Book Reviews of Prep

Very well written, this book felt in many places like a memoir rather than a fictional account. It's a coming of age story with a twist: although told in the first person and the present tense, the narrator's voice is obviously a bit older and wiser than the main character, viewing her own struggles and triumphs with an eye that is sometimes sardonic and sometimes wistful.

This is a great book. I thought it was well-written, and I was truly engaged in the life of the main character. I honestly couldn't put this book down and finished it in a few days. I could relate to all the emotions the character went through--in my past and present. I really loved this book!

I really enjoyed this and felt I could relate to the main character, Lee, on many levels. She's an unusually introverted, sensitive character; that's how she chooses to be. She isn't the butt of school pranks or even a victim of "mean girl" teasing, so don't even think that's what this book is about. Rather, this is just the collective views and thoughts of a midwestern girl trying to graduate from a WASPy New England prep school. Her narration and observations into her rich classmates are spot-on, from the casual way in which they pay $3000 for laundry service to the flowery bedspreads that cover the rich girl's beds. The whole rich vs. poor theme really didn't seem offensive, nor was it overly played. The part that struck me was the reaction of Lee's father, and the way his teasing became increasingly cruel and hurtful.
The end of the book, where there is conflict with Lee giving a scandalous "tell-all" interview to a NYT reporter seemed overly done and out of place. Aside from the ending, the book is quite entertaining.

I had a really hard time finishing this one. The main character was full of teenage angst, but it was more unsettling than it should have been. She was so uncomfortable in her skin that it bothered me. Yes, every one feels that way from time to time, but for 4 years? That was a bit much. If there had been some clues as to WHY she was so filled with angst and unhappy with herself it might have helped. But as it stands, I didn't get any reason for her behaviour and so I didn't understand or care for her in the end.

This was such a great read. I went to a boarding school for high school myself, and it was jaw-dropping at times how Curtis Sittenfield knew the dynamics of teenagers going to school and living in dorms. Loved it!

Having gone to a boarding school myself for high school, I tend to be drawn to stories with characters that share that in common with me. I really enjoyed this book, as I felt it captured the atmosphere of life in a boarding school very well. It was spot on for a fictional story - I almost felt like I was reading a memoir.

Reviewed by Amanda Dissinger for TeensReadToo.com

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, this prep school is in Connecticut, or Massachusetts. Typically, the girl starts out struggling, tries to fit in with the popular crowd, misses her hometown, faces many moral problems, and meets a handsome, promising young prep school boy who shows her the ways of love. Seeing the plot of Curtis Sittenfeld's PREP for the first time, a normal reader would write it off as being another cliché prep school book.

There's where they'd be wrong.

PREP is a searing, creative look at the life of one small-town girl, Lee Fiora, who comes from her home in South Bend, Indiana, to Ault, a prep school in Massachusetts. Exposed to many new kinds of ideas and people, Lee stands on the thin line between misery and naivety as she explores all that her new life has to offer.

Sittenfeld writes about teen angst in a way that doesn't try to make it seem petty or unimportant; she embraces it, and fully understands it. This is what sets the book apart from many other titles. Wallowing in loneliness and heartbreak, the reader feels as if Lee is actually a part of them, and that they are experiencing all of the awkward and horrible events that are occurring in the story.

Lee acts as an opposite-gender Holden Caulfield, the main male character in J.D. Salinger's classic novel THE CATCHER IN THE RYE. She takes everything with a grain of salt and a little bit of dry humor while making wise observations well beyond her years. PREP is bound to become a classic, for its brutally honest interpretation of a time that plagues all of us: high school.

I did not care for this book. I didn't like the syle of writing or all of the talk about sex in prep/boarding schools.

I am a gal in my late 30's so I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading about the prep school life of teenager. Very enjoyable read - great for the beach or beside the pool!

Slightly overdone, but still an enjoyable story about a girl in a New
England prep school.

I'm having a hard time deciding if I like this book or not. Prep is very well written, and is indeed an engaging read. However, I really did not like the main character. I found her personality flaws to be pitiful, and her lack of growth over the 4 years she spends at boarding school is unrealistic. I almost felt like by continuing to read this book I was supporting her lame existance. However, the plot is intricate, the writing is very well done, and the other characters were intriguing enough to keep me going through the entirity of the book. But I don't think I'll be reading it again.

I am about halfway through this book and I am still waiting for it to catch my attention. I have read that it's 'funny, engaging and interesting' but I am not seeing that at all. I am about ready to put it down and pick up a better book! I am going to give it a few more pages, but after that, I am not wasting anymore time on this one.

Good, but not great. The main character has some annoying attributes. I kept wishing she would just be herself already, but the book is written well.

Sort of a romance book, but not really since the main character more or less just whored herself out to the one person who paid attention to her rather than try to form any real relationships with anyone due to her low self-esteem. Still, it was an enjoyable read. Oddly enough, the plot was a "high school coming of age story" but totally not meant for high schoolers to read.

This was good. It wasn't a masterpiece or even in my Top 200 probably, but it was a good story. I think there might have been too much story. Or maybe the route to get to the story was too long. I would probably classify this one as "forgettable" --- BUT it did hold my attention for a few days, so I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand. Just know it's a little over-hyped for what it is - at least in my opinion :)

Often an uncomfortable read but a good book overall.

what an interesting book! I have worked in student services/residence life for over 8 years and it's interesting how the author reflected real-life issues of teens in this book...a great read for anyone, especially if you work with or have teenager(s) of your own.

Loved this one. Very accurate portrayal of life at boarding school. Takes me back to those days.

GREAT READ, HIGH SCHOOL GIRL WHO IS SORT OF LOST IN LIFE, AND FINDS HER WAY. COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN, FUNNY AND ENTERTAINING.

Lee Flora is an intelligent, observant fourteen-year-old when she leaves her family behind in Indiana to attend the prestigious Ault School in Massachusetts. Over the next four years, her experiences at Ault---complicated relationships with teachers, intense friendships with other girls, an all-consuming preoccupation with a classmate who is less than a boyfriend and more than a crush---coalesce into a singular portrait of the universal pains and thrills of adolescence.

A well written novel of life in an American Boarding School. Some explicit sex.

Lee Flora is an intelligent, observant fourteen-year-old when she leave her famil behind in Indiana to attend the prestigious Ault School in Massachusetts. Over the next four years, her experiences at Ault- complicated relationships with teachers, intense friendships with other girls, an all consuming preoccupation with a classmate who is less than a boyfriend and more than a crush-coalesce into a singular portrait of the universal pains and thrills of adolescence.

Great book - I could hardly put it down and couldn't wait to pick it up again!

I listened to this book on CD during a long car ride, and it made me wish the trip was a little longer or traffic a little worse. In a way the book is self torture, because the main character seems far more neurotic than called for by her circumstances. But it is incredibly insightful and well-written, and makes me realize I didn't have it so bad in high school afterall.

N.Y. Times Bestseller fun, complex tale of social class, race, and gender politics set in a prestigious New England prep school told from point of view of an Indiana girl attends the school thanks to financial aid

Good beach read.

PREP is well written and engaging, but the narrator's way of perceiving the world and her role in it is grimly neurotic and made it a heavy read for me. I admit to finishing it - lured by skilful writing - but the story made me down teh whole while I was reading and my life would have been pefectly complete without it.

Great book! I got caught up in the life of Lee during her 4 years at boarding school.

This is one of those books that you find yourself thinking about even after you have finished reading it.

Gossip Girl in prep school. Very entertaining.

The young adults' book "Prep", a novel by Curtis Sittenfeld, has a slow-moving plot and the ending is not that great, but it is an enjoyable book to relax and read and not really have to think about it.

LOVED it! ! !

This book was fantastic and is now on my all-time favorite book list! For years, Catcher In The Rye was my favorite book, and now Sittenfeld has successfully created a modern day female version of Holden Caulfield in her main character Lee Fiora. I think all readers can identify in some way to Lee as she feels her way through the awkwardness of high school and the struggle of whether to conform or remain true to one's unique self. This is a must read!

Fun book to read ~ nothing like I expected so I was pleasantly surprised. A quick read~

Intellectual and painfully truthful recollection of adolescence with wry wit, and very well-written. 9/10.

This book took me forever to get through. It just never captured my attention.

Great book, quick read.

Prep conveys the inner world of an entirely typical teenage girl with remarkable warmth. One of the most tender and accurate portraits of adolescence in recent memory.

Good read.

This book is about a 14 year old from Indiana who decides she wants to go to boarding school in the east. She does all the research and convinces her parents to send her to a particular prep school. The book takes you through her 4 years at the school. In my opinion, the book was good, not great.

one of the top 5 books i've ever read...

Great read...makes you remember high school - the good and the bad.

Lee Flora is an intelligent, observant fourteen-year old when she leaves her family behind in Indiana to attend the prestigious Ault School in Massachusetts. Over the next four years, her experience at Ault--complicated relationships with teachers, intense friendships with other girls, an all-consuming preoccupation with classmate who is less than a boyfriend and more than a crush--coalesce into a singular portrait of the universal pains and thrills of adolescence.

A strange story about a high school girl's 4 years at a prep school. Almost painful reminders of how alienated we all feel at some times during our youth.

This was a great read. A little overhyped, but I liked the story and so many things reminded me of boarding school.

A fictional account of prep (boarding school) that rings true in an intensly personal manner.

I typically don't choose books that are described as "addictive as M&Ms" (the Boston Globe). But Prep was named as one of the top 10 books of the year by the New York Times, and was on special at Border's Books, so I picked it up. I'm so glad I did. It was a little too close to home for me and my experiences in high school, and is a complex and fascinating look into the mindset of a teenage girl. I could see this as a great read for parents, too. Highly recommend.

Fun and quick read.

A very poignant "Catcher in the Rye" for the 90's. A well crafted story of a young girl and her relationships.

An Indiana girl goes to prep school at a prestigious eastern school and finds a whole new world of relationships.

This story is engaging, but I didn't necessarily feel like I was reading something new.

I can't believe a mon wrote this book. Teenage girl angst and crushes to the max.

Highly readable. Very enjoyable.

So funny.

Too much angst for me. I never leave books unfinished, but just couldn't get to the end of this one.

Neither my daughter nor I could really get into this book. Perhaps you can...

An extremely accurate look at high school life from the girl that is not the most popular one in the crwoed. The Indiana girl that steps from her family to attend the prestigious Ault School (a boarding school) in Massachusetts.

Very accurately portrays the complicated relationships with teachers, intense friendships with other girls, and that all-consuming obsession with the classmate thats not quite boyfriend, but more than a simple crush.
Great portrait of the universal pains and thrills of adolescence - brings it back for those of us who've been there.

Not as grewat as others have felt. I thought it was kinda slow and tormenting at times.

This was an interesting novel about boarding school--a bit more modern than some of the other boarding school classics, because the school in this book is co-ed. Capturing a character's four year career at a boarding school is an ambitious feat for a novelist, and Sittenfeld did a good job of including only meaningful details in this work. The protagonist's issues as a basic good kid on the margin of a school's social scene will strike a chord with many readers.

Hilarious and touching coming of age novel.

Enjoyable read.

An honest, open book about a teenagers feelings (story told as an adult)and experience at a Prep school in Mass.

A really good book for teenagers!

This is probably THE BEST "first book by author" book I have ever read.

loved the book!

This is a book meant for older/later teen girls.

A GOOD FEMALE CATCHER IN THE RYE, BETTER STORY AND WRITING

Great tale of highschool. Kinda boring though .

Prep follows Lee, a shy girl from the midwest, who attends a prep school in Massachusetts. It's mostly interesting but the main character can at times be annoying!

I loved this book. I could relate SO much to the main character. It's based upon the author's experiences, and you can tell. Loved it!

This is the story of a young woman's four years in prep school. It's easy to read, and is an enjoyable story.

I really enjoyed this book and following Lee's life and thoughts about it through her four years of boarding school. What was even better was that the book gave many glimpses into her future and how life turned out for her, it didn't just leave you wondering.

An excellent story about being in high school. It felt very real and made me very glad to be grown-up.

i enjoyed reading the ups and downs of lee's boarding school experience. i also enjoyed that it took place in massachusetts, and there were places i recognised mentioned in the book. it did have a feeling like the author didn't know massachusetts very well, but those are minor details. i'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a decent but light read.

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