Synopses & Reviews
At first it seems that she's living the elusive New York City dream. She's subletting an apartment with her best friend, Hope, working for a magazine that actually utilizes her psychology degree, and still deeply in love with Marcus Flutie, the charismatic addict-turned-Buddhist who first captivated her at sixteen.
Of course, reality is more complicated than dreamy clichés. She and Hope share bunk beds in the "Cupcake" the girlie pastel bedroom normally occupied by twelve-year-old twins. Their Brooklyn neighborhood is better suited to "breeders," and she and Hope split the rent with their promiscuous high school pal, Manda, and her "genderqueer boifriend." Freelancing for an obscure journal can't put a dent in Jessica's student loans, so she's eking out a living by babysitting her young niece and lamenting that she, unlike most of her friends, can't postpone adulthood by going back to school.
Yet it's the ever-changing relationship with Marcus that leaves her most unsettled. At the ripe age of twenty-three, he's just starting his freshman year at Princeton University. Is she ready to give up her imperfect yet invigorating post-college life just because her on-again/off-again soul mate asks her to...marry him?
Jessica has one week to respond to Marcus's perplexing marriage proposal. During this time, she gains surprising wisdom from unexpected sources, including a popular talk show shrink, a drag queen named Royalle G. Biv, and yes, even her parents. But the most shocking confession concerns two people she thought had nothing to hide: Hope and Marcus.
Will this knowledge inspire Jessica to give up a world of late-night literary soirees, art openings, and downtown drunken karaoke to move back to New Jersey and be with the one man who's gripped her heart for years? Jessica ponders this and other life choices with her signature snark and hyper-intense insight, making it the most tumultuous and memorable week of her twenty-something life.
About the Author
Megan McCafferty is the author of the hit novels Sloppy Firsts, Second Helpings, and Charmed Thirds, which was a New York Times bestseller. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and son. To find out more, visit www.MeganMcCafferty.com.
Reading Group Guide
1. Why does Jessica want to break up with Marcus? Would you be attracted to a guy like him?
2. Why does Marcus propose? Jessica says she doesnt believe in marriage. Do you? Why or why not? What do you think of Jessicas reasons for saying no? If she wants to say no, why doesnt she?
3. Jessica and Hope have been best friends for ten years. Who was your best friend in high school? Who is your best friend now? How are those relationships different?
4. Why does Hope react the way she does to the proposal? Why dont she and Jessica talk about it? Why does Bridget react as she does?
5. Everyone has had a moment similar to the one Jessica has on page 69 when, planning to unpack, she instead spends the day wandering down memory lane, looking through a box of collected treasures. What is in your box? What story do the items tell about you?
6. At her sisters Labor Day party Jessica tells her sisters friends, who affectionately refer to themselves as MILFs, a story from her single, twenty-something life. What does Jessica have that they dont?
7. On page 135 Jessica says of Manda, “With a legendary combination of headstrong self-determination and mythic cleavage, Manda has never failed to snare anyone, of any gender, she has ever wanted.” Do you know anyone like her? Do you like her or hate her?
8. Jessica writes about her envy of all her friends who are heading back to school that fall. Why does she envy them? Was the transition between school and life afterward hard for you? Do you ever think about returning to school to earn your first/second/advanced degree? Why or why not?
9. Throughout Fourth Comings, Jessica says that she and Marcus are not compatible. How important is compatibility in a successful relationship? Do opposites attract? If so, can they stay together?
10. Why did Hope tell Marcus that Jessica was planning to break up with him? Why didnt she tell Jessica about her friendship with Marcus?
11. What is Jessicas relationship with her family like? Does she get along with her mom? Her dad? What about Bethany, her sister?
12. Why does Jessica tell her sister that she needs to think about it when Bethany asks her to be Marins guardian? Of course, raising someone elses child is a big responsibility, but would you have to consider it before saying yes or no? If you were Bethany would Jessicas answer have offended you?
13. Do you think Marcus and Jessica are too young to get married? Do you think they are a good match? In the end, they dont get married; in fact, they break up. Why? Do you think their breakup is forever?
Jessica Darling is young, but she doesn’t feel carefree. In fact, she’s got a lot on her mind. In
Fourth Comings, Jessica has moved into the world of adults–a world in which financial issues, real estate envy, and employment ennui compete for attention with broken hearts, changing friendships, and dysfunctional families. This guide is intended as a starting point for your discussion of this funny yet heartfelt novel about Jessica Darling’s post-college growing pains.
1. Why does Jessica want to break up with Marcus? Would you be attracted to a guy like him?
2. Why does Marcus propose? Jessica says she doesn’t believe in marriage. Do you? Why or why not? What do you think of Jessica’s reasons for saying no? If she wants to say no, why doesn’t she?
3. Jessica and Hope have been best friends for ten years. Who was your best friend in high school? Who is your best friend now? How are those relationships different?
4. Why does Hope react the way she does to the proposal? Why don’t she and Jessica talk about it? Why does Bridget react as she does?
5. Everyone has had a moment similar to the one Jessica has on page 69 when, planning to unpack, she instead spends the day wandering down memory lane, looking through a box of collected treasures. What is in your box? What story do the items tell about you?
6. At her sister’s Labor Day party Jessica tells her sister’s friends, who affectionately refer to themselves as MILFs, a story from her single, twenty-something life. What does Jessica have that they don’t?
7. On page 135 Jessica says of Manda, “With a legendary combination of headstrong self-determination and mythic cleavage, Manda has never failed to snare anyone, of any gender, she has ever wanted.” Do you know anyone like her? Do you like her or hate her?
8. Jessica writes about her envy of all her friends who are heading back to school that fall. Why does she envy them? Was the transition between school and life afterward hard for you? Do you ever think about returning to school to earn your first/second/advanced degree? Why or why not?
9. Throughout Fourth Comings, Jessica says that she and Marcus are not compatible. How important is compatibility in a successful relationship? Do opposites attract? If so, can they stay together?
10. Why did Hope tell Marcus that Jessica was planning to break up with him? Why didn’t she tell Jessica about her friendship with Marcus?
11. What is Jessica’s relationship with her family like? Does she get along with her mom? Her dad? What about Bethany, her sister?
12. Why does Jessica tell her sister that she needs to think about it when Bethany asks her to be Marin’s guardian? Of course, raising someone else’s child is a big responsibility, but would you have to consider it before saying yes or no? If you were Bethany would Jessica’s answer have offended you?
13. Do you think Marcus and Jessica are too young to get married? Do you think they are a good match? In the end, they don’t get married; in fact, they break up. Why? Do you think their breakup is forever?
Jessica Darling is young, but she doesnt feel carefree. In fact, shes got a lot on her mind. In Fourth Comings, Jessica has moved into the world of adults–a world in which financial issues, real estate envy, and employment ennui compete for attention with broken hearts, changing friendships, and dysfunctional families. This guide is intended as a starting point for your discussion of this funny yet heartfelt novel about Jessica Darlings post-college growing pains.