Prep – Curtis Sittenfeld
Lee manages to garner a scholarship to the prestigious Ault School in New England. From South Bend, Indiana, she is completely out of her element when she gets to the school — a feeling that never dissipates over the four years she is there. She is alienated from her wealthy classmates, eclipsed by their popularity, and, at the same time, thoroughly indoctrinated into another world that serves to separate her from her own family. Like most teenagers, Lee is thoroughly self-obsessed But she’s also a very compelling character with a strong voice, and Sittenfeld writes about the awkward teenage years with understanding and grace. Bittersweet and powerful, this is a touching novel that reminded me of my own hated high school years. Highly recommend.
Comments
[...] Becky over at A Book a Week just read Sittenfeld’s Prep, a book that she had avoided because it looked like chick lit. But then she read something something called This is Not Chick Lit or some such, which Sittenfeld had contributed to. So she changed her mind and read the novel anyway. She was not impressed. It sparked a href=”http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=19261547&postID=116076649555128219″>an interesting conversation with Nonfiction Readers Anonymous about the chick lit/not chick lit debate. NRA also pointed out that Sittenfeld wrote a scathing review of Melissa Bank’s The Wonder Spot. [...]