Review: Heartwarming tale
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 27, 2012
Stan is a Mexican-American farm boy with grades good enough to allow him a scholarship to college. As his parents tearfully bid him farewell, he ruminates on his feelings of uncertainty and fright. College is a confusing, scary time for many young adults. It's usually the first nibble of true independence, it represents having one foot out of the door of your childhood home. I think Steve Bensinger has captured that feeling on these pages.I cannot detect much of a solid plot; the book mostly chronicles Stan's integration into college life and his budding friendships. Stan is first a nervous wreck and is confused by life on a big college campus, but he eventually starts to get used to things. There's no world to save, no giant monster attacks, no princess with arcane magic. And that's just fine. There are smaller plotlines, like Stan getting in trouble and nearly losing his scholarship, and the threat of the college closing. 3 Freshmen takes place in 1969, and the Vietnam war drafting and its effects was not ignored in the narrative, which is a nice touch. I think this novel would fit right into the "slice of life" genre. It's a relaxing, amusing, heartfelt tale, and a nice change from all of the supernatural horror/romance novels I've been reading lately. Sometimes it gets a slow/dull, however, it has charm. It's interesting to see things from Stan's point of view, as he is unfamiliar with a lot of stuff we take for granted.The second second to last chapter spends a paragraph or two per character telling us of the fates of the various characters and the scandals they'd gotten wrapped up in. That chapter felt rushed, but it brought closure. I did enjoy the last chapter, which was brief but brought the story around to the beginning, in a way. While 3 Freshmen wasn't perfect, it was largely enjoyable.