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Gossip Girl #1
Gossip Girl
Welcome to New York City’s Upper East Side, where my friends and I live, go to school, play, and sleep—sometimes with each other.
S is back from boarding school, and if we aren’t careful, she’s going to win over our teachers, wear that dress we couldn’t fit into, steal our boyfriends’ hearts, and basically ruin our lives in a major way. I’ll be watching closely . . .
You know you love me,
gossip girl
S is back from boarding school, and if we aren’t careful, she’s going to win over our teachers, wear that dress we couldn’t fit into, steal our boyfriends’ hearts, and basically ruin our lives in a major way. I’ll be watching closely . . .
You know you love me,
gossip girl
199 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2002
About the author
Cecily von Ziegesar
170 books2,757 followersCecily von Ziegesar is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Gossip Girl novels, upon which the hit television show is based.
Cecily von Ziegesar was born in New York City. Her childhood dream was to grow up to be a ballerina; she began lessons at age 3 and auditioned for the School of American Ballet at age 8, but was rejected.
As a teenager, von Ziegesar commuted to Manhattan at 6 a.m. to attend the Nightingale-Bamford School. After graduating from Nightingale, von Ziegesar attended Colby College before spending a year in Budapest working for a local radio station.
Von Ziegesar returned to the United States to study creative writing at the University of Arizona, but dropped out shortly thereafter.
Back in New York, while working at book-packaging firm Alloy Entertainment, von Ziegesar became inspired to create the Gossip Girl series, which follows the lives of privileged teenagers in New York. The series climbed to the top of The New York Times best-sellers list in 2002. A spin-off series, The It Girl, made the list in 2005.
The Constance Billard School for Girls in Gossip Girl is based upon an exaggerated version of von Ziegesar's alma mater, Nightingale. She also culled events from the book from the lives of her extremely wealthy friends, as well as her own life as a perpetual gossip.
She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her family.
Cecily von Ziegesar was born in New York City. Her childhood dream was to grow up to be a ballerina; she began lessons at age 3 and auditioned for the School of American Ballet at age 8, but was rejected.
As a teenager, von Ziegesar commuted to Manhattan at 6 a.m. to attend the Nightingale-Bamford School. After graduating from Nightingale, von Ziegesar attended Colby College before spending a year in Budapest working for a local radio station.
Von Ziegesar returned to the United States to study creative writing at the University of Arizona, but dropped out shortly thereafter.
Back in New York, while working at book-packaging firm Alloy Entertainment, von Ziegesar became inspired to create the Gossip Girl series, which follows the lives of privileged teenagers in New York. The series climbed to the top of The New York Times best-sellers list in 2002. A spin-off series, The It Girl, made the list in 2005.
The Constance Billard School for Girls in Gossip Girl is based upon an exaggerated version of von Ziegesar's alma mater, Nightingale. She also culled events from the book from the lives of her extremely wealthy friends, as well as her own life as a perpetual gossip.
She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,358 reviews
August 18, 2012
There's one thing that you must accept before you read these books: lives like those written about in Gossip Girl exist. And I know this because I live it. Granted, I'm much more like the Jenny Humphrey type who witnesses the drama from the outside, but I still hear about it. And yes, that's what the "popular" kids do. They rent limos and get drunk or high in them on their way to Manhattan clubs where they then hook up with all their friends and their friends' friends. What you wear defines you, you get cool points for professionally modeling or acting, and your address is a label. The drama is just part of the territory. And the stress and expectations are preposterous, with college and social etiquette and whatnot, and any one toe out of line can have you packing for boarding school in an instant. And really, there's next to no parental love; there's just a gaping loneliness that's seemingly inescapable. That theme felt evident to me in these books.
I found Blair to be thrilling, quite honestly. Maybe it's partly because I know so many girls just like her, but she was so amusing to shadow, as bitchy and temperamental as she was. She was refreshing and comical and outrageous, and it's so rare to read a book whose main character is an antiheroine. In comparison to the other characters, Blair is complex, striking, and quite unique.
This book isn't meant to give you a great plot to ponder. More than anything, it frames an unfortunate reality -- fleeting moments of superficial joy to cover up the gray. And if anything, these books can be pretty hilarious sometimes.
I found Blair to be thrilling, quite honestly. Maybe it's partly because I know so many girls just like her, but she was so amusing to shadow, as bitchy and temperamental as she was. She was refreshing and comical and outrageous, and it's so rare to read a book whose main character is an antiheroine. In comparison to the other characters, Blair is complex, striking, and quite unique.
This book isn't meant to give you a great plot to ponder. More than anything, it frames an unfortunate reality -- fleeting moments of superficial joy to cover up the gray. And if anything, these books can be pretty hilarious sometimes.
August 17, 2007
i thought about giving this book five stars, not because it's so great, but because i think everyone with daughters should at least look at it -- my 14 year old has devoured all eight or nine in the series (good god!) and i felt like i ought to know what she was reading. gossip girl is absolutely the biggest piece of crap i've ever slogged through, but, that said, i did finish it, mostly out of a horrified curiosity at what interests 9th graders these days. it really was absolute dreck -- by page 39 there was discussion of a)sex between tenth graders, b)copious drinking in front of(!) insanely permissive parents, c)dope smoking galore, and d)bulimia as a way of life. the story was all over the place and at the same time didn't seem to go anywhere, characters were poorly defined, everybody was self-absorbed and dumb as mud (at one point the girls use the central park falcons as an excuse to throw a fundraising party and they have to look up the word "falcon" in the dictionary.) I suppose i'm reacting too strongly and the book is really just a guilty pleasure or a good beach read or whatever but the thought that my daughter and her friends might come to think of this paris hilton-like behavior as not necessarily normal, but perhaps something to aspire to, is truly disturbing.
September 25, 2023
2.5*
I have no idea what I just read. Like I honestly couldn’t tell you what the plot was but I ate up the catty drama 🌝 This book was so fucking pointless I’m laughing bc I still don’t understand why I read what I read.
I like the writing style in the sense that I get to be in every characters head but I hate that it’s third pov.
The weirdest thing was it genuinely gave me the feels of watching a show. Yk the parts you fast forward bc it doesn’t have ur favourite characters in the scene or it’s a completely unnecessary scene u know u don’t have to watch but will acknowledge happened? This had that for me.
The characters
Blair — I like her idk why but I do.
Nate — I dislike him. A lot. But he redeemed himself a smidge by the end tho, so we’ll have to see…
Serena — I like her. Everyone’s always going for her and she literally did nothing. Poor thing has no idea how jealous everyone is of her. Wanna see a comeback from her 🤞🤞
Chuck — such a fucking weirdoooo 😭 wtaf was happening in the end? Lost all respect for him.
Daniel — I like him but I mostly feel kinda indifferent abt him??
Jenny — i couldn’t give less of a fuck
Vanessa — glad she got her happy ending
So anyways gna start book two bc it’s addictive shit 👹
𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀: 🎧
Hurt a little — Indi star
You mine — pritt
I have no idea what I just read. Like I honestly couldn’t tell you what the plot was but I ate up the catty drama 🌝 This book was so fucking pointless I’m laughing bc I still don’t understand why I read what I read.
I like the writing style in the sense that I get to be in every characters head but I hate that it’s third pov.
The weirdest thing was it genuinely gave me the feels of watching a show. Yk the parts you fast forward bc it doesn’t have ur favourite characters in the scene or it’s a completely unnecessary scene u know u don’t have to watch but will acknowledge happened? This had that for me.
The characters
Blair — I like her idk why but I do.
Nate — I dislike him. A lot. But he redeemed himself a smidge by the end tho, so we’ll have to see…
Serena — I like her. Everyone’s always going for her and she literally did nothing. Poor thing has no idea how jealous everyone is of her. Wanna see a comeback from her 🤞🤞
Chuck — such a fucking weirdoooo 😭 wtaf was happening in the end? Lost all respect for him.
Daniel — I like him but I mostly feel kinda indifferent abt him??
Jenny — i couldn’t give less of a fuck
Vanessa — glad she got her happy ending
So anyways gna start book two bc it’s addictive shit 👹
𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀: 🎧
Hurt a little — Indi star
You mine — pritt
June 13, 2016
During the particularly bleak summer of my 11th year, I spent a month hiding from my wicked step-mother in the basement bedroom I shared with my sister. No TV, no movies, and very little radio reception meant I read more than usual, and when I went through my own summer reading, I started borrowing from my sister, whose taste ran mostly to Goosebumps and Choose Your Own Adventure books (which were, admittedly, totally awesome). But she did have some racier titles tucked away. The book I remember in particular was about a girl who got run over by her best friend after sleeping with the friend's boyfriend while high as a kite on strawberry-flavored hash. The dead girl then somehow inhabits the body of her murderous friend and spends the book trying to figure out how she died, while intermittently having second-hand, multi-positional sex with the newly reunited couple.
It was disturbing and sexy and taboo and I read it twice in one day.
What's the point of all this, you ask? The point is this: Given the alluring, soft-lit ads that the CW has been spinning out about the new Gossip Girl TV show, I was really hoping the book would have that same sort of effect. I was hoping that somewhere out there, a sheltered teenage girl was hiding this book under her mattress and pulling it out in secret to learn about blow jobs and pot smoking and underage drinking.
To be fair, Gossip Girl does cover this ground amply--its debauched youths smoke French cigarettes on the steps of the MET, drink cosmos and vodka tonics in swank hotel bars, molest each other, sleep around, and buy pot in Central Park. Unfortunately, though, the sense of taboo is lost. Don't get me wrong--I'm not asking for moralizing. I just think it takes away a lot of the fun when no limits are being defied. These kids don't have to steal liquor from their parents' cabinets--they buy them at members-only, A-list clubs. They don't have surreptitious sex in the back of parked cars--they get seduction advice from their parent's lovers. If I had read this as a teenager, I wouldn't have had anything to live vicariously through. It would simply have been too unimaginable that I could possibly experience anything that these uber-cool semi-adults do.
My other qualm (well, main qualm--I have limited space here) is the overall irony of the book. Cecily Von Ziegesar (what an appropriate name, no?) gets it--Her anonymous gossip-blogger gets it. Her artsy outcast reading Camus on the traffic island gets it. Her rebel-turned-reject heroine gets it. And they're all above it, too. Beautiful wild-child Serena may be so worried about her future that she 'can't taste her Tic Tacs,' but at the end of the day, she still knows how to play the game: "She could keep up with the likes of Christina Aguilera and Joaquin Phoenix. No Problem." The outcast may succumb to his fantasies of what it would be like to escort a rich girl to a benefit party while wearing an Armani suit, but he'll end up taking the suit back to the department store before he makes a fool of himself. This is exactly the problem. They know too much to make fools of themselves. Even when they fuck up--even when they sleep with their best friend's boyfriend, when they spend a night vomiting on themselves in their own bed--there's no embarrassment, no regret. Nothing at stake. They're still beautiful and rich and savvy no matter what, and they'll always get what they want eventually.
Not for nothing though, Gossip Girl still includes such gem observations as "Blair...gap[ed] at Nate's hard-on. It looked like it was going to take over the world," and may be able to single-handedly re-educate us fogeys on the multitudinous uses of the word 'slut.' So that's gotta count for something. Thx, GG!
It was disturbing and sexy and taboo and I read it twice in one day.
What's the point of all this, you ask? The point is this: Given the alluring, soft-lit ads that the CW has been spinning out about the new Gossip Girl TV show, I was really hoping the book would have that same sort of effect. I was hoping that somewhere out there, a sheltered teenage girl was hiding this book under her mattress and pulling it out in secret to learn about blow jobs and pot smoking and underage drinking.
To be fair, Gossip Girl does cover this ground amply--its debauched youths smoke French cigarettes on the steps of the MET, drink cosmos and vodka tonics in swank hotel bars, molest each other, sleep around, and buy pot in Central Park. Unfortunately, though, the sense of taboo is lost. Don't get me wrong--I'm not asking for moralizing. I just think it takes away a lot of the fun when no limits are being defied. These kids don't have to steal liquor from their parents' cabinets--they buy them at members-only, A-list clubs. They don't have surreptitious sex in the back of parked cars--they get seduction advice from their parent's lovers. If I had read this as a teenager, I wouldn't have had anything to live vicariously through. It would simply have been too unimaginable that I could possibly experience anything that these uber-cool semi-adults do.
My other qualm (well, main qualm--I have limited space here) is the overall irony of the book. Cecily Von Ziegesar (what an appropriate name, no?) gets it--Her anonymous gossip-blogger gets it. Her artsy outcast reading Camus on the traffic island gets it. Her rebel-turned-reject heroine gets it. And they're all above it, too. Beautiful wild-child Serena may be so worried about her future that she 'can't taste her Tic Tacs,' but at the end of the day, she still knows how to play the game: "She could keep up with the likes of Christina Aguilera and Joaquin Phoenix. No Problem." The outcast may succumb to his fantasies of what it would be like to escort a rich girl to a benefit party while wearing an Armani suit, but he'll end up taking the suit back to the department store before he makes a fool of himself. This is exactly the problem. They know too much to make fools of themselves. Even when they fuck up--even when they sleep with their best friend's boyfriend, when they spend a night vomiting on themselves in their own bed--there's no embarrassment, no regret. Nothing at stake. They're still beautiful and rich and savvy no matter what, and they'll always get what they want eventually.
Not for nothing though, Gossip Girl still includes such gem observations as "Blair...gap[ed] at Nate's hard-on. It looked like it was going to take over the world," and may be able to single-handedly re-educate us fogeys on the multitudinous uses of the word 'slut.' So that's gotta count for something. Thx, GG!
May 27, 2008
This is very possibly the worst book I have ever read. The author clearly knows nothing about 16 year olds aside from what she's seen in horrible television shows (all the ones just like the show this series spawned). The characters are all 2 dimensional and predictable - all super hot, super trendy, super rich, super popular and few if any have any redeeming qualities. Even the kids who are supposed to be 'different' are cookie-cutter 'artsy kids' who spend all their time sitting in corners brooding and trying to look mysterious while writing terrible poetry and reading Russian literature.
The narrative itself is absolutely horrible. I feel like I could have written this book when I was 12 years old, only I actually was able to create character development at that age - and I'm not a writer! Lines like "Dan wasn't into being healthy. He liked to live on the edge." made me feel like I was reading bad fan fiction on the internet 7 years ago.
I find it incredibly disturbing that something this awful was even published, nevermind the fact that it's aimed toward young girls. The characters' behaviour are terrible, and it's glamourized to the point of being pathetic. And this series is marketed toward young girls. Ignore the '15 and older' warning on the back, 11 year olds are reading this and emulating this behaviour. Because books and tv shows like this tell them it's totally cool.
This book filled me with such untold rage I couldn't even bring myself to finish it, even though it only took me an hour to get through the first half.
If you love your braincells, you'll stay away.
The narrative itself is absolutely horrible. I feel like I could have written this book when I was 12 years old, only I actually was able to create character development at that age - and I'm not a writer! Lines like "Dan wasn't into being healthy. He liked to live on the edge." made me feel like I was reading bad fan fiction on the internet 7 years ago.
I find it incredibly disturbing that something this awful was even published, nevermind the fact that it's aimed toward young girls. The characters' behaviour are terrible, and it's glamourized to the point of being pathetic. And this series is marketed toward young girls. Ignore the '15 and older' warning on the back, 11 year olds are reading this and emulating this behaviour. Because books and tv shows like this tell them it's totally cool.
This book filled me with such untold rage I couldn't even bring myself to finish it, even though it only took me an hour to get through the first half.
If you love your braincells, you'll stay away.
February 27, 2016
This was an enjoyable story, but the pace was a little slow; there seemed to be lots of scene setting and not so much action.
6 out of 10
6 out of 10
July 30, 2015
"Gossip Girl" is a richly detailed look into the lives of Upper East Side teenagers. I enjoyed getting into the more "hipster" characters, the ones who read poetry, drink black coffee, and aren't extravagantly wealthy (Dan, Vanessa, Jenny). Jenny is adorable and likable as she constantly strives for a place in the "It" crowd. Dan is a scruffy hipster with an infatuation for a pretty, popular girl he doesn't really know. As you read through Dan's feelings and narration, you root for this awkward guy with poetic feelings for his polar opposite. As you read through Vanessa's section, you see Dan as an awkward, stereotypical guy who simply likes this girl for her beauty. Each character has a distinct viewpoint that always changes your perspective on the situation.
Let's move on to the rich characters. I always get a Gatsby like feeling from this book. All these characters are dirty, filthy rich, and yet always seem to be chronically unhappy. You want to hate them for being spoiled brats, but I usually just end up feeling empathy for them. Blair is constantly plagued by insecurity, (shown through her bulimia) and is left with the feeling that she will always be overlooked when placed next to Serena. Serena has looks and charm, but is hated by everyone, usually out of jealousy. It made me feel empowered and bold when she stopped trying to fit in and decided to make new, unconventional friends. Yeah, they're a bunch of spoiled rich kids. But they have the same problems as the average teenager, just in a more extravagant setting.
If you want a piece of escapist fantasy, and your fantasy involves New York, hipsters, and expensive penthouses, pick this up.
Let's move on to the rich characters. I always get a Gatsby like feeling from this book. All these characters are dirty, filthy rich, and yet always seem to be chronically unhappy. You want to hate them for being spoiled brats, but I usually just end up feeling empathy for them. Blair is constantly plagued by insecurity, (shown through her bulimia) and is left with the feeling that she will always be overlooked when placed next to Serena. Serena has looks and charm, but is hated by everyone, usually out of jealousy. It made me feel empowered and bold when she stopped trying to fit in and decided to make new, unconventional friends. Yeah, they're a bunch of spoiled rich kids. But they have the same problems as the average teenager, just in a more extravagant setting.
If you want a piece of escapist fantasy, and your fantasy involves New York, hipsters, and expensive penthouses, pick this up.
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December 4, 2013Look. I don't want to sound too much like Tipper Gore in the 80's, or too much like Maude Flanders of The Simpsons, tearing out my hair and screeching "WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN!?!?" ... but this book? Are you fucking kidding me? Have teenagers really grown up so much in the 9 years since I was one, when I was content with R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike, and scandalized by Sweet Valley High? I mean, COME ON.
Not only is this book written with the intelligence of a monkey on acid, there's just something stomach-churning about a plot-less book about teenagers with too much money gulping down booze, sticking their fingers down their throats, sleeping with each other's boyfriends, and saturating it with deep prose suck as "shit," "fuck," "slut," "bitch," "whore," etc as if it were all normality, you know, just a day in the life. Christ.
The actual Gossip Girl TV show is so great that I felt inspired to read the book ... but what makes the program so awesome is that they just stole a premise, a few characters, and a general plot outline from the novel ... leaving the rest as he horrible pile of shit it is. If I ever catch my future kids reading this, I will smack them on the head for being so goddamn stupid.
Sucked.
Not only is this book written with the intelligence of a monkey on acid, there's just something stomach-churning about a plot-less book about teenagers with too much money gulping down booze, sticking their fingers down their throats, sleeping with each other's boyfriends, and saturating it with deep prose suck as "shit," "fuck," "slut," "bitch," "whore," etc as if it were all normality, you know, just a day in the life. Christ.
The actual Gossip Girl TV show is so great that I felt inspired to read the book ... but what makes the program so awesome is that they just stole a premise, a few characters, and a general plot outline from the novel ... leaving the rest as he horrible pile of shit it is. If I ever catch my future kids reading this, I will smack them on the head for being so goddamn stupid.
Sucked.
September 8, 2017
Wtf I did not think I was going to enjoy this that much!
To be honest I read this because I missed Gossip Girl (the show) and while rewatching season 1 again for the millionth time (because that's the best season of the show) I started thinking about the book and wondering if there were any similarities. I'd read a few of these books back in middle school but I can't remember anything about the book and only the show.
I really love this author's writing and I love the Gossip Girl parts. This was so entertaining and ballsy especially when you considered when this was published. I mean people are freaking out about sex and drugs or drinking in YA now and this book has all that and more and it was published almost 15 years ago! In my opinion YA needs to talk more about these things.
There were a few things that bothered me a little and were a tad problematic (mainly Chuck. Holy shit he is such a freaking creep the way he treats girls honestly makes me so uncomfortable because he was totally the 'no means yes' kind of guy who didn't give two shits about consent...). Also I wish Blair's eating disorder was talked about more but I guess since it's a series it will eventually be brought up and she will have to face those feelings eventually.
Overall this was a fun trip down nostalgia lane and exactly what I needed.
To be honest I read this because I missed Gossip Girl (the show) and while rewatching season 1 again for the millionth time (because that's the best season of the show) I started thinking about the book and wondering if there were any similarities. I'd read a few of these books back in middle school but I can't remember anything about the book and only the show.
I really love this author's writing and I love the Gossip Girl parts. This was so entertaining and ballsy especially when you considered when this was published. I mean people are freaking out about sex and drugs or drinking in YA now and this book has all that and more and it was published almost 15 years ago! In my opinion YA needs to talk more about these things.
There were a few things that bothered me a little and were a tad problematic (mainly Chuck. Holy shit he is such a freaking creep the way he treats girls honestly makes me so uncomfortable because he was totally the 'no means yes' kind of guy who didn't give two shits about consent...). Also I wish Blair's eating disorder was talked about more but I guess since it's a series it will eventually be brought up and she will have to face those feelings eventually.
Overall this was a fun trip down nostalgia lane and exactly what I needed.
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August 25, 2020I always have a hard time rating books I first read as a teenager for some reason, so I'm just not going to do it at all with this series 🤷🏽♀️ that being said, as always, this book is messy af and I love it for that. Everyone is garbage on some level, and it's a great guide for how not to act or treat people LOL
May 12, 2017
So, I basically just read the pilot episode. Snobby girls and boys doing inappropriate things for sixteen year olds and there's nothing much else to it.
July 31, 2019
This is a terrible book that is making my brain leak. I used to watch this show growing up and was always Team Blair. That said, the source material is awful and I can't force my eyes to sit through this. My brain at one point I think tried to punch my skull to let me know that if I didn't' change to a different book I was not going to like the consequences.
I DNFed "Gossip Girl" at 25 percent. At this point if you haven't grabbed me, I am not going to subject myself to finishing this book.
So far it just reads like a bunch of spoiled people who are obsessed with Serena and what she did that had her come back to New York and their private school. We are clued in pretty quickly to the major players (Blair, Nate, Chuck Bass, Serena) and then some random characters that I didn't really worry about. I stopped right around when Jenny and Dan Humphrey got introduced.
So the characters, not very developed. The author jumps around too much from sentence to sentence. I think we are supposed to think of Gossip Girl of being an omnipotent narrator, but it doesn't make a lot of sense with the scenes that are set. I think that it's supposed to be third person point of view but with asides from Gossip Girl and then the Gossip Girl POV if that makes sense? It doesn't does it? You can see why I had to stop reading this mess.
The writing is not good. The way that the author chose to frame things is making my eye twitch. You can just say that someone turned red, or smelled like candy, or had an emerald cuff link. Instead it's Nate turned as red as the Louis the 14th chaise that he stood near. Or Serena smelled like cotton candy, lily of the valley, and baby powder, but expensive. I mean what the hell.
The flow is awful.
The book takes place in New York but so far we have just been in people's fancy apartments. I honestly don't care if Blair finds out or anything. I am maybe shaking my head that they are trying to reboot Gossip Girl and am shuddering about how that is going to look.
I DNFed "Gossip Girl" at 25 percent. At this point if you haven't grabbed me, I am not going to subject myself to finishing this book.
So far it just reads like a bunch of spoiled people who are obsessed with Serena and what she did that had her come back to New York and their private school. We are clued in pretty quickly to the major players (Blair, Nate, Chuck Bass, Serena) and then some random characters that I didn't really worry about. I stopped right around when Jenny and Dan Humphrey got introduced.
So the characters, not very developed. The author jumps around too much from sentence to sentence. I think we are supposed to think of Gossip Girl of being an omnipotent narrator, but it doesn't make a lot of sense with the scenes that are set. I think that it's supposed to be third person point of view but with asides from Gossip Girl and then the Gossip Girl POV if that makes sense? It doesn't does it? You can see why I had to stop reading this mess.
The writing is not good. The way that the author chose to frame things is making my eye twitch. You can just say that someone turned red, or smelled like candy, or had an emerald cuff link. Instead it's Nate turned as red as the Louis the 14th chaise that he stood near. Or Serena smelled like cotton candy, lily of the valley, and baby powder, but expensive. I mean what the hell.
The flow is awful.
The book takes place in New York but so far we have just been in people's fancy apartments. I honestly don't care if Blair finds out or anything. I am maybe shaking my head that they are trying to reboot Gossip Girl and am shuddering about how that is going to look.
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August 13, 2021i honestly don't know how to rate this.
gossip girl was my favorite book series for the longest time. i started reading these books when i was 11 and i devoured the whole thing - 12 main books, plus two spin off series, plus a few titles in the main series which were released later, like this whacky gory horror version of this first book that's literally called "gossip girl: psycho killer".
so while i know they are not objectively good by any means, they mean so much to me. and it's crazy because i can't really separate my enjoyment, and even though it's 2021 and i'm a fully grown woman capable of noticing all of the things that are wrong with this, deep in my heart i can't help but feel these are actually... pretty good? at least when it comes to establishing character. something that stood out for me this time around (i honestly can't remember how many times i reread this, at least a dozen, but the last time was at least 6 years ago) is how the main cast of characters is actually well-developed? each one of them is made to fit a stereotype, yes, but the way their personality is crafted comes through by showing us how they act, and not telling. the little details to flesh them out are all here: blair sewing a gold heart on nate's sleeves, nate screwing with blair's big night because he didn't want to be an asshole and ending up being quite a bigger asshole by thinking only of himself, serena becoming a photography muse to french gay brothers, even vanessa gets her moment to shine - trying soso hard to not be like other girls when really all she wants is for dan to notice her red blouse and tell her she looks pretty. not all of the scenes are great feats of literature, i mean, most of them are over-the-top to say the least.
but that's what makes them so freaking fun to read.
initially i was going to highlight all the problematic shit i came across (there's a whole lot of fatphobia, dabbling a bit in a glamorization of eating disorders, slut shaming, attempted rape, blatant parental abandonment, etc), which is a fine idea. then i decided i also wanted to mark all of the things that were inappropriate for a 11 year old to read (mind you, the age i was when i picked up the first book. i actually got it as a first communion gift, which is ridiculously funny to me). i also wanted to highlight the actually funny/well-written lines i was coming across, and all of the things that impacted me throughout my life - fun fact, i refused to eat eggs for close to ten years because blair calls them chicken abortions in this book. i mean! it's definitely debatable whether it was healthy for me to read this at such an impressionable age (it wasn't) but you can't argue with the fact that i took the things in here to heart.
(i'm in therapy nowadays thank you very much)
anyway. all of this rambling to say that, as silly as it sounds, gossip girl actually means a lot to me. and it's hard for me to rate this as it objectively should be rated, given that there are things in here that are just plain bad. i had a shitload of fun reading it. i read it in a single day whereas finishing any other book is being really hard for me - you can look at my currently reading shelf with 7 other freaking books in there to see for yourself.
i am giving myself grace and not settling on a star rating, because it was kind of a journey to reread these words that basically guided me through my teenage years and being able to compare myself today to the girl i used to be over 10 years ago.
i am extremely excited to continue rerading this trash fire series. it's going to be a good time.
gossip girl was my favorite book series for the longest time. i started reading these books when i was 11 and i devoured the whole thing - 12 main books, plus two spin off series, plus a few titles in the main series which were released later, like this whacky gory horror version of this first book that's literally called "gossip girl: psycho killer".
so while i know they are not objectively good by any means, they mean so much to me. and it's crazy because i can't really separate my enjoyment, and even though it's 2021 and i'm a fully grown woman capable of noticing all of the things that are wrong with this, deep in my heart i can't help but feel these are actually... pretty good? at least when it comes to establishing character. something that stood out for me this time around (i honestly can't remember how many times i reread this, at least a dozen, but the last time was at least 6 years ago) is how the main cast of characters is actually well-developed? each one of them is made to fit a stereotype, yes, but the way their personality is crafted comes through by showing us how they act, and not telling. the little details to flesh them out are all here: blair sewing a gold heart on nate's sleeves, nate screwing with blair's big night because he didn't want to be an asshole and ending up being quite a bigger asshole by thinking only of himself, serena becoming a photography muse to french gay brothers, even vanessa gets her moment to shine - trying soso hard to not be like other girls when really all she wants is for dan to notice her red blouse and tell her she looks pretty. not all of the scenes are great feats of literature, i mean, most of them are over-the-top to say the least.
but that's what makes them so freaking fun to read.
initially i was going to highlight all the problematic shit i came across (there's a whole lot of fatphobia, dabbling a bit in a glamorization of eating disorders, slut shaming, attempted rape, blatant parental abandonment, etc), which is a fine idea. then i decided i also wanted to mark all of the things that were inappropriate for a 11 year old to read (mind you, the age i was when i picked up the first book. i actually got it as a first communion gift, which is ridiculously funny to me). i also wanted to highlight the actually funny/well-written lines i was coming across, and all of the things that impacted me throughout my life - fun fact, i refused to eat eggs for close to ten years because blair calls them chicken abortions in this book. i mean! it's definitely debatable whether it was healthy for me to read this at such an impressionable age (it wasn't) but you can't argue with the fact that i took the things in here to heart.
(i'm in therapy nowadays thank you very much)
anyway. all of this rambling to say that, as silly as it sounds, gossip girl actually means a lot to me. and it's hard for me to rate this as it objectively should be rated, given that there are things in here that are just plain bad. i had a shitload of fun reading it. i read it in a single day whereas finishing any other book is being really hard for me - you can look at my currently reading shelf with 7 other freaking books in there to see for yourself.
i am giving myself grace and not settling on a star rating, because it was kind of a journey to reread these words that basically guided me through my teenage years and being able to compare myself today to the girl i used to be over 10 years ago.
i am extremely excited to continue rerading this trash fire series. it's going to be a good time.
August 9, 2007
I really wanted to like this book. In fact, I expected to devour it. I heard the author speak on a panel at ALA this year and found her articulate, charming, and thoughtful about her series. Many of my co-workers at a suburban library hated the Gossip Girl books because of their vapid influence on already spoiled readers, but I wanted to give the books a chance. I’m sorry to say that I have to agree with my colleagues, even as someone whose guilty pleasure is reading highly speculative celebrity scandal on PerezHilton.com.
I found most of the "gossip" about Serena, Blair, and the gang tedious and completely without humor, and the voice of the Gossip Girl irritating and intrusive rather than wickedly funny (which seems to be what the author was going for). The writing was uneven and confusing, with the narrator switching POV on a dime, at times representing the Gossip Girl through catty editorial comments and otherwise relying on bland, third-person omniscient. The characters themselves are completely despicable (example: Chuck, who nearly rapes several of the girls, is routinely described as sleazy but harmless – "well, that’s just Chuck!" – for about three-quarters of the book), and those who show a glimmer of intelligence or creativity are patronized.
I think a series that examines the truth and consequences of high school gossip could be delightfully controversial and titillating, but Gossip Girl misses the mark. I would never disparage a teenager for reading it, but I might also encourage her to try well written – but still very fun – books like Lola Douglas’ Hollywood Starlet series.
I found most of the "gossip" about Serena, Blair, and the gang tedious and completely without humor, and the voice of the Gossip Girl irritating and intrusive rather than wickedly funny (which seems to be what the author was going for). The writing was uneven and confusing, with the narrator switching POV on a dime, at times representing the Gossip Girl through catty editorial comments and otherwise relying on bland, third-person omniscient. The characters themselves are completely despicable (example: Chuck, who nearly rapes several of the girls, is routinely described as sleazy but harmless – "well, that’s just Chuck!" – for about three-quarters of the book), and those who show a glimmer of intelligence or creativity are patronized.
I think a series that examines the truth and consequences of high school gossip could be delightfully controversial and titillating, but Gossip Girl misses the mark. I would never disparage a teenager for reading it, but I might also encourage her to try well written – but still very fun – books like Lola Douglas’ Hollywood Starlet series.
January 26, 2008
Ugh. I read this in a few hours, and it's pretty horrendous. I found a few punctuation mistakes—without looking, which bothers me—like "...Cyrus Rose was a completely annoying, fat, loser." Honestly; that's one of the first things you learn about punctuation.
It's a book about a bunch of sixteen- and seventeen-year-old kids who are richer than rich, go to private school in New York, and are, of course, immensely popular. It's written like a cheap fantasy, complete with overt descriptions of the houses, clothes, and everyone's looks. The girls double-kiss everyone on the cheeks for greetings; even the "poor" kids can afford brands like Armani; the kids drink all of the time, everywhere, and never get carded or looked at strangely by adults; one popular girl gets asked to model when she goes to at an art gallery by, of course, two famous gay artists who happen to be brothers; and everyone is barely shocked, much less disgusted, when a senior strips an unwilling freshman naked to the waist to grope her boobs in a bathroom
I suppose they'd be an alright series for people who don't read much, but I was just left with a bad taste in my mouth. I've read fanfiction more realistic, complete with Mary Sues.
It's a book about a bunch of sixteen- and seventeen-year-old kids who are richer than rich, go to private school in New York, and are, of course, immensely popular. It's written like a cheap fantasy, complete with overt descriptions of the houses, clothes, and everyone's looks. The girls double-kiss everyone on the cheeks for greetings; even the "poor" kids can afford brands like Armani; the kids drink all of the time, everywhere, and never get carded or looked at strangely by adults; one popular girl gets asked to model when she goes to at an art gallery by, of course, two famous gay artists who happen to be brothers; and everyone is barely shocked, much less disgusted, when a senior strips an unwilling freshman naked to the waist to grope her boobs in a bathroom
I suppose they'd be an alright series for people who don't read much, but I was just left with a bad taste in my mouth. I've read fanfiction more realistic, complete with Mary Sues.
December 14, 2011
Normally I don't judge people based on the choice of books they happen to enjoy. But this is an exception, anyone who managed to finish this book without feeling an intense need to put to it down and scream, or at least cringe at certain parts that resemble the Stuff White People Like blog, congratulation, you have a literary taste equivalent to overnight McDonald burgers. The characters are about as human and profound as my wallpaper (decorated with European brands I can't pronounce) and it probably has the most exclamation marks I've ever read in a book that is not self published!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank god I was the captain of chess team in high school.
by the way, is there a way I can change my rating to negative 5 stars?
Thank god I was the captain of chess team in high school.
by the way, is there a way I can change my rating to negative 5 stars?
August 16, 2008
I don't seem to much like actual teenage girls. Then again, the Gossip Girl characters don't act much like actual teenage girls. Or actual humans really. They are all basically insane in their own individual ways. The main character, Blair, is probably the most insane. I think the reader is possibly intended to be sympathetic to her, but it's never been clear to me why. She's obsessed with Audrey Hepburn, throwing up all her food, and the fact that she is consistently outdone by Serena, her best frenemy who is the other sort of main character. Their relationship is fraught by the facts of
a) Serena losing her virginity to Blair's boyfriend way before Blair does
b) Serena being 1) taller 2) prettier 3) less annoying 4) blonde
c) Serena being seemingly impervious to all outside stimuli, while Blair takes everything personally.
The books either end with Blair and Serena fighting (which usually means Blair acting haughty and pretending to be in Roman Holiday or some such, and Serena being totally oblivious to the fact that Blair is mad at her), or with Blair and Serena making out with each other in front of a bunch of people at some party.
The other characters are all basically secondary. There's Nate, who is Blair's boyfriend and who I think we are supposed to think is a paragon of masculinity (typical description of Nate: "Nate had gotten stoned pretty much every day since he was eleven"). There's Dan, who is I think supposed to be alternative and who shows this by being skinny, smoking unfiltered cigarettes, drinking instant coffee, and writing terrible poems ("you soothe my cuts / and oil my engine") -- he ostensibly has a poem called "Sluts" published in The New Yorker in one book. His girlfriend is Vanessa, who is also alternative -- she makes pretensious films (pigeon pecking at used condom, dog peeing in snow -- ew), shaves her head, and as they mention constantly, is a little bit fat (for these books, that is VERY alternative).
And of course, who can forget Dan's sister Jenny, who now has her own series of books (The It Girl) and whose ONLY attribute mentioned frequently (yeah, yeah, artistic schmartistic, this is all they really talk about) -- that her breasts are 34 DD ("It wasn't like she could hide her enormous boobs anyway. They were just there").
There are also smaller characters who come in and out and basically provide a backdrop to the things that happen to these characters (which are basically lots of sex with each other coupled with occasional brushes with fame that always work out for Serena and never work out for Blair).
The other character though sort of is the "Gossip Girl," who doesn't really exist, or does, or whatever, it doesn't really matter. Throughout the books there are these random pages where it is a fake (well actually sort of real) website that is ostensibly a gossip site for NYC private school kids. I remember in I think 2000 or 2001, there actually was a site like that, and it got shut down really quickly and was a big deal, at least in New York City.
Anyway, those pages don't really advance the action, but they do give them a chance to drop a few more brand names. GG is crazy with the brand names, though they often lose track of what they are talking about (on one page a guy is staring down at his Prada dress shoes, two chapters later he is pensive again yet staring at his Dior loafers -- I guess when you're that loaded, you keep a change of kicks in the limo). But yeah, even their undies (they like La Perla for special occasions, Hanro for everyday) get a namecheck. It's actually most effective when they use the brand names on the characters who are supposed to be less wealthy -- the distinction is pretty subtle and one of the aspects of the books that actually rings true for me. But yeah, it gets ridiculous ("Blair squeezed Tom's of Maine fennel toothpaste onto her Braun electric toothbrush").
Anyway, the Gossip Girl's most interesting/useful aspect comes in 'cause she sort of comments omnisciently on all the characters, which makes it feel as if someone is actually telling you all of this as one long story -- at first I thought it was intrusive, but the more of these I read (and read), the more I actually like it as a conceit. For example, after any of the main characters leaves a room, everyone else in the room will immediately start speculating that they are pregnant or going to rehab or whatever, which is fine. But the Gossip Girl narrator always sort of puts a finer spin on things. I know this is already like a frickin' dissertation on these, but allow me a lengthy quote to demonstrate:
"'No stupid. Blair is seeing that old guy, remember? She's not having his baby anymore, though. She had a miscarriage. That's why she missed so much school.'
'I heard that Blair and Serena both sent in applications to the University of California school system today,' said Laura Salmon. 'They have rolling admission, so you find out which UC school can take you like, a few weeks after you apply.' She raised her strawberry blonde eyebrows. 'Hey, maybe we should all do that!'
'Not that any of them would really have considered going to a UC school.'"
For obvious reasons, that cracked me up. I think in general those kind of references do, as do when they randomly mention like pretty intensely specific NYC references that I am not sure like, twelve-year-olds even in the city would get. But anyway. Sorry. This was so long! And technically about the entire series, not just the first book, but what can you do.
a) Serena losing her virginity to Blair's boyfriend way before Blair does
b) Serena being 1) taller 2) prettier 3) less annoying 4) blonde
c) Serena being seemingly impervious to all outside stimuli, while Blair takes everything personally.
The books either end with Blair and Serena fighting (which usually means Blair acting haughty and pretending to be in Roman Holiday or some such, and Serena being totally oblivious to the fact that Blair is mad at her), or with Blair and Serena making out with each other in front of a bunch of people at some party.
The other characters are all basically secondary. There's Nate, who is Blair's boyfriend and who I think we are supposed to think is a paragon of masculinity (typical description of Nate: "Nate had gotten stoned pretty much every day since he was eleven"). There's Dan, who is I think supposed to be alternative and who shows this by being skinny, smoking unfiltered cigarettes, drinking instant coffee, and writing terrible poems ("you soothe my cuts / and oil my engine") -- he ostensibly has a poem called "Sluts" published in The New Yorker in one book. His girlfriend is Vanessa, who is also alternative -- she makes pretensious films (pigeon pecking at used condom, dog peeing in snow -- ew), shaves her head, and as they mention constantly, is a little bit fat (for these books, that is VERY alternative).
And of course, who can forget Dan's sister Jenny, who now has her own series of books (The It Girl) and whose ONLY attribute mentioned frequently (yeah, yeah, artistic schmartistic, this is all they really talk about) -- that her breasts are 34 DD ("It wasn't like she could hide her enormous boobs anyway. They were just there").
There are also smaller characters who come in and out and basically provide a backdrop to the things that happen to these characters (which are basically lots of sex with each other coupled with occasional brushes with fame that always work out for Serena and never work out for Blair).
The other character though sort of is the "Gossip Girl," who doesn't really exist, or does, or whatever, it doesn't really matter. Throughout the books there are these random pages where it is a fake (well actually sort of real) website that is ostensibly a gossip site for NYC private school kids. I remember in I think 2000 or 2001, there actually was a site like that, and it got shut down really quickly and was a big deal, at least in New York City.
Anyway, those pages don't really advance the action, but they do give them a chance to drop a few more brand names. GG is crazy with the brand names, though they often lose track of what they are talking about (on one page a guy is staring down at his Prada dress shoes, two chapters later he is pensive again yet staring at his Dior loafers -- I guess when you're that loaded, you keep a change of kicks in the limo). But yeah, even their undies (they like La Perla for special occasions, Hanro for everyday) get a namecheck. It's actually most effective when they use the brand names on the characters who are supposed to be less wealthy -- the distinction is pretty subtle and one of the aspects of the books that actually rings true for me. But yeah, it gets ridiculous ("Blair squeezed Tom's of Maine fennel toothpaste onto her Braun electric toothbrush").
Anyway, the Gossip Girl's most interesting/useful aspect comes in 'cause she sort of comments omnisciently on all the characters, which makes it feel as if someone is actually telling you all of this as one long story -- at first I thought it was intrusive, but the more of these I read (and read), the more I actually like it as a conceit. For example, after any of the main characters leaves a room, everyone else in the room will immediately start speculating that they are pregnant or going to rehab or whatever, which is fine. But the Gossip Girl narrator always sort of puts a finer spin on things. I know this is already like a frickin' dissertation on these, but allow me a lengthy quote to demonstrate:
"'No stupid. Blair is seeing that old guy, remember? She's not having his baby anymore, though. She had a miscarriage. That's why she missed so much school.'
'I heard that Blair and Serena both sent in applications to the University of California school system today,' said Laura Salmon. 'They have rolling admission, so you find out which UC school can take you like, a few weeks after you apply.' She raised her strawberry blonde eyebrows. 'Hey, maybe we should all do that!'
'Not that any of them would really have considered going to a UC school.'"
For obvious reasons, that cracked me up. I think in general those kind of references do, as do when they randomly mention like pretty intensely specific NYC references that I am not sure like, twelve-year-olds even in the city would get. But anyway. Sorry. This was so long! And technically about the entire series, not just the first book, but what can you do.
July 31, 2010
How can I love the show so much, but think the books are horribly written and duller than dishwasher? I don't know how that can be, but obviously Josh Schwartz is a better TV producer/whatever he does than Ceceily Von Ziegesar is an author. It's funny because before I read the GG, I read Stephen King's memoir "On Writing" and CVZ pretty much does everything SK says writer's shouldn't do. Over explosion of adjectives? Check. Unnecessary descriptions of non-entity characters and clothes? Check. (That was really annoying. There must have been hundreds of dropped name brands. At least in the show, we get to see the outfit, not read a boring description about it. The book was boring as hell. Nothing happens! Except for parties and drug use and teenage sex and gossiping. You think that'd be fun, but no! It's boring! The only good thing about the book was Gossip Girl's witty entries (and I kept hearing Kristen Bell's voice in my head when I read them) but there wasn't enough of them to keep me satisfied. DO NOT READ THE BOOKS! WATCH THE SHOW INSTEAD! Trust me, I'm doing you a favor!
June 6, 2018
This book was okay. I thought it would be better then it was. I started to read it, one, because it was a shorter book that I knew I could finish before the end of the year. Two, because I have seen the show and I wanted to compare them. It wasn't that bad so if you like these kinds of books I recommend this book for you.
February 6, 2020
Доста съм разочарована колко е различна от сериала. Не я препоръчвам.
November 12, 2007
I read this book in my local Raleys grocery store.
(a) It was available in a Raleys
(b) I could quickly read it (and I'm usually not a particularly fast reader) during the course of shopping
I thought it was utter garbage.
However, I realize I am not the target market. If you are addicted to spicing up your pathetic life by living vicariously through others' titillating encounters whilst simultaneously feeling smug about your perceived moral superiority, so much so that you've exhausted the details of the lives of your friends, acquaintances and the tabloid pseudostars, then perhaps this book is for you.
(a) It was available in a Raleys
(b) I could quickly read it (and I'm usually not a particularly fast reader) during the course of shopping
I thought it was utter garbage.
However, I realize I am not the target market. If you are addicted to spicing up your pathetic life by living vicariously through others' titillating encounters whilst simultaneously feeling smug about your perceived moral superiority, so much so that you've exhausted the details of the lives of your friends, acquaintances and the tabloid pseudostars, then perhaps this book is for you.
June 14, 2019
5/5
This book has definitely stood the test of time. The writing is just as smart as it was when I first read it when I was twelve, and felt so badass for reading a book about a bunch of rich 17-year-olds living the life in New York’s Upper East Side. I don’t read much contemporary anymore, and I think I finally understand why. Nearly 20 years later and this book is still better than any YA contemporary being published now. And that’s the tea.
This book has definitely stood the test of time. The writing is just as smart as it was when I first read it when I was twelve, and felt so badass for reading a book about a bunch of rich 17-year-olds living the life in New York’s Upper East Side. I don’t read much contemporary anymore, and I think I finally understand why. Nearly 20 years later and this book is still better than any YA contemporary being published now. And that’s the tea.
March 13, 2016
I don't really know why I read this book. Maybe because I had it, maybe because every now and then my brains asks me for a trashy read.
And this one is really, really trashy. Cardboard cut-outs as characters (including Chuck Bass—now with 100% more rapey-rapist vibes), superficiality all over the place and a plot that goes nowhere. And, still, I want to keep reading. Goddamn you, brain.
And this one is really, really trashy. Cardboard cut-outs as characters (including Chuck Bass—now with 100% more rapey-rapist vibes), superficiality all over the place and a plot that goes nowhere. And, still, I want to keep reading. Goddamn you, brain.
July 22, 2017
Addictive
June 3, 2020
Trash fiction that I loved every second of.
October 12, 2022
Matko boska, w co ja się wkopałam
April 29, 2020
Definitivamente no hay como la serie a la que estamos tan acostumbrados. Los guionistas, directores, productores y el elenco, hicieron un maravilloso trabajo mejorando todo en ella, por casi primera vez a parte de Lord of the rings la adaptación no se convirtió en un total asco.
En el libro sólo transcurre el piloto de la serie, a parte de muchas escenas que para mi gusto tuvieron poca gracia. A nuestros amados personajes los convierten en figurillas de revista mucho más frivolos, egoistas, superficiales e insoportables. No sé si este es el principal propósito de la autora, exagerar los comportamientos que encontramos propios en los herederos de Manhattan, pero no me hubiera molestado que en vez de hacer de la historia una comedia incomoda. Pudo haberle añadido profundidad y trasfondo a los actores en trama.
Uno de los cambios que pensé no me molestarían para nada, fue el hecho de que Serena se mostrara así tal cual cualquiera la puede imaginar. Ella nunca quiso cambiar, nunca fue a un internado por su hermano, ni por culpa hacia su mejor amiga, ella sólo es una chica egoísta que decidio escapar y volver como si todo estuviera bien, como si nunca el tiempo acabara y nadie creciera.
Serena nunca ha sido mi personaje favorito, pero duele saber que la poca seriedad que se le dio en la serie en la originalidad del libro desapareciera.
Blair sigue siendo Blair, pero con los componentes agregados que ya mencione, y con una bulimia muchisimo más heavy.
Además de eso nuestras mejores amigas favoritas permiten que el mundo que las rodean las afecten mucho más, y la muestra de ello es que jamás logran arreglar su amistad. Durante todo el libro sólo recuerdan los buenos momentos; la única muestra de afecto que hay entre ellas es una triste sonrisa de despedida.
Quizá Dan si tenía razón, el nunca sería parte de el mundo de Serena y Blair y no porque él no fuese como ellas, sino porque esa dimensión paralela trataba a patadas hasta aquellos que eran parte de la misma.
Chuck... el hombre soñado de toda fan de la serie. Todas sabemos la toxicidad que lo inundaba antes de conocer el amor, y hasta despues de él. Sin embargo: lo triste es que los libros se sabe que el nunca cambia, continua siendo el doble de sex addicted, el doble de idiota, el doble de vulgar, una dosis completa del Bass que nunca se enamoro de Blair en ese bar de Victor Vitriola, y de el mismo del que yo nunca quisiera saber nada.
Probablemente no continué con la saga. Prefiero no dañar el cariño que le tengo a la serie con estos libros. Prefiero dejar lo demás a la imaginacion de los guionistas.
You know you love me
XOXO, Gossip girl
En el libro sólo transcurre el piloto de la serie, a parte de muchas escenas que para mi gusto tuvieron poca gracia. A nuestros amados personajes los convierten en figurillas de revista mucho más frivolos, egoistas, superficiales e insoportables. No sé si este es el principal propósito de la autora, exagerar los comportamientos que encontramos propios en los herederos de Manhattan, pero no me hubiera molestado que en vez de hacer de la historia una comedia incomoda. Pudo haberle añadido profundidad y trasfondo a los actores en trama.
Uno de los cambios que pensé no me molestarían para nada, fue el hecho de que Serena se mostrara así tal cual cualquiera la puede imaginar. Ella nunca quiso cambiar, nunca fue a un internado por su hermano, ni por culpa hacia su mejor amiga, ella sólo es una chica egoísta que decidio escapar y volver como si todo estuviera bien, como si nunca el tiempo acabara y nadie creciera.
Serena nunca ha sido mi personaje favorito, pero duele saber que la poca seriedad que se le dio en la serie en la originalidad del libro desapareciera.
Blair sigue siendo Blair, pero con los componentes agregados que ya mencione, y con una bulimia muchisimo más heavy.
Además de eso nuestras mejores amigas favoritas permiten que el mundo que las rodean las afecten mucho más, y la muestra de ello es que jamás logran arreglar su amistad. Durante todo el libro sólo recuerdan los buenos momentos; la única muestra de afecto que hay entre ellas es una triste sonrisa de despedida.
"¿O fue una sonrisa triste porque aquel era el final de su amistad?
Quizá sonreian porque en el fondo sabian que pasase lo que pasase, al margen de los chicos con los que saliesen, de la ropa que llevasen, de lo que sacasen en el SAT, de la universidad a la que fuesen, ambas estarían bien. Porque su mundo, el mundo de ambas, las protegería, o eso creían"
Quizá Dan si tenía razón, el nunca sería parte de el mundo de Serena y Blair y no porque él no fuese como ellas, sino porque esa dimensión paralela trataba a patadas hasta aquellos que eran parte de la misma.
Chuck... el hombre soñado de toda fan de la serie. Todas sabemos la toxicidad que lo inundaba antes de conocer el amor, y hasta despues de él. Sin embargo: lo triste es que los libros se sabe que el nunca cambia, continua siendo el doble de sex addicted, el doble de idiota, el doble de vulgar, una dosis completa del Bass que nunca se enamoro de Blair en ese bar de Victor Vitriola, y de el mismo del que yo nunca quisiera saber nada.
Probablemente no continué con la saga. Prefiero no dañar el cariño que le tengo a la serie con estos libros. Prefiero dejar lo demás a la imaginacion de los guionistas.
You know you love me
XOXO, Gossip girl
January 17, 2008
The book Gossip Girl the first of the Gossip Girl series written by Cecily Von Ziegesar, was one of the best books i have ever read. The gossip girl series is already my favorite series, and ive only read the first book. The most important characters in the series so far are Blair, who is a down to earth teen, who loves to party and has a skater boyfriend. Blair's boyfriend's name is Nate. He is into drugs and he isnt the best in school, but blair still loves him. The book goes on about the peaks and downfalls of their relationship, and all the drama between them. Serena is a young girl who made lots of bad choices, she went to boarding school, and got kicked out because of some of her mistakes. Serena and Blair used to be best friends before Serena went off to boarding school, but ever since she came back, nothing has been the same. Serena came back expecting to come back to what she had left off, but she came across that she was totally wrong. Blair had heard things about what she did a boarding school and she wasnt interested in being friends with her anymore. Serena finally got the hint and moved on, trying to find some friends on her own. This was tough for Serena, she was known as the prettiest, richest, and smartest girl in her single-sex private school, Constance Billard, in New Yorks Upper East Side, but still couldnt seem to find a friend.
The main idea of the book basically goes on about their senior year of highschool and all the drama that comes with it. All the highschool parties have its own drama that gets so majorly interesting. Serena finally finds someone when she tries out for a part in a movie a girl in her grade was doing. His name was Dan. Dan was smart, funny, and charming. It was love at first sight. Serena and Dan went on dates and hung out together frequently after they met, Serena had never known Dan but Dan remembered her from before she left, he has had a crush on her since middle school. Serena really liked Dan and they continue to like eachother throughout the rest of the book.
Blair and Nate are having problems a lot towards the end of the book. They get in fights, they scream at eachother, then the next day they are fine and cuddiling together, and then something comes up. Its a big something! Nate tells Blair something big, Blair gets so mad she couldnt see straight. What could it be, what did Nate confess to Blair? Do Blair and Nate stay together?
Read gossip girl and your bound to find out!!!
The main idea of the book basically goes on about their senior year of highschool and all the drama that comes with it. All the highschool parties have its own drama that gets so majorly interesting. Serena finally finds someone when she tries out for a part in a movie a girl in her grade was doing. His name was Dan. Dan was smart, funny, and charming. It was love at first sight. Serena and Dan went on dates and hung out together frequently after they met, Serena had never known Dan but Dan remembered her from before she left, he has had a crush on her since middle school. Serena really liked Dan and they continue to like eachother throughout the rest of the book.
Blair and Nate are having problems a lot towards the end of the book. They get in fights, they scream at eachother, then the next day they are fine and cuddiling together, and then something comes up. Its a big something! Nate tells Blair something big, Blair gets so mad she couldnt see straight. What could it be, what did Nate confess to Blair? Do Blair and Nate stay together?
Read gossip girl and your bound to find out!!!
November 25, 2015
At A Glance
Genre: Young Adult; Chick Lit
Love Triangle/Insta Love?: Triangle!
Cliff Hanger: nope.
Rating: 4 Stars
Score Sheet
All out of ten
Cover: 8
Plot: 7
Characters: 8
World Building: 7
Flow: 9
Series Congruity: n/a
Writing: 8
Ending: 7
Total: 8
In Dept
Best Part: Bitchy girls.
Worst Part: Shady girls!
Thoughts Had: Lets do this; dumb boys!
Conclusion
Continuing the Series: yes
Recommending: yes!
Short Review: Ok, i know i usually complain about MCs who aren't the smartest or have any action scenes, but sometimes you need a little guilty pleasure books, and these are mine! I love bitchy girls! I love this cast of characters thou, very interesting bunch. Dan is making me crave coffee like crazy! Vanessa is kickbutt. Serena is kinda shady and all over the place. Blair is crazyyyyy. Jenny is a bit out there. Nate is a f**kboy for sure. I can't wait to get through all these!
Review in GIF Form:
Genre: Young Adult; Chick Lit
Love Triangle/Insta Love?: Triangle!
Cliff Hanger: nope.
Rating: 4 Stars
Score Sheet
All out of ten
Cover: 8
Plot: 7
Characters: 8
World Building: 7
Flow: 9
Series Congruity: n/a
Writing: 8
Ending: 7
Total: 8
In Dept
Best Part: Bitchy girls.
Worst Part: Shady girls!
Thoughts Had: Lets do this; dumb boys!
Conclusion
Continuing the Series: yes
Recommending: yes!
Short Review: Ok, i know i usually complain about MCs who aren't the smartest or have any action scenes, but sometimes you need a little guilty pleasure books, and these are mine! I love bitchy girls! I love this cast of characters thou, very interesting bunch. Dan is making me crave coffee like crazy! Vanessa is kickbutt. Serena is kinda shady and all over the place. Blair is crazyyyyy. Jenny is a bit out there. Nate is a f**kboy for sure. I can't wait to get through all these!
Review in GIF Form:
May 19, 2011
Ugh, this was awful. Closer to a magazine minus the pictures.
There are so many wrong morals ~ sex, drugs, eating disorders. And everyone seems so dumb.
And the men! Wow, one girl is pretty much raped in a bathroom (but everyone knows that about that guy so it's okay!? WHAT!!!!) And one guy is a stalker! He is so crazy infatuated with a girl HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW that he follows her.He tries to strategically be near her at places so he can watch her! Ack! That's not love! YUCK!
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. and if your daughter is reading it!!! READ IT!!! Then, find a way to discuss it (and then burn it so she can't spread it!)
There are so many wrong morals ~ sex, drugs, eating disorders. And everyone seems so dumb.
And the men! Wow, one girl is pretty much raped in a bathroom (but everyone knows that about that guy so it's okay!? WHAT!!!!) And one guy is a stalker! He is so crazy infatuated with a girl HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW that he follows her.He tries to strategically be near her at places so he can watch her! Ack! That's not love! YUCK!
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. and if your daughter is reading it!!! READ IT!!! Then, find a way to discuss it (and then burn it so she can't spread it!)
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