Okay, I have forgot that I was doing this book in parts and half forgot on purpose because it was pretty boring. Okay, let’s get this done.
Helena and William’s baby dies suddenly, and Helena cannot have anymore children. Coincidentally, William’s new junior executive on Wall Street, Reginald looks very much like William, but somes from a poor family. Suprise! He’s really their son! They were switched at birth at the hospital. What are the odds? Just about as likely as their ancestors almost marrying each other at least eight times.
Then Katherine (the actress)’s daughter Cassandra becomes a doctor for the troops in World War II, but miscarries after she finds that her husband has been killed in battle. What’s with the dead babies storylines? Then she marries his bff Paul and they have a daughter Marie (Bruce’s mother).
Reginald has Henry Patman, which is Bruce’s father, who is engaged to Marie Vanderhorn but she finds out she has leaukemia and breaks it off with Henry because she is so selfless and wants him to live his life to the fullest! No regrets! So Henry goes off and canoodles with Alice at SVU and after she leaves him for Ned, Henry and Marie reunite and begat Bruce. Henry proclaims that the name Bruce sounds like “a strong , successful guy who knows what he wants.” a.k.a “date rapist”.
Meanwhile, this does not explain why Marie is a cold bitch towards Roger Barrett or why Henry wants to leave her. But it does answer a few of our burning questions. It does mention that Sweet Valley is outside LA and that SVU was once called Southern Calforinia University and is actually several miles outside Sweet Valley.
I am very very glad I never wasted my time on this particular disaster of a book. But I am curious – what happened to Marie’s leukemia? Did it just miraculously disappear?
Okay, just read your prior blog you linked to (Rags to Riches), and am now MUCH more confused. So, Bruce’s mom has leukemia that cures itself, but his…illigitimate cousin’s mother dies of cancer? Huh?
your guess is as good as mine. It said her leukemia was in “remission”. But remember, this is coming from writers who mistake multiple sclerosis with mono.
Amanda:
By now you should now how Sweet Valley works! Poor=bad, rich and pretty=good. So naturally, a character who is poor would die of her cancer while a well-to-do woman who would eventually marry a Patman would have her cancer disappear without any long term effects.
Sad but true.
Please, please, PLEASE do The Wakefield Legacy: The Untold Story! I guarantee you won’t regret it…more dead babies, tragic losses and of course, ancestors almost marrying each other. Totally, craptacularly awesome.
We visited family in New Hampshire over Christmas, and I brought the book with me, having purchased it for $1 on Amazon. I read it in about two hours and then passed it on to my sister (who was a little young for SVH in its heyday). She now reads this blog too!
What struck me most about this one, which I just read, is the part where it blatantly rips off Gone With the Wind. Bruce’s ancestor won his plantation in a freaking card game just like Gerald O’Hara and then his son gives this speech about how all the south has is cotton, slaves and arrogance, which hello, Rhett Butler, but then he gets all wishy-washy about stuff and is like a weird Ashley/Rhett cross.
Wow, you totally have to this for all of the family books. I read them and they were terrible(and yet oddly compelling, I’m ashamed to admit).Please, I can’t wait to read what you have to say on Lila’s family, and especially the Wakefield’s.
Henry proclaims that the name Bruce sounds like “a strong , successful guy who knows what he wants.” a.k.a “date rapist”.
Ah, ha ha ha!