pub date: January 1, 2011
publisher: Point
pages: 288
appeals: Jane Austen, boarding school, romance, retelling
content: clean
thoughts:
What a darling story. I loved it!
I enjoyed how the story followed the original story of Pride and Prejudice, but was also very original with it's own personality. Set in a modern day boarding for rich snobs, it was really fun to see rich Will Darcy take to poor (by rich standards) Lizzie Bennet.
All the characters were spot on: Jane, Charlotte, Colin, Darcy, Bingley, and Lydia. They were all so great.
I really liked how Darcy's family played into the plot. My favorite part of this book is also my favorite in the original: when Lizzie gets to meet Darcy on his turf, away from Miss Bingley, and when he, in turn, meets Lizzie on her own turf. *Sigh* So sweet.
This book is for fans of the original as well those who aren't. Such a fun romance.
summary:
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single girl of high standing at Longbourn Academy must be in want of a prom date.
After winter break, the girls at very prestigious, girls-only Longbourn Academy are obsessed with the prom, which they share with the equally elitist, all-boys Pemberly school. Lizzie Bennett, who attends Longbourn on scholarship, isn't interested in designer dresses and expensive shoes, but her best friend, Jane, might be - especially now that Charles Bingley is back from a semester in London.
pub date: June 14, 2011
publisher: Voice
pages: 352
source: LibraryThing Early Reviewer
appeals: adult, mystery, boarding school, murder, contemporary, realistic fiction
content: swearing, off page sex, bullying,
thoughts:
This is not the kind of book I normally read. It wasn't particularly fast paced, it wasn't focused on just a few characters, and it wasn't told from a teen POV. It was an adult murder mystery. But for all of that, I enjoyed it anyway.
This is a very dense book. Dense as in the paragraphs are long and packed with detailed information. There is also A LOT of info told about each character--present, past, and hinting into the future--that didn't necessary have anything to do with the murder. It was not a quick read for me.
I figured out who the murderer was a little over half way through. Maybe not the reason behind the murder, that was a surprise, but the who-done-it aspect of it. And the reveal wasn't dramatic at all. It was sort of just there, a bit of information tucked in with all the other bits of information. But that was okay. Sometimes drama at the end of a book is annoying, so it was refreshing when that wasn't the case, like in this book. And the wind down after the reveal went on for a while, tying up all the ends of lives of all the characters we .
But, really, I did enjoy the story. The dynamics of the boarding school, teachers and students, and the schools relations with the town, was fascinating. As each piece of the puzzle was revealed, I loved how the thread got more twisted. I thought the plot was very well thought out and laid down in the novel. And I liked the two main characters. I liked how the book ended.
A solid 3 apple book.
summary:
When beautiful but aloof Claire Harkness is found dead in her dorm room one spring morning, prestigious Armitage Academy is shaken to its core. Everyone connected to school, and to Claire, finds their lives upended, from the local police detective who has a personal history with the academy, to the various faculty and staff whose lives are immersed in the daily rituals associated with it.
Everyone wants to know how Claire died, at whose hands, and more importantly, where the baby that she recently gave birth to is a baby that almost no one, except her small innermost circle, knew she was carrying.
At the center of the investigation is Madeline Christopher, an intern in the English department who is forced to examine the nature of the relationship between the school s students and the adults meant to guide them. As the case unravels, the dark intricacies of adolescent privilege at a powerful institution are exposed, and both teachers and students emerge as suspects as the novel rushes to its thrilling conclusion.
pub date: December 2, 2010
publisher: Dutton
pages: 372
appeals: realistic fiction, romance, France!, boarding school, realistic fiction
content: some swearing, a few f-words (like 5 or so?), some mild sexual conversations
thoughts:
I've finally read the book! I've wanted to read it for such a long time. I even bought the book months ago, but I've been hesitant. Mostly because I wanted to like it, but what if I didn't?
I finally bit the bullet. And it was fantastic. Though not what I was expecting at all. I don't know if I ever read the blurb about the book when it was coming out. All I remember are all the blog posts I read about how Anna and St. Claire are such good friends before anything romantic happens between them. So I was expecting a book about good friends who's relationship turns into romance later on. That isn't exactly what happened. They were good friends, but there's this romantic, underlying tension throughout their relationship, from practically the first day. And wow, the blurb is right--there are a lot of near misses. Which actually kind of annoyed me after awhile. I gave the book 4 apples when I first finished it, but I kept thinking about the story for days afterward, so that means it's definitely 5 apples of yummy.
What I liked:
St. Claire has crooked teeth and is short.
The romance. It was really good.
The ending. It's perfect. Which is should be after all those near misses!
Anna's boarding school friends. St. Claire, but also all the others. It was so real. All of them had these full lives that were individual and unique. Maybe it's because I'm trying to write my own novel and am finding it difficult, but I loved how real they felt.
Anna's dad reminded me of Nicholas Sparks. Anyone else? I found it very humorous. And enjoyed it a lot.
France! I went to Paris years ago and I visited those places! I remember eating that food! It was fun to read. I kind of wish I went to high school in France.
summary:
Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.
As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?
