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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed reading this because I liked the setting and the premise, but the main character Lee drove me crazy. I liked her at first, until I realized her low self-esteem was so crippling that she'd never get over it. She frustrated me because I liked her (and the book) so much at first, but I wasn't crazy about the turn of events. Still, the novel ranks high for me.
I can only think of one other book that pissed me off as much as this one. The protagonist had no growth and wasn't very interesting. I read about half of the book and decided I couldn't take it anymore, so I read the last chapter just to find out if she ever improved. She didn't.
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Don’t read this for plot. Nothing actually happens, it’s all feelings and vibes. I have come across quite a few reviews calling it “cringe”, to which I say yes, obviously. Don’t you remember being a teenager? I suspect those reviewers are too close to their teenage years. You should read this book in your thirties.
"I always worried someone would notice me, and then when no one did, I felt lonely."
When I think of my own school days it’s nostalgia tinged with horror. Did I really do/say/wear that? I’m viscerally recoiling at the memories. There is no introspection, just neurosis, which felt right to me for the first-person narrative. In what feels like a small subversion of the traditional Bildungsroman, this book is not for Lee to learn and reflect on, it’s for the reader to hold a mirror up to their own memories. In the moment everything is agonisingly significant, but then we grow up. I went to boarding school, and this book would have given me no comfort at the time, but now it means quite a lot to me. Boarding school books do not have the mythical allure for me, so my reading is not one of fantasy, of crossing into another world, but of recognition. Mostly anyway - they're both everything you imagine and also very boring.
There isn’t exactly a redemption arc for Lee. She doesn’t pull it together and get her movie montage moment. But the thing about fucking up as a teenager is that while your bad choices may be life-altering, they are not generally life-ruining. You have the rest of your life for that. As you read on the older, reflective voice creeps in adding a layer of awareness. Deployed sparely so as not to intrude, it's just enough to let us know Lee looks back and sees herself as we see her. She has some quite frankly bizarre ideas about human interaction and interpersonal relationships.
Prep was unusual for taking teenagers seriously when it was first released and it has probably lost some of its radical feeling. To that I say, Prep walked so Normal People could run.
"I always worried someone would notice me, and then when no one did, I felt lonely."
When I think of my own school days it’s nostalgia tinged with horror. Did I really do/say/wear that? I’m viscerally recoiling at the memories. There is no introspection, just neurosis, which felt right to me for the first-person narrative. In what feels like a small subversion of the traditional Bildungsroman, this book is not for Lee to learn and reflect on, it’s for the reader to hold a mirror up to their own memories. In the moment everything is agonisingly significant, but then we grow up. I went to boarding school, and this book would have given me no comfort at the time, but now it means quite a lot to me. Boarding school books do not have the mythical allure for me, so my reading is not one of fantasy, of crossing into another world, but of recognition. Mostly anyway - they're both everything you imagine and also very boring.
There isn’t exactly a redemption arc for Lee. She doesn’t pull it together and get her movie montage moment. But the thing about fucking up as a teenager is that while your bad choices may be life-altering, they are not generally life-ruining. You have the rest of your life for that. As you read on the older, reflective voice creeps in adding a layer of awareness. Deployed sparely so as not to intrude, it's just enough to let us know Lee looks back and sees herself as we see her. She has some quite frankly bizarre ideas about human interaction and interpersonal relationships.
Prep was unusual for taking teenagers seriously when it was first released and it has probably lost some of its radical feeling. To that I say, Prep walked so Normal People could run.
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-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
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For whatever reason, any book set at a boarding school will have my interest immediately. Prep wasn’t exactly what I expected, but I really enjoyed it. It is a character-driven coming-of-age story of Lee Fiora’s 4 years at a private boarding school. Curtis Sittenfield has a talent for getting to the thoughts and emotions that everyone experiences, but you can’t quite name and rarely acknowledge at all. Lee’s character was incredibly frustrating at times (most of the time), but she felt very familiar to me in a human sort of way. This isn’t a book for everyone (if you need a strong plot, this is not for you) but if you’re looking for a sharp, human story that touches on issues of race and class, I recommend giving it a shot!
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes