Ms. Sharp's profile

89 ratings | 3 reviews
avg rating: 3.79

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	07/15 Ms. Sharp is currently reading: The Host: A Novel (Hardcover) by Stephenie Meyer bookshelves: currently-reading	my rating:
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July 15

Ms. Sharp is currently reading:
The Host: A Novel (Hardcover)
by Stephenie Meyer
bookshelves: currently-reading

my rating:

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June 02

Ms. Sharp gave

to:
Nineteen Minutes: A novel (Hardcover)
by Jodi Picoult

my rating:

read in June, 2008

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April 30

Ms. Sharp gave

to:
A Great and Terrible Beauty (Hardcover)
by Libba Bray

my rating:

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April 28

Ms. Sharp read and liked Nian's review of The Luxe:

"The Holland sisters, Elizabeth and Diana, are at the top of the social ladder. When their father dies, the girls move away to get educated about being a proper lady and when they come back, they find out that things don’t look too good for the Holl...more The Holland sisters, Elizabeth and Diana, are at the top of the social ladder. When their father dies, the girls move away to get educated about being a proper lady and when they come back, they find out that things don’t look too good for the Holland family. They’re broke. But if Mrs. Holland has anything to say about it, they won’t be, not for long. If Elizabeth can marry Henry Schoonmaker—a man who’s so handsome he has the hearts of all eligible females—their family name won’t be smeared. But Elizabeth already has her heart set on Will, who is just a mere stable boy, and Penelope, Liz’s supposed best friend, wants Henry. And where’s Diana all this time? Falling in love with Henry, of course. Rich girls always get what they want, but there’s just one Henry to go around.

Plenty of reviews I’ve read had it labeled as a cross between Pride & Prejudice and Gossip Girl. I think not. The concept about rich girls leading scandalous lives in Manhattan, though set in 1899 for The Luxe, and how marriage was just beneficial for status upholding, is the same. Everything else, not really.

I think this is even worse than Gossip Girl. Just like I didn’t see the point in the latter, I failed to see this book as none other than a boring read with underdeveloped characters who basically whine and never take control. Take Elizabeth, for instance. Right from the beginning she’s introduced as this beautiful and proper young lady who’s involved with a servant but is engaged to the most set-forth bachelor, Henry. The parts written about her fall bland shortly after she’s engaged. She does absolutely nothing except to look blank and regretful. I find it very hard to reach some level of sympathy for a character that’s mostly just a background face because the author failed to incorporate some kind of human being qualities to her. It’s like this: Anna Godbersen wanted to portray a perfect girl that didn’t have a perfect life after all (the most common storyline ever beside the love-hate relationships type) and rather than making Elizabeth her main character, she made her into a depressed girl. Everything that happens in the novel surrounds Elizabeth’s life and her actions, but I just don’t see her as a focus. Sure, she finally finds the strength to do something towards the end of the book, but that’s because Penelope was there to help her. Can’t she do anything by herself? She’s just a horrible protagonist and if that’s the message—get your own independence—then the author’s done a poor job of relaying that.

Take notice that this book has 433 pages. 433 pages of slow action and mindless characters that just appear and disappear so they can serve in certain parts of the story. A story isn’t supposed to be like that—everything has to connect somehow. And the most unflattering character is Diana. From the start, I never saw that kind of bond between her and Elizabeth that’s made Diana so sobby at the last minute. She’s been portrayed as this whinny, kind of unusual sister. But later, she does all sorts of things that contradict the personality she’s been given, which I find very inconsistent. If there’s character development involved, there has to be a turning point for that to happen, but I didn’t see it.

All in all, not something I would ever pick up again. I thought GG had been a reminder that I should stay away from stories about rich girls with nothing to do but have sex and steal other people’s boyfriends. I like books with some kind of message, with development, with strong-willed protagonists that makes everything better, but I found nothing of the requirements here. I’m just glad I gave up halfway but decided to read the ending chapters anyway. Two words: so predictable. I knew the scene wasn’t going to show what really happened, but to make the reader continue reading to find out. I’d assumed that she’d either a) ran away and eloped with some boy (classic case, especially when this is set in the 1899 era) or b) got murdered. By Penelope, who at the time looked really suspicious. And though I’m wondering whether Elizabeth eventually found Will, I’m not that anxious to find out by reading the second novel. I can’t even imagine it.

But if you actually like the endless, unrealistic love triangles (why would anyone like Henry, anyway? He’s such an arrogant ass) between Elizabeth-Will-Lina and Diana-Henry-Penelope, or the fact that the girls wear gowns and everyone rides horses, then this probably is the book for you. I mean, at least some of the history was nailed pretty accurately, thought most facts were just mentioned in passing. The only thing I remembered was something about a clan and New Amsterdam that was history-wise.
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April 27

New comment on Isabella's review of The Luxe

Ms. Sharp wrote: "I finished Luxe. I am looking forward to the sequal, although I thought parts of this book were &quo...more "

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April 23

Ms. Sharp gave

to:
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl (Paperback)
by Anne Frank

my rating:

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Ms. Sharp gave

to:
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
by Barbara Ehrenreich

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Ms. Sharp read and liked Alison's review of All Over But the Shoutin':

"I am a Yankee (although I now live in the South), and this book darn near killed me. It made me cry just about every time I picked it up. I still get weepy just thinking about how his momma came to New York, or when she stood up to his daddy after po...more "

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see all 91 of Ms. Sharp's books »

Ms. Sharp's favorite quotes

"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."
— John F. Kennedy

53 people liked it

"Make It Happen"
— Michael Jordan

10 people liked it

"A finished person is a boring person. "
— Anna Quindlen

5 people liked it

"I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions. "
— James Michener

1 person liked it

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.
"
— Ben Franklin

1 person liked it

see all of Ms. Sharp's favorite quotes »

Ms. Sharp's groups (recent posts)

The Fantasy Supporters — 11 members — last activity 05/06/2008 09:54AM
This is for all Friends of Fantasy.

OHMS - Huck Finn — 36 members — last activity 04/24/2008 01:17PM
This group is for OHMS readers of The Adventures of Hucklebery Finn. We will use this group page for comments and responses about the book, related li...more

FMS - Ender's Game — 38 members — last activity 04/13/2008 07:31AM
This group is for 7th grade magnet students at Fulmore Middle School. We will use this group to pose questions about the book, make observations, and...more

Ms. Sharp's friend comments

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from Mary Beary

04/04/2008 07:47PM

thank you. your one of my best teachers. see you on Monday.

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from Ms. Sharp

04/02/2008 02:21PM

Translate for me Lee...

Ms. Sharp

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from Lee

04/02/2008 12:50PM

PPIIEE!!!!!!

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Ms. Sharp's friends (51)

	Robert 2 books 1185 friends
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	Shelley 67 books, 7 friends Friend details Worked Together "Caron is one of the best teachers I have ever met. I feel lucky to get to work with her at school!"
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	Sara 330 books, 61 friends Friend details Worked Together "Sara and I work together. She is the most fabulous middle school librarian. My campus and the students are so lucky to have Sara!"
	Emmili 9 books 34 friends
	Alison 15 books 10 friends
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	Lee 184 books, 35 friends Friend details Met randomly "Ms. Sharp is my teacher"
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	Jack 8 books 18 friends
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