novelesque_life's review against another edition
3.0
3 STARS
"Lee Fiora is an intelligent, observant fourteen-year-old when her father drops her off in front of her dorm at the prestigious Ault School in Massachusetts. She leaves her animated, affectionate family in South Bend, Indiana, at least in part because of the boarding school’s glossy brochure, in which boys in sweaters chat in front of old brick buildings, girls in kilts hold lacrosse sticks on pristinely mown athletic fields, and everyone sings hymns in chapel.
As Lee soon learns, Ault is a cloistered world of jaded, attractive teenagers who spend summers on Nantucket and speak in their own clever shorthand. Both intimidated and fascinated by her classmates, Lee becomes a shrewd observer of–and, ultimately, a participant in–their rituals and mores. As a scholarship student, she constantly feels like an outsider and is both drawn to and repelled by other loners. By the time she’s a senior, Lee has created a hard-won place for herself at Ault. But when her behavior takes a self-destructive and highly public turn, her carefully crafted identity within the community is shattered.
Ultimately, Lee’s experiences–complicated relationships with teachers; intense friendships with other girls; an all-consuming preoccupation with a classmate who is less than a boyfriend and more than a crush; conflicts with her parents, from whom Lee feels increasingly distant, coalesce into a singular portrait of the painful and thrilling adolescence universal to us all." (From Amazon)
A great realistic and witty look at a prep school and a girl trying to fit in. While the story is about a teenage girl this novel is not aimed at teen readers.
"Lee Fiora is an intelligent, observant fourteen-year-old when her father drops her off in front of her dorm at the prestigious Ault School in Massachusetts. She leaves her animated, affectionate family in South Bend, Indiana, at least in part because of the boarding school’s glossy brochure, in which boys in sweaters chat in front of old brick buildings, girls in kilts hold lacrosse sticks on pristinely mown athletic fields, and everyone sings hymns in chapel.
As Lee soon learns, Ault is a cloistered world of jaded, attractive teenagers who spend summers on Nantucket and speak in their own clever shorthand. Both intimidated and fascinated by her classmates, Lee becomes a shrewd observer of–and, ultimately, a participant in–their rituals and mores. As a scholarship student, she constantly feels like an outsider and is both drawn to and repelled by other loners. By the time she’s a senior, Lee has created a hard-won place for herself at Ault. But when her behavior takes a self-destructive and highly public turn, her carefully crafted identity within the community is shattered.
Ultimately, Lee’s experiences–complicated relationships with teachers; intense friendships with other girls; an all-consuming preoccupation with a classmate who is less than a boyfriend and more than a crush; conflicts with her parents, from whom Lee feels increasingly distant, coalesce into a singular portrait of the painful and thrilling adolescence universal to us all." (From Amazon)
A great realistic and witty look at a prep school and a girl trying to fit in. While the story is about a teenage girl this novel is not aimed at teen readers.
kellydemchuk's review against another edition
4.0
This one is hard to rate as Lee, the MC, is a pretty loathsome character. I was so frustrated by her selfishness & insecurities throughout the book, but her experience was so raw and so awkwardly and uncomfortably honest. I felt angry at her many of her choices but was reminded of my own insecurities at that age - I never liked feeling like I related to Lee, and was uncomfortable every time I did, but it's what made it so memorable.
Didn't like how she seemed to not grow/mature/change throughout the story, but I feel like that rings true for many, so as frustrating as it was to not see her become a better person, it rang true.
Didn't like how she seemed to not grow/mature/change throughout the story, but I feel like that rings true for many, so as frustrating as it was to not see her become a better person, it rang true.
allthingsnerdy's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There's a lot of stuff I really like about this book, but the main character really brought it down. I know it's kind of the point that Lee is a frustrating character, but she was very inconsistent across the book and didn't seem very realistic, which made it hard to be in her head. I would have definitely preferred to be in Martha or Dede or really anyone else's head than Lee.
layvitar's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lucyspender's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
hrhopkin's review against another edition
2.0
Long book to get through and would definitely not read it again
jess_es02's review against another edition
4.0
sittenfeld has a gift for making mundane, unfamiliar situations seem both profound and relatable. this book is intensely readable and memorable, though so pervasively melancholic (and with such an unlikable protagonist) that it's difficult to describe as "enjoyable" as such.
deadea's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jillian_roach's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0