Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
357th out of 5,111 books
—
14,173 voters
Citizen Girl
by
Emma McLaughlin (Goodreads Author),
Nicola Kraus (Goodreads Author)
Another biting satire from Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, authors of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Nanny Diaries. Working in a world where a college degree qualifies her to make photocopies and color-coordinate file folders, twenty-four-year-old Girl is struggling to keep up with the essential trinity of food, shelter, and student loans. So when she finally lands...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
October 4th 2005
by Washington Square Press
(first published September 7th 2004)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
Feb 14, 2008
Nikki Boisture
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Only my dearest enemies.
Recommended to Nikki by:
No one, thank god. I would disown anyone who recommends such id
Dear Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Krauss:
Please stop. Stop writing books. OK, The Nanny Diaries had it's moments and was a compulsively readable little tale. Congratulations, your first book was successful and made you probably richer than you'd ever dream possible. Why didn't you just stop when you were ahead?
You must realize that Citizen Girl is absolutely abhorable. I wanted to give it zero stars, but I didn't want anyone to think I had forgotten to rate it.
Your protagonist (the idiotically n...more
Please stop. Stop writing books. OK, The Nanny Diaries had it's moments and was a compulsively readable little tale. Congratulations, your first book was successful and made you probably richer than you'd ever dream possible. Why didn't you just stop when you were ahead?
You must realize that Citizen Girl is absolutely abhorable. I wanted to give it zero stars, but I didn't want anyone to think I had forgotten to rate it.
Your protagonist (the idiotically n...more
This book tried to be super clever and witty, but I knew it was doomed once I realized that the main character's name was actually 'Girl' (and it wasn't just her boss being disrespectful by saying "Hey Girl!") and another main character's name was 'Guy'. Other 'clever' names consisted of Buster, the boyfriend, and 'My Company, Inc', the employer. That showed the authors were trying just a little too hard...
From there, it just got annoying as the writing was choppy and new characters and situati...more
From there, it just got annoying as the writing was choppy and new characters and situati...more
14 likes · like · see review
"Citizen Girl" is meant to be a satire of corporate consultation. The emphasis on sexuality in the workplace is meant to criticize, but, like the main character Girl, seems to whine. "Citizen Girl" is an example of chick lit, meant to be intelligent, that is banal and uninteresting.
While Girl does face a few serious dilemmas, the writing tone implies that she's more interested in whining about her problems than fixing them. Her co-workers and friends seem to have a similar perspective. The only...more
While Girl does face a few serious dilemmas, the writing tone implies that she's more interested in whining about her problems than fixing them. Her co-workers and friends seem to have a similar perspective. The only...more
after reading the nanny diaries, i expected more from these authors. it seemed like the same basic story told in a different environment and setting. and naming the main character girl was kind of annoying as well.
4 likes · like · see review
I've read three books by these authors that I enjoyed. However, I have no idea what they were thinking when they wrote this book! Whatever thoughts they had of a best seller feel through. If you have any self-preservational skills, they will definitely come in handy if you find yourself wanting to even read the synopsis. Supposedly, Girl (yes that is her name, which really isn't the problems seeing has the nanny in Nanny Diaries was referred to as Nanny) is a heroine, unless my definition of a...more
HOLY MOTHER OF SUCK.
I should have put it down as soon as I realized the main character's name was "Girl." No, really. And her boss is named "Guy"! And her boyfriend is named "Buster"! And the woman brought in to reorganize her company is named "Manley"! Wow, authors, you're so smart, your readers will never figure that out! ... wait.
1. Girl is not at all a likable character. What a whiny cliche of feminism. I have a hard time reading a book when I find nothing to connect with or like about any o...more
I should have put it down as soon as I realized the main character's name was "Girl." No, really. And her boss is named "Guy"! And her boyfriend is named "Buster"! And the woman brought in to reorganize her company is named "Manley"! Wow, authors, you're so smart, your readers will never figure that out! ... wait.
1. Girl is not at all a likable character. What a whiny cliche of feminism. I have a hard time reading a book when I find nothing to connect with or like about any o...more
11 likes · like · see review
I liked The Nanny Diaries, so I was excited to read the second book from the authors, but...major disappointment. I don't actually remember too much - must have been too painful to keep in my memory - but I can tell you that I was ready for Girl or Twat or Dumbass or whatever her name was to shut the hell up about her stupid lack of a love life/job/bank account/etc. Ugh. Do something about it, please, and stop wasting all of our time. And if you choose to follow my sound advice, please, please d...more
how utterly depressing. you think it can't get worse after the ending of The Nanny Diaries but then it does.
the authors employ the same trope of using "Girl" as the main character's name, her boss is "Guy", the person she dates is "Buster", another character (a woman) is named "Manly". they obviously think they are sooo clever and so much smarter than their readers.
the problem is, the book tries to be about women, and feminism, and the way women identify, and why women are afraid to be identi...more
the authors employ the same trope of using "Girl" as the main character's name, her boss is "Guy", the person she dates is "Buster", another character (a woman) is named "Manly". they obviously think they are sooo clever and so much smarter than their readers.
the problem is, the book tries to be about women, and feminism, and the way women identify, and why women are afraid to be identi...more
Just the same as Nanny Diaries, I'm left with a sense of unfinished business. I finished the book yesterday, and I kept thinking during work today, "Oh! When I get home, I'm going to finish Citizen Girl!" Except that I've already finished it... I mean, okay, she quit her job, so we have resolution there. But, there's the thing with Buster, which doesn't have a clear ending... It's more as if she leaves for the airport having given him that ultimatum, and he's going to think it over, not as thoug...more
You know how I always refer to the lead in the book as Girl and the future love interest as Dude? I do that mainly because I am always behind on the reviews and I can't remember the names of anyone. This book pretty much did that throughout the whole book and it was super super annoying. Everything was rreferred to something super generic and while it kept everything straight, I was kind of annoyed by it.
Girl works for some rah-rah women's organization whose head is insane and she is fired. Half...more
Girl works for some rah-rah women's organization whose head is insane and she is fired. Half...more
After reading Citizen Girl, I decided to give myself some time to think about it before I reviewed it hoping to process it a bit better but still I come up short for words. It was a pretty good book over all, but I just found it extremely strange. I'm not sure what to make of it. Girl has a very witty perspective on life and she's an enjoyable character who I think most can relate to. But, the situations she's in just seem slightly far fetched for me (although I'm still in high school so I would...more
Aug 29, 2010
Mari
added it
Was enticed to buy this because of its $4 price tag on Borders' Bargain Bookshelf. The blurb is good -- "satire ... highlights key issues (do you have to look hot to get ahead?) for women in today's workplace" -- but is entirely misleading. This is "sophomoric" in that it's the authors' second book (they also wrote "Nanny Diaries") and that it's just so dumb.
The main character's "name" is Girl, and other characters are called by descriptive words instead of traditional names. It took me a few c...more
The main character's "name" is Girl, and other characters are called by descriptive words instead of traditional names. It took me a few c...more
I picked up this book because I had read and enjoyed The Nanny Diaries, and because the back-cover blurb and cover art for Citizen Girl looked intriguing. What a disappointment. Rather than skewering or illuminating Corporate America, the authors created an unrecognizable world where women are constantly harassed, objectified, degraded, and groped. A world where every man is either a sexist relic from another age or a lad-magazine-reading stereotype, and even drunks on the street spew misogyny w...more
Why I am even bothering to review this crap of a book, I don't know. There is nothing more unsatisfying than spending time reading a bad story. Thankfully it was a quick read because there was no point to the plot, you could skip over paragraphs and be fine.
I'm hugely disappointed as well as unsatisfied because I expected more from the authors of the actually funny "Nanny Diaries". But man, did they fail to deliver with this story. It read more along the painful lines of "The Devil Wears Prada",...more
I'm hugely disappointed as well as unsatisfied because I expected more from the authors of the actually funny "Nanny Diaries". But man, did they fail to deliver with this story. It read more along the painful lines of "The Devil Wears Prada",...more
Really good book all about how a woman (Grace) struggles with her career, family and relationships.
Easy reading and is a feel good book.
Grace is a hardworking and determined young woman who won't let anyone stand in her way of promotion. She can be a bit naive in the working world sometimes and this leads to her being let down alot, but she manages to dust of her slingbacks and jumps back on the horse.
Good book about how determination can get you far in your career.
Easy reading and is a feel good book.
Grace is a hardworking and determined young woman who won't let anyone stand in her way of promotion. She can be a bit naive in the working world sometimes and this leads to her being let down alot, but she manages to dust of her slingbacks and jumps back on the horse.
Good book about how determination can get you far in your career.
1 like · like · see review
I've read other reviews that were unforgiving about the way that this particular novel was written, and while some have their points, others seem to miss the charm and wit of the book. Yes, there are issues, but have we ever truly seen a perfect book? This book has some good qualities in it, but it also shows us that we need to really examine our society and our way of life.
The character names were commonly used to critique the book because they were completely generic, but the point of having n...more
The character names were commonly used to critique the book because they were completely generic, but the point of having n...more
One word sums up my feelings for this novel: mehhh. The plot has great potential. The story is about a young woman in NYC who has aspirations of making a difference in the world by working for non-profits. There could be a truly inspirational "girl power" story here. Instead, the authors create non-sensical scenarios and shallow, boring dialogue. I could care less about every character in the book - including the protagonist, who the authors just call "Girl." I am still baffled about why they gi...more
I like the pace, the protagonist is intelligent and humble and it's easy to see her point of view, however isolated and limited it may be. The vague catchall character names ("Girl", "Guy", "Buster," etc.) seem just a little baffling--especially since some characters have real-sounding names, and others have a one-word description of their personality for their name.
I like that I often agree with the other characters' take on Girl: as they point out, she can often be pathetic, needy, clueless a...more
I like that I often agree with the other characters' take on Girl: as they point out, she can often be pathetic, needy, clueless a...more
Initially, it was bad. Girl, the main character, wasn't likable and in the first few chapters, you didn't know where the story was going and I was just like, "Yeah, yeah, is it the last page already???" But despite of that and the bad reviews I caught online, I continued reading because I believe that every author deserves the chance... to be given a second chance. And the premise of the story was highly interesting for me, if not relatable, because Girl here was trying to sort her life with a n...more
While this book's main character, Girl, didn't have the charm of Nanny from The Nanny Diaries, she did resonate with me in her frustration: under bosses who expect the most and give the least, boyfriends who leave her guessing, and family that seems to have no idea what the world is really like.
Like The Nanny Diaries, Citizen Girl's readability comes from the reader's disgust with the supporting characters. As you read, McLaughlin will have you screaming "What!?" and groaning with shared humili...more
Like The Nanny Diaries, Citizen Girl's readability comes from the reader's disgust with the supporting characters. As you read, McLaughlin will have you screaming "What!?" and groaning with shared humili...more
I just got finished listening to this book. I am really glad to look on here and see that a lot of people also disliked this book. I listened to the abridged version of this book so I thought that was very vague and why I did not like this book as much as The Nanny Diaries. First, I dont think that it is clever or imaginative to use "Girl" as the main character's name. Yes, in the Nanny Diaries, the main characters name was "Nanny", using this type of name one time in a book, I can handle the au...more
I've only just started reading this book. It is unusual in its writing style, as we focus on Girl and her attempts to find her place in the world, and her monster of a job. It doesn't seem like it will be an amazing book, but it shows some promise, as I will read on.
Update ----
I couldn't finish reading the book as it was just baaaaad
There are 3 big weaknesses:
1.The writing style is poor - it doesn't captivate you or interest you whatsoever
2.Plotwise it is dull - as it is, I have no interest in...more
Update ----
I couldn't finish reading the book as it was just baaaaad
There are 3 big weaknesses:
1.The writing style is poor - it doesn't captivate you or interest you whatsoever
2.Plotwise it is dull - as it is, I have no interest in...more
I don't even know wtf was going on with this book. It started out all cute about some girl in an office in New York and she was writing a paper to present at a feminist conference and then it just started spiraling out of control. She got a job at a company that looked great and started dating a guy who seemed cool (if a bit manipulative) and then the company kept trying to exploit women and the boyfriend never stopped being a dick. The girl (whose name is Girl, in case you couldn't figure out i...more
Maybe one of THE worst books I've ever read. I just kept going, hoping it would get better somehow. But it never resolved into anything at all, and I am sorry I wasted the time. The characters were all entirely unsympathetic - the main character was whiny and I had so much trouble empathizing or feeling any sort of sorry for her. Usually I love when a story is based at all in Connecticut; this time, I was ashamed that she was presumably FROM Waterbury (it's barely mentioned). The storyline is a...more
While I have to say this was book is far from the best I can't help but feel that it is getting a less then fair shake from Goodreads. I ended up reading this because after having just finished 'Citizen Vince' my GF had just finished this book and it seemed destiny I should read it next.
I will be the first to admit the 'symbolic' names, while and interesting concept, where a bit heavy handed but made for an interesting way to convey some of the points they were trying to make in this book. Other...more
I will be the first to admit the 'symbolic' names, while and interesting concept, where a bit heavy handed but made for an interesting way to convey some of the points they were trying to make in this book. Other...more
Great book. The satire will hit home with anyone who's worked crap jobs while being very ambitious, and finding out that the world isn't quite what you think it is. If you're a young woman and you've ever experienced real sexism in the work place and have been asked to compromise, you will love this. It has hard hitting wit that is so honest. A lot of people were turned off by the basic names, "Girl", "Guy", etc... but I think it played into the brash humor and basic points the author's were try...more
How did this book get published? If I could only give this book a ranking of 0, believe me I would. This has got to be the worst chick lit book I've read in quite a long time. I always try to give books a chance -- by actually finishing it -- but with this one, I just can't bring myself to do so.
"Citizen Girl" is the sophomore effort from McLaughlin and Kraus, who debuted with "The Nanny Diaries". This time around, our heroine is Girl, a twentysomething women's studies major whose liberal arts...more
"Citizen Girl" is the sophomore effort from McLaughlin and Kraus, who debuted with "The Nanny Diaries". This time around, our heroine is Girl, a twentysomething women's studies major whose liberal arts...more
1 like · like · see review
I'm sort of surprised by all the hate for this one. Don't get me wrong there are some serious flaws with this book. Namely that Girl, the main character, and her entire supporting cast are completely unbelievable/one-sided as characters. (which in fact may have been a device by the authors? but which really didn't work) But, I did appreciate what this book is trying to do with it blend of The Devil Wears Prada angst and Ariel Levy politics. This book made me think a lot about feminism and what t...more
After the not-so-good Nanny Returns, I was hoping a trip in a different direction would do McLaughlin and Kraus some good. Unfortunately, this book followed in the same vein and was actually a bit worse than Nanny Returns. The same schtick a third time is no longer funny or clever. (note: in looking at the book itself, it looks like this came out between Nanny Diaries and Nanny Returns, I just came across it after NR. Hm.) It's unfortunate, because I think ML&K have (had?) so much potential...more
DO NOT READ, not worth the time or money. Boring......at best, I trudged my way through this 300 page book out of mere self determination, seeing as I bought it, I should finish it mentality.....and that fact that I was stuck at the Tampa airport for about 5 hours and didn't want to resort to spending a small fortune on People and US Weekly. The main character is one-dimensional and she's the most complex of the bunch. It attempts to explor relationships and roles in society and doesn't really d...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thanks to all the 1-star reviewers | 1 | 7 | Mar 27, 2013 06:18pm |
My partner, Nicki, and I have been writing together for 12 years. We're obsessed by what makes a satisfying story. I'm excited to hear from our readers what does it for them -- and what doesn't. As a working mom, the only book time I manage to steal these days is right before bed. I'm not the girl who can watch SVU and go to sleep with a smile. Ruling out kids/the economy/the world in peril as sub...more
More about Emma McLaughlin...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
Mar 09, 2012 05:24am
Jun 24, 2012 07:49pm