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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
needed something engrossing so i thought i would reread this.
And it's just as good as the first time I read it. Though I'm much more reflective on why this resonate so much with me. Sittenfeld really hits upon teenage girl neuroses in such a true way. I loved it even though it made me so uncomfortable. I miss this kind of writing from her.
And it's just as good as the first time I read it. Though I'm much more reflective on why this resonate so much with me. Sittenfeld really hits upon teenage girl neuroses in such a true way. I loved it even though it made me so uncomfortable. I miss this kind of writing from her.
I did not like this book much at all, I'm afraid. I don't think I needed to be reminded with such detail how weird and terrible it is to be an anxious teen, and while I can usually sympathize with unlikable narrators, Lee frustrated me more than most. It was a slog and I'm glad I'm done.
Ever meet someone who at 30, 40, or 50 goes on and on about how high school was either the best or wost time of their life, and you wonder what the heck they've done in the past 10-30 years? If not, read this novel - you'll meet her. If this were presented as something the main character had written a few years after high school, I'd probably have forgiven the still-not-over-it-ness of the book, but seriously - she tells how everyone else's lives turned out years down the road so we know she's meant to be writing well into adulthood; however, she shows absolutely no personal growth from the time she is writing about. Yes, there were times I could identify with her experiences and feelings, but way more of the time I spent wanting to shake her and say "grow the hell up!"
The kicker? The big turning point scandal hinted at in front flap is like 10-pages worth of story that turns out to really mean nothing and from which the author seems to really have learned nothing. Gah!
I don't remember how this ended up on one of my recommended reading lists, and I think I need to start keeping track because I keep getting stuck with these clunkers!
The kicker? The big turning point scandal hinted at in front flap is like 10-pages worth of story that turns out to really mean nothing and from which the author seems to really have learned nothing. Gah!
I don't remember how this ended up on one of my recommended reading lists, and I think I need to start keeping track because I keep getting stuck with these clunkers!
Hey Lee,
Maybe you can save some feelings for other people... sharing is caring.
Maybe you can save some feelings for other people... sharing is caring.
I picked this one up when a few of my beloved authors decided to hold a virtual book club during quarantine. If it weren't for the ravings of these said beloved authors, I would have DNFed this one pretty quickly, but I trudged through. The one positive is that Sittenfeld captures the voice of a young and very insecure adolescent teen well. However, the complete lack of plot and the lack of development of almost every other character just cannot make up for that one positive. In addition, she may have captured the voice well, but the voice becomes highly unenjoyable to listen to fairly quickly. This book was a slog, and I recommend finding something a little more engaging to read!
I wasn't a fan of this book. I found the narrator/main character to be unlikeable. The story itself is alternately full of cringe-inducing moments, and then long, boring stretches, punctuated by the odd reference of what her future life is like, or some insight gained over the years.
Another book recommended by my father. It’s the story of an average, normal Midwestern teenage girl from a lower middle class family who falls in love with the idea of going to boarding school in New England. She struggles to fit in and never really does, mostly due to her own insecurities and low self esteem. If the story hadn’t been told from the point-of-view of the girl after she was quite a bit older and had made something for herself, it would have been a real downer. As it was, though, while not happy and optimistic, it wasn’t a really depressing book. The only thing that bothered me about it was the flitting around of stories and memories, from past to current and back again to past, but later or earlier in the past, with very little forewarning or landmarks to judge by. I wouldn’t read it again, but I enjoyed it well enough the one time.
This book came out in 2005 and either it hasn’t aged well, or I’ve aged out of it. It’s centered around the New England boarding school experience of Lee Flora, a middle class girl from South Bend. I think we’re supposed to relate to Lee, but honestly I found her to be bratty, annoying, and privileged. I know that’s how a lot of people are between 14-18, but since this story is told by future (and presumably more mature) Lee, I would’ve liked to see more introspection and awareness. The writing is fine, it didn’t take me long to get through 400 pages so there must’ve been something I found good about Prep. But I did also sigh and roll my eyes quite a bit...