"Dreams of Significant Girls," by Cristina Garcia

I have -- unlike many children and adults -- never read the Harry Potter books. But I am glad that they have provided so much reading pleasure to so many. As I wrote on 8/13/10, I don’t read much Young Adult (YA) fiction, and I especially don’t like or read science fiction/fantasy, whether YA or adult. But I have very occasionally read YA books when they relate to girls figuring out their lives, female friendships, sisterhood, and related topics. One such YA novel I enjoyed some years ago was Ann Brashares’ “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” which was later made into a movie. I have just read a new YA novel, “Dreams of Significant Girls” (Simon & Schuster, 2011), by Cristina Garcia, author of the critically well-received book for adults, “Dreaming in Cuban.” “Dreams of Significant Girls” attracted me because of the sisterhood topic, as well as the fact that it is set at a boarding school in Switzerland. As a person who attended a (very nice but much less posh) boarding school (Kodaikanal School) for five years in India, many years ago, I am drawn to such stories. In addition, as I have written before, I am interested in issues of social class, and this story raises some of those issues, albeit indirectly. The three main characters from three very geographically dispersed places all attend the elegant Swiss boarding school every summer for three summers, are very different, initially don’t get along, but become fast friends and great sources of support and comfort for each other during those summers and for a long time after. Despite the fact that these girls are quite privileged, they all have serious issues to deal with. (I know, I know, the “poor little rich girl” theme is a bit worn, but the author makes it fairly fresh in this novel.) The characters are appealing and the story is fairly interesting, but what most appealed to me was, as I predicted, the female friendship/sisterhood theme. The story is in some senses too predictable, and lacks depth, but it is enjoyable to read, and it does reinforce the important idea that girls’ and women’s friendships are crucial elements in their lives.