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The Year of the Gadfly

by Jennifer Miller (Goodreads Author)

3.56 of 5 stars 3.56 · rating details · 921 ratings · 236 reviews

“Do you know what it took for Socrates’ enemies to make him stop pursuing the truth?”
“Hemlock.”

Storied, fiercely competitive Mariana Academy was founded with a serious honor code; its reputation has been unsullied for decades. Now a long-dormant secret society, Prisom's Party, threatens its placid halls with vigilante justice, exposing students and teachers alike for even...more

Hardcover, 374 pages

Published May 8th 2012 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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Lists with This Book

Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl

The Year of the Gadfly by Jennifer Miller

School Novels

5th out of 39 books — 43 voters

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter

Secret Society Girl by Diana Peterfreund

Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Ivy League & Private School Preoccupations

36th out of 90 books — 123 voters

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Community Reviews

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Nov 01, 2012 karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-claiming-to-be-just-like-secr

**ooh, now i can promote it on libboo!!
https://www.libboo.com/read/the-year-...**

i have said a lot of things in my life.

twins are evil
NASA is a drug front/the moon does not exist
france is an island
this book is fun.

and maybe you don't want to agree with me on a lot of those things, and i totally understand that. but i stand by my statements and i don't care if i stand alone.

this book is not really like secret history. it is more like special topics in calamity physics, in the age of the protagon...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Jeniffer Almonte rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, quit-reading, first-reads, reviewed

It's odd to recommend a book even though I didn't like it myself. But that's basically the case with "The Year of the Gadfly". If you read the synopsis (a 14 year old aspiring journalist gets embroiled in a mystery at her posh high school) and are hoping this novel will be clever and well-written, it is.

What I will say about myself is that I like big books about big things (ambitious, sprawling novels about "Important Things"). Or I like small books about big things (simple books that are unexpe...more

9 likes · like · see review

Jun 23, 2012 Jeanette rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-fiction, america

3.5 stars
Inventive, darkly charming, well written, and absolutely preposterous. Miller creates some fascinating characters and develops them quite well as she weaves together the lives of several students past and present at a Massachusetts prep school. She took it a little too far for it to be a convincing portrayal, but I enjoyed entering the strange world of science geeks, an albino outcast, and an aspiring journalist who has imaginary conversations with Edward R. Murrow.

If you have a fondne...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Emily marked it as abandoned

I've promised myself that I will stop finishing books that I dislike. This seems like a redo of Special Topics in Calamity Physics, and I've maxed out on my East Coast prep for this year with Seating Arrangements. I already think this book is ridiculous. Back to the library it goes!

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May 09, 2012 Jill rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a difficult book for me to evaluate, because there is no way I’m going to enjoy reading about the bullying and psychological torture of young kids. For that matter, I am ill-disposed from the very beginning to like reading about private academies for privileged kids. There are some aspects to the plot that intrigued me though, and I wanted to see how they played out.

It seems like there are only two types of students at Mariana Preparatory Academy in Nye, Massachusetts: incredibly cruel,...more

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Mar 20, 2012 Erincarlyle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jennifer Miller's 14-year-old protagonist, Iris, is a delightful, intense and precocious protagonist. Iris's insatiable curiosity and insistence on communing with the ghost of her journalism hero, Edward R. Murrows, coupled with her charming loathing for cliches, makes The Year of the Gadfly a must-read from page one. Jennifer Miller's debut novel intrigues, dazzles, and moves. Certain to be a popular choice among book club devotees as well as lovers of exquisite writing the world over.

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Nov 21, 2012 Melissa rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I wanted to like this a lot more than I did, but “unrequited teenage love” is not an adequate justification for any of the events that take place in this book that are subsequently blamed on unrequited teenage love. Most notably, when high school-aged Hazel convinces a pretentious art student to make a movie wherein the albino girlfriend of the object of her unreturned affection is drugged, filmed saying she’s using the guy for sex because that’s what her “character” should be saying, and has he...more I wanted to like this a lot more than I did, but “unrequited teenage love” is not an adequate justification for any of the events that take place in this book that are subsequently blamed on unrequited teenage love. Most notably, when high school-aged Hazel convinces a pretentious art student to make a movie wherein the albino girlfriend of the object of her unreturned affection is drugged, filmed saying she’s using the guy for sex because that’s what her “character” should be saying, and has her pubic hair dyed black once she’s unconscious. Not surprisingly, Hazel grows up to be the type of adult who sexually manipulates teenage boys, slaps fourteen-year-olds in the face, and feels comfortable telling men how, in her opinion, they should be grieving for their dead twin brothers.

Much more intriguing is the concurrent story of Iris Dupont, fourteen-year-old prep school student who has a passion for reporting & talks to an invisible Edward R. Murrow in times of trouble. Iris also has a best friend who committed suicide at some point before the book began, but to her great disservice Dalia is more of a plot device than anything. This is Iris's great tragedy, which she feels aligns her with the unorthodox science teacher who was once a student at the same prep school, is the brother of the dead twin, and pined for Hazel when they were all kids. The writing is nice, everyone’s separate parts hang together well, & the characters are pretty okay, even though all the adults seem inexplicably distressed that teenagers are basically herd animals who will do whatever just because anyone who’s popular or an accepted authority tells them to (to which I say, “No kidding”), but by the end I was over it. All the plot twists hang on people being such tremendous jerks & there’s absolutely no repercussions for the awful things they do to each other, besides that one guy who wasn’t even that bad who dies in a car accident (Hazel gets kicked out of the Historical Society building & that’s all? I ask you, where’s the assault charge?) And I also find it ridiculous that anyone would ever get some fabulous internship at the Boston Globe at the age of fourteen.(less)

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Jun 21, 2012 Steven rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: novels

I really didn't much enjoy The Year of the Gadfly by Jennifer Miller. It came highly recommended by my eldest daughter, Meghan. It is likely that our taste in books is ultimately different. In this case, mine are more suspect.

The book is well written, a coming of age story. It is a mystery, which is probably part of my discontent. The plot is good, though not the page turner that everyone else says it is. I felt little empathy with any of the characters. While I am a plot driven reader, I must h...more

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Jun 17, 2012 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, non-erotic, suspense-mystery, young-adult

Originally published at: http://aurorareviews.blogspot.com/201...

Darkness seems to follow Iris everywhere she goes. With a haunted past, starting over seems like the obvious answer. It's not easy being a socially awkward teenager when you're talking to a friend that really isn't there.

Iris is a complicated fourteen year old. She's got a stubborn streak a mile wide--what teenager doesn't? She's an aspiring journalist, which adds to her budding curiosity to find the truth about everything. She's d...more

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Jun 09, 2012 Susan Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars
This really is a story about the outcasts of a high school. I am not talking about the troublemakers or those who purposefully hold themselves apart but the intellectual nerd who just don't fit in. You know in 10-15 years they will computer millionaires, future Nobel Prize winners, research scientists or some other successful professional but for those important high school years, they just don't belong. They tend to congregate together not from any real liking but because there's reall...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Katherine rated it 4 of 5 stars

I can't quite get my feelngs for this book into words. It has some elements in common with Secret History--privileged, smart kids at a private school with secrets--but it's way less pretentious and the characters are much more realistic and sympathetic than the SH smarty pants.

The story is told through three characters and I think this aspect was not entirely successful. The voices didn't all fit together as cohesively as I'd like. Iris, a current student, written in first person, sounds like F...more

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May 08, 2012 Laura added it

Jennifer Miller's novel The Year of the Gadfly is a lot of things. I wanted to read it because it is an academic novel, set at a private secondary school called Mariana Academy. It is also a mystery and a psychological thriller. There is a may be a murder, and a mysterious video, and a secret society, and at least one love story. It was a fun read, although I'm not sure it was the most memorable one.

The story is from the points of view of three characters-- Lily, Jonah, and Iris -- during two di...more Jennifer Miller's novel The Year of the Gadfly is a lot of things. I wanted to read it because it is an academic novel, set at a private secondary school called Mariana Academy. It is also a mystery and a psychological thriller. There is a may be a murder, and a mysterious video, and a secret society, and at least one love story. It was a fun read, although I'm not sure it was the most memorable one.

The story is from the points of view of three characters-- Lily, Jonah, and Iris -- during two different eras in Mariana history. Iris is the new girl at the Academy. She is a budding journalist with her own slightly troubled past, who wants (along her imaginary friend - the ghost of Edward Murrow) to uncover the secrets from the past that seem to trouble everyone at Mariana. Those secrets involve Jonah, a biology teacher and former student, and Lily, his albino classmate and his late brother's girlfriend. Jonah finds himself in the center of a drama that he thought he had left behind, but which Iris seems to be mucking up again, as she discovers clue after clue to Mariana's past and finds herself involved with the mysterious Prisom's Party.

Miller is at her best when she is describing the humiliations of adolescence. When she steps outside of the psychological drama, and writes scenes of teenagehood, she really finds her voice. She creates remarkably sympathetic characters in Lily, who is the headmaster's daughter, and Iris, who moves into Lily's old room and becomes a sort of reflection of her. Both girls are outside of the norm at their school and experience the type of isolation that is commonplace for many teen girls. Even the popular girls, of course, live through similar viciousness, and I think anyone who has been a teen will feel flashes of recognition in some of the tales that Miller spins. My criticisms are few, but I did find the character Hazel to be slightly unbelievable, as well as some of the twists and turns of the plot, and I thought that book went on a little too long after the big reveal near the end. Overall, I thought that it was a good summer read, with some really bright passages and scenes.(less)

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Dec 25, 2011 Bethany marked it as to-read

Prep school? Yes please.

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Sep 03, 2012 Sarah rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012

I'm a little sad and a little angry that someone spent so much time writing this book and ended up with such a turd.

Character motivations make no sense, with the occasional exception of Iris (she's so tiny! But with perky tits!). Jonah (why is everyone named like they attend a Park Slope daycare?)--why would Jonah come back to the school, given his role in the you-know-what? And why would the board of directors approve a huge salary (several times the usual) for a troublemaking ex-student? They...more

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May 26, 2012 Doreen rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have a weakness for prep school novels. Having gone to public, private and boarding schools, I love the idealized and/or scandalous versions presented in the genre, because they make my own experiences feel less insane. So when I saw the blurb for The Year Of The Gadfly in Glamour magazine a month or so ago, I put it on my mental to-read list, though wasn't going to make a particular point of getting the book till it came out at my local public library.

And then Jennifer Miller ambushed me here...more I have a weakness for prep school novels. Having gone to public, private and boarding schools, I love the idealized and/or scandalous versions presented in the genre, because they make my own experiences feel less insane. So when I saw the blurb for The Year Of The Gadfly in Glamour magazine a month or so ago, I put it on my mental to-read list, though wasn't going to make a particular point of getting the book till it came out at my local public library.

And then Jennifer Miller ambushed me here on Goodreads (in the nicest way possible) and next thing you know, I'm sitting in the front row of her book-signing at Politics & Prose, listening to her read excerpts from the novel. I had to clear a small backlog of other reading before I could finally start TYOTG, and at first it was a little odd, as I kept hearing Ms Miller's voice in my head as I read (which is especially disconcerting when the narrator for about a third of the book is a 20-something male.) But once I got past the bits she'd read aloud, it was easy to immerse myself in the distinct voice of each narrator, and lose myself in the layered, nuanced plot.

As far as prep school novels go, TYOTG is definitely on the better end of the scale. I'd rate it closer to The Secret History and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie than to A Separate Peace (which I read in my early 20s -- my much younger brother read it at the same time and loved it, but I was unimpressed) or the perfectly awful Prep. The central mystery is unraveled subtly (though several clues are marked with neon signs, with no explanation of why they're there except to point us in the "right" direction) but, to me, finding out what really happened at the turn of the century isn't the point of this book. While Jonah is an important part of the narrative, the book really belongs to Iris and, to a slightly lesser extent, Lily. Lily's travails at Mariana Academy made my heart lurch for her, but Iris is the one who carries the book, powering through her fears and mixed emotions to focus on what's most important to her: her journalistic ambitions. It was a nice change to read a book with a heroine who wasn't punished for putting her own self-actualization first (and the matter-of-fact lack of vanity at the end was pretty awesome.) I also really enjoyed reading both sides of her relationship with Jonah. I appreciate that Iris never quite manages to come to terms with her feelings for him, but carries on regardless. She's a great character, and one of my favorite young heroines in recent memory. I only wish the progression of her relationship with Murrow had been drawn out a little longer: what happened near the end seemed a bit sudden, especially since she'd relied on him for so long.

I also enjoyed the character of Hazel very much. I was almost seduced by some of what she said near the middle, so thoroughly understood her effect on others. I didn't quite get why (view spoiler) but I soon forgot that as the novel moved towards its luminous end. I was actually a bit disappointed that it stopped where it did, though I suppose Ms Miller intended for the reader's imagination to provide a better scene than any she cared to furnish -- I always appreciate when an author trusts her readers with enough intelligence to do so.

A wonderful book, and while I usually sigh with annoyance when contacted by authors on Goodreads about their work, I'm very glad Ms Miller took the time to e-mail me about hers.(less)

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Apr 30, 2012 Liz Holden rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was one of those books where I had to stay up late to finish it even though I was exhausted and had to get up early the next morning. The Year of the Gadfly is about Iris Dupont, a new student at Mariana Academy, a posh prep school not far from Boston. Iris is recovering from recent terrible events involving her best friend Dalia, and her family has moved into the house of the former Mariana headmaster.

Iris soon finds out that Mariana Academy is full of secrets, like the existence of a lon...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Simone rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Simone by: Megan

Shelves: 2013-read

So mostly since the beginning of last semester I've mostly only been reading things for class, over break I managed to read a few fun things, but others were still books I thought I should be reading instead of reading for pure pleasure. Since New Year's I've tried to start a couple of books I wanted to read but were boring me to tears, and my fun reading was feeling like a chore. Luckily then this book was in at the library and I picked it up on a recommendation from Megan. Thank goodness.

I co...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Laurel-Rain rated it 5 of 5 stars

Set in a New England prep school, "The Year of the Gadfly" takes the reader into the very halls and dungeons of a school that prides itself on its honor code, yet seemingly maintains a studied ignorance of a secret society that has thrived for years and now threatens its placid halls.

Enter Iris Dupont, budding journalist who carries the baggage of a recent loss. Into the world of Nye, Massachusetts and the Mariana Academy, she comes wearing her hopes and dreams on her sleeve, even as she present...more Set in a New England prep school, "The Year of the Gadfly" takes the reader into the very halls and dungeons of a school that prides itself on its honor code, yet seemingly maintains a studied ignorance of a secret society that has thrived for years and now threatens its placid halls.

Enter Iris Dupont, budding journalist who carries the baggage of a recent loss. Into the world of Nye, Massachusetts and the Mariana Academy, she comes wearing her hopes and dreams on her sleeve, even as she presents with a pseudo-sophistication combined with a fierce desire to fit in. Never mind the presence of her secret mentor, Edward R. Murrow, who speaks to her on a regular basis.

Science teacher Jonah Kaplan, who has a Ph.D., but prefers the title "Mr.," seemingly stands out in the crowd as Iris surveys her new domain, and she feels oddly connected to him.

What will unfold between these two as the story reveals itself? How will the past students at the academy insert themselves into the present day and resurrect some of the worst happenings of the school's history?

Narrated alternately by Iris, in first person; Lily, a previous student afflicted with albinism, and in whose home Iris now resides; and Jonah, also in first person voice, the tale flips between the past and the present, and introduces other characters, like Hazel, whose past connection to Jonah and his deceased twin Justin, as well as Lily, we slowly come to understand. And we clearly begin to realize how the past has informed the present.

The slow and unyielding revelations of past betrayals, horrific secrets, and cruel manipulations kept me turning these pages, even as I despised almost every character. But then again, like real humans, vulnerable and flawed, they each gave us a piece of the story that would have been incomplete without them.

I like this passage in Lily's voice, as she recalls Justin:

"A butterfly was the first insect he'd ever preserved and, according to his mother, a coming-of-age milestone on par with his bar mitzvah. Lily hated the term "coming of age" and its suggestion of menstrual cycles. But in this case, Mrs. Kaplan was right. The moment you killed something—a living creature or a false hope—was the moment you came of age. Loss of innocence wasn't a passive experience that happened TO you. It was something you gave up."

The themes and characters were totally engaging. This story stands out from the usual prep school tale in its depth and its unerring diligence at piercing through the facades and showing the truth, no matter how unpalatable. And the ending left me with a feeling of hope. Five stars. (less)

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Sep 27, 2012 DeAnna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Although, it only took me 5 days to read this, I felt like I was reading for a month.
I'll be honest, I really don't care for books that switch between narrators. It's probably some personality or intellectual defect but I dislike having the story interrupted by another voice and having to switch to another point of view.
Yes, I know it's easier to tell the story from different points of view but why not tell it in third person?
I continued to read the book because I truly wanted to know how it end...more

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May 04, 2012 Patty rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is one of those books about private school (that I love), a secret society and a girl reporter who likes to chat with Edward R. Murrow.
My thoughts...
Iris and her family have moved to a new town and a new school. I am imagining Iris as a bit on the odd side. She carries around a sort of briefcase and she styles herself as a reporter in the manner of her idol, Edward R. Murrow. She is on the school newspaper but her ideas are severely restricted by the editor. She feels a kinship, a conn...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Emily Crowe rated it 4 of 5 stars

As much as I dislike the aches and stuffiness associated with having a cold, I love the fact that I get more reading done when I'm sick than when I'm well. Must have something to do with the hours spent lying horizontal on the bed or library loveseat, and if I take a medicinal sip of bourbon every now and again to heal my sore throat, what of it? (Yes, I drink lots of hot tea with honey & lemon, but I swear that they don't feel like they're doing half the good that a shot of whiskey does.)

An...more As much as I dislike the aches and stuffiness associated with having a cold, I love the fact that I get more reading done when I'm sick than when I'm well. Must have something to do with the hours spent lying horizontal on the bed or library loveseat, and if I take a medicinal sip of bourbon every now and again to heal my sore throat, what of it? (Yes, I drink lots of hot tea with honey & lemon, but I swear that they don't feel like they're doing half the good that a shot of whiskey does.)

Anyway, I digress. The other day I started and finished two novels with similar settings, beginning the first one at about 4:45 am when I was too congested to sleep/breathe lying down, and finishing the second one around 10:30 that night. If I'd known just how similar they were, I probably would've separated my reading of them by more than 15 minutes. By the time I came to the end of the second one, I was having a little trouble separating the details from the two books, but that says more about my frame of mind after reading two books back-to-back at my advanced age than it does about the books themselves.

The Year of the Gadfly by Jennifer Miller captures one of my favorite settings/genres: academia, particularly prep schools. It also happens to be set in western Massachusetts, not far from where I live, so it gets bonus points for that! Anyway, Iris Dupont is a teenager living in Boston when her best and only friend commits suicide. A sensitive and curious girl by nature, she deals with the trauma by having conversations with her imaginary friend, the ghost of Edward R. Murrow. Instead of letting their daughter adjust in her own time, her parents decide to enroll Iris at Mariana Academy, a prestigious prep school two hours west of the city in the Berkshire mountains, so that she can "make a clean break of things." All this really does is isolate Iris further and drive her to use the mute button for her ongoing conversations with Murrow.

At Mariana, though, not all is as placid as it seems on the surface. There's corruption in the self-governing student body, the student newspaper is a joke, the headmaster has the local clout to prevent all kinds of incidents from reaching the media, and the members of the mysterious, rabble-rousing secret society called Prisom's Party are the only ones brave enough and dedicated to the truth to do anything about it.

Or are they? There are some voices who whisper that Prisom's Party delivers justice that is heavy on the vigilante, light on the actual justice.

In the meantime, new science teacher Mr. Kaplan is trying to start a revolution on his own by getting his students to think for themselves, question authority, and seek Truth with a capital T, leaving him unpopular with the administration. His extreme, occasionally bullying methods, leave him unpopular with most of the pampered and privileged students as well, since most of them want nothing more than to earn their A for the course and move on to their Ivy League college of choice.

Except Iris, of course, whose determination to uncover the secrets of the Prisom's Party leads her into both the near and distant past of Mariana Academy, and what she finds is troubling. Very troubling indeed. Because more than one student's sanity, or possibly even life, is at stake, and she learns first hand the seduction of power and the shifting shape of truth.

The Year of the Gadfly has the right blend of edginess and day-to-day life to make it an exceedingly quick read. Fans of the prep school sub-genre, conspiracy theories, Donna Tartt's The Secret History, or Rachel DeWoskin's Big Girl Small will find much to appreciate here. Its point of view dodges back and forth between past and present, and among two different first-person narratives and two different third-person ones, a style that usually bothers me quite a bit, but Miller carries it off well enough here. What I liked most about the book, though, is the way it exposes the capacity for brutality that exists within us all. Well, that and a character who is always asking herself, "What would Ed Murrow do?"

Some passages I liked:

"You'd have thought that the Academic League would be more understanding of Iris's quirkiness. They weren't exactly the social creme de la creme. But contrary to popular belief, high school did not run according to a horizontal social hierarchy with the nerds as serfs to the popular despots. The alliances and antagonisms were more complicated than the political dealings of a Third World country. In high school you never knew who was your enemy and who was your friend (154)."

"I felt liberated, free of my previous teenage angst. Though I once believed my superior intelligence would protect me from this Salinger-induced adolescent cliche, it had not. Angst is like the chicken pox -- anyone under the age of twenty-five is susceptible. But as with chicken pox, once you've had your angst, you become more or less immune. How else could high school teachers do their jobs? (187-188)"

This is one of my favorite descriptions of New England mud season. It describes my feelings exactly: "This snow melted into fetid bogs. In those early days of March, you couldn't walk two feet without accruing diarrhetic splatters on the backs of your legs or hearing the sucking, slurping sound of your shoes in the muck (217)."
(less)

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Jul 28, 2012 Eileen Granfors rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: coming-of-age, friendship, highly-unusual, psychological-thriller, school-stories

Jennifer Miller really surprised me with the intellectual discourse in "The Year of the Gadfly." She brings in physics, biology, psychology, all within the parameters of her plot. And the gadfly in the title is not a flibberty-gibbet. One must remember that the person called a gadfly, an annoyance, was Socrates, and what his annoyances to the power structure earned him was death by hemlock.

So here we have the lovely Iris enrolling in a prestigious boarding school. Iris is a little strange, certa...more

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May 21, 2012 Meredith rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: eh, adult-fic, reviewed, as-ann-as-a-nose-on-plain-s-face

I. Ugh. Well, let's see: for the first, oh, 300 pages of this book, I loved it. I was involved in the story, I needed to figure out the mystery, and I was loving the characters. And then it all fell apart.

Let me start at the beginning: The Year of the Gadfly is a multiple perspective story concerning the potential existence of a secret vigilante society called Prisom's Party in a New England prep school, Mariana Academy. At the heart of the story is Iris Dupont, a fourteen year old deemed unstab...more I. Ugh. Well, let's see: for the first, oh, 300 pages of this book, I loved it. I was involved in the story, I needed to figure out the mystery, and I was loving the characters. And then it all fell apart.

Let me start at the beginning: The Year of the Gadfly is a multiple perspective story concerning the potential existence of a secret vigilante society called Prisom's Party in a New England prep school, Mariana Academy. At the heart of the story is Iris Dupont, a fourteen year old deemed unstable by her parents following the death of her best friend in Boston, who has imagined conversations with famed journalist Edward R. Murrow--her idol. She takes it upon herself to discover the mystery of Prisom's Party so she can someday be the youngest editor-in-chief of her school newspaper. Interspersed with her narration is that of her biology teacher's, Jonah Kaplan, a former student of Mariana with secrets of his own. Then, as if this couldn't sound convoluted enough, there are also chapters devoted to Lily Morgan, a peer of Jonah's from high school who also lived in the house where Iris now lives.

Got all that?

It's honestly less complicated than it sounds. The story lines flow together seamlessly--so seamlessly, in fact, that I had a pit in my gut the entire time as the plots intertwined.

I knew from about halfway through the book that I would probably give this book four stars. The writing sometimes sways into pretentious territory, and the characterization of a fourteen year old girl and a twenty-nine year old man didn't always seem to be that different from each other. At certain points, the novel even seemed like it riding a thin line between young adult and adult fiction. The characters are all YA age, but the story is definitely more mature. Fourteen almost seemed too young for Iris. I understand that this was to counteract the maturity she thought she had with her actual maturity, but maybe if she had been sixteen, some of her "teen" plot lines would've been more appropriate.

Still, the actual story? Whoa. Very good. Until the end.

I won't spoil it, but I actually groaned once I realized where the ending was headed. It was just frustrating that an ending could both be unrealistic and too neat. This was a very dark book, despite bits of humor, and the ending seemed to betray that. Ultimately, that's what knocked it from four stars to three for me. I don't know what ending I would've preferred, but it wasn't this one.

Still, I'd say it's an interesting read, and I'd love to know what others think of it as well. (less)

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Dec 06, 2012 Stefanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: stand-alone-novels, young-adult

I first heard about this book when it was reviewed in a magazine I was reading at the time. At first I was a bit unsure of whether I was going to read it or not because it was about a prep school and now that I am 8 years beyond high school...well reading about that time in a teen's life just isn't as interesting as it used to be. This book was a nice surprise though as the writing was very mature for a "high school" book in my opinion. The story line was a tad cliche and reminded me of various...more I first heard about this book when it was reviewed in a magazine I was reading at the time. At first I was a bit unsure of whether I was going to read it or not because it was about a prep school and now that I am 8 years beyond high school...well reading about that time in a teen's life just isn't as interesting as it used to be. This book was a nice surprise though as the writing was very mature for a "high school" book in my opinion. The story line was a tad cliche and reminded me of various movies and stories I have read in the past. But even so it also was refreshing at the same time.

There were some parts, mainly references to books/authors/movies (such as Lord of the Flies, The Scarlet Letter, J.D. Salinger, Dead Poet's Society), that I think may not be totally appreciated by those who have not completed high school. Which poses a bit of a quandary seeing as this book is considered Young Adult by some. My reasoning for this is that I didn't read or see the references (and more mentioned in the book) before I began high school. Yes I may have heard of them in passing as I was a ferocious reader (but only with books that piqued my interest and the books on my school's curriculum were definitely not on my to read list before high school). Maybe things are different for those who attended prep schools since kindergarten; but I attended a well respected public school district and from what I can recall, I didn't read Lord of the Flies until my freshman or sophomore years. And The Scarlet Letter and The Catcher in the Rye weren't until around my junior year.

Overall I think that the story would still be enjoyable even if one hasn't read all the books referenced within the book but I truly think that they added to it.

One other thing.....this book also brings up the point I have always wondered about. And that is if there are still schools out there that are very "cliquely" in nature. I went to a huge high school where there were of course jocks, the extremely smart people, skaters, artists etc. But it was never a big deal. Unless people hid it well, or the no tolerance creed on bullying/violence etc. really worked. I never felt left out or ostracized by other "groups," and actually had friends from just about ever social grouping in the school. So it still makes me wonder if prep schools really are that different in nature.(less)

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Jun 25, 2012 Natalie (Natflix&Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've always been enamored with the East Coast, especially New England. I love the fall foliage, the Victorian and Cape Cod houses, the fair isle sweaters, but more than anything, I love the schools. Growing up in small-town Wyoming, I fantasized about the prep and boarding schools on the East Coast. The gothic buildings, the ivy, the intellectual debates I thought must occur in the dorms. I still have a soft spot for this idealized world and if a synopsis of a book includes the words "prep schoo...more I've always been enamored with the East Coast, especially New England. I love the fall foliage, the Victorian and Cape Cod houses, the fair isle sweaters, but more than anything, I love the schools. Growing up in small-town Wyoming, I fantasized about the prep and boarding schools on the East Coast. The gothic buildings, the ivy, the intellectual debates I thought must occur in the dorms. I still have a soft spot for this idealized world and if a synopsis of a book includes the words "prep school", I will almost always check it out.

The Year of the Gadfly by Jennifer Miller was an interesting, well-written addition to this world. It follows 14-year old Iris. A girl who is new to Mariana Academy. After her best friend committed suicide, her parents moved her to a small New England town named Nye for a fresh start. Iris is an aspiring journalist and frequently talks to the ghost of her ideal, Edward Murrow, the esteemed journalist. She wants to write real stories for her school newspaper, but is blocked by her editor who believes any story that hurts the reputation of Mariana will hurt the chances of the students getting into good schools. When the long-dormant secret society, Prisom's Party, starts to dole out their own brand of justice under the idea of the truth and brotherhood, Iris becomes intrigued and decides to do a little digging for a story.

Also interested in the society is Iris' science teacher, Jonah, a man in his 20s who went to Mariana Academy as a boy. He is returning to Nye for the first time since his twin brother's death 12 years earlier. He is happy to hear that the girl he loved in high school, Hazel, is also back in town and running and living in the Historical Society House.

The book follows two intertwining story lines, the present with Iris and adult Jonah and Hazel, and the year 2000 with Jonah and his brother, Hazel, and Justin's albino girlfriend, Lily, who grew up in the house where Iris and her family are staying while waiting for their own house to be completed. The chapters shift between time and characters, expertly weaving the stories together until its conclusion. The mystery of the society is intriguing and the writing is sharp and original.

I thoroughly enjoyed Year of the Gadfly and would recommend it to people who like stories based in academia. I look forward to reading what Jennifer Miller writes next. (less)

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Aug 15, 2012 Bennett Gavrish rated it 3 of 5 stars

Grade: C-

L/C Ratio: 60/40
(This means I estimate the author devoted 60% of her effort to creating a literary work of art and 40% of her effort to creating a commercial bestseller.)

Thematic Breakdown:
35% - Prep school culture
25% - Investigative journalism
20% - Mystery
10% - Love
10% - Biology

Employing multiple narrators in a novel always makes the reading experience a little clunky, but it can be essential to developing a layered story. Unfortunately, the technique backfires for Miller in The Year o...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Ava Butzu rated it 4 of 5 stars

I picked up "The Year of the Gadfly" after falling in love with "The Starboard Sea" this summer. Both books feature narrators who have suffered loss and who migrate to new prep schools in an effort ot redefine and take control of their lives. But "The Year of the Gadfly" takes on a "Harriet the Spy" tone that makes it seem to be more fantasy, more whimsical, than "The Starboard Sea" or "Catcher in the Rye."

Perhaps I'm acutely critical of teenage characters who are not wholly developed or realis...more I picked up "The Year of the Gadfly" after falling in love with "The Starboard Sea" this summer. Both books feature narrators who have suffered loss and who migrate to new prep schools in an effort ot redefine and take control of their lives. But "The Year of the Gadfly" takes on a "Harriet the Spy" tone that makes it seem to be more fantasy, more whimsical, than "The Starboard Sea" or "Catcher in the Rye."

Perhaps I'm acutely critical of teenage characters who are not wholly developed or realistic, being a high school English teacher who spends most of her time with teens and well-crafted fiction. Still, I don't understand the Charlie-Brown-esque adults who never assert authority or offer guidance to precocious, over-achieving teenagers. Miller relies on two generations of students who have a remarkable ability to score highly-coveted academic records while balancing surreptitious and highly-developed plans to upend the caste system inherent in teenage culture. It just doesn't make sense to me, realistically.

However, I was touched by the sadness of the key players - Iris, Jonah, Justin, Harriet, Lily, and even Peter - who desired to be more than they were and sacrificed some of the goodness in themselves to create a facade of confidence where they were actually falling apart. This, to me, is realistic character development. And, in fact, I raced through the last 125 pages of the book in my desire to find out how the book would resolve itself, so it's certain that the plot was as compelling as the characters.

I wanted very much to love this book, but felt that its structure and craft was forced and that the ending was rushed. I've never been a fan of books that wrap up too quickly, where a flurry of cloak-and-dagger "whodunnit" activity (paired with a conveniently unconscious narrator) creates a "presto - voila" effect. Miller was incredibly thoughtful in her use of metaphors and governing scientific concepts. In fact, re-reading this text would likely illuminate just how clever she was with details and symbolically interwoven motifs. Maybe Miller bit off more than was necessary in this book, tried a little too hard to be clever, resulting in a multitude of styles that battled for precedence over each other but only ended up cancelling each other out so that it's difficult to comment on the overall effect of the book.(less)

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Jul 05, 2012 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: wealth-priviledge, suspense

This novel has all the things I'm a sucker for in a story: secret societies, interwoven stories from multiple narrators, and a culture of wealth and privilege that my middle-class self will never get to experience first hand. But those details mean nothing without a well-paced story and memorable characters, which, I am happy to report, Gadfly has in spades. Miller is especially good at building suspense by dropping just enough hints while moving the plot forward towards the endgame.

One other q...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars

As a former journalism student, and past worshiper of the old guard of mid-century American press, I couldn't resist a novel in which the young female protagonist talks to Edward R. Murrow - who just so happens to be her imaginary friend. Although this is the hook that has garnered buzz for The Year of the Gadfly from critics, there was much more to love in Jennifer Miller's story. The book is narrated partly in the near future, with dates starting in the autumn of 2012, and partly 12 years prio...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Diana rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Year of the Gadfly, by Jennifer Miller, is the story of a 14 year old girl, Iris, who is starting school in a new town, after her best friend from her former school committed suicide. Iris has an imaginary friend, Edward R. Murrow, who she speaks to, sometimes aloud. Iris doesn't need a rubber bracelet on her arm to remind her to ask WWERMD? because she is constantly asking him what he would do in every situation. At her new school, Mariana Academy, a group of rebels, who call themselves Pri...more

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About Jennifer Miller

Jennifer Miller is author of The Year of the Gadfly
(Harcourt, 2012) and Inheriting The Holy Land (Ballantine, 2005). Her journalism has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post Magazine, Christian Science Monitor, Marie Claire, Men's Health, Smithsonian.com, Salon.com, Guernica.com, the Columbia Journalism Review, The Millions and the Daily Beast.

Jen holds an MFA in fiction-writing and...more

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Inheriting the Holy Land: An American's Search for Hope in the Middle East

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“The moment you killed something – a living creature or a false hope – was the moment you came of age. Loss of innocence wasn’t a passive experience that happened to you. It was something you gave up.” — 1 person liked it

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