The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (novel)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Author | Ann Brashares |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Young adult novel |
| Publisher | Delacorte Books |
| Released | 2001 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 320 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-385-72933-2 |
| Followed by | The Second Summer of the Sisterhood |
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is a novel written in 2001 by Ann Brashares. The story is about four best friends Lena Kaligaris, Tibby Rollins, Bridget Vreeland,and Carmen Lowell who are about to spend their first summer apart in all of their sixteen years. Then, when a magical pair of jeans comes into their life, their summer turns upside down. It was adapted into a film of the same name in 2005. Three sequels have been published, The Second Summer of the Sisterhood and Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood, and Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
In the first novel in the series, it is established that the Sisterhood includes four virtual "sisters": Lena Kaligaris, Tibby Rollins, Bridget Vreeland,and Carmen Lowell. They find a pair of pants that fit all four, even though they are all different sizes. To keep in touch with each other during their summer vacation they pass the pants along. First they go to Lena, who is in Greece with her grandparents. Lena sends the pants to Tibby, who is stuck at home. Then Tibby sends them to Carmen, who is with her dad for the summer. Then she sends them to Bridget, who is at soccer camp in Mexico. And then it goes back the other way: Bridget to Carmen to Tibby to Lena. When each wears the pants , they gain insight into her life and is emboldened to change it.
Each of the girls' stories is different and fits their characteristics.
[edit] Characters
[edit] The Sisterhood
- Lena Kaligaris, is a beautiful, quiet, and shy artist of Greek heritage. She has a younger sister, Effie. Brashares based Lena on the Greek myth of Artemis, the proud, boy-hating goddess of the hunt who, when spotted bathing by a suitor, turned the young man into a stag. When she goes to Santorini, Greece, to visit her grandparents for the first time, she meets Kostos. At first she dislikes, but later starts to fall in love with him, and he with her.
- Tabitha Anastasia "Tibby" Tomko-Rollins is the rebellious daughter of former radicals. She is extremely interested in filmmaking. Tibby lives with her parents and two younger siblings, Nicky and Katherine. She sets out to make a film about losers (her own genre, called the "suckumentary"), and instead finds her turned upside down by a twelve-year-old girl with leukemia named Bailey Graffman. Bailey teaches her that everyone has a little "loser" in them. Bailey also shows her how to look on the bright side of life.
- Bridget "Bee" Vreeland is the bold, energetic, athletic soccer star, who is described as "single minded to the point of recklessness." She is the daughter of a southern belle and former European history professor. When Bridget was about twelve, her mother committed suicide, and she is still grieving from her death. Bridget has a twin brother named Pervis "Perry." She seeks out Eric, a coach at her summer soccer camp who she thinks is love at first sight. It is forbidden that the two intermingle socially, but it does not stop her from seeking him out relentlessly until she gets what she thinks she wants, then finds out it's not.
- Carmen Lucille "Carma" Lowell, whom they sometimes call Carma and Carmabelle (her IM name) is the sensitive and caring half-Puerto Rican with the bad temper. Her parents are divorced, and she lives with her mother, Christina. She is the organized one, but sometimes she thinks too much. She is the one most insistent on keeping the sisters together through the Traveling Pants, which were first found by her. She is the "glue" keeping the Sisterhood together. She visits her father in South Carolina only to learn he has a life without her now. She half-heartedly decides to give the new family a chance, but after what she perceives as constant letdowns by her father, she snaps.
[edit] In Santorini, Greece
- Valia and Bapi Kaligaris are Lena and Effie's grandparents. Valia is talkative and spirited, like Effie, while Bapi is quiet and introspective like Lena.
- Kostos Dounas lives with his grandparents in Santorini. Lena falls in love with him eventually. He was played by Michael Rady in the movie version, in which his relationship with Lena was changed from its depiction in the book.
[edit] In Bethesda
- Bailey Graffman is a twelve-year-old girl who adores Tibby and assists her on her documentary film. She has leukemia, and dies from it near the end of the book. She was played by Jenna Boyd in the movie version.
- Brian McBrian is a video game aficonado who spends hours every day playing Dragon Master at 7-Eleven. He is the first person interviewed for Tibby's documentary. He later becomes a close friend to both Tibby and Bailey. He was played by Leonardo Nam in the movie version.
- Duncan Howe is the assistant manager at Wallmans, where Tibby works. Duncan is labelled by Tibby as a loser and was one of the stars of her 'suckumentary'.
- Margaret is a worker at the Pavillion Theater who has seen over 10,000 movies and can recite whole scenes from them. She has worked at the same theater for over thirty years and is very dedicated to her work. Although she looks young, she is at least forty years old. She was one of the people interviewed for Tibby's 'suckumentary'.
[edit] Family members of the Sisterhood
- Georgos "George" Kaligaris is Lena's strict Greek father. Although his parents owned a restaurant in Greece, he is a lawyer. He doesn't approve of Lena's interest in art, believing it to be an impractical career choice.
- Ariadne "Ari" Kaligaris is Lena's mother. She is a social worker. She is often caught between her husband's and daughter's squabbles. Her favorite clothing is usually beige and plain.
- Effie Kaligaris is Lena's fourteen-year-old sister. Although not as beautiful as her sister, she is outgoing and spirited, and she has more experience with boys than Lena. Effie's character did not appear in the movie version of the book.
- Franz Vreeland is Bridget's father, a teacher at a private high school. He isn't very close to Bridget.
- Marlene "Marly" Randolph Vreeland is Bridget's late mother. When she died, she left a hole in the first group of "Septembers," the mothers of the Sisterhood, so named because they were all due to give birth in September. Marly's death made it hard for the remaining mothers to bridge the gap since.
- Pervis "Perry" Vreeland is Bridget's twin brother who shared a childhood with the Sisterhood but grew up to be a reclusive teenager. He was named for Marly's brother, Pervis Randolph. He spends most of his time in his room on his computer. He does not appear in the movie version of the book.
- Christina "Tina" Lowell is Carmen's mother. She is Puerto Rican and works as a secretary for a law firm. She cares deeply for her daughter but, in Carmen's opinion, tries a little too hard sometimes.
- Mr. Rollins is Tibby's dad. He is a lawyer who used to work as a public defender. He is not a major character in the book or movie.
- Alice Tomko Rollins is Tibby's mother, who was a hippie and a sculptor while Tibby was young. In the present, she is revealed to be in real estate.
- Nicky and Katherine Rollins are Tibby's younger siblings. In the first book, Nicky is two and Katherine is one; however, in the movie, Katherine is already a toddler while Nicky is still a baby.
[edit] In South Carolina
- Albert "Al" Lowell is Carmen's father. When Carmen arrives for a visit, he surprises her with the news that he is engaged to Lydia.
- Lydia Rodman is Al's fiancée. Lydia is a perfectionist who wants everything orderly, which does not appeal to Carmen. She has two children from her previous marriage, Paul and Krista.
- Paul Rodman is two years older than Carmen and has an alcoholic father, whom he drives to visit every month. He attends the University of Pennsylvania, his father's alma mater. Carmen refers to him as being serious, mature, and responsible. He was played by Kyle Schmid in the movie version.
- Krista Rodman is Carmen's age. She and Carmen do not get along when they first meet because Carmen perceives her as being unintelligent and perfect. She was played by Emily Tennant in the movie version.
- Kelly Marquette is Paul's girlfriend, whom Carmen dubs "Skeletor." She seems to regard Carmen with contempt. She and Paul break up near the end of the book.
[edit] In Baja California
- Eric Richman is a college sophomore (at Columbia University) and coach at Bridget's soccer camp. Bridget falls in love with him, and although he reciprocates her feelings, he avoids her at first because he feels that it would be wrong for him to be with her. He was played by Mike Vogel in the movie version.
- Molly Brevin is the coach of Bridget's team, Los Tacos. During games she frequently makes Bridget play defense or even sit out when she thinks that Bridget is showing off.
- Diana is a friend that Bridget makes at camp. She is African American. Diana is played by Erica Hubbard in the movie version.
[edit] Film adaptation
[edit] External links
- Sisterhood Central from Random House
[edit] References
| Ann Brashares’s "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" series | |
|---|---|
| 1: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants | |
| 2: The Second Summer of the Sisterhood | |
| 3: Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood | |
| 4: Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood | |
