Comments on: Child Labor/Ed McGill, Secret Millionaire?

By: slucky

slucky — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:26:30 +0000

hey,

just letting you know i re-read ’stacey’s choice’ today, and in it - her dad was promoted to vice president of the company. so he was pretty wealthy.

By: charmecia

charmecia — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:27:32 +0000

and i say all of them is quite wealthy
cause if mallory’s family was poor
the kids would of wore hand me downs
instead of going to the mall
or any other place most of the time
jessi wouldnt afford to go to ballet school
and to juliard in new york
claudia wouldnt of afford those art supplies
and art classes
and her family certainly wouldnt afford to send jaime to college
nor go on those trips
(like maine and lobster and the mountain resorts)
mary anne wouldnt of gotten all of that make up kit
as well as that haircut at that fancy salon
and well
you all know the rest
but they also wouldnt afford to go on those trips in the specials either
so i dont think none of them are poor

By: charmecia

charmecia — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:23:06 +0000

ok the reason why dawn is quite wealthy
if you read dawn and the impossible three
it could explain why dawn’s family is on the wealthy side
her grandparents are known for being very wealthy
especially since the father was a banker
and the reason why they didnt like richard
(mary-anne’s father)
was because he was on the poor side
and wanted sharon(dawn’s mother)
to marry someone richer
and more well off
and you do have a point
dawn’s father also has to be on the wealthy side too
especially since dawn’
s grandparents arranged it too

By: corduruoyspocket

corduruoyspocket — Tue, 26 May 2009 13:30:38 +0000

that’s honestly one of the things that bugs me when rereading the books now-how the narrator has to mention that Kristy lives in a MANSION and that Watson is wealthy. it just seems really tacky to me (although I never thought about it growing up.)

By: mizzmarvel

mizzmarvel — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 16:02:55 +0000

Yeah, Dawn’s father is at least upper middle class if he owns a home in Orange County, and seeing as Palo City is mostly white (this still boggles my mind) and FAMOUS PRODUCER Maggie’s dad lives there, it’s probably on the affluent side.

I also always got the sense that Sharon’s parents were fairly well off, since they looked down on Richard’s humble beginnings.

By: Eowyn

Eowyn — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 02:58:24 +0000

Thank you! I’ve noticed that Stacey family had to be really well off for years! For me it was also really obvious with Dawn because anyone that lives in a beach town has to be living the good life. I’m from California myself.

By: Laura @ Hungry and Frozen

Laura @ Hungry and Frozen — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:32:26 +0000

It’s interesting how the writing can influence you. I always thought of them as comfortably well off girls with Kristy living in the mansion as the only super rich one. But then I’m pretty sure all the stuff they do in New York - group tickets to Broadway shows, dinner at Tavern on The Green, etc, are pretty expensive. Stacey buying replacement clothes in Harrods in the last super special was just ridiculous though, like the author hadn’t done any research. They sell handbags that cost more than a month’s rent, not fun clothes for thirteen year olds on a school trip…

By: greer

greer — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:14:45 +0000

@tinypants: good point about changes in the New York economy.

My take on the McGills: the Stamford branch transfer was due to concerns about stacey’s diabetes–because seriously, wouldn’t a trade to the Stamford branch be a demotion? Usually the New York office of a company is the biggest, right? And then the McGills weren’t getting along and I get the impression that Ed didn’t like the pace in the Brook so much. So when he got transferred back, they decided to go back to the city because Ed liked it.

By: tinypants

tinypants — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:40:55 +0000

I could go either way on this. My gut is Stacey’s rich, but I don’t think millionaires rich — we’re thinking abt NYC now, but NYC in the late 80s? Even on the UWS, not that crazy expensive — real estate there doesn’t go nuts till post-Giuliani. So yeah, they’re well off, but not “real-life millionaires” a la Watson.

Similarly, in “Stacey’s Choice,” Mrs. McGill is all freaking out and trying to get a job because she doesn’t think child support etc. will be enough for them to live off. I’m pretty sure in this one Stacey also contemplates the possibility of getting a job herself.

Don’t get me started on inaccuracies around Abby and the other members of the BSC — she lives in the same nabe as Kristy is a good point, but also her mom COMMUTES to the city, while the McGills always feel compelled to up and move as if a 40-minute train ride from Stamford were just too much for ol’ Mr. McGill.

By: greer

greer — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 07:06:42 +0000

@Sadako: good point about Abby! I forgot about her. @Abby: To be honest, considering the kind of lifestyle the McGills lead in NYC, I do feel like they had to be millionaires. @HelenB: Well, Sharon said she got it cheap because it needed work and stuff. I do feel like the Schafers were well-off, although not millionaires.

I suppose that Stacey could have not realized quite how rich she was, since she seemed to run with a rich crowd in NYC.