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nickscoby's review
5.0
Let me get the things that I don't like out of the way first: 1) Martha is not a fully developed character. We don't really know much about her inner workings and she seems more like a Mary Sue roommate than a fully formed person. (How cool would it have been if she was a Tyler Durden character? Alas) 2) Sittenfeld over-writes. I mean, some of these sentences are just over-done with writer's flourishes and aren't all that necessary.
But these are minor quibbles. Overall, I think this novel is positively fascinating. Not much happens, although I kept expecting a major death or plot twist. Nope. We mostly sit with the reflective musings of a flawed major character who, at least in high school, suffered from social anxiety and also had low self-esteem. She is not particularly admirable or even likable at times. The novel's gift is how well it details the complexities of social class in the U.S. And race--particularly blackness--is handled in a nuanced way, as well.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading Prep, but I am blown away by what I found here. I really hope that it is NOT made it into a tv show or movie because I fear that the major themes would be watered down and, ultimately, not as impactful.
But these are minor quibbles. Overall, I think this novel is positively fascinating. Not much happens, although I kept expecting a major death or plot twist. Nope. We mostly sit with the reflective musings of a flawed major character who, at least in high school, suffered from social anxiety and also had low self-esteem. She is not particularly admirable or even likable at times. The novel's gift is how well it details the complexities of social class in the U.S. And race--particularly blackness--is handled in a nuanced way, as well.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading Prep, but I am blown away by what I found here. I really hope that it is NOT made it into a tv show or movie because I fear that the major themes would be watered down and, ultimately, not as impactful.
amandag's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism and Sexual content
Minor: Suicide attempt and Suicide
carlosdanger's review
5.0
Pretty much describes (IN PAINFUL DETAIL) the high school experience for 90% of the population
addiewinter's review
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lee is me and i am her
cwagner's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
loradawn's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The longest chapters EVER!! The last chapter was over 100 pages…not an exaggeration. The story was ok. The main character was sort of annoying bc I kept hoping for her to become more confident and she didn’t. However, I’d say it’s an accurate representation of an angsty teen.
klarial's review
5.0
I LOVED this book. It’s a coming of age story with a setting that many readers will be unable to relate to (an east coast prep school) but feelings that will resonate (the anxiety and self-consciousness of being a teenager, the pain and naïveté of first love, being an outsider but desperately wanting to fit in). What I enjoyed most is that while the plot is the story of a teenager, the narration is that of an adult looking back, which adds a depth that I highly appreciated. This novel may not be for everyone (see the 1 and 2 star reviews) but it really worked for me.
mrswhite's review
4.0
Lee Fiora is an average, middle class girl who feels like she is meant for far greater things than her Indiana hometown. Convincing herself that trading her Midwest family in for a fancy East Coast prep school is the answer, Lee becomes a scholarship student at the wealthy and prestigious Ault School, where she quickly learns that gaining admission isn't the same as gaining acceptance. Prep chronicles Lee's four years at Ault, starting out as an insecure and lonely freshmen, leaving as a love-sick and angst-ridden senior, and reminding us just how very important all this felt at the time.
Coming-of-age stories are hard. Being a teenager is so awkward, clunky, and uncertain, and it's difficult for any adult to write truthfully about that period without being tempted to go back and make revisions, creating a protagonist who's wittier, cooler, or more dangerous than most of us ever really were. So when I finally picked up Prep - a book that was something of a critical darling when it was released and touted as a female version of The Catcher in the Rye - it was with strong feelings of reservation that I began. After all, I had been burned many times before by the coming-of-age novel, and female authors tend to be the worst offenders for some reason.
So, imagine my delight when Prep turned out to be everything it was lauded to be - a smart, honest, insightful, and often embarrassing trip back to one's formative years that doesn't make apologies or unnecessary revisions. It was far from perfect, often painful, and at 449 pages sometimes felt a bit long, but these criticisms were easy for me to overlook seeing as I've never related to any fictional character the way I related to Lee Fiora. Apart from the boarding school element, reading her story was like revisiting my own high school years, complete with all the heartbreak, angst, and feelings of self-doubt that it entailed. Lee's decisions are often questionable, her insecurities difficult to reason, and she can often be downright unlikeable, but if we're being honest with ourselves - weren't we all? Aren't some of us still?
With Prep, Sittenfeld nailed what it's really like to be a teenager - or at least what it was really like for me - and in so doing restored my faith in the genre. No small feat, that.
Coming-of-age stories are hard. Being a teenager is so awkward, clunky, and uncertain, and it's difficult for any adult to write truthfully about that period without being tempted to go back and make revisions, creating a protagonist who's wittier, cooler, or more dangerous than most of us ever really were. So when I finally picked up Prep - a book that was something of a critical darling when it was released and touted as a female version of The Catcher in the Rye - it was with strong feelings of reservation that I began. After all, I had been burned many times before by the coming-of-age novel, and female authors tend to be the worst offenders for some reason.
So, imagine my delight when Prep turned out to be everything it was lauded to be - a smart, honest, insightful, and often embarrassing trip back to one's formative years that doesn't make apologies or unnecessary revisions. It was far from perfect, often painful, and at 449 pages sometimes felt a bit long, but these criticisms were easy for me to overlook seeing as I've never related to any fictional character the way I related to Lee Fiora. Apart from the boarding school element, reading her story was like revisiting my own high school years, complete with all the heartbreak, angst, and feelings of self-doubt that it entailed. Lee's decisions are often questionable, her insecurities difficult to reason, and she can often be downright unlikeable, but if we're being honest with ourselves - weren't we all? Aren't some of us still?
With Prep, Sittenfeld nailed what it's really like to be a teenager - or at least what it was really like for me - and in so doing restored my faith in the genre. No small feat, that.