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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Certainly an interesting book ... although my reaction to the main character, Lee, was varied. I didn't identify with her in the way I would have expected--she was both too similar to me and at the same time too wildly different from anything I had ever imagined for me to really feel comfortable wit her adventures.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Long and slow (but maybe it also felt slower based on when I read it) - did not like the main character much, but felt for her. Adolescence will-portrayed.
No one’s paying as close attention to you as you think/hope they are. Or maybe they are, but not in the ways you long for them to.
A book about mourning your life as it’s happening.
A big, old ouch in this one.
A book about mourning your life as it’s happening.
A big, old ouch in this one.
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
It’s a testament to Sittenfeld’s talent that I enjoyed this book, given the generally unlikeable group of characters. I imagine that was her goal when she set out to write her debut novel, set at an east coast prep school. There’s a reason the teenage years are so challenging - everyone’s simultaneously trying to fit in and stand out, all while trying to figure out who they are as a not yet fully formed human - and adding prep school stereotypes (and likely many realities) to the mix makes it all the more complicated. For those readers who prefer a propulsive plot, be aware this is mostly character focused.
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found Prep captivating, not because the narrator, Lee, is especially likable or her story is especially exciting -- she and it are not. But Sittenfeld paints such a clear, carefully articulated portrait of some of the more awkward stages of growing up, I frequently found myself nodding in recognition, or at least in sympathy.
In some ways, I was more reminded of college than high school, if only because of the descriptions of dorm life and dining hall habits. And it's not hard to compare my small, insular college to her small insular boarding school.
I also appreciated that Lee was looking back on high school from at least ten years on, showing us the roller coaster of her teenage emotions, but also able to provide a more considered perspective. For me, it completed the mirroring effect: Lee reflecting on her school years was prompting me to reflect on mine.
In some ways, I was more reminded of college than high school, if only because of the descriptions of dorm life and dining hall habits. And it's not hard to compare my small, insular college to her small insular boarding school.
I also appreciated that Lee was looking back on high school from at least ten years on, showing us the roller coaster of her teenage emotions, but also able to provide a more considered perspective. For me, it completed the mirroring effect: Lee reflecting on her school years was prompting me to reflect on mine.