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kricketa's review
3.0
three girls and their brother take turns narrating the redhaired heller sisters' rise to fame in new york city. it won an alex award from ala (for being an adult book with teen appeal) but i found it a bit long for all but the most tenacious teen readers. my other issue is that, although the four voices bring different opinions and perspectives to the story, the siblings all speak in a similar way, using the same holden caulfield phrases. for a while i forgot that the book had switched to daria's chapter and thought we were still doing polly.
but the plot, after a bit of a boggy start, really had me going. the last handful of pages had me wracked with suspense.
but the plot, after a bit of a boggy start, really had me going. the last handful of pages had me wracked with suspense.
angelreadsthings's review
3.0
3 1/2 Stars. Celebrity status. It destroys lives. Unhinges people. These things, I knew. But reading this book and looking at the cycle from the inside--and from a teenage perspective--gave me new insights into the monster of fame. Although there were definitely a few too many similarities between the style of the different POVs and some redundancy, each character highlighted aspects of their journey unnoticed by the other siblings. And each of them brought something interesting to the table.
catladyreba's review
3.0
Not perfect, but super fun. Another great beach/pool read. I definitely liked reading all four character's POV, it was so interesting to see how differently they all interpreted the same situation.
stenaros's review
5.0
When this arrived at the library for me I had a moment of puzzlement as to why I would have requested this particular novel. The cover is a bit off-putting. But two paragraphs in, I was hooked. Goodreads tells me I heard about this book from Deborah. Thank goodness she is my friend on Goodreads. Now I'm curious as to what she had to say about it, but I'm going to write my review before I read hers.
The voices in this story make this book. Particularly, the voice of the brother, Phillip, aged fifteen, who begins our adventure. Listen to this quote, where Phillip is meeting a famous middle-aged movie star for the first time. Polly is his 17 year-old sister.
I could read an entire book with just Phillip talking, but we leave him soon after his three sisters become "it" girls--just three more girls famous at first for their red hair and their beauty, then famous for being famous. After we hear Phillip's view, then each of the sisters tells us a little more of the story, from their point of view. What happens to the four of them is fascinating, funny and shocking. I couldn't help thinking of real-life "it" girls and wondering how many of them had similar experiences.
I would love to live in a society where sensible adults never let young people be pimped out to the the media like this, but in this book, it is the adults who do the dealing of flesh--and reap the rewards each time the girls are sold.
ps. A book with La Aura as a main character? Also something I would read. Please Ms. Rebeck, please?
The voices in this story make this book. Particularly, the voice of the brother, Phillip, aged fifteen, who begins our adventure. Listen to this quote, where Phillip is meeting a famous middle-aged movie star for the first time. Polly is his 17 year-old sister.
"...looking like Henry the Eighth with one arm stretched out along the back of the banquette and the other arm around Polly, his hand discreetly stuck down the back of her pants. It was spooky, really; he looked just like he looks in the movies, where he's always waving a giant weapon, and he looked really short. That's something I never considered, when I thought about meeting movie stars. Usually, when you see them? They're like four stories tall, on some giant movie screen somewhere. But when you meet them in person? They're actually just sort of people-sized. Which makes the whole experience kind of surreal, if you haven't thought about things like that ahead of time. Plus, if the guy has his hand down your sister's pants, he looks significantly less like a movie star, and more like your average asshole."
I could read an entire book with just Phillip talking, but we leave him soon after his three sisters become "it" girls--just three more girls famous at first for their red hair and their beauty, then famous for being famous. After we hear Phillip's view, then each of the sisters tells us a little more of the story, from their point of view. What happens to the four of them is fascinating, funny and shocking. I couldn't help thinking of real-life "it" girls and wondering how many of them had similar experiences.
I would love to live in a society where sensible adults never let young people be pimped out to the the media like this, but in this book, it is the adults who do the dealing of flesh--and reap the rewards each time the girls are sold.
ps. A book with La Aura as a main character? Also something I would read. Please Ms. Rebeck, please?
showlola's review
4.0
This was pretty fantastic. I had heard such wonderful things about this book, but when it comes down to it how good can a book about three socialite models and their adventures in New York really be? Pretty great, it turns out.
Every one of the four voices this book is told in is distinctive and pitch perfect. I think Rebeck's use of Holden Caulfield-esque slang is beautiful here - it feels timeless and fresh and charming as hell. Not to mention, the story is shiny fun and I was never even a tiny bit bored.
Perfect beach book. Loved this.
Every one of the four voices this book is told in is distinctive and pitch perfect. I think Rebeck's use of Holden Caulfield-esque slang is beautiful here - it feels timeless and fresh and charming as hell. Not to mention, the story is shiny fun and I was never even a tiny bit bored.
Perfect beach book. Loved this.
jenawesomesbookshelf's review
2.0
couldn't finish this one, it smelled too much like a story about Paris Hilton...
pages_by_jeanie's review
2.0
This book really deserves 2 and 1/2 stars, not just 2. Pretty ho-hum throughout, but I can imagine that this is how life might have been for the young Hiltons and Kardashians of the world. And for that, it turns out to be a bit entertaining. This is a good book if you are vacationing: easy to put down and pick up in between sunscreen applications.