Reviews

Puberty Blues by Kathy Lette, Gabrielle Carey

monicatdwyer's review against another edition

3.0

This was short and definitely not sweet. I was very frustrated by the position the girls found themselves in because of gender rolls, lack of feminism and the rape culture, but I was happy when Debbie and Sue found themselves at the end.
It was a good snap of Australia in the 70s and with (sometimes unfortunately) the slag and language they used at the time.

numbat's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

polhickson's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

916's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

phoebegrant's review against another edition

funny sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

crystalliterature's review against another edition

adventurous funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

sonjbean's review against another edition

2.0

this book was just ... okay. the language is kind of hilarious, and even though i grew up 20 years after this story is set, i could still relate to a lot of the stuff going on. it's all very australian! it's also only a very short book so if you're feeling curious about surfie culture in the 70s, give it a go. just don't expect too much. :p

there wasn't really that much of a storyline and

Spoiler

the rape parts were really disturbing. the main characters didn't seem to be phased at all by how disgusting the boys were towards the other girls! or "molls" as they call them. rape culture at it's finest, definitely.

in some ways it reminded me of that other famous teen book "go ask alice" in that it doesn't hold back or sugar coat anything, so for that i guess i have to commend it.

there's a new tv show based on this book coming out soon - i'll be interested in seeing how true they stay to the book!

rebeccadanielle's review against another edition

1.0

I really wanted to like this book because it's a book I always heard about growing up yet nobody had bothered to read in my generation until the television show was made a year or two ago. I was disappointed by the book and enjoyed the movie more than the book which is rare for me. I think I read the book at the wrong time and should have read it when I was twelve or thirteen.

dark_lyn's review against another edition

3.0

Shockingly blunt. I was a little horrified but it's a great book.

jehsface's review against another edition

2.0

Read this book because a student said it was hilarious and awful. I definitely thought it was more awful than hilarious, but I can see why a teenager would think it was endlessly funny. It just kind of made me sad about teenage girls and their sexuality (admittedly this is set in 1970's Australia, but still).

The book is so Aussie it's almost ridiculous, the slang is above and beyond and I would expect this to be a really difficult read for people in other countries unfamiliar with the bizarre colloquialisms of Australia.