Books on "better to be alone than to wish you were&qu..

I can't seem to think of any novels for teen girls - or boys - that
emphasize that the world doesn't owe you a significant other (as
opposed to good friends), no matter how good and kind a person you
might be. Or that life can be good, even when lived on your own,
providing you're willing to accept that possibility. I.e., a book where
the protagonist looks for an S.O. but finds no one suitable by the end
of the story and accepts that disappointment.

Does anyone know of such a novel?

Lenona.

From: lenona....DeleteThis@yahoo.com
Date: 28 Mar 2005 08:18:45 -0800
Subject: Books on "better to be alone than to wish you were"?

I can't seem to think of any novels for teen girls - or boys - that
emphasize that the world doesn't owe you a significant other (as
opposed to good friends), no matter how good and kind a person you
might be. Or that life can be good, even when lived on your own,
providing you're willing to accept that possibility. I.e., a book where

the protagonist looks for an S.O. but finds no one suitable by the end
of the story and accepts that disappointment.

Does anyone know of such a novel?

Lenona.

The closest I can think of is "The Member of the Wedding," by Carson
McCullers, which touches on this idea indirectly, the main theme being
more like don't expect life to fit a certain vision of it you have
formed.

"Katie John and Heathcliff," by Mary Calhoun: a loyal friend is better
than a dreamy guy who keeps creepy company. (Of course, those kids
were 12 years old, an age when such events as those in the book are to
be expected, and I guess you are looking for kids' books. I just
wonder when a person is 20, 30, 40 years old, STILL looking, and still
nothing working--are there books about *that*?)

"Freaks and Geeks"--an unjustly cancelled show which should have stayed
on at least for Sam's full four years of high school! Sam, the nice
guy, dates Cindy, the popular cheerleader, who picks him up after the
hunky jock was mean to her. Sam becomes bored with Cindy but can't
break up with her as everyone will think he's an idiot for breaking up
with one of the most beautiful and popular girls in school!

Strange to say, although there may be a few songs or poems along the
lines you mention, I can hardly think of ANY story, book, or film like
this. Our culture simply does NOT think like this, more's the pity. I
LOVED fairy tales as a child, have the classics on video, and am now
wondering guiltily whether my sister's kids should be watching this
stuff. They have watched "Sleeping Beauty" 100 times, "Cinderella" 50
times, "Snow White" 25 times, and are now into "Shrek" and "Shrek 2."
(At least in those films some of the sidekicks don't get paired up,
though even some of them do.) What sort of expectations are they
forming based on these stories?

If you can find anything on the themes you mention, for any age group,
do tell! Story of MY life!

Cori