Post by Charlynn on Jun 7, 2011 18:49:53 GMT -5
Perfect
If there is a theme to the third novel in the Pretty Little Liars Series, I would say that it is unraveling. Not only do the girls' intricate web of secrets continue to unravel, but 'A's' identity also starts to show some loose threads, too.
Aria's family doesn't just unravel; it disintegrates. When her mom finds out about Byron – Aria's father's – infidelity and the fact that Aria knew about her father's affair and kept it from her mother, she kicks her husband out of the house, he goes to live with his former mistress and now girlfriend, and Aria's mother, Ella, starts to shun her daughter, at first because she kept Byron's secret and then because Aria, only eight pages into The Scarlet Letter, paints a red letter A upon her father's girlfriend's chest, further embarrassing her mother. This shunning and eventual banning from the house leads Aria to live with her boyfriend, Sean, only their relationship isn't all sunshine and roses either, partially because of Aria's lingering feelings for her English teacher, Ezra. Things go from bad to worse when she and Ezra are caught together, thanks to Sean, effectively breaking up Aria and Sean and sending Ezra to jail.
I liked the fact that, while Aria has been condemning her father for years for having an affair, she essentially does as well. While she might not have been married to Sean (with children), they were in a committed relationship, and she cheated. However, I can say that she was aware that what she was doing with Ezra was wrong, and she did try to avoid him and do the right thing (break up with Sean first), but Ezra was no help. In fact, he was the one pursuing her, despite the fact that their relationship was not only illegal but also unethical. I can't entirely avoid blaming Aria for some of her own mistakes, but I do think that, because Ezra was the adult, he should have been the one capable of making the more responsible decisions. Really, the poor girl only wants to be loved – like all four of our main characters, and I think he took advantage of that. In the end, though, all this heartache and Aria's homelessness led her to watching her old homemade movies from their former sixth and seventh grade group, and, by the end of the novel, she believed she had figured out who Alison's killer was.
But Hanna thought she had figured out who 'A' was, too. Before this, though, it was her relationship with Mona which unraveled. Blinded by her obsession with being the most popular, the most beautiful, and the skinniest, Hanna could not comprehend the fact that Mona really wasn't a good friend to her and that she could be happy without her. It wasn't until a former crush (one that Ali sabotaged) comes back into her life, Lucas, that she starts to see that she just might be worth more than being Mona's best friend. However, it must be noted that, before her social life completely fell apart, she didn't give Lucas the time of day. It could be concluded that not only is she transferring her dependency upon Mona to Lucas but that she is suddenly liking him simply because he likes her. This, though, has yet to be determined. I'll reserve my judgement until I can read how Hanna reacts to the changes in her life after more than just one evening of being a social outcast. Meanwhile, though, the final nail in the coffin of Hanna and Mona's friendship led to a taunting text from 'A,' but, this time, 'A' slipped up and forgot to block their number, a number that Hanna recognized, leading her to believe that she knew who 'A' was.
Emily's life unravels because she is outed. At a swim meet with a recruit from the University of Arizona there to talk with her, her parent watching, and hundreds of her fellow classmates in attendance, 'A' distributes copies of Emily kissing Maya in the photo booth from the party which took place in the first book of the series. This leads to her parents demanding that she attend a program to help her change her sexuality, and, if she does not agree to do this, they'll send her away to live with her ultra-conservative aunt and uncle in Iowa. Desperate to remain in Rosewood, Emily agrees and breaks up with Maya only for her mentor in the program to reunite with her girlfriend and confirm the fact that one cannot just change their sexual orientation. Even though Emily reunites with Maya, their time together is short lived when Emily's mom drags her back home with her future in the balance. Will her family allow her to remain at home, despite being gay, or will they send her away despite her pleadings?
And, finally, there's Spencer. First, Spencer keeps the charade of actually writing her Golden Orchid nominated essay going, even after she's interviewed for the front page of a Philadelphia newspaper and even after she becomes a finalist. More importantly, though, Spencer starts going to therapy, and, in therapy, she starts to question her memories of the night when Ali disappeared. Confronting her parents, she finds out that she, in the past, had blocked out a traumatic experience, and Spencer thinks that perhaps she did the same thing concerning Ali's death as well. After getting into a fight with her sister (once Melissa finds out about the plagiarized essay), Spencer not only pushes her sister down the stairs but remembers pushing and injuring Ali, too. But, if she's the killer, how did she get the body back to Ali's yard? Guilty of murder or not, Spencer's sanity is certainly in doubt as it is her mind unraveling.
Like with the previous two novels, Shepard manages to reveal some secrets and answer some questions, but, in the process of doing so, she only creates more. It's what keeps this series so intriguing, fast-moving, and addicting. What's more, at the very end of Perfect, 'A' takes drastic measures to keep their identity hidden, and, in doing so, seriously injures one of the four girls. So, now, not only are there the questions of who really did kill Ali and who is 'A', but readers are left wondering, when they pick up the fourth novel in the Pretty Little Liars series, if all four of their main characters will still be living. And, if not, just how exactly will this create even more scandal, even more secrets, and even more juicy lies for the girls to keep straight?
If there is a theme to the third novel in the Pretty Little Liars Series, I would say that it is unraveling. Not only do the girls' intricate web of secrets continue to unravel, but 'A's' identity also starts to show some loose threads, too.
Aria's family doesn't just unravel; it disintegrates. When her mom finds out about Byron – Aria's father's – infidelity and the fact that Aria knew about her father's affair and kept it from her mother, she kicks her husband out of the house, he goes to live with his former mistress and now girlfriend, and Aria's mother, Ella, starts to shun her daughter, at first because she kept Byron's secret and then because Aria, only eight pages into The Scarlet Letter, paints a red letter A upon her father's girlfriend's chest, further embarrassing her mother. This shunning and eventual banning from the house leads Aria to live with her boyfriend, Sean, only their relationship isn't all sunshine and roses either, partially because of Aria's lingering feelings for her English teacher, Ezra. Things go from bad to worse when she and Ezra are caught together, thanks to Sean, effectively breaking up Aria and Sean and sending Ezra to jail.
I liked the fact that, while Aria has been condemning her father for years for having an affair, she essentially does as well. While she might not have been married to Sean (with children), they were in a committed relationship, and she cheated. However, I can say that she was aware that what she was doing with Ezra was wrong, and she did try to avoid him and do the right thing (break up with Sean first), but Ezra was no help. In fact, he was the one pursuing her, despite the fact that their relationship was not only illegal but also unethical. I can't entirely avoid blaming Aria for some of her own mistakes, but I do think that, because Ezra was the adult, he should have been the one capable of making the more responsible decisions. Really, the poor girl only wants to be loved – like all four of our main characters, and I think he took advantage of that. In the end, though, all this heartache and Aria's homelessness led her to watching her old homemade movies from their former sixth and seventh grade group, and, by the end of the novel, she believed she had figured out who Alison's killer was.
But Hanna thought she had figured out who 'A' was, too. Before this, though, it was her relationship with Mona which unraveled. Blinded by her obsession with being the most popular, the most beautiful, and the skinniest, Hanna could not comprehend the fact that Mona really wasn't a good friend to her and that she could be happy without her. It wasn't until a former crush (one that Ali sabotaged) comes back into her life, Lucas, that she starts to see that she just might be worth more than being Mona's best friend. However, it must be noted that, before her social life completely fell apart, she didn't give Lucas the time of day. It could be concluded that not only is she transferring her dependency upon Mona to Lucas but that she is suddenly liking him simply because he likes her. This, though, has yet to be determined. I'll reserve my judgement until I can read how Hanna reacts to the changes in her life after more than just one evening of being a social outcast. Meanwhile, though, the final nail in the coffin of Hanna and Mona's friendship led to a taunting text from 'A,' but, this time, 'A' slipped up and forgot to block their number, a number that Hanna recognized, leading her to believe that she knew who 'A' was.
Emily's life unravels because she is outed. At a swim meet with a recruit from the University of Arizona there to talk with her, her parent watching, and hundreds of her fellow classmates in attendance, 'A' distributes copies of Emily kissing Maya in the photo booth from the party which took place in the first book of the series. This leads to her parents demanding that she attend a program to help her change her sexuality, and, if she does not agree to do this, they'll send her away to live with her ultra-conservative aunt and uncle in Iowa. Desperate to remain in Rosewood, Emily agrees and breaks up with Maya only for her mentor in the program to reunite with her girlfriend and confirm the fact that one cannot just change their sexual orientation. Even though Emily reunites with Maya, their time together is short lived when Emily's mom drags her back home with her future in the balance. Will her family allow her to remain at home, despite being gay, or will they send her away despite her pleadings?
And, finally, there's Spencer. First, Spencer keeps the charade of actually writing her Golden Orchid nominated essay going, even after she's interviewed for the front page of a Philadelphia newspaper and even after she becomes a finalist. More importantly, though, Spencer starts going to therapy, and, in therapy, she starts to question her memories of the night when Ali disappeared. Confronting her parents, she finds out that she, in the past, had blocked out a traumatic experience, and Spencer thinks that perhaps she did the same thing concerning Ali's death as well. After getting into a fight with her sister (once Melissa finds out about the plagiarized essay), Spencer not only pushes her sister down the stairs but remembers pushing and injuring Ali, too. But, if she's the killer, how did she get the body back to Ali's yard? Guilty of murder or not, Spencer's sanity is certainly in doubt as it is her mind unraveling.
Like with the previous two novels, Shepard manages to reveal some secrets and answer some questions, but, in the process of doing so, she only creates more. It's what keeps this series so intriguing, fast-moving, and addicting. What's more, at the very end of Perfect, 'A' takes drastic measures to keep their identity hidden, and, in doing so, seriously injures one of the four girls. So, now, not only are there the questions of who really did kill Ali and who is 'A', but readers are left wondering, when they pick up the fourth novel in the Pretty Little Liars series, if all four of their main characters will still be living. And, if not, just how exactly will this create even more scandal, even more secrets, and even more juicy lies for the girls to keep straight?