false 9844 21 Curtis Sittenfeld's poignant and occassionally angst-ridden debut novel <I>Prep</I> is the story of Lee Fiora, a South Bend, Indiana, teenager who wins a scholarship to the prestigious Ault school, an East Coast institution where "money was everywhere on campus, but it was usually invisible." As we follow Lee through boarding school, we witness firsthand the triumphs and tragedies that shape our heroine's coming-of-age. Yet while Sittenfeld may be a skilled storyteller, her real gift lies in her ability to expertly give voice to what is often described as the most alienating period in a young person's life: high school. True to its genre, <I>Prep</I> is filled with boarding school stereotypes--from the alienated gay student to the picture perfect blond girl; the achingly earnest first-year English teacher and the dreamy star basketball player who never mentions the fact that he's Jewish. Lee's status as an outsider is further affirmed after her parents drive 18 hours in their beat-up Datsun to attend Parent's Weekend, where most of the kids "got trashed and ended up skinny-dipping in the indoor pool" at their parents' fancy hotel. Yet even as the weekend deteriorates into disaster and ends with a heartbreaking slap across the face, Sittenfeld never blames or excuses anyone; rather, she simply incorporates the experience into Lee's sense of self. ("How was I supposed to understand, when I applied at the age of thirteen, that you have your whole life to leave your family?") By the time Lee graduates from Ault, some readers may tire of her constant worrying and self-doubting obsessions. However, every time we feel close to giving up on her, Sittenfeld reels us back in and makes us root for Lee. In doing so, perhaps we are rooting for every high school student who's ever wanted nothing more than to belong. <I>--Gisele Toueg</I> 2317177 22 11 2005 Prep: A Novel total:14597|5:1815|4:4538|3:5030|2:2375|1:839| 14597 47906 17522 1997 1 23 false false Sun Jul 06 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Nov 28 12:46:13 -0800 2007 Wed Feb 04 10:52:43 -0800 2009
...more...]]> 1 11 false false Sat Jul 07 10:52:39 -0700 2007 Sat Jul 07 20:46:17 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 10 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Dec 11 18:26:43 -0800 2007 Tue Dec 11 18:26:43 -0800 2007 more...]]> 1 11 false false Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Thu Jul 26 07:42:51 -0700 2007 Thu Jul 26 07:42:51 -0700 2007
...more...]]> 2 8 false false Tue Apr 08 12:36:15 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 08 13:07:55 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 6 false false Tue Sep 23 14:08:26 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 23 14:08:26 -0700 2008 This book isn't getting five stars because I thought it was a literary masterpiece. It's getting them because it's the first boarding school narrative I've read (ever) that is indicative of the actual experience, or at least my actual experience. Other books (fiction) on the subject, su...more...]]> 1 5 false false Tue Jul 10 20:20:50 -0700 2007 Sat Sep 15 07:44:46 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 4 false false Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Wed May 30 00:35:59 -0700 2007 Wed May 30 00:37:21 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 4 false false Mon Jun 30 12:04:52 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 30 12:05:08 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 3 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Jun 28 09:46:57 -0700 2007 Thu Jun 28 09:51:56 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 3 false false Sun May 11 02:08:38 -0700 2008 Sun May 11 02:08:54 -0700 2008
Walking through the typical young adult section of a bookstore, there are usually five, maybe even ten, books about a teenage girl, perhaps from a small town, who transfers from that wee little town to a prep school.

Typically,...more...]]> 3 2 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Fri Jan 04 16:52:55 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 05 08:00:24 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 2 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 25 09:49:36 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 25 09:49:36 -0700 2007
Now I s...more...]]> 2 2 false false Thu Aug 02 14:30:08 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 02 14:30:39 -0700 2007 more...]]> 1 4 false false Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Tue Jul 10 10:16:12 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 10 10:28:50 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 2 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Wed Jun 13 01:26:17 -0700 2007 Wed Jun 13 01:31:14 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 1 false false Mon Sep 22 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 23 04:23:57 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 23 04:32:13 -0700 2008
She has some beautiful observations about life, but that's literally all she does -- observe. I realize that's the point, that Lee is someone who intentionally sets herself apart because she doesn't think she could fit i...more...]]> 5 2 false false Tue Jul 08 19:15:14 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 30 00:28:52 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 08 19:15:14 -0700 2008
Our main character is an odd one. I'd say she's slightly schizophrenic, overly paranoid, extremely insightful and an intense observer ...more...]]> 5 3 false false Tue Mar 25 10:09:59 -0700 2008 Mon Mar 03 14:16:29 -0800 2008 Tue Mar 25 10:09:09 -0700 2008
A...more...]]> 0 3 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Tue Feb 05 23:08:06 -0800 2008 Sat Jul 04 15:27:31 -0700 2009
I've never read anything with a more loathesome, spineless, vacuous, sad-sack main character. E...more...]]>