scene in the mall where Tim and Gregg are checking out some girls. Sierra notices, and Gregg basically tells her, "One day you'll be a knockout, too. Then you'll be thrilled that guys like us are looking at you." Um, ew. I totally understand and don't mind the boys checking out girls at the mall. Fine. But then turning to your little sister's best friend and saying, "If you're lucky, you too will get to be ogled at the mall!?" This seemed ... wrong to me. I didn't like it.I'll leave you with an unintentionally hilarious part: "I'm going in now," Sierra said, picking up her Bible and tucking it under her arm. She had heard people refer to their Bibles as their "sword," and as soon as she picked it up, she felt armed and ready for this night stalker. If he so much dared to take one step out of that kayak and up the ladder, Sierra would knock him on the head with her Bible and send him sprawling into the cold water. LOL Insert gif here of Mandy Moore throwing a Bible at Mary in Saved while yelling, "I am FILLED with Christ's love!" MARY: "This is not a weapon, you idiot." LOL
The book is actually two short stories that go with her Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen series. Since they are two separate stories, I'm going to write a mini review for each story.The first is "Now Boarding at Gate 10," starring Christy Miller. She's headed to Wisconsin on a family vacation, to celebrate her grandparents' fiftieth anniversary. What she doesn't expect is the possiblity of a romance with her junior high crush.While the story was as well-written as all the Christy Miller books, I felt like it wasn't really great. Almost all of the characters have already been met by the readers in the Christy Miller series. The plot is easy to follow and flows nicely, and the characters are all true to form. But, partly because I know how the series ends, I felt this story didn't fit with the rest of Christy's life. True, there are real-life experiences during which you may have a 'What if..' moment with a romantic interest. Still, I felt that the idea of Christy and Matthew dating seemed unnecessary to Christy's life story in general. I give this story three stars out of five.The second story was "In the Event of a Water Landing," starring Sierra Miller.Sierra, her friend Jana, Jana's brother Gregg, and Gregg's friend Tim are on their way to a vacation in Montana. An airline mix-up and a trip to a huge mall delay their plans. When they do finally arrive, Sierra is confused by Jana's strange behavior and the mixed feelings both girls are having towards guys.Now, I was never a huge fan of the Sierra series. However, this story is the exact opposite of "Now Boarding at Gate 10." I feel this little 'preview' of Sierra's life - which comes before the Sierra books - better helps the reader understand Sierra's thoughts and beliefs throughout the rest of the series. While the plot was nothing extraordinary, the characters were completely realistic. Sierra discovers a few things - about herself, about guys, and about relationships in general. I found that I connected much better with this mini-book on Sierra than the entire rest of the series. This story definitely gets all five stars.I received this book for free through WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing's Blogging for Books Program in exchange for this review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
What do You think about Departures: Two Rediscovered Stories Of Christy Miller And Sierra Jensen (2011)?
This book has two short stories in it that are part of a much larger series. They are ok reads on their own, but there is a lot of back story that I was missing out on.I did enjoy the book. But I felt that I would have enjoyed it much more if I would have read the entire series.I don’t think I will be going back to read the earlier books, because I didn’t enjoy it that much.It didn’t have that same grip over me that many other books have. I think it is because they were short stories and it was assumed by the author that you know all of the back story.So unless you have already read some of the series, you might want to steer clear.
—Norma
Now Boarding at Gate 10- a Christy Miller novellaHaving just graduated high school, Christy goes back to Wisconsin with her family to visit relatives. There she reunites with Matthew, a boy she once had a huge crush on. Now that Todd is gone, could Christy start over with someone like Matthew? What if someone else was interested long before Christy came to visit?In the Event of a Water Landing- a Sierra Jensen novellaSierra heads off to a lake in Montana for a vacation with her friend Jana and Jana’s family. Excited to have lots of fun, Sierra is frustrated with Jana’s new boy-crazy demeanor. Will the whole trip be nothing but one big fight? And is Jana right? Should Sierra grow up and start looking for a boyfriend too?What sweet stories. It was nice to visit Christy again. She is a wonderful character, and Robin Jones Gunn always weaves such wonderful stories. How fun to have the chance to read two stories that weren’t included in the new collections. I’ve read all Christy’s books except the college years, but this was the first Sierra-only book I’ve read. I liked her very much and must start reading the Sierra Jensen collection soon. I’ve you’ve never read these, I highly recommend Robin Jones Gunn’s books. They are a must read for any teenage girl, and for the nostalgic adult too.
—Jill Williamson
So what's it about? Well if you are like most Christian homeschooling Mom's you likely already know all about Christy Miller and her friends. If you don't (and if you have a pre-teen/teenage daughter) you are missing out. The series of books that include Christy Miller are written by Robin Jones Gunn (you may know her from Sisterchick fame), and are about a young girl and her friends coming of age. The books begin when Christy is around 14 and stay with her through college and into marriage. They are clean, wholesome books, but they are not unrealistic, everyone makes mistakes in life, even Christy and her friends. Departures is a book that contains two novellas, one centered on Christy, the other on her friend Sierra Jensen. In face here's the synopsis: Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen cross paths on their way to summer vacations that reveal what a gift it is to have a true Forever Friend.Now Boarding at Gate 10After her high school graduation, still aching from Todd’s departure, Christy joins her family on a trip to Wisconsin to visit relatives. While there, she reunites with Matthew, an old friend from junior high. When Matthew starts to show a romantic interest in Christy, she realizes this summer vacation could change everything she thought her future would be.In the Event of a Water LandingFifteen-year-old Sierra Jensen can’t wait to spend her summer vacation with her friend Jana at a pristine lake in Montana. But when they arrive, it becomes clear that Jana’s only interest is acquiring a boyfriend. Sierra just wants to hang out with the guys as friends, but Jana turns every encounter into a possible romantic relationship. As their friendship begins to suffer, Sierra wonders if it’s possible to find a Forever Friend who will listen to you, laugh with you, and keep your confidences. Would I recommnd it: Well I figure you really don't want my opinion on this one, since the book is geared to the YA crowd and I am definitely not YA (Young Adult). So I asked the best YA reader I know: My 14 year old daughter. She read through the book(s) and returned with a resounding yes. She loves Christy Miller and was very glad to have the opportunity to read another book about her. She gives it 5 stars. She is sure you will too. This book was provided to me by Waterbrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for books program all opinions are my own.
—Sheri
