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mfumarolo's review
3.0
Vivien, Shirin, and Ingrid have absolutely nothing in common, at least on the surface. One is a Cuban-Jew who loves food and lives in New York, one is a German-Canadian wild child, and one is quite literally an Iranian princess. The only thing they share are three summers together at a boarding school/camp in Switzerland in the early 1970s. During that time, these girls become the unlikeliest of friends as they navigate relationships, families, expectations, and the desire to follow their own dreams.
I've walked past this book a hundred times at my library, and since I was in the mood for historical fiction but not something based around a war, I finally decided to give this a try. Over the course of a few hours, I got to know each of these girls who take turns narrating. This was an aspect of the storytelling which I loved - it's interesting to see how each of them describe the same school, people, and summers, and each girl has a very distinct voice and perspective.
However, to me, historical fiction is a delicate genre in that by setting a story in a specific time period other than the present, authors need to make it an essential part of the story, that these events could only take place in that time or place. This novel didn't quite get there for me. The girls sent each other occasional telegrams and letters during their time apart, and at the end history played a slightly bigger role, but overall I felt like you could have set this in the year 2012 instead of 1972 and it wouldn't have been so different. I also had a hard time suspending my belief that these girls would actually become such close friends - not to say such friendships never happen, but the events that unfolded combined with these personalities left an edge of apprehension always in my mind.
If you're looking for a quick one-time read that explores complicated relationships and the realities of growing up, borrow Dreams of Significant Girls from your local library - it may be the book for you. I liked it alright once, but I wasn't in love.
I've walked past this book a hundred times at my library, and since I was in the mood for historical fiction but not something based around a war, I finally decided to give this a try. Over the course of a few hours, I got to know each of these girls who take turns narrating. This was an aspect of the storytelling which I loved - it's interesting to see how each of them describe the same school, people, and summers, and each girl has a very distinct voice and perspective.
However, to me, historical fiction is a delicate genre in that by setting a story in a specific time period other than the present, authors need to make it an essential part of the story, that these events could only take place in that time or place. This novel didn't quite get there for me. The girls sent each other occasional telegrams and letters during their time apart, and at the end history played a slightly bigger role, but overall I felt like you could have set this in the year 2012 instead of 1972 and it wouldn't have been so different. I also had a hard time suspending my belief that these girls would actually become such close friends - not to say such friendships never happen, but the events that unfolded combined with these personalities left an edge of apprehension always in my mind.
If you're looking for a quick one-time read that explores complicated relationships and the realities of growing up, borrow Dreams of Significant Girls from your local library - it may be the book for you. I liked it alright once, but I wasn't in love.
sonia_reppe's review
1.0
I think some girl readers will like the three distinct voices of the three characters, of whom the point of view is shared (actually, two of the voices are distinct, one is just bland). I liked the voices of the Indian princess and the bad girl, but unfortunately, that was the only thing I liked about this book. The plot was so unfocused and all over the place, and unbelievable. It takes place over three summers, and by the third summer, two of the three friends already have successful careers as a chef and a photographer. (As high schoolers. After working just a year on their craft). I wonder at the choice of scenes left out. In order to condense the book, we're just told about a lot, in emails and in conversation. I would have liked to see Shirin's meeting with her boyfriend while in Switzerland, for instance. What knocked this down from two stars to one was the stupid ending. The book got steadily worse from beginning to end.
rids's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
exhaleartist's review
1.0
Three words: confusing, unbelievable, horrifying.
Warning: This book contains heavy sexual content.
Warning: This book contains heavy sexual content.
liralen's review
2.0
Not terrible, but slow. Set over the course of three summers (with a ten-years-later epilogue), Dreams of Significant Girls follows three (not very significant?) girls at a summer camp in Switzerland in the early 70s.
The spread-out timeline gives the three characters more room to develop, but it also means that a lot of that development takes place off-page. Shirin, for example, spends the year after their first summer in the throes of a nervous breakdown (or something like that) and comes back with something approaching a personality transplant, and it's not entirely clear why or how. A ton of issues and questions are raised, but they tend to drop off the page when the summer ends...except for the recurring questions of sex and relationships (and right back to sex), which I could have done with less of.
I was interested in the book in part because of the historical setting, but I was pretty disappointed on that score. There's subplot about World War II and the way in which it affected their families, and the epilogue touches on the way the Iranian revolution changed Shirin's life, but other than that...? Add modern technology, and the book could easily be set in the present day. So altogether...not really what I wanted.
The spread-out timeline gives the three characters more room to develop, but it also means that a lot of that development takes place off-page. Shirin, for example, spends the year after their first summer in the throes of a nervous breakdown (or something like that) and comes back with something approaching a personality transplant, and it's not entirely clear why or how. A ton of issues and questions are raised, but they tend to drop off the page when the summer ends...except for the recurring questions of sex and relationships (and right back to sex), which I could have done with less of.
I was interested in the book in part because of the historical setting, but I was pretty disappointed on that score. There's subplot about World War II and the way in which it affected their families, and the epilogue touches on the way the Iranian revolution changed Shirin's life, but other than that...? Add modern technology, and the book could easily be set in the present day. So altogether...not really what I wanted.
clarkco's review
3.0
Trials and tribulations of three girls at a summer boarding school in Switzerland in the Seventies. I feel like plot would have worked better had the girls been college-aged instead of teenagers.
heykellyjensen's review
3.0
I loved the writing, as it was really literary, and the food descriptions could almost be tasted. This book reminded me a lot of Nina de Gramont's GOSSIP OF THE STARLINGS, right down to the boarding school, the drug and sexual content and brutality therein, the acts of defiance on the parts of the characters, and the writing style.
However, I found it hard to understand the motivations of the characters. They acted on impulse, all three of them, but I never quite got the whys of it. It made it difficult for me to buy their stories because of this. There's a lot of action on their part, and while there is consequence to it, it didn't make sense to me as a reader. I needed more of what they were thinking and why they were following through. It was a missing piece of their development.
That said, I did quite like the connections the girls had that they didn't suspect, despite how convenient it was. Maybe I liked it because it gave me a reason to understand the underlying/subconscious motivations of the characters. It comes really too late though.
I feel like I could have read 100 more pages of the book with more character development up front and then this would have been a really strong book.
However, I found it hard to understand the motivations of the characters. They acted on impulse, all three of them, but I never quite got the whys of it. It made it difficult for me to buy their stories because of this. There's a lot of action on their part, and while there is consequence to it, it didn't make sense to me as a reader. I needed more of what they were thinking and why they were following through. It was a missing piece of their development.
That said, I did quite like the connections the girls had that they didn't suspect, despite how convenient it was. Maybe I liked it because it gave me a reason to understand the underlying/subconscious motivations of the characters. It comes really too late though.
I feel like I could have read 100 more pages of the book with more character development up front and then this would have been a really strong book.
tarryncurrentlyreading's review
3.0
3.5 stars
I liked this book, I really did. But there were a couple problems, the main two being: this book needed to be at least two hundred pages longer, but any length other than what it was would have left me totally burnt out.
I thought the characters were interesting, if not a bit frustrating. However, their friendship, the whole point of this story, did not feel fleshed out enough to me. There was hardly any deep communication between the three - Shirin often never shared major and traumatic events with Ingrid and Vivien. And even though they KNEW she had had issues in the past, very big issues, they never seem overtly concerned when she's upset or acting weird. I saw events that would purportedly strengthen their bond occur but never actually saw their bond strengthen. So by the end, the message that no matter where life took them, or how far away they were from each other, that friendship would never die, just seemed totally unrealistic. And considering how weak the bond truly seemed, I found it highly unbelievable that during the eleven months they weren't together each year they didn't have friendships that were stronger with other people. They only spent like 30 days together each year for three years. It's just odd.
Out of all the characters, Shirin is who I wanted to know. There was a lot going on with that girl, things I really wanted to be explored, especially some of the things that happened during the first summer. But of course, the girls literally never discussed the madness of that first summer together. I was left with a lot of questions and frustrations.
I liked this book, I really did. But there were a couple problems, the main two being: this book needed to be at least two hundred pages longer, but any length other than what it was would have left me totally burnt out.
I thought the characters were interesting, if not a bit frustrating. However, their friendship, the whole point of this story, did not feel fleshed out enough to me. There was hardly any deep communication between the three - Shirin often never shared major and traumatic events with Ingrid and Vivien. And even though they KNEW she had had issues in the past, very big issues, they never seem overtly concerned when she's upset or acting weird. I saw events that would purportedly strengthen their bond occur but never actually saw their bond strengthen. So by the end, the message that no matter where life took them, or how far away they were from each other, that friendship would never die, just seemed totally unrealistic. And considering how weak the bond truly seemed, I found it highly unbelievable that during the eleven months they weren't together each year they didn't have friendships that were stronger with other people. They only spent like 30 days together each year for three years. It's just odd.
Out of all the characters, Shirin is who I wanted to know. There was a lot going on with that girl, things I really wanted to be explored, especially some of the things that happened during the first summer. But of course, the girls literally never discussed the madness of that first summer together. I was left with a lot of questions and frustrations.