Love in the Time of the Bookworm
Translation: Julie Summers
Gilmore Girls has been my favorite TV show for a long time. I’m sure I’ve watched the entire series at least twice, and I’ve probably seen some of the seasons four or five times. I often choose a random episode and start watching again from there. I just can’t get enough. For those who aren’t crazy about the show like me, or perhaps haven’t even heard of it, it’s all about Lorelai and Rory, a mother and daughter who live in Stars Hollow, Connecticut. Lorelai, just 16 when she had Rory, fled her wealthy, overbearing parents and raised her daughter on her own. Rory is a bookworm who loves learning and dreams of getting into Harvard. The show follows their life in small-town America and everything it entails: romantic relationships, family drama, and friendship.
Gilmore Girls is the perfect feel-good show. Whatever’s been going on in my life or however I’m feeling, I can always count on the Gilmores to put me in a good mood. They’re incredibly wholesome. Life in Stars Hollow is nice and simple; it’s a tight-knit community where everyone knows everyone. The weather is always good, with no noisy windstorms or ugly grey slush or anything like that. The plot isn’t overly dramatic, and you can even relate to some of the challenges the characters face. Even so, the people of Stars Hollow are definitely larger-than-life personalities, but in different ways. Lorelai is a loud, witty, and determined woman who loves coffee and fast food. Luke, who owns the local diner, is probably the most repressed man in existence, and town selectman Taylor is completely intolerable at all times. As already mentioned, Rory is an ambitious student with lofty goals for her academic career. She’s incredibly smart and likeable and spends most of her free time in front of the TV with her mom or with her nose buried in a book. The remarkable thing about Rory is that everyone likes her. Everyone. And it’s no wonder: she’s the picture of goodness. And her mother isn’t far behind. If I could choose, I’d be a combination of them both.
The main storyline of the series is set in motion when Rory is accepted to a fancy private school that’s supposed to help her get into her dream university someday. As most people know, not everyone can afford to pay thousands of dollars in tuition every year, so Lorelai is forced to swallow her pride and ask for financial help from her parents, with whom she’s had limited contact for many years. Meanwhile, just before she’s supposed to switch schools, Rory meets Dean, the cute new boy in town. What’s a 16-year-old girl supposed to do in this situation? Choose books… or the guy? Of course, everything works out in the end, as it always does for the Gilmores. That’s the best part of it, really. Whatever the characters are dealing with, no matter how bad things seem, they can always count on each other. And whatever’s going on in their lives, viewers can always count on the Gilmore girls.