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American Girl Lets Samantha Reach the Complicated Years
· New York time
American Girl is marking its 40th anniversary with a new historical novel by Fiona Davis in which Samantha is 25. The character's new story moves from socialite to shopgirl, giving a familiar doll-world figure an adult chapter rather than leaving her permanently available for childhood's carefully arranged afternoon. For longtime audiences, the appeal is partly the return of a recognizable character and partly the change in perspective. A figure first encountered through childhood can become a vehicle for a different kind of historical fiction when the reader, too, has acquired an adult schedule. The creative tradeoff is familiar to any enduring entertainment brand. Recognition gets attention, but a new work needs something to do beyond announcing that the reader remembers it. Aging a character can open narrative possibilities, provided adulthood brings more than a revised wardrobe and a commemorative badge. There is gentle comedy in watching a beloved childhood institution acknowledge the years after the playroom. The audience may have grown up to confront work, budgets and limited shelf space while the doll remained serenely composed. Samantha now gets a story beyond that stillness. Nostalgia can invite readers through the door, but an adult novel must persuade them to remain after the initial pleasure of recognizing who answered it.
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