Genre: Contemporary
Book Type: Physical
Author: Curtis Sittenfeld
Pages: 416
Publisher: Random House (January 11, 2005)
Book Description:
Curtis Sittenfeld’s debut novel, Prep, is an insightful, achingly funny coming-of-age story as well as a brilliant dissection of class, race, and gender in a hothouse of adolescent angst and ambition.
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.
Thoughts:
I’m not sure if it’s that I went into this one hearing good things about it (therefore higher expectations), or if it was the book itself, but unpopular opinion I hated this book. Ok, that may be a strong word, so let me explain:
The description in this book was absolutely fantastic. I felt that I knew each character and thought the author did an exceptional job articulating how Lee was feeling. The way she went through boarding school and all that happened while she was there seemed accurate and believable.
So, why didn’t I like it?! Because Lee drove me absolutely crazy! I was yelling at her so much during this book! She was extremely intelligent at reading a situation and understanding what it would take for her to have a better experience, and she held back. She was the one who applied for the school and wanted a better education (thinking that it would get her ahead in life), but then wasn’t willing to actually open herself up to the experience she claimed she wanted. She was incredible superficial and sat on the sidelines being jealous of others living their lives, when she held back and allowed herself to be used and never stood up for herself. I don’t think I’ve felt this angry at a character in a long time! 😂 If I rated this on her alone, it would be a ⭐️ I was that frustrated with her – but – the writing was so descriptive and done so well, I am giving this a ⭐️⭐️⭐️.
If you’ve read this, please comment below and tell me what I’m missing?!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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