Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman, Speak, 2006
ISBN: 978-0142409350
Plot Summary
Ashleigh is a great friend who is generous, compassionate, and loyal. She just happens to also be…well…an Enthusiast. She never does things by halves which causes constant embarrassment for her best friend Julie. But how can you drop your best friend that you’ve known for forever? Although embarrassed, Julie’s gone along (and sometimes even enjoyed) Ashleigh’s hair-brained schemes like dressing up as characters from Little House on the Prairie and digging trenches รก la World War I throughout the backyard. But when Ashleigh’s new obsession mirrors Julie’s long cherished (and secret) interest what is Julie to do? And what will happen when Ashleigh becomes enamored with Julie’s own crush?
Critical Evaluation
Although this is Polly Shulman’s first book, her tone is so pitch perfect that readers wouldn’t know it. Enthusiasm is a well structured novel that, despite the abundance of humorous moments found within, avoids dissolving into cotton candy fluff. Shulman’s apposite language is particularly satisfying in its wit and humor. For example, when Julie once again refuses to fight with her stepmother she remarks that “If I had a dollar for every sharp remark I keep to myself, I would be able to fund the Stepfamily Peace Prize, my dream version of the Nobel, to be awarded annually to the person who displays the greatest family constraint” (p. 15). This is certainly a sentiment that most readers can relate to. Julie also demonstrates humor in her constant descriptions of Ashleigh such as the moment when Julie asks if Ashleigh is starting a new etiquette phase: “Ashleigh shot me her second-favorite expression, Reproach Tinged with Disgust. (Her favorite is the Mad Gleam)” (p. 4) Not only is Shulman’s writing witty, it is also evocative, particularly when she describes scenery such as in Julie’s walk with Grandison: “We walked the six blocks to the train tracks by the underpass, with its buzzing lights and loud echoes. The other side seemed quiet by contrast, hushed with the soft, deep slipping of the river” (p. 191).
Shulman is not only an expert with words but also in tone. Using humor and everyday situations, Shulman creates relatable and believable characters. This is a remarkable achievement indeed as Ashleigh’s obsessions tend to skew her towards the unbelievable. After all, most people cannot claim an acquaintance with someone who is obsessed with candy-making, reptiles, World War I, Jane Austen, Little House on the Prairie, and jelly making. However, despite Ashleigh’s quirky obsessions, Shulman crafts her into a realistic character. Through Julie’s narration readers see that Ashleigh is more than annoying and overbearing; she is in fact a sympathetic character and, despite all her faults, a good friend. She is simply an overly caring, overly enthusiastic person who tends to let her emotions rule her actions. Just like Ashleigh, Julie is a similarly well-crafted character. In many ways Julie is Ashleigh’s foil (or vice versa) as, unlike Ashleigh, she is realistic, somewhat reserved, and practical. Still, Julie is capable of feeling things just as keenly as Ashleigh and when Ashleigh becomes obsessed with Julie’s passion—Pride and Prejudice—Julie fears for her own identity: “Always before, Ashleigh had started a craze, and I had followed. Now, for the first time, I had taken the lead, introducing her to an interest of my own. But how long would it be before her passion overshadowed mine? Would she take over my favorite books, leaving nothing for me?” (p. 4). This passage is especially moving because Julie expresses a fear that many readers have—in our search for our own passions will we find someone who will overshadow and invalidate us? In fact, this question is largely why Enthusiasm is such a captivating read. Shulman takes this fear of Julie’s (and our own) and plays with it throughout her novel.
Another particularly poignant passage is when Julie is struggling with Ashleigh’s obsession with Julie’s own crush, Grandison Parr: “For a long time I struggled with myself, feeling bitter resentment and condemning myself for it. After all, I could not question Ashleigh’s generosity or the purity of her motives…Ash would never have looked twice at a boy she knew I liked. She was too loyal…If she had known my feelings, I believed she would have tried to suppress her own…I would prove to myself, if it killed me, that I could be as generous as my friend” (p. 68-69). This piece once again demonstrates Shulman’s ability to craft a moving passage as she expresses feelings that many readers have felt themselves. In fact, Julie’s journey, and the feelings felt therein, allow readers to explore their own emotions towards difficult relationships. As a result, through Shulman’s language, characterization, and themes, Enthusiasm becomes much more than a humorous, romantic novel as it serves as a catalyst for self-discovery.
Reader’s Annotation
Being best friends with an enthusiast isn’t easy but Julie manages to survive until her friend Ashleigh decides that her latest passions are the ones nearest and dearest to Julie’s heart—Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and the gentlemanly Grandison Parr.
About the Author
“Polly Shulman has written about edible jellyfish, Egyptian tombs, infinity, blind dates, books, brains, centenarians, circuses, and cinematic versions of Jane Austen novels, for The New York Times, Discover, Newsday, Salon, Slate, Scientific American, Archaeology, and The Village Voice, among others. She edits news stories about fossils, meteors, the ocean, the weather, and the planets for Science magazine. She collects Victorian jewelry made of human hair, puts cayenne pepper in her chocolate cookies, and reads forgotten books with frontispieces.
She is an alumna of Hunter College High School, Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics, and Yale University, where she majored in math. She has never dared to crash a dance, but in tenth grade she did write a proof for math class in the form of a sonnet. She grew up in New York City, where she lives with her husband, Andrew Nahem, and their parakeet, Olive.”
Her newest book is The Grimm Legacy where fairy tale objects are very real indeed.
Shulman, P. (2009). Polly Shulman. Retrieved from http://www.pollyshulman.com/bio.html
Genre
Coming of age, Realistic fiction, Romance, School novel, Summertime novel
Tags
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, best friends, crushes, summertime, coming of age, old fashioned
Curriculum Ties
This book would work well juxtaposed with Pride and Prejudice. It also would work in any curriculum addressing assertiveness, standing up for what you believe in, and the nuances of relationships.
Booktalk Ideas
--Act the part of Ashleigh, the overenthusiastic best friend. Then talk about how the audience felt interacting with you.
--Give the booktalk in “Regency era talk”
Reading Level/Interest Age
Reading Level: 5th grade
Interest Level: 7th-12th grade (12-18 yrs.)
Information on reading level from http://bookwizard.scholastic.com
Challenge Issues
Possible objections may be made to Julie’s divorced parents, her father’s relationship with his girlfriend, brief allusions to sex and mild language. Librarians should point out the positive values the book espouses such as loyalty, friendship, and an emphasis on manners. It may be helpful to point to the book’s many positive reviews.
Favorite Quotes
“For a long time I struggled with myself, feeling bitter resentment and condemning myself for it. After all, I could not question Ashleigh’s generosity or the purity of her motives. When she fell for Parr, she had no idea that I had gotten there first. You could even say the whole thing was my fault for not taking her into my confidence from the start. Ash would never have looked twice at a boy she knew I liked. She was too loyal. For my sake, she had even given up her plans to become a nun at age eight, when she learned that Jewish girls couldn’t enter a Catholic sisterhood. If she had known my feelings, I believed she would have tried to suppress her own.” (p. 68-69)
Why Was This Included?
Enthusiasm caught my interest quite a while ago because I know people that slightly resemble Ashleigh. Unfortunately, I never made time to read it. As a result, it was a perfect pick for the blog project. Stephenie Meyer’s recommendation also caught my attention and I became curious to see if it deserved the high praise she gave it. I was further encouraged when I learned that several bloggers felt that the title was an excellent YA pick that was often overlooked. The blogs that mention this title are
Melissa. (2010, January 21). Unsung heroes of the YA world. One Librarian’s Book Reviews. Retrieved from: http://librariansbookreviews.blogspot.com/2010/01/unsung-heroes-of-ya-world.html
Sarah. (2010, January 22). The underdogs of the YA world: Unsung, underpraised but awesome! YA Librarian Tales. Retrieved from http://yalibrariantales.blogspot.com/2010/01/underdogs-of-ya-world-unsung.html
Ticket to Anywhere. (2010, January 21). My top 5 YA reads that you may not know about. Retrieved from: http://www.tickettoanywhere.net/2010/01/my-top-5-ya-reads-that-you-may-not-know.html
Tiny Little Reading Room. (2010, January 29). Unsung YA heroes. Retrieved from: http://tinyreadingroom.blogspot.com/2010/01/unsung-ya-heroes.html
