Prep

This book was so extraordinarily well-written -- it reminds me completely of what high school was like -- of all the complex & sometimes nonsensical thoughts that ran through my head. It makes so many other novels about adolescence seem somewhat one dimensional.

In the same way that Dave Eggers' stream-of-consciousness "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" captured the way my mind works now, Curtis Sittenfeld's rather more carefully written novel captured a lot of the way my mind worked then. Only for some reason, I can't seem to capture this essence on paper as well as these two authors can.

"Prep" is the kind of novel that young women dream about being written. Being a college sophomore myself, I picked this up because I liked the belt on the cover. What I discovered was that Curtis Sittenfield has perfectly captured what it is like to be a teenage girl in high school - or a prestigious, private school of Ault on the East Coast.

Lee Fiora is the novel's heroine and there's absolutely nothing special about her. Which is perhaps why I feel she works perfectly as the heroine. Lee is not unusually beautiful, not overly intelligent, and not an all star athlete. She is simply a teenager who is desperately trying to find her place. As cliche is this sounds, it works well in this novel. Sittenfield brings so much to the story, which spans over Lee's four year high school experience at Ault. Family struggles, friendships with girls that are difficult, and, of course, that one guy that she just can't stop thinking about.

These storylines are so real. There is nothing magical about them; the popular jock does not suddenly recognize Lee after a makeover, and she doesn't get popular all of the sudden. No, these stories, written with hilarious dialogue and perfect detail, are what most teenage girls go through. Heartbreak, self-consciousness to the point of annoyance, and incredible joys.

This may well be my new favorite book. I can't think of one negative thing to say about it except that I, myself, was heartbroken when it ended. I didn't want to stop following Lee's life. This book holds power and I think men, as well as women, will enjoy it. But for any girl who clearly remembers the horrors, embarassments, heartaches, and happiness of high school, this book will make you smile and, oddly, reflect fondly on your own particular high school experience. A must-read in my opinion.

I had a very mixed reaction to this book. It's generally well written, but there are a few major caveats:

1) Chapter one is by far the weakest section of the book, an odd editing choice, to say the least. It's flat and fairly boring, and it trots out stereotype after stereotype. If it hadn't been midnight when I started reading this book, and I hadn't been bored, I would have returned it to the store without reading the rest of it.

2) It feels like this was initially a short-story collection, and someone told the author short stories don't sell, make it a novel. The same way short story collections tend to be uneven, this book is uneven, and some sections feel tacked on after the fact in the interest of making it feel more like a novel. In places the organization is strange, or the focus seems off, and individual sections (the bike riding and english teacher chapters, for example) have more of a coherent story arc than the book as a whole. There are dropped and incomplete plotlines (Gates, anyone?), and information that appears multiple times in ways that seem more redundant than deliberate.

3) The author just doesn't get race, and her attempts to deal with it range from offensive to simply not credible. I'm not saying that no "ethnic" characer can ever have a sterotypical trait, but her ethnic characters are almost entirely composed of stereotypes, and never really move beyond them. It's like she realizes on some level that she has no idea what's going on in their heads, or what happens in the minority student alliance, or how minorities really deal with white institutions (not that there's only one way), but knew that if she talked about class without dealing with race she'd get complaints. I'm willing to go with the idea that the ignorance is partly an attempt to demonstrate that Lee, the narrator, doesn't quite get it, but by the end of the book (and the hopelessly awkward "we need resolution" conversation with the token black guy), it's clear the author doesn't get it either. Another clue that the problems are the author's, and not Lee's, is that her "ethnic" dialogue is off. The Korean girl speaks the exact same cartoonish English as an adult as she did her freshman year of boarding school? The black girl from Philly speaks like an old southern black woman? yeah, ok.

All that said, this book brought me back to high school trauma in a comforting way. This book will resonate with all of us who were hopelessly awkward, who invested every moment of interaction with profound life-altering potential and freaked out accordingly. It's comforting to read that you weren't the only person who was that stupid, and occasionally still is. I have not read a better written and more honest account of that peculiar and obsessive adolescent relationship logic (and I don't just mean romantic relationships-- family relations and friendships are well written too.) On the whole though, this book is gooey comfort food that's not that bad for you--organic pizza, if you will. If you're the kind of person who can connect with this book, it probably won't teach you anything new or profound, but it's not a bad way to spend a weekend.

I couldn't put this book down and loved it from beginning to end. Unlike some of the other reviewers, for some reason I didn't find her ongoing insecurities irritating or off-putting. I thought it was a pretty accurate account of adolescence. Reading others' reviews makes one realize how apparently without insecurity many people experienced adolescence -- if only we all could have had it that way.

Much of your enjoyment of this novel depends on your tolerance level for the meticulous details of boarding school life and the obsessive expression of insecurities that accompanies the narrator at her age. Of course, the story of Lee's stay at a boarding school is recounted at a later stage of her life, which led me to wonder: "How does she remember precisely how she felt in that exact moment, so many years ago?"
Whatever. This is a story of "trying to fit" or the search for acceptance, not only at the school, but with herself. Lee is a bundle of insecurities and often her self-loathing spirals into self-pity. This is all like real life, except that in fiction a reader may expect something less "familiar" or drab.
The overall prose is excellent. You can't say the author writes badly, yet after so many hundred pages, I found myself growing tired of the main character and this is a bad thing. The main character in a book is like a friend; and I found Lee to be a little draining, after a while. I would still recommend this book, along with another novel often mentioned by reviewers, The Losers' Club: Complete Restored Edition by Richard Perez. Ultimately, it's all a matter of taste, of liking a character, of tolerance levels regarding the subject matter, etc. However, I would still personally recommend reading either book.

I work in a bookstore and therefore we ge to read the book before it comes out! I absolutely loved this novel. It brilliantly demonstrated the struggle of a teenage girl to not only find her place in her own school, but in the world. The characters were so lifelike, so common to each high school that it was so easy to relate to. The world of privledge that the main character, Lee, has been throw into is one she must get accustomed to and find her rightful place. What a great read!

With such an impressive author resume and endorsments, I expected this to be a great book. It was not. I actually had to skim the last twenty-five pages to find out what happened because I just could not bear to read anymore of this tediously boring tale. Aside from the fact that the story goes nowhere, nothing ever happens with the main character which is even more of a let down. Lee starts out as an irritating, vapid mess and despite opportunities to grow, never does. There was not one moment that I liked or identified with this girl and having spent several years as an outsider at a snobby private school, I thought there would be some parallels. I am never enlightened about why Lee is such an annoying, horrible person, how her inner snob came to be and why she is so unable to at least embrace it, which may have at least given her some facets. The writing, while decent, is as flat and uninteresting as the main character. I can only guess that Sittenfeld has great connections because I don't see why else anyone would bother publishing this book. As I read the five star reviews, I am left scratching my head and wondering if we read the same book.

I've glanced at a few reviews that said this book was boring, and the main character sucked. My personal experience though was a bit different. I couldn't put this book down, and I thought Lee was honest, awesome and easy to identify with. People aren't perfect in the real world, and they shouldn't be perfect in books either. This book was a true picture of the school experience, whether it be at a boarding school, college or whatever. I urge you to take a glance inside this book, and create your own opinion.

Sittenfeld completely captured what it feels like to be young and uncertain. Though nothing incredibly dramatic or suspenseful happens in the book, I was transfixed and couldn't put it down. You don't have to be at boarding school to appreciate what Prep's protagonist, Lee, goes through. There's nothing trite or predictable about Prep.

Prep is very readable and I loved the flow of the story. Lee Fiora is a memorable though sometimes frustrating character. One of the only problems I have with this book is that the sex scenes are too many and too graphic. This takes away from the quality of the story. A classy author can write about such things without dwelling on them so much, and Sittenfeld fails to do this. For this reason many schools may probably not be able to use the book for students to read, which is a shame because the rest of the book is very good.

First, let me say that I was sucked in by the cover of the book so whomever was responsible, hats off to you! The other blunder I made was in seeing the author's name and assume that it was a guy who wrote it. This, it seemed, made the book most interesting, a guy writing about a girl in prep school. So I dove into the book with expectations that just were not met in any way. The only person I can see who would like this book is one who is akin to the lead character. She is a whiney and weak character who just gets more annoying as the book progresses. The only interesting part is when they discuss her furtive attempts at sex.

I felt this book was a waste of time as it did nothing to leave the reader with any lingering thoughts. I was just annoyed that I had wasted my time on this book. If you are a teen girl you might enjoy this but that might be a stretch as well. There are better books out there to spend your time on.

Someone wrote that any girl can relate to this story. I think anyone who has been in high school can relate. It's not so much about going to a boarding school or being a girl, but about the awkwardness and fakeness of your teenage years. Prep reminds me of the movie "Welcome to the Dollhouse". Almost every scene makes you wince, but you still want more.

At first, "Prep" looks engaging, but it quickly becomes a piece of work as the main character's whiny voice grates on our ears. Lee has no brains, motivation, passions, or ideas. She isn't good at anything, she is rude to people who try to be her friend, and I wanted to smack her. Is it any wonder she is an outsider? It's not because she is from Indiana. It's because she is a whiny blob.

More than that, Lee is BORING. I don't mind hating a main character; everyone hates Scarlett O'Hara sometimes, but at least she is interesting. I don't mind reading about a serial killer as long as the story is engaging. But Lee isn't. She has no spirit.

The story is blah and often doesn't make sense. We go through four years (and four hundred pages) at The Ault School, and in that time, Lee never changes once.

When she is a freshman, her only "friend" is another scholarship student, an African American girl named Little Washington. When Lee catches Little stealing, I expected Lee to think about not turning her in, or at least give the decision some thought, considering that she'd be indirectly expelling her only friend. Or she could decide to turn Little in because she felt it wouldn't be right to say nothing--that could be an interesting idea. But no. We only see Lee catching Little in the act, then find out in a subsequent scene that Lee turned her in. It makes me want to smack the author.

In Lee's junior year, she is still a stupid, boring mess. Nothing much has happened, except that Lee now has a weird hobby: she has become the school's official haircutter. She cuts people's hair because that is the only way she can get close to them. It's a bit strange. Then Lee gets another chance to change. Her English class has to write about a cause that is important to them. Lee can't think of anything, and when she writes the paper, she puts a note on it: "I don't really care about this cause, but I believe it fulfills the assignment." (I believe the author is trying to parallel CATCHER IN THE RYE: Holden too wrote a note at the top of an assignment, stating, "This is all I know about the Ancient Egyptians. You can fail me if you want..." But it isn't the same, and Sittenfield should stop trying to write great literature. It doesn't work.)

I was disgusted. Honestly. This girl is 17 and she can't think of anything outside her Ault bubble? It makes me want to smack her. But then her English teacher fails her and yells at her, telling her to get off the sidelines, and gives her an A for a haircut--Lee's makeup assignment. I hoped Lee would change after this lecture. But she doesn't. She did not deserve the A.

Life goes on, blah blah blah, nothing much happens except for very graphic descriptions of oral and vaginal sex with Lee's crush. I can't understand why he likes such a stupid, boring, selfish piece of work. She is even chubby by this time. (As a freshman, Lee thought she might be gay, and even had fantasies about feeling another girl's breasts, but the author apparently forgot about that after Lee's first year.)

The climax of the book is when (spoiler) a NY Times reporter comes to the school and interviews Lee. Instead of giving a glowing report, Lee confesses her sadness. Which, by the way, is her own fault, not the school's. So. She never acts on it, she just admits she's sad. It is not exactly thrilling. So she has managed to remain completely passive throughout the whole novel. We don't see much hope for the future.

My sister asked me why I bothered to finish, since I obviously hated it so much.

"Because," I said, "it's like a train wreck: painful, but you can't stop watching."

I was listening to the audio version of this book, and I had to turn it off about halfway through because I realized that I hated the main character. I found her simpering, annoying, whiny, and--worst of all--stupid. I hoped that she would become more likeable, but it just got worse and worse as the narration inched along. (I actually found myself rooting against Lee Fiore.)

Awful, truly awful.

(Sadly, this is only one of two books that I can truly say I dislike; the other is "The Golden Bowl" by Henry James...however, I read that through to the bitter end, which gives it a leg up on Curtis Sittenfeld's novel.)

I read this book over the course of last weekend, turning page after page thinking it HAD to get better or that the main character would evolve into a human being that a reader could empathize with. Alas, that never happens.

The main character, Lee, is a dour, self-obsessed oddball (but not in an appealing way) who doesn't appear to care about anything. Literally. When asked to write an essay about something that matters to her she scrawls at the bottom of the assignment that she really doesn't care about the subject she's covered but believes she's fulfilled the assignment.

Does Lee go on to evolve or develop ideas or convictions? No. The writer takes us through the base, humiliated 'relationship' Lee has with her highschool crush, a cringeworthy tale through and through.

At the end of the book we're left scratching our heads. Has Lee learned anything, grown or changed? It appears she'll continue on forever being uninterstingly odd and never connecting with other human beings in any real way.

The racial stereotypes were tiresome and the main character was singularly unlikeable. I'm mystified by the hype around this book.

When is the last time, if ever, I have hated the main character of a book as much as I hate Lee Fiora? Nothing comes to mind at the moment. At the beginning of the book I saw some simularities between myself and Lee. But as the book progressed all simularities vanished and I couldn't stand her!

Here is the plot of this book:

"LMC" Lee goes to boarding school. She hates it. She spends her all her high school years pining after the same worthless boy and feeling awkward, leftout, and alone. She is ashamed of her parents, herself, everything.

She is a spineless, snivelling, feel sorry for herself girl with no confidence or self respect.

The book has no real plot. It constantly shifts pointlessly across wide expanses of time, leaving the reader confused and annoyed.

And to finish the story off with a bang for anyone who stuck around long enough, Lee lets a boy take advantage of her and is still self hating, deplorable old Lee. No, you will not even be granted the satisfaction of seeing her become a better person. The story just ends and thank god it finally did.

I'm sure there are lots of people like Lee in the world and that this book provides an excellent view of their world. But you know what I don't care. I read books because I enjoy them. This book made me want to recycle it as toilet paper.

I do not recommend this. There are WAY better books out there.

Being a boarding school child myself, I was amazed at how accurate her portrayal of the experience was. I picked up the book thinking, "No one really knows what boarding school is like," but she did a great job of picking up on the feelings that occur while going through such a unique experience. I felt like at times she jumped inside my head and wrote the book from my experience! You are right, this is not much like private school, but boarding school... it is right on. Good book.

I had to respond to all the negative reviewers-- I thought this book was one of the best I read all year. I think the only way you might not like this book is if you can't identify at all with the protagonist-- if you never felt insecure in high school, for instance. Otherwise, the author's well-written observations (through the eyes of Lee) ring true on every page. I only wish more authors could so accurately sketch emotions with words. Great read!

Prep hooked me from the first chapter - something about Sittenfield's novel is so real and engaging that it is hard to read without seeing some of yourself in the writing. Even as a college student, I felt like I could have written some the passages about my own life and experiences; Sittenfield has a gift for putting thoughts into words. The book is funny, sad, uncomfortable, awkward, but above all, real. It is filled with honesty and truth about how we grow up and come to terms with who we are versus who we want to be. I have recommended this book to several of my friends, and i have not received one negative comment back.

This book is boring! Lee Fiora is joyless. Her constant angst was depressing - she was on the outside because she chose to be, and lamented the fact for 406 pages. The other characters were one-dimensional, except for Martha. I would have enjoyed the book more if it had been about Martha - special and ordinary in Lee's words. Her "hook-up" with Cross Sugarman was not believable, and by that time I wondered why he would bother with someone so uninteresting, so unremarkable, so nothing. She excelled at nothing, because she made no attempt to be anything but an outsider. How could she have been so special at home? The book was awful. If I see the author's name again, I will run.

Of course, I didn't like "She's Come Undone." Both books are about a girl who is disconnected from the world. Sittenfeld's novel was mildly entertaining, but if she'd used the words "definitive" or "definitively" one more time, I was going to throw the book in the toilet.

Interesting narrative, but her jumps between Ault and life-after-Ault were annoying. For example, there was some minor suspense regarding "spring-cleaning," but a review of Lee's yearbook clearly shows that she was not thrown out... so much for that.

Is the writing fabulous? Yes. Is the story very ordinary? Yes. However, what makes this book worth reading is the depth of Lee Fiora, as explained by Sittenfeld. There were times when I loved Lee and was rooting for her, but there are also parts of the novel were I was disgusted with her behavior. However, Lee Fiora is very human and thats what I like most about it. Sure, there are parts of the book that are for lack of a better word, bubblegum. The comparisons to Holden Caufield, I think are without merit, but overall its very enjoyable. The writing is quite impressive for a debut novel. I am very much looking forward to Sittenfeld's next work and am hoping the sophomore effort does not disappoint.

I could not put this book down i even read it on lunch breaks at work! I am a 22 yr old woman and related to every problem and accompishment, even though i never went to a prep school or had any view of school other than public.

To me the underlined story of this book was to not disect your life but to just sit back and enjoy being you. We all have that feeling of not belonging or feeling weird, outcasted or shunned for not having the money to support their teenage desires. The race and sex was there but it always is a factor in everyones life, just some people acknowledge every choice and every decision while wondering why others can just... do as they wish. Lee learned to stand up for what she wants and not to let others decide for her, also as bad as today seems the feeling will fade as fast as they had happened. READ THIS BOOK! High school is all the same no matter where you went.

Lee Fiora will always be one of my favorite characters. Not for any great feat she accomplished in this novel, but for her wit and power of observation. She notices things that I have always felt but never had the words to explain. This book is a true triumph of literature.

Sittenfeld tries to emulate Holden Caufield in this book and it's easy to say that she succeeds in doing so. Although many books have been written in a similar vein this one stands out because Sittenfeld accurate portreys the character of a teenager. It doesn't even matter that the character is a girl and this novel is just as accessible to guys as to girls. I knew many girls in high school who were like this character. She reminded me of many of them in terms of her humour and self-consciousness. Overall the book is quite funny and it's an easy summer read for the cottage or the beach. I'd recommend it for all ages, and for anyone who looks back upon their teenage years with fondness or with dread.

The author is extremely talented as far as her writing ability goes, however that the story was questionable. As a white female from the Midwest, I could relate to Lee and see myself feeling some of the things she did had I been in her shoes as a teenager. However, I was really disappointed in that she really never changed in four years. She made only one friend and the whole sex thing with Cross was also disappointing and disgusting. I also thought the author's use of stereotypes was out of control and unnecessary. I think the only thing that kept me reading was that I kept hoping that it would get better, but I don't really feel that it did.

This book has got to be one of the worst I've ever read. The main character Lee is from a middle class family and is attending a boarding school where all of her peers are wealthy. Lee overthinks EVERYTHING and it gets annoying really fast, she can't do anything for herself and you'll be screaming at the book telling her what to do. She's so self-involved and if the book were funny it would be okay but it seems as if the book is supposed to be serious. I got tricked by an adorable cover and a cute story but the author just didn't bring this story to life for me. For God sakes you don't even know what year it takes place but you know everything about every person attending Lee's school, Ault, their first and last names, what their parents do, how many siblings, these are all people Lee has never even talked to. Boring book and really hard to get through.

I read everything from chick lit to true crime to the classics and this one was just too slow and too shallow for me. There is very little depth to this book and I am truly suprised I perservered to the finish. The main character, as another reviewer put it, is annoying and pathetic - and not in an endearing way. It also killed me that the one black girl got expelled in the beginning bc she stole money from all the white girls - come on! cliche and stereotypical.

I did enjoy reading about some of her coming of age experiences (which were truly hilarious and quite graphic) but it was not a page turner for me (I am a reader who needs action-packed or intricate stories to stay hooked). This is almost like a Judy Blume book for adults.

Somebody recommended this book to me. I didn't realize it was a teenager book. I couldn't stand to listen to much and I returned it to the library in the middle of the 2nd CD.

Teen angst: worrying about outfits and popularity. Gimme a break. Wait till you get older and you have to worry about your health, job, mortgage, etc.

After reading some of the other reviews, I am ashamed to admit that I loved Lee and actually could relate to her in some ways. Sure, some of the things she did were stupid, and others made you cringe but she seemed like a real person. I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted a fun, serious, and entertaining read all at the same time.

The major flaw is that the narrator of the story is boring. Very boring. Boring, as in, "I skimmed through major pages of narration detailing the narrator's innermost thoughts in order to get to the next bit of dialogue" boring.

In spite of the tedious narration and lack of growth of our protagonist, the book was interesting. Reading about high school experiences of the well-to-do prep school students was interesting, and if Sittenfeld's narrator was more interesting and less of a doorpost the book could have been a dynamic tour-de-force instead of what it ended up as, which is less than the sum of its parts.

Recommended with caution.

For me, I went to a privite school my whole life and this year '06 my friend decided to go to boarding school so she picked up this book and read it in a day (she is not a very fast or aved reader)and recommened it. Only this summer did I read it. I thought it was an AMAZING book. This book I think tells the truth about the high school life and is not just another book where the author is trying to figure out what the teenager is like. This book tells of the confusion of cruchs and high school and being an outcast. I think this book is one of my favorites yet.

This book was a big disappointment to me, I figured I should definitely read it because of all the rave reviews. Well, I don't know what those reviewers were thinking. Although, yes, at times Sittenfeld did have good writing and some of her observations rang true, this book had no true, original insight or anything to say. It was cliched, overly long, and most of all, had an extremely unlikable protagonist that almost made the book impossible to read.

Another reviewer said it was okay that Lee, the main character was flawed, and I agree that characters should be flawed, but no so much that you hate them. The fact that this was told in Lee's first-person narration made it even worse. Throughout the entire novel, Lee was whiny, overly insecure, unmotivated, materialistic, and shallow. She was a pushover and only cared about what other people thought of her. I thought that by the end of the novel, when Lee was a senior, she would mature and learn her lessons, but she never did. As someone who just finished high school, I saw Lee as incredibly immature. Her obsession with other peoples' opinions was equal to a thirteen year old's, and she didn't do anything to distinguish herself.

All of the other characters were cliched and underdeveloped. I never really got a real grasp on them. It was also cliched that (of course) Lee would fall for the most popular guy in school, althoug I don't see why since Sittenfeld's portrayal of him made him totally unlikable. The way that Lee let him walk all over her was sickening, and again, she never truly learned her lesson. The sex scenes between them weren't sensual but rather they were overly detailed -- I almost felt like I was reading a dry anatomical guide.

Perhaps this novel would have been better if Sittenfeld wrote in third person and focused on other characters as well, to distance us from Lee and to make it more interesting. Prep was also overly long, and since its chapters were episodic, maybe Sittenfeld should've made this a series of interconnected short stories so the reader could pick and choose as they pleased. Out of (I think) 6 chapters, I only really enjoyed 2 of them, although those would still only merit a rating of three out of five.

However, none of these suggestion wouldn't have solved Sittenfeld's fundamental problems of unoriginality, lack of insight, and most of all, a thoroughly unlikable protagonist. If Sittenfeld based Lee on herself, I can't help but feel sorry for her. The author does have potential, and I hope that if she writes another novel she'll strive for more originality (and editing). If you still want to read this book, I would recommend that you read it with someone else so you can vent about the novel's, and Lee's, shortcomings with that person.

While I hesitate to put this author in the category of the Carson McCullers, I found this young author's first novel touchingly engaging, evocative and poignant. I sat up most of the night to finish it, an indulgence I can rarely afford. I am a graduate of a private secondary school and formerly all-male university and found so much to which I could relate, despite my being a generation older than Ms. Sittenfeld. Additionally, as a college physician and the mother of two adolescents, my heart broke for the protagonist, Lee Fiora, and hated her prep school advisor for doing so pitiably little for this needy child. To portray the book as a three-hankie is misleading, however, as there was plenty of caustic humor in her tale as well. Further, there was far greater verisimilitude in the portrayal of her female characters, in particular, than is generated in "I Am Charlotte Simmons," Tom Wolf's unconvincing novel about a brilliant, athletic, beautiful and disciplined but inexplicably helpless adolescent and her cheerleader-esque cohorts in an Ivy League university. Ms. Sittenfeld's novel easily sits above the salt with the gold standards of adolescent literature, including "A Separate Peace," "Catcher in the Rye," "Old School," and "Brideshead Revisited." My one minor criticism concerns the disingenuous title and dust jacket. This truly reminds us that one should not judge a book by its cover. The title is cheap, the jacket cheaper. I suspect the publisher was making an attempt to attract the "chick lit" crowd, but this is so, so much better than that newly popular genre of fiction. My dust jackets usually disappear into the black hole under my bed anyway.

This book reminded me a lot of the satiric tone of Tom Perrotta of Little Children, or Election fame and even Bret Easton Ellis' Rules of Attraction. Are there stereotypes here? Definitely! Do they ring true? Absolutely. There are so many cliches running around campus or boarding school campuses that it can be hard to count them. The narrator is a bit snobby or judgemental but so are a lot of teenagers and thank god this one is smart, funny, whimsical and interesting. Not everyone will like this but I really did and I find that the more I read it, the funnier it gets.

This book made me burn my dinner,and forget to let the dogs out before bed. Sittenfeld and her characters of Ault academy captivated me from beginning to end. As a former English teacher, this is the first book that I've read since Wally Lamb's, She's Come Undone that really captures what it's like to be young,akward,and adolescent.By providing her characters with identifiable flaws, Sittenfeld made it easy to connect with the ficticious students. Although the book takes place at a prestigious prep school and there are most definitly issues involving money and social class, Sittenfield remembered to include elements that most people can relate to on some level; sex,friendship,and peer interaction to name a few. If I was still in the classroom, I would bring this book to my students in a heartbeat. As an adult reader, I enthusiastically reccomend this book to anyone looking for a new take on a familar theme. Curtis Sittenfeld is one to watch.

After reading some of the other reviews, I am ashamed to admit that I loved Lee and actually could relate to her in some ways. Sure, some of the things she did were stupid, and others made you cringe but she seemed like a real person. I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted a fun, serious, and entertaining read all at the same time.

The major flaw is that the narrator of the story is boring. Very boring. Boring, as in, "I skimmed through major pages of narration detailing the narrator's innermost thoughts in order to get to the next bit of dialogue" boring.

In spite of the tedious narration and lack of growth of our protagonist, the book was interesting. Reading about high school experiences of the well-to-do prep school students was interesting, and if Sittenfeld's narrator was more interesting and less of a doorpost the book could have been a dynamic tour-de-force instead of what it ended up as, which is less than the sum of its parts.

Recommended with caution.

For me, I went to a privite school my whole life and this year '06 my friend decided to go to boarding school so she picked up this book and read it in a day (she is not a very fast or aved reader)and recommened it. Only this summer did I read it. I thought it was an AMAZING book. This book I think tells the truth about the high school life and is not just another book where the author is trying to figure out what the teenager is like. This book tells of the confusion of cruchs and high school and being an outcast. I think this book is one of my favorites yet.

This book was a big disappointment to me, I figured I should definitely read it because of all the rave reviews. Well, I don't know what those reviewers were thinking. Although, yes, at times Sittenfeld did have good writing and some of her observations rang true, this book had no true, original insight or anything to say. It was cliched, overly long, and most of all, had an extremely unlikable protagonist that almost made the book impossible to read.

Another reviewer said it was okay that Lee, the main character was flawed, and I agree that characters should be flawed, but no so much that you hate them. The fact that this was told in Lee's first-person narration made it even worse. Throughout the entire novel, Lee was whiny, overly insecure, unmotivated, materialistic, and shallow. She was a pushover and only cared about what other people thought of her. I thought that by the end of the novel, when Lee was a senior, she would mature and learn her lessons, but she never did. As someone who just finished high school, I saw Lee as incredibly immature. Her obsession with other peoples' opinions was equal to a thirteen year old's, and she didn't do anything to distinguish herself.

All of the other characters were cliched and underdeveloped. I never really got a real grasp on them. It was also cliched that (of course) Lee would fall for the most popular guy in school, althoug I don't see why since Sittenfeld's portrayal of him made him totally unlikable. The way that Lee let him walk all over her was sickening, and again, she never truly learned her lesson. The sex scenes between them weren't sensual but rather they were overly detailed -- I almost felt like I was reading a dry anatomical guide.

Perhaps this novel would have been better if Sittenfeld wrote in third person and focused on other characters as well, to distance us from Lee and to make it more interesting. Prep was also overly long, and since its chapters were episodic, maybe Sittenfeld should've made this a series of interconnected short stories so the reader could pick and choose as they pleased. Out of (I think) 6 chapters, I only really enjoyed 2 of them, although those would still only merit a rating of three out of five.

However, none of these suggestion wouldn't have solved Sittenfeld's fundamental problems of unoriginality, lack of insight, and most of all, a thoroughly unlikable protagonist. If Sittenfeld based Lee on herself, I can't help but feel sorry for her. The author does have potential, and I hope that if she writes another novel she'll strive for more originality (and editing). If you still want to read this book, I would recommend that you read it with someone else so you can vent about the novel's, and Lee's, shortcomings with that person.

While I hesitate to put this author in the category of the Carson McCullers, I found this young author's first novel touchingly engaging, evocative and poignant. I sat up most of the night to finish it, an indulgence I can rarely afford. I am a graduate of a private secondary school and formerly all-male university and found so much to which I could relate, despite my being a generation older than Ms. Sittenfeld. Additionally, as a college physician and the mother of two adolescents, my heart broke for the protagonist, Lee Fiora, and hated her prep school advisor for doing so pitiably little for this needy child. To portray the book as a three-hankie is misleading, however, as there was plenty of caustic humor in her tale as well. Further, there was far greater verisimilitude in the portrayal of her female characters, in particular, than is generated in "I Am Charlotte Simmons," Tom Wolf's unconvincing novel about a brilliant, athletic, beautiful and disciplined but inexplicably helpless adolescent and her cheerleader-esque cohorts in an Ivy League university. Ms. Sittenfeld's novel easily sits above the salt with the gold standards of adolescent literature, including "A Separate Peace," "Catcher in the Rye," "Old School," and "Brideshead Revisited." My one minor criticism concerns the disingenuous title and dust jacket. This truly reminds us that one should not judge a book by its cover. The title is cheap, the jacket cheaper. I suspect the publisher was making an attempt to attract the "chick lit" crowd, but this is so, so much better than that newly popular genre of fiction. My dust jackets usually disappear into the black hole under my bed anyway.

This book reminded me a lot of the satiric tone of Tom Perrotta of Little Children, or Election fame and even Bret Easton Ellis' Rules of Attraction. Are there stereotypes here? Definitely! Do they ring true? Absolutely. There are so many cliches running around campus or boarding school campuses that it can be hard to count them. The narrator is a bit snobby or judgemental but so are a lot of teenagers and thank god this one is smart, funny, whimsical and interesting. Not everyone will like this but I really did and I find that the more I read it, the funnier it gets.

This book made me burn my dinner,and forget to let the dogs out before bed. Sittenfeld and her characters of Ault academy captivated me from beginning to end. As a former English teacher, this is the first book that I've read since Wally Lamb's, She's Come Undone that really captures what it's like to be young,akward,and adolescent.By providing her characters with identifiable flaws, Sittenfeld made it easy to connect with the ficticious students. Although the book takes place at a prestigious prep school and there are most definitly issues involving money and social class, Sittenfield remembered to include elements that most people can relate to on some level; sex,friendship,and peer interaction to name a few. If I was still in the classroom, I would bring this book to my students in a heartbeat. As an adult reader, I enthusiastically reccomend this book to anyone looking for a new take on a familar theme. Curtis Sittenfeld is one to watch.

This book takes you into the world of prep schools, unlike any other book.Lee Fiora is a young girl from the Midwest, and through a scholarship she is able to enter Ault a very fancy prep school in New England. As she battles her way through academics, sports and a social life. Always feeling likes she's on the outside looking in, Lee makes it through Ault, with a litle grace and dignity and with memories of a heartbreaking four years in a world only the select few understand.

From someone who attends a prep school, this book was like looking in at my own life. There were many similarites between Ault and my school and gave me a view of prep schols that was differnt then my own.

One cannot but grieve for the trees slaughtered to produce this tiresome book. While it may be of interest to a few under-thirty graduates of private boarding schools, the eyes of most discriminating grownup readers will surely glaze over by page 20. PREP's 400 pages narrates in exhausting, mind-numbing, largely meaningless detail the passage of a teenage girl through four years of a tony New England prep school. The girl, an "outsider" (because, poor dear, she is from Indiana and her father sells mattresses), is driven by insecurity, cluelessness, chronic angst, self-loathing, whininess and stunning self-absorption (A year in a Calcutta slum would serve her well.). These characteristics, common in adolescents, would be bearable if only this young woman were also funny, imaginative, smart, rebellious, interesting. She is instead unrelentingly bland, vacuous, shallow, not very bright and very, very ordinary. So too, it seems, are most of her friends.

The flat, pedestrian writing in this earnest but dreary work is devoid of humor, irony, compelling descriptions, sharp imagery, a sense of place, drama, interesting, piquant word choice, penetrating insights, fire: it reads like a technical report on say, fish culture, but lacks the depth that such a document would probably possess.

I slogged through the first hundred pages of PREP and then skipped ahead to the last hundred in the hope that things would improve: they didn't. It is, all in all, a tale full of little sound and not much fury signifying almost nothing. At least one blurb intimates that PREP is a modern counterpart of THE CATCHER IN THE RYE. Well, yes: PREP is to Salinger's masterpiece as the Spike Jones version of "Cocktails for Two" is to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. In all fairness, I must record that apparently, I am a minority of one in my negative response to PREP, which is a best seller and has received many laudatory reviews. Ms. Sittenfeld has some impressive writing credentials, so one may hope that her next novel will be about people and events that matter. I'm looking forward to it.

I went to boarding school. I was Lee Fiora. I remember those fall days with those golden red tree leaves, and groups of girls eating and laughing in the dining hall, and I remember always thinking, maybe i will look back on this and miss it, miss feeling part of this prestigious group of people. Which later you learn are as insecure and unsure of anything as you are at this time in your life. This book reminds me, that boarding school is as bad an experience, and as funny as memory as any you'll have in your life. Skip the 35,000 tuition, and just read the book!

I recently read American Wife and enjoyed it, so I decided to try her previous books. This is a well-written book about the world within a world at a boarding school in the northeast seen through the eyes of a girl who never quite fits in. It studies the heirarchies that are found in any community, but particularly in a high school where there are some very wealthy students and others who are there through scholarship. I don't want to give too much away, but I enjoyed the book, even if I didn't always like the main character.

I'm tired of people who try to say that this is what a High School student goes through, because that's just crap. The average High School in America is a bunch of middle and lower class students, who are sex obsessed, drug obsessed, callous and in an age of true catharsis, with no cares of life and death, and all cares of life and death, self-multilators, pornographers, anorexics, bulimics, and constantly morally immoral. My generation of Teens that go to High School, aren't anything like the preps described in this book, and most of the prep's I've experienced are hypersexual, and carrie the best coke, so I see a world of crooked cliches and aimless wandering, in a hopefull and nice view of a much darker world, even though it does get sad at some points, and does convey an interesting and important character of literature. I just cannot stand people trying to compare this to what High School really is like... so please refraim.

While the book isn't life changing, I found it to be an enjoyable read. It digs up the teenage angst most of us have moved on from. You cheer for the books main character, Lee at times while feeling embarrassed for her at others (hence her behavoir with her less-than-boyfriend Cross). In the end, she comes of age but I did feel like there could have been something a little bit more defined that made the finale a little more impactful. A wedding, a great job (she never really gets into what she's doing now), something concrete to show she's lived, learned, moved on. I just felt it ended with minimal resolution.

What does it say about the state of American literature that this book is hailed as adult literary fiction? I mean come on, this is a Young Adult book, a good YA book but not for grownups. NO WAY. I started this book with great hope, but halfway through--when the embarassing juvenile sex scenes started--I got really bored, (is this her diary from prep school?) and realized that nothing meaningful or interesting was going to happen. The realization that prep school is full of preppy--get it, prep-py people is no surprise, and neither is the fact that there are differences between rich people and middle class people!!! If you are a teenager, read this book, if you are an adult looking for a high school graduation present, buy this book. Otherwise, pass it up.

I read this book in such a short time. I thought Lee was a little pathetic, but she was still very young. She did care way too much about what people thought about her, but we all did that when we were in High School. It brought back memories of staring at a boy and you wanted him soo badly,but you could not have him, or he would only speak to you when the prettier girls were not around. I felt bad for Lee,and in the end, Cross ended up being a bigger jerk then i had antisipated, which most of the time the boy you loose your virginity to is. The author at the end tells you what most of the characters are doing in the present, Martha got married, Cross is also married. I kind of wish Lee got married, and got over caring about what people think to the extent she still does. Overall, I definately recommend this book to others.

The promotional quote on the cover of my copy of this book: "A young writer with a crazy amount of talent" from David Eggers, was spot on.

Sittenfeld is a truly gifted writer and one who, I have no doubt, will go on to great things.

I really loved this book for the eloquently expressed teenage experiences that we can all relate to (unfulfilled academic promise, unrequited love and universal struggle to find your niche in the world).

Lee Fiora is a diffident, infuriatingly fragile and interior sort of character who does try the patience at times. However, in Sittenfeld's deft hands she becomes a gripping narrator who compels you to keep reading this verisimilar tale. I'm not sure that I will revisit it over the years though (like I have with 'Catcher in the Rye').

Just as Lee Fiora says of her boarding school "the single best thing about Ault, [was] the sense of possibility." The single best thing about this book is the wordsmith behind it. Bravo Sittenfeld! I will definitely be looking out for your next book.

I enjoyed the character and plot development that Sittenfeld was able to provide. While reading, this development helped me feel as if I truly were experiencing life through the eyes of Lee, the main character. The one thing that made me dislike the book, however, are the graphic sex scenes toward the end of the novel. I found them to be unnecessarily graphic which I was unprepared for. These scenes lessened my opinion of the book.

This book is definetely not an inaccurate portrayal of Prep schools. I admit I go to one, and this is a very accurate portrayal of teenage girls in rich prep schools, and can even relate to teenage guys. Curtis Sittenfeld is a teacher at my school, St. Albans School, and almost everyone in the school has picked up a copy of the book. Ms. Sittenfeld admits that some experiences from her teaching at St. Albans affected her book, and after attedning St. Albans and reading the book I can tell you its true. Admittedly from what I hear Ms. Sittenfeld isn't quite the best teacher in the school, but she's an amazing author and you have to pick up a copy of "Prep"!

As someone who attended an elite northeastern prep school, I have to say that the characterization was extremely accurate. In fact, at times I thought that she might be writing about my school (i'm still not sure that she wasn't). In addition, although socially I was the antithesis of Lee, the parallels between what went on in her head and mine were, at times, freaky. Overall, this novel was a great read, the characters were plausible, and the writing style was top notch. I am looking forward to her second novel!

My first review on the store!

Possible Spoilers Sittenfeld quickly establishes Lee as a shallow, materialistic girl, who would also be vain if she had any confidence (the few physical compliments she does receive, she gloats over - so it's likely that both Sittenfeld and Lee herself want us to believe that she's actually fairly attractive, but Ault crushed her self-esteem). So I wonder why we are never given any detailed physical description of Lee, or really any of the characters. Teenage girls do obsess over minutiae when it comes to looks, so this just doesn't seem accurate to me. Of course, I could overlook this if it was an overall style, but it's not consistent.

However, this is in no way the least realistic aspect of the book. The relationship between Lee and Cross Sugarman is ludicrous. As I mentioned above, Lee is likely of more than average attractiveness, so Cross's passing sexual desire school for her is not crazy. But the liaison would never last that long. Even if their relationship had been drawn as purely exploitative on Cross's side, he would have grown tired of her much sooner, because the female population of the school was wide open to him and nothing is remarkable about Lee. Cross says he was attracted to Lee because she was funny. I didn't find her that funny. This whole section, the last quarter of the book, insults the reader's intelligence.

- nitpicking: there's a point when Cross first kisses Lee, and she explains how she was obsessed with kissing and thought about it all the time. How boring is an 18 year old girl whose only admitted sexual fantasy is KISSING? I thought she was Catholic, not brainwashed out of normalcy. It's clear later she's not a prude. It makes no sense.

I think I would have believed the storyline more and had more respect for Lee (and Cross would have had more respect for her) if she was the one who sought out Cross. There would be support for that action since she'd been lusting after him for years. Then there would have been fallout for acting slutty, but at least then she would have done SOMETHING.

There's no reason to like Lee. When she wonders why her super-achieving roommate formed a bond with her, I wondered too. However, though Sittenfeld seemed to want to make that passage an explanation in itself "So, this great girl liked me, I don't know why but she did, so that must make it plausible and I must be likeable," I didn't see it like that. Lee's admission that Martha had no reason to be her friend just highlighted the situation's improbability. I was like, "Lee, you're right (for once)! Wait, why AM I supposed to like you again?" She joins no activities, but she doesn't seem to do anything on her own either. She doesn't even really do her homework. Cross tells her interesting people spend time alone; you realize all the time she spent alone was wishing she was doing something interesting.. Are we supposed to pity Lee for wasting her high school years and her parents' money, sabotaging her chance to get into a good college?

I think Prep could have been excellent and that Sittenfeld has the potential to write an excellent book (just stop the comparisons to Salinger and Holden Caulfield - one review said that if Holden and Lee met in an alternate universe, Holden would love her. No. Just no. That's sacrilege. Holden would think she's a loser, cuz she is). However, the early reviews I've read of her upcoming book are all saying it's worse than Prep.

Two stars. Might have been more for potential, but this book is so hyped already, that I can afford to be harsh.

This book was terrible. Just because this book is set at a boarding school does not put it into the ranks of J.D. Salinger and Knowles as the cover eludes. The main character is annoying and I found my self waiting for action to begin. No intelligent internal dialogue. This book does not even begin to touch issues such as those in Catcher or A Separate Peace. I found myself quitting it when I was 3/4 of the way through wondering when the main character would get a self-esteem so I wouldn't have to read descriptions of sexual acts.

Unfortunately, this book engaged me right away. I was very interested for the first half. As I got to the middle, I was starting to get a little sick of Lee's insecurity issues and I just wanted her to make a change, enjoy SOMETHING about her life at Ault. I decided to keep on truckin' through the rest of the book, hoping that she would have outgrown the feeling of insignificance. I found it aggravating that she obsessed so much over the stupid things, and in turn was not able to enjoy any aspect of her life. I think this theme is a little overdone in the book, to be honest; I don't think a real person would be this extreme. It would have been nice to see her make a change as an adult and at least find happiness in SOMETHING. A big disappointment in the end.

I have never written a review before, but I feel it is my civic duty to warn people that is the single worst book ever. I wish I could get back the hours I wasted on prep. It was beyond horrible. The main character, Lee, was the most pathetic individual I have come across in my 30 years of reading. She did not possess one redeemable quality and by the end of the book, I simple could not wait for it to be over. Lee was not interesting, passionate, compassionate, intelligent, witty, kind, selfless, nada. She is lucky she even found one person to be nice to her at school. Unless you are 14 years old and attend prep school, I can't think of a single reason why anyone would find this remotely worthwhile. Never has a book left me with such a bitter taste in my mouth. Lee was annoying and pathetic and it bothers me greatly that young, impressionable girls have been exposed to these pages of utter garbage - even for a nanosecond. I might add that I got this book from the library, and I am still angry I wasted my time on it.

The book cover shows excerpts of reviews from well-known and respected sources that seem to think this book is great. However, it is not great. I only finished it because I really, really kept hoping it would get better. But it never did.

The main character, Lee, is boring, negative, and unhappy - but it is ALL her fault. She has many, many, many opportunities to make friends and make her experience happier; but she doesn't. Then she complains about being so unhappy. As my dad says, "life is what you make it...if you sit around acting unhappy, you're always going to be unhappy." This statement fits Lee perfectly. If I met this Lee character in real life, I would probably hit her right in her face.

So, if you want to read a book about an unhappy teen, who has every opportunity to make her life better, but refuses every single one of them because she's too self conscious - then sits around and whines and moans about how horrible her life is...and NEVER changes...then read this book.

In my copy, there were book club questions and an interview with the author. I glanced through it, and much of it seemed to center on how her experiences are universal to all adolescents. Um, no. I could not relate to Lee in the least - even at my unhappiest and most self conscious times as a teenager. I understand the concept of being self-conscious and worrying about what other people think - but she doesn't do ANYTHING AT ALL because she is so hung up on it. Unless her one friend is around (and honestly, I don't know why this girl is friends with her) she literally sits around by herself complaining about being sad and alone and by herself. She would say things like 'if I have a good experience with someone, I have to let time pass avoiding seeing them so that I don't ruin that good experience. And the better the experience, the longer I have to avoid them.' See why I want to punch her? She doesn't try, and that's the most annoying thing of all.

I usually sell my books back to a bookstore when I'm done with them. I threw this one in the trashcan, with great relish.

I was on vacation, if I was at home I think I would have burned it.

I am a teacher at a prep school, and I thought that this book captured both the teenage years and prep school life as well as any book I have read. It was a well written, enjoyable read, and one that rang true with authenticity all the way.

Prep has been receiving a lot of press, but I don't see why. It's a coming-of-age novel whose protagonist, Lee, has been called "a new Holden Caulfield," but I'll be surprised if the book has that much staying power. It's a good school story, no more and no less. Lee gets herself into an elite boarding school, feels intimidated, finds it hard to make friends but finally does, has crushes, gets over them, cheats, gets away with it, and so on. Nothing new here. For a truly remarkable coming-of-age novel (and another first novel), see Crossing California, by Adam Langer. I wish it had received as much attention as Prep.

I read this book from the perspective of fellow prepster, having also attended a boarding school in the Northeast. "Prep" rang very true to the prep school world as well to its caste systems. The whole section about college admissions was especially accurate. (I am sure glad my school was all-girls, since it would appear that all kids at coed schools ever think about is sex.) In one section, Lee reviews yearbooks containing the pictures of Ault students going "all the way back to 1976." Yikes! That's my class! Second, I found the main character to be incredibly unlikable in all her mealiness, indecisiveness, timidity, and self-deprecation. In retrospective, I guess there were kids who just kind of slunk through school, but I don't remember any of them being such human punching bags. I did enjoy the book (reunion is coming up and I'm sure we'll all be talking about it), but I think it had more to do with the depiction of the prep school environment than about caring what happened to this insipid and wretched girl.

She hits the nail on the head -- that is if you are interested in this partcular nail -- and the world of this novel is not something universally relatable to. That said, it's a book that reflects a lot of work, great style and a formidable glimpse into the world of super wealthy schools and the families they attract: from the outsider's point of view, too (much to it's credit!) Good job. And we should know. We are:

Manhattan Private School Advisor

[...]

While Im not going to say this is the most captuating, cant put the book down book ever read (in fact at times i found myself drifting off because of how slow the storyline was becoming) I definately enjoyed reading it. While I didn't go to boarding school, and was not so much as insecure as Lee, reading her story brought back so much of my own self back in high school. I, like all teenage females, had some self confidence issues, some which just went away as high school went on, some i had to really work on, some which remain to this day. While reading "Prep", I was really able to go back to my own high school experience, even remembering a lot of my own thoughts and observations, and it really felt good to realize how much I changed. So, if not so much entertaining, this book is definately therapeutic!

I found this book a very good read. It was written in a very "teenage" way. As the main charater goes away to boarding school she finds that the place she thought was going to be heaven on earth is almost the exact opposite. She spends most of her freshman year alone exept for one incedent on "suprise holiday" where she gets to spend a day with her crush. Finally in Sophmore year she finds Martha her best friend. Im not gonna give away the whole plot you have to read and find out yourself.

Overall it was a decent read but I found the end a little dull. It definatly could have been wrapped up better. I would still recomend it to any teenage girl.

I really enjoyed this novel, even though some of the chapters were a little too long. I really liked how readers are shown a bit of the future, which helps to satisfy that, "What happens next?" obsession that at least I have.

Overall, the book was entertaining and a quick read. While it didn't address the ideas of race, etc as described on the jacket and the climax comes rather late in the story, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to my friends.

I really enjoyed this book. Though it sometimes seemed that there wasn't much of a story in there, it was more of an experience and I got really hooked on the book. I think the book is intended for teens, but I picked it up at the airport at age 25 and it seem like it would be appropriate for any age.

It was a very engaging tale, a sort of "coming of age" story, but, like all stories of the same genre, it was very predictable. Lee goes to a "snobby" prep school and doesn't fit in. She suffers what alot of adolescents go through, a sort of "weird" shyness because she's ashamed of her middle class upbringing, and thus, she almost makes an effort NOT to fit in. However, the story was well told, but very predictable. It's very obvious the path that Lee is on, and the eventual outburst is almost expected.

Not a bad read, but not as engaging as the bookjacket lead me to believe.

The only reason I'm giving this two stars rather than one is because I really enjoyed the first "year." Which made the rest of the book even more of a catastrophic letdown than it otherwise might have been.

So, let's see: A rich girl who went to prep school and seems to have a massive chip on her shoulder writes a book about a lower middle class girl who went to prep school and has a massive chip on her shoulder? And said rich girl makes the "LMC" girl even more of a snob than her upper crust classmates? And nothing happens, ever? And you never get to know any of the characters, including the protagonist, on anything but the most superficial level? And the dialogue is crap? And "years later" the protagonist can look back and understand all the things they did wrong, and how inevitable it was because they were teenagers?

And over this, we're all supposed to cream ourselves at the authenticity, and compare it to Catcher in the Rye, and say "ooooh, we know EXACTLY how Lee feels?"

Give me a break. Of course we all know EXACTLY how Lee feels, because this is the most banal, overtold story in the world. It's not that we've really felt that way ourselves, it's just that we've read enough Juv-Fic in our lives that we believe we ought to have at sometime between the ages of 14 and 17.

This should've been marketed as Young Adult Literature, because from start to finish, that's exactly what it is. What a trite piece of junk.

I don't know about you, but I loved this book! I'm in 8th grade, and I could completely relate to Lee, the main character. I too feel like an outsider.

I don't know why you think there's no plot. The plot is highscool. It's four years through Lee's eyes at Ault. Satisifed, now?

I think the best part was when Cross came to her. I loved all the sex scenes!

Prep is a well written coming of age story that is writtem for a "contemporary" audience. (If you wonder what I mean by coontemporary, think of the beautiful but somehow forgetable writing of The Lovely Bones.) But this is a coming of age story, not the sort of journalistic view presented by Tom Wolfe in I Am Charlotte Simmons, and readers will therefore feel the angst and uncertainty of growing up, a la Catcher In The Rye or a new book called The Big Kids which also does the genre justice. There will be complaints about whether this book accurately gets at boarding school life, but come on, it's fiction! Prep could have been deeper or broader, but it's still a decent read.

Curtis Sittenfield is inarguably a talented writer -- she is no hack. But I find it hard to believe that not once during the process of writing this book did she ever think that maybe her lead character, Lee, was too one-dimesnional. I echo other reviewers when I say that Lee is boring and spiritless and fails to have one insightful revelation or make one positive change in her four year stint at Ault. But moreover, the girl is so painfully morbid it borderlines insitutional (and not in the "Girl, Interrupted" or "Bell Jar" kind of way!). Guilt, anxiety, paranoia, self-hate, petulence, apathy...more apathy... and did I mention apathy? UGH! It's like that annoying, depressed, needy friend, who always calls you with the same sob story. After a while, you just stop answering the phone. I wish I would have had the fortitude to put the book down, to hang-up on Lee's whiny ramblings as it were, but I honestly had the false hope that she would grow up a little and find some redeeming qualities. I was painfully disappointed to find out she never did. Don't waste your time. Even the sex scenes don't articulate the kind of elation one feels when being seduced for the first time.

The author's style of writing was engaging and authentic. Her characters are real,there were so many moments when i was reading the book that i was like, yes exactly! i thought i was the only one who thinks like that.

i liked how the book wasn't glossy fluff, don't expect to read a charming tale about a poor girl who finds the love of her life and eventually becomes queen of the school. the book was authentic almost to the point where sometimes i wish that the protaganist got a little break but sittenfeld is an amazing writer. i can't wait to see what else she writes.

My daughters brought me to hear a reading by Curtis Sittenfeld at our local bookstore. If anyone has an opportunity to hear her talk and read it is well worth the trip/ time. The book is well written although a bit disturbing at times. After reading the book I was glad my girls go to day school but they do share some of the same issues. I was pleased to have the chance to discuss the book with my girls.

I was a little unsure of reading a book that took place in High School, but I loved boarding school novels when I was in HS! This book is such a great example of teenage insecurity, fear and the feeling of not fitting in. I have re-read this book many times and each time, you find something new. The character of Lee is well written and for me was easy to relate too. This also looks at issues of class, wealth and privilege in our society.

Lee, the narrator and protagonist of Prep, is one of the most unlikeable main characters that I've encountered. Her tedious self-consciousness gets old by the time she's a sophomore. The endless introspection and judgments of others seem to be way beyond what a teenager would actually think or be able to articulate. The author's adult perspective is too apparent in many of Lee's riffs on her classmates, teachers, parents, etc.

The story is absorbing enough; the settings seem authentic. It makes for a decent read, but Lee comes off as a selfish, self-absorbed and ungrateful snob-in-reverse.

I read this book about a year ago. I liked the book becuase it described a situation i have never been in: boarding school. It was an interesting insight into the lives of these kids who go to to school in most cases far from home. I liked the book but the main character or narrator i guess i should call her bugged me during the entire read. She is pathetic! She leaves her old school for this "prestigious" boarding school which her parents can barely afford and what does she do there? She covers up her real personality and becomes a quiet little freak-a-leak who only cares about the acceptance of a certain male classmate, (and real "mate" later on) Cross Sugarman. He uses her and manipulates her and in the end she acutually thinks that Cross likes her when really he's just doing some sort of list with his roomate. She is so dependent on him that it takes away from ther rest of the story. I ended up feeling bad for her when Cross tells her about the fish/cheese list and she finally realizes that the only reason he kept sleeping with her was because she gave good head. He also knew that she wouldn't tell anyone about their secret "hook ups" becuase first of all no one would believe her and second of all she is too shy in the first place. Overall the main character and her desperate desire to be accepted bothered me throughout the entire book. I may seem like i'm flip floping like John Kerry but i really did like the book just not the narrator. I would definetly recomend reading this becuase I think it is a good coming of age novel. I wouldn't really recomend it to a boy but i think most girls/women would like it; it is an interesting read that i overall enjoyed.

Perhaps not as much of a 'what's lurking on the next page' as "THE DA VINCI CODE" and not as flowery as "MIDDLESEX," but a finely written book that proves to be a true guilt pleasure treat. Like the seedily addictive "MY FRACTURED LIFE," "PREP" shows off a journalist's attention to detail with the author's descriptions and a soft touch for the pains of coming of age like in "LIFE OF PI." Not the fiery race-on-the-edge of "MY FRACTURED LIFE" or "VERNON GOD LITTLE," but a powerful ride worth taking.

While reading this book I began to wish that I was the kind of person that could stop reading a book without finishing it, but no such luck. When I put this down last night, I felt for the first time in a long time that I had completely wasted my time. I kept waiting for something of substance to occur, for some epiphany to leap out at me to make it all worth my time, and nothing came.

This is a typical story about an annoying teenager who feels like she is nobody and who has the usual (yawn) high school angst. Nothing new, novel or exciting here. Rather a cliche in my mind. I had hoped that this very unappealing protagonist would realize something, anything, that would make it seem like her experiences in school had meant something, or that I had not wasted my time reading about them, but no such luck. Basically, this awkward and unhappy girl, who is completely bored with everything in life and who has no passion for anything or interest in anything, but who has disdain for everything, floats through 4 years and drags us with her. I can't think of any kid who doesn't have SOME passion or interest in life; whether it be reading, video games, shopping, eating, sports, cartoons, TV, ANYTHING!! But this girl has nothing. She's like a walking zombie. I wanted to shake her and say "WAKE UP!!!" At the end of this tedious novel I thought that I might discover that she had actually figured things out at some point. That she had found her "groove" or her niche in college, or through a job, or through a friendship or other life experience. Nope. She hated college, didn't really find a relationship (or at least never alluded to it), didn't really have any meaningful or substantial friendships, and by the looks of it, drifted from job to job. She didn't even travel or try to "find herself" (to carry on the bad cliche). When I finished reading this, I wanted to slap her, and write a letter to the author (and the publisher) asking "what on earth was this supposed to be about?". The poorly written scene at the end with her standing on the T platform with a hangover and watching people walk by going about their business was a sad attempt at I'm not sure what. I think the author was trying to accomplish something with this novel, but she just didn't achieve it. Don't waste your time. Read Catcher in the Rye again and save this for the dog to chew or to start the fire when winter arrives.

This book is undeniably well-written. But a novel also needs interesting characters and intriguing plot development. I found that "Prep" lacked both. There are literally places in the book where you can skip several pages and not miss a single important story point. Above in one of the editorial reviews it is noted that the narrator, Lee, "sees herself as 'one of the mild, boring, peripheral girls' among her privileged classmates." She is indeed that. I don't read novels to read about mild, boring, peripheral characters. With all the undeserved comparisons to Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" being made, I'd suggest reading that instead.

I first picked up this book because of all the rave reviews and the enticing cover, but I was sorely disappointed when I discovered that the novel was nothing more than the annoying whining of a self-absorbed, low self-esteemed loser.

The protagonist's lack of both personality and confidence is so disturbing and frustrating, that I could not even finish the second half of the book. Please know that I never stop reading a book smack in the middle.

Not only is the main character unengaging, but the other characters simply fly in and out of her life. I don't believe I could identify any form of character or plot development. I personally don't believe it was well-written either.

I didn't go to prep school, but I really don't think that has much to do with anything. I am not a wizard that plays Quidditch, and I still loved Harry Potter.

Probably her best novel, and they are all very good. She is a smart and funny women. I have to say I find it a bit audacious to write a 500+ page novel about prep school so soon after finishing school.

I absolutely love this book and have read it several times since it's publication. It's a story I don't tire of and I find myself really feeling what the main character is going through. Her portrayl of the East Coast boarding school life is uncanny and it brings to light everything a kid of that age must deal with. Excellent, excellent book!

I was duped into spending a whole day reading this book, duped by an attractive cover, an intriguing setting and several pages of glowing reviews. I thought surely, the sages at New York Times Book Review cannot be wrong.

At first, the story is interesting, though implausible. Clever, sensitive, keen-eyed, observant girl has the courage to leave her family at 13! to go somewhere completely different from anything she's known. After a few semesters at the Ault School however, Lee Fiora (parents like hers would never give a girl such a cool name) begins to metamorphose into something bizzare & unrecognizable. She aquires a 2nd personality that sort of inexplicably sprouts and grows on her like a toxic mushroom - no doubt bred by the damp, & chilly New England air.

The 2nd Lee Fiora is a self-absorbed imbecile without gratitude for any of the extraordinary opportunities given her, or even the daily acts of kindness some of her teachers and classmates show her. She never sees good in anyone or anything unless they are of some use to her (ie her best friend Martha), and her initial curiosity and wonder turn into ugly selfishness, meanness and repellent small-mindedness. There is nothing in her that is interesting or worth any empathy, because she's no longer a recognizable person. She's a synthetic character, a cartoon, a silly thing that could never be a flesh and blood girl. She's the sketch you see on a pamphlet, to prove a point, not to depict a person.

There are also some ridiculous stereotypes that make you wonder whether the author has ever met people of different races/nationalities. Sin-Yun would never speak such bad English after several years of studying at an American school. "Sin-Yun leave school" or some such ridiculous 1st grade sentence is what an non-English speaker may say after 2 months of being in the US, not after 2 years. And believe it or not, even non-Americans know that referring to oneself in the 3rd person is weird. Obviously, the author never met a smart, educated person from Asia.

I wish I'd never known about Lee Fiora. 10 minutes conversing or getting to know a real person would be far more fascinating than a whole book of this fabricated monster. The only thing I learned from this waste of time is that New York Times can be wrong, very wrong.

Maybe hits a bit too close to home but feels so familiar. The narrator can be unlikeable but always feels very real. Her observations as an adult looking back onto her years at boarding school brought everything into context. Great book!

Totally fun, poignant read. I think those who rate it poorly are either defensive about elitist East Coast boarding schools and/or see a little too much of themselves in the protagonist than is comfortable! How many of us truly survived high school (boarding or not) unscathed?

The official title of this book is called: 'Prep: A Novel'. She can't be serious can she?
First of, this book is hardly a story. It has no plot line, before anybody gets on my back about how this is contemporary novel, blah de dah, I'm just saying what I feel. This book, to me, is like a diary that has been stolen from a depressed girl that has to make up fantasies to cheer herself up.
After reading this book twice (to make sure I've actually read the book correctly) I'm still wondering if the book was a fake. I wondered if someone had taken out the actual book contents and then replaced it with their own, badly written version instead.
I actually hated the writer after I read this book, because I felt that she had wasted my time and money. What was the point of this book, can anybody tell me? Now I know why this book was stuffed in the smallest corner of the bookstore.

I had high expectations for this since I like coming of age novels and it was so highly rated but I couldn't accept the first premise of the novel-that the major character could ever be accepted to this prestigious prep school. Anyone who has no alumni ties, no money and hails from a public school in the Midwest has to be exceptional to be admitted into a place like this-exceptional in academics and most likely with other highly developed skills, including a competitive and confident nature. Instead the central character acts as if she was dropped off in the school recycling bin one day. Worse, not only is she undistinguished, she delights in her incompetence totally petrified to raise an eyebrow let alone a voice. Sorry, a kid like this doesn't get into a school like that and, if she did, she would be working hard to distinguish herself and prove her worth. Finally, we are to believe that this mousy girl, who won't even confide in her best friend suddenly gets this urge to blab all to the New York Times, thereby, finally distinguishing herself as the school traitor and malcontent. Masochism is the overriding theme of this book. The book is funny-in spots; telling-in spots; but is-as Holden Caulfield would say- phony.

The honesty in this book is incredible. Sittenfeld captures both the innocence and the struggle of adolescence without fear or apology. The end was the best part for me. Very subtle, but if you've ever lived in a city on a hill and then entered the real world, you will know what she's saying. Contrary to some reveiws here, I think Lee Fiora's experience is perfectly summed up, and just like in life it happens in nearly the blink of an eye.

What a disappointment. This book was a mishmash of prep school cliches. The plot was thin, the main character not at all sypathetic or even interesting. Who wants to read about a high school girl who has so little self regard that she would allow the boy she "loves" to use her for sex while forbidding him to acknowledge her in public, and who cheats on exams to stay in school, with no repercussions? There were multiple mixed messages but it all boiled down to BORING and TRITE. I expected more from an author with the credentials of Ms. Sittenfeld but was sorely disappointed.

My favorite part about this book was its ability to not have an 'epiphany' and to be painfully honest. We love the protagonist, we hate the protagonist but we always empathize with her. It's light yet painfully realistic so if you're looking for a happy ending or resolution, much like life, Curtis doesn't provide much of one. I thought it was brilliant. I was hooked and I'm someone who attention wanders very quickly.

I went to a prep school as well, so I can really relate to the characters in this book. Pretty much all the incidents that were told in the books happened all the time in prep school. I really like the main character -- Lee Fiora -- so insecured, no self confidence. It's interesting to read the book from the viewpoint of the out-crowd in prep school. I can't put this book down. A great book!

admittedly, i'm only half way through the book. but, even now i want to like the main character more than i do. i find her a little irritating and selfish. maybe that's the point, but she doesn't have enough good qualities about her to make me really want to root for her. at this point, i'm forcing myself to finish it since i've invested the time. not a bad book by any means...any girl that's gone through middle school or high school can relate at some point.

Prep is self-indulgent to read, the protagonist is self centered, introspective to a point of obsession, and overall obsessed with external validation... But what teenager isn't? The novel will take you back in time to high school, and give other high school students a kick of perspective through (what I hope to be on the author's part) satire. It's a good story that entertains and brings to light the politics of race, gender, and class in a closed in setting.

I attend one of "those rich prep schools", and after reading this novel i would just like to compliment Sittenfield on how much they really got the politics and scenarios right. Sure, the characters are a little cliched, but this author is right on target with the descriptions and lives in the prep school world.

Sittenfeld writes in such a way as to open up emotions I haven't felt in a long time. She candidly describes feelings most girls have had at one point or another and to some degree during their younger teenage years. I loved this book, not because I necessarily related to the character all that much, but because she truly grabbed the essence of high school, the politics and the insecurities.

This book was fantastic. It was well-written, and just barely enough over the line of realism for the uncomfortable parts of the book to be tolerable. Lee's relationship with her parents, more than with Conchita or anyone else, was painful for me. It was so colored by her youth.

Her relationship with Cross, well, let's just say that it was realistic. I had a very similar relationship to that in boarding school and had to put the book down and take some deep breaths to get through it. This is not a literary masterpiece, but it is a very good book.

compared to this chick, brett easton ellis is a MASTER stylist; nevertheless,

there was something haunting about the narrator, her interiority, the

way she is relentlessly (like most people, i imagine) HERSELF.

if you are, as i am, fascinated with all things preppy, you'll be

kinda riveted. it's lit lite, that's for sure. if you want

great writing read Ishiguro's "Never Let Me Go"--the one about the clone

kids at an English public (i.e. boarding) school.

sorry to wax sententious and stuff, and pedantic (telling you a public school

is a boarding school), but i really did like this novel and was kinda

sorry to see it end.

here's a nice test: will you THINK about a book or film a few weeks or months

after you have read/seen it? will you remember the characters' names?

miss them kinda?

sittenfeld succeeds in all of the above categories.

it's just that her styleless style is so...ambitionless...just like Lee,

the main character--so maybe you could say it was all about DECORUM that the

style reflects the protagonist's sensibility...but i doubt this very very

very very plain (look at the jacket photo--this is

one woman who knows what it's like to be non-pretty...i mean, they

say that a new writer has a better chance of succeeding if

he or she is photogenic or comely...sittenfeld really blasts

that quasi myth right outta the water...to mix a metaphor horribly!

she IS the uncute, boy. wow.)

author is that much of an ARTIST.

"Prep" is manicured like an MFA program novel--it's really really SAFE.

my sweet lord, there are SO many better English novelists out there than we have

here in the states. it's INSANE.

david mitchell, william boyd, ian mcewan, sebastian barry (irish),

ali smith...the list goes on and on...

I didn't love it, and after all of the glowing critical and reader reviews, I expected to. I enjoyed the time I spent reading it and felt Lee's narration flowed smoothly; however I didn't think it was anything revolutionary and at times I felt myself far more interested in some of the minor characters than in Lee herself. At the end, even though the book is 400 (or so) pages long, I couldn't help expecting, and feeling like I was waiting for, more. I predict that anybody who considers reading this book will enjoy it but not be at all blown away by the story of Lee's four boarding school years. Don't avoid it, but don't set your hopes too high. To end on a more positive note, I will be reading the author's next book, whenever it may be published.

I consider myself to be good with details and having a pretty good memory. Prep, however, fell into the oblivion of my mind. It was so utterly forgettable that the only things I can remember are: a bording school, a girl named Lee, and the fact that it was even worse than I Am Charlotte Simmons. The characters are trite and typically high school, the plot is insignificant, and overall, the book is, as I said, utterly forgettable.

This book is pretty good. I like the fact that it's told by the character when she's in her 20's. The only thing that is kind of frustrating is that I don't know what time period this book takes place in. I'm assuming the '90's because she talks of seeing a cell phone once. The chrachter is very self-conscience, almost to a fault. It's still a good read though.

Well if people who did not go to boarding school and hence have a slew of stereotypes about boarding school in their heads didn't have enough ammunition before, they certainly do now. As someone who attended an elite boarding school I thought the details of everyday school life were on target- but the characters (even down to the choice of names) were straight out of an after school TV special. Surprise, surprise- every social "outcast" was a minority with the exception of the protagonist. While she was not a racial or religious minority like the rest, she was from an average town/family rather than the country club set. While I'll admit that it is a difficult task for anyone to write ANYTHING about highschool-ers without sounding trite (because teenagers are inherently trite and slip more easily into stereotypes than any other group), Sittenfeld could have found a much more insightful and clever way of dividing the "in-crowd" from the rest. I was very disappointed and am stupefied at the overwhelming response this book has gotten from reviewers.

There are definitely moments of cleverness and rich evocation: the names of Lee's fellow students, for one, are funny and spot-on. And the main character's best (only) friendship does effectively evoke the nuances of young female friendships. BUT: a well-drawn character who is troubled and awkward should make you want to hug them, not smack them. Lee messes up and self-sabotages so consistently -- and not in an endearing teen-angst way -- that she just gets more and more painfully irritating, willfully un-self-aware, and, frankly, pathetic, and therefore, less and less worth rooting for. In a really good book, she'd Grow and Learn From Her Experiences in subtle and unpredictable ways. In a mediocre (and way too long) book, however, she just gets buffeted about by a series of moderately skillful descriptions. I was drawn along by a few compelling plot turns (Assassin, the math test) but ultimately disappointed -- and frustrated by the excessive hype.

Wonderfully written, it definitely brings back all those memories of high school. All the happiness, the pain, the heartaches, the need to fit in, Lee's account of her time at Ault is a great backdrop for this poignant coming-of-age time in our lives.

The "Sugarman" crush is the only theme that runs through the whole book, all others such as "assassin", "teaching bike riding", "theft", "hair cutting" etc. are not. If you think the "hair cutting" is far-fetched, the "hooking up" with sugarman toward the end is even more so. Why all of sudden, the boy decided to hook up with Lee in their last year? What has made her different in Sugarman's eyes after being classmates for three years? This part and the last chapter (after colleges) are so "Hollywood" and are the worse parts of the already flat plot.

I simply adore it!

What a marvelous, nuanced and sensitively written novel! PREP is just a lovely book, very well written, page after delicate page.

This is the story of a poor, impoverished (a few might say "blue-collar") young lady who is granted the opportunity to share her otherwise wretched middle-class high school years at a respectable, civilized boarding school called Ault. There she meets well-bred children, (boys and girls from wonderful families) and tries (though unsuccessfully) to "fit in."

This book recalls my own wonderful years spent at a Prep school much like Ault, when I was gracious enough to be kind to such unfortunate, less-distinguished creatures as Lee Fiora.

I cannot tell you how much I loved this wonderful book. The writing is marvelous. So sweet. Restrained. People have mentioned "stereo-types" but I don't see any. Yes, a black girl is a thief, yes a Jewish girl has a big nose -- so what. This is a book I enjoyed wholeheartedly while drinking my afternoon chamomile tea.

PREP is just simply a marvelous book, one all you children should purchase right away. Believe me, I know good writing when I see it!

A novel I certainly DON'T recommend is one another reviewer has mentioned -- called, "THE LOSERS' CLUB: Complete Restored Edition," which is completely disgusting, full of vulgar people, freaks and transvestites -- even lesbians! Not to mention it's also full of rampant alcohol use, drugs and raw dancing. Set in the cesspool of New York City, it seems to promote the most disgraceful, wretched behavior I have ever seen, heard about or read!

Do yourselves a favor and stick with a nice book, like PREP. And learn to behave yourselves and grown up and be civilized men and women, useful members of society. You'll be much better off.

PREP is just a wonderful book - if you don't believe me, just read the wonderful reviews in all of America's finest newspapers and magazines. I've already had my education!

I thought this book would detail Lee's growth through from an insecure freshman to a self-confident and self-respecting young woman by the time she graduates. Unfortunately, the main character remains a shallow, insipid shell of a human being to the very last page. There is no personal growth nor a resolution to her maddening self-confidence issues, and the book drags to a conclusion. It is wrought with stereotypes without containing any meaningful commentary; the reader is simply supposed to accept that the one black girl in the story steals, and that the main character would have been afraid to talk to a certain beautiful (Hispanic) classmate "if she had been white". Reading the interactions between the main character and a boy she's involved with are nothing short of painful, as the sex scenes are degrading to the point of being revolting. I would not recommend this book to anyone, and regret the time I took to read it.

This book is NOT legendary but it is a well written, interesting, decent book. It kept moving, I kept reading. It is an easy read and doesn't take much thought to read it. A good story line, interesting characters and a great writing style make it a good book. I recommend it. It reads a lot like "I Am Charlotte Simmons" by Tom Wolfe(also a good book).

Before starting this book, I finished Oh The Glory of It All by Sean Wilsey. I read Oh the Glory because of Curtis Sittenfeld's recommendation on NPR.

Oh the Glory is probably the best thing I got out of Sittenfeld. Please read that book.

Sittenfeld has a knack for putting into the words the simple things humans feel and think but don't realize they think and feel. She's not a writer devoid of observation, but Prep has no redeeming qualities.

It's true that Lee Fiora is awkward and self-concious like most teens are. But who the hell wants to re-live those painfully awkward and overly self-judgemental times of their lives? Especially when there is no pay-off in sight.

Prep should be in the Young Adult section and I'm not sure why it's not.

I was hoping for a coming-of-age book in a setting with which I was familiar. Although much of the setting was very familiar and really rang true, there was no personal growth in the main character. I loved the references to "morning meetings", adoration of "the seniors" and the "pet words"(patina). Unfortunately, that was were my experience and Lee's diverged. If I had known I was reading a book about a person with an avoidant personality disorder and how she dealt with the stress of prep school, I think I would have enjoyed the book more. Instead, I was sold a coming-of-age book, where the main character was trapped in her disease and never grew up.

We did have a great discussion in my book club about this book though.

I'll admit right here that I couldn't even get through the book. I simply couldn't deal with Lee's snobbishness and isolation. The entire book appeared to be an inner-monologue of angst. It was painful to see Lee brush off friendly overtures again and again, and then to blame those who made them for being too stand-offish.

I don't know if Grotton has changed any since the author went there; as a (boarding) prep school student on half-scholarship myself, I can say that I've never encountered the level of self-absorbed angst Lee exhibits through all four years. A girl who doesn't manage to change in four years should never have won that scholarship.

The "Sugarman" crush is the only theme that runs through the whole book, all others such as "assassin", "teaching bike riding", "theft", "hair cutting" etc. are not. If you think the "hair cutting" is far-fetched, the "hooking up" with sugarman toward the end is even more so. Why all of sudden, the boy decided to hook up with Lee in their last year? What has made her different in Sugarman's eyes after being classmates for three years? This part and the last chapter (after colleges) are so "Hollywood" and are the worse parts of the already flat plot.

I simply adore it!

What a marvelous, nuanced and sensitively written novel! PREP is just a lovely book, very well written, page after delicate page.

This is the story of a poor, impoverished (a few might say "blue-collar") young lady who is granted the opportunity to share her otherwise wretched middle-class high school years at a respectable, civilized boarding school called Ault. There she meets well-bred children, (boys and girls from wonderful families) and tries (though unsuccessfully) to "fit in."

This book recalls my own wonderful years spent at a Prep school much like Ault, when I was gracious enough to be kind to such unfortunate, less-distinguished creatures as Lee Fiora.

I cannot tell you how much I loved this wonderful book. The writing is marvelous. So sweet. Restrained. People have mentioned "stereo-types" but I don't see any. Yes, a black girl is a thief, yes a Jewish girl has a big nose -- so what. This is a book I enjoyed wholeheartedly while drinking my afternoon chamomile tea.

PREP is just simply a marvelous book, one all you children should purchase right away. Believe me, I know good writing when I see it!

A novel I certainly DON'T recommend is one another reviewer has mentioned -- called, "THE LOSERS' CLUB: Complete Restored Edition," which is completely disgusting, full of vulgar people, freaks and transvestites -- even lesbians! Not to mention it's also full of rampant alcohol use, drugs and raw dancing. Set in the cesspool of New York City, it seems to promote the most disgraceful, wretched behavior I have ever seen, heard about or read!

Do yourselves a favor and stick with a nice book, like PREP. And learn to behave yourselves and grown up and be civilized men and women, useful members of society. You'll be much better off.

PREP is just a wonderful book - if you don't believe me, just read the wonderful reviews in all of America's finest newspapers and magazines. I've already had my education!

I thought this book would detail Lee's growth through from an insecure freshman to a self-confident and self-respecting young woman by the time she graduates. Unfortunately, the main character remains a shallow, insipid shell of a human being to the very last page. There is no personal growth nor a resolution to her maddening self-confidence issues, and the book drags to a conclusion. It is wrought with stereotypes without containing any meaningful commentary; the reader is simply supposed to accept that the one black girl in the story steals, and that the main character would have been afraid to talk to a certain beautiful (Hispanic) classmate "if she had been white". Reading the interactions between the main character and a boy she's involved with are nothing short of painful, as the sex scenes are degrading to the point of being revolting. I would not recommend this book to anyone, and regret the time I took to read it.

This book is NOT legendary but it is a well written, interesting, decent book. It kept moving, I kept reading. It is an easy read and doesn't take much thought to read it. A good story line, interesting characters and a great writing style make it a good book. I recommend it. It reads a lot like "I Am Charlotte Simmons" by Tom Wolfe(also a good book).

Before starting this book, I finished Oh The Glory of It All by Sean Wilsey. I read Oh the Glory because of Curtis Sittenfeld's recommendation on NPR.

Oh the Glory is probably the best thing I got out of Sittenfeld. Please read that book.

Sittenfeld has a knack for putting into the words the simple things humans feel and think but don't realize they think and feel. She's not a writer devoid of observation, but Prep has no redeeming qualities.

It's true that Lee Fiora is awkward and self-concious like most teens are. But who the hell wants to re-live those painfully awkward and overly self-judgemental times of their lives? Especially when there is no pay-off in sight.

Prep should be in the Young Adult section and I'm not sure why it's not.

I was hoping for a coming-of-age book in a setting with which I was familiar. Although much of the setting was very familiar and really rang true, there was no personal growth in the main character. I loved the references to "morning meetings", adoration of "the seniors" and the "pet words"(patina). Unfortunately, that was were my experience and Lee's diverged. If I had known I was reading a book about a person with an avoidant personality disorder and how she dealt with the stress of prep school, I think I would have enjoyed the book more. Instead, I was sold a coming-of-age book, where the main character was trapped in her disease and never grew up.

We did have a great discussion in my book club about this book though.

I'll admit right here that I couldn't even get through the book. I simply couldn't deal with Lee's snobbishness and isolation. The entire book appeared to be an inner-monologue of angst. It was painful to see Lee brush off friendly overtures again and again, and then to blame those who made them for being too stand-offish.

I don't know if Grotton has changed any since the author went there; as a (boarding) prep school student on half-scholarship myself, I can say that I've never encountered the level of self-absorbed angst Lee exhibits through all four years. A girl who doesn't manage to change in four years should never have won that scholarship.

This book is fun to read. It's the story about this midwestern girl who goes to a boarding school in the East Coast. It could have easily been a bad book with lots of cliches and stereotypes, but the author manages to make the characters and situations seem real.

I highly recommend it.

I thought "Prep" did not give an accurate description of what boarding school life is about. It made boarding school seem overly cliche, and a place where only the rich and the elitest are schooled. The boarding school that Sittenfield created is one that is seen in movies, not real life. If Sittenfield spent more time at boarding schools today, she would realize that her description of boarding school is inaccurate, and poor kids who are sent to boarding schools do not automatically become outcasts. A reader might enjoy this book if he/she has never been to or heard of a boarding school; if the reader has, he/she will find it ridiculous.

This book was absolutely horrible. What did the author try to describe in this book? Was this book written to give a perspective of how minorities are treated in prep school? Or to simply entertain, giving readers things to relate to the main character? If it was the first reason, the author has completely messed up, and has written it without thought or reasearch. If it was the later, this book wasn't meant to be praised by so many readers.

Personally, another reason why I hated this book so much was that it was impossible to track what time period this book was set in. How many teenagers listen to Bob Dylan these days? Do you actually think someone who owns shoe factories (I would have understood if it was a computer parts factory or a car manufacturing company) in Korea would be rich these days? What is this? The 70's?

Not only that, but the book was slow moving as well. I do not recommend this book to anyone.

This book was one of the most boring coming-of-age novels I have ever read. Lee Fiora bored the s#*! out of me, there was poor character developement throughout the novel, and hardly any plot. Also, the writer had the annoying habit of Lee telling a story then jumping into her present life and relating the incident in the such a dry and pointless way I wanted to just slam the book shut. Lee failed to evolve in 4 yrs and I could not relate or empathyze with her in any way. The best thing about this book was that it was available @the local library and I did not have to waste mi dinero$$$

I'm surprised to read so much ambivalence or criticism about this book. I thought it captured the inner life of those teenage years EXACTLY right. Those times are well behind me and I had forgotten how it felt until reading this book...it was honest in a way that I never could be at the time. I think I was expecting a more superficial or trite, entertaining read and instead it was honest, deep, funny and wise. I liked the character Lee very much and I think she taught me to forgive myself a little. It (life, growing up, etc.)is hard for everyone...that's a good thing to remember.

I found the main character, Lee, to be boring and much too concerned with what everyone she encountered thought or did. However, what turned me off the most were the archaic stereotypes all through the book. I can't help but think that the author herself is a very prejudiced person and used Lee as her spokesperson.

I was offended by the fact that (naturally) it was the inner-city black girl who stole from the dorm rooms. How about the Hispanic girls who (of course) wore too much makeup and loud clothing? Several comments the main character made about Jews also seemed to come out of left field and were completely offensive.

You can use the excuse that it was just the "character" talking but it really made me dislike her.

SO much better than Tom Perrotta's book--I had to comment on the reviewer who compares the two: this is just so much smarter! and deeper!--and as much as I like (well, love) Tobias Wolf's Old School, I wouldn't compare it really to that, either. That seemed to me more a 'writer's" book--nothing wrong with that! But this one is a real girl's book.

This book is a great example of an over-hyped mess. Kept me somewhat entertained, waiting for something to happen, but it never did and I completely forgot everything about the book within about an hour of finishing it. If you want to care for or feel empathy for the main character, skip Prep and try The Wonder Spot by Melissa Bank instead.

I was surprised to read any bad reviews about this book because I enjoyed it so much I practically read it in one sitting. It probably appeals more to younger audiences- I read it in high school and while Lee could be frustrating at times, I found I really identified with her. I read in one review that the chronology of the book and when it took place was confusing, but that's not really the case.

I was expecting it to be pretty good given all the comparisons to Catcher in the Rye and the rave reviews. I thought it was so-so. By the middle I didnt really care anymore about the characters. Just unimpressive people in the teenage situations that I no longer find interesting to relive.

The character had so much depth and I loved being on the inside of her world through the writers never ending descritpion of Lee's thoughts. It captured the highschool years-all the fears, insecurities and ridiculous situations-very poingnantly. Highly recommended.

Well, I did manage to be interested enough to read the entire book, but when I was finished I wished that I would not have bothered. I was mad at the author, mad at the main character, mad at the people who gave this book good reviews, and mad in general. I wanted my 3 hours back. I'm over that anger now, but frustrated about stereotypes of the Midwest and the Northeast were prevalent in the book. I think that I would have rather read a fluffier book about a shallow, happy girl who learned something than this psuedo-philosophic girl. Save your time for something truly worth reading (like The Heart is a Lonely Hunter or The Secret Life of Bees.)

i really liked this book. i couldnt put it down and over a period of a few days finished it. It is intriguing, and there has always been a part of me that has enjoyed reading about boarding schools (back from my own child hood days) but the different emotions Lee, the main charcter goes through, is a great read.

The only reason I am giving this book 2 stars is because I think the author did a great job of portraying prep school life with all it's bizzare traditions (the green jacket, etc). However, that was probably the only good thing about this book. It got off to a good start, but half way through I was asking myself what I had done. Lee Fiora came across as a total snot. I tried in desperation to like her, but I could not. From her general "whatever" attitude about life, to the way she treated her parents, she came across as a very shallow human being.

I though the sex scenes were gratuitous. Were they really necessary? This book was terribly formulaic. Awkward, shy girl wins over the handsome, sexy popular boy. Real life could not be further from the truth. Give me a break. Bottom line, stay away from this book.

An the store review reader for years, I've never felt compelled to actually review a book myself. However PREP has infuriated me to the point where I need to vent. Never has a book simultaneously bored and riled me! The main character, Lee, is a snippy, whiny, unmotivated and throughly dislikeable person; unfortunately she is surrounded by a cast of characters equally unengaging. If this is an autobiographical novel, perhaps we can excuse the tedious, mundane story and the intensely irritating characters. However that does NOT excuse the sloppy writing -- particularly from someone with the stellar credentials of the author. (If the book is not autobiographical . . . .well, shame!)

The central character never grows, never grabs opportunities for self-improvement, never learns from her mistakes. If you don't like her in the first chapter, sorry! "What you see is what you get." Lee remains cynical, bitter, mypoic and unpleasant throughout. Her teachers come across as academic lamebrains, her peers as one-dimensional typecasts. In true "PC" mode, one is set up to believe that Lee feels alien because she is a (white) scholarship student in a privileged, moneyed cloister. In fact, few well-heeled students could equal Lee's expectations that friendship, romance, academic success and simple grounding be handed to her on a silver platter. (I vacilated between wanting to call in a therapist on her balf and wanting to throttle her!)

Shame on this heralded private school teacher for foisting upon us such drek!

Author publicly said an entire genre of fiction was "badly written", and that just doesn't sit well with me. Sadly, I was enjoying this book up until the time that I read that, but that sort of negativity directed to other writers makes me unable to appreciate this -- or any other -- of her books.

I have to say that I was really disappointed with this book. I thought it would be a fun, fluffy, and dramatic read about a teenager's life at an All American Boarding High School, but it turned out to be a boring book about a girl with low self-esteem, who is always on the outside looking in. You may think that Lee Flora might sound interesting based on reading what I had to say so far, but stay tunned.

She is down on herself and only sees the negative in life. She never tries to make her life better or more interesting.

I do not know any actual real person who acts the way she does. Not even my shyest friend acts like her. My shyest friend knows how to have a good time and takes her life by the wheel.

I get that she doesn't have her driver's ID, but many people do not have driver IDs and they live life just fine and no one critsizes anyone for it. I mean, come on!

This book was purely pathetic and all the sexual, errotic parts are described like sex is supposed to be embarrassing and ackward. I'm sorry, but I don't think sex is either of those two things, even if you are a teenager. Sex is normal and intimate and this author is making it out to be an ackward, unrewarding affair. If sex was like this, no one would do it.

I get that Lee is ackward and weird and everything, but come on! I'm weird! Its a good, glorious thing to be different and unique.

I did not like this book and the whole 400 pages was a total waste of my time. You could put down the whole book to 100 pgs to read all the important readable parts. Its sad that the good readable parts are mostly sexual in context, but hey! The author did not put much effort into this book except at those tims and even then, she didn't do it very well.

All I have to say is WORST BOOK EVER 1ST PRIZE! Seriously though, I so hate myself for reading this. Reading this made me embarrassed and ackward about how the author thinks she's so great and all those people who wrote those good reviews.

I don't even know what year the book takes place, but it has to be in the 90s or something, because there is no way that in the 21st century were teenage girls still wearing shin length skirts, peter pan collars, and long sweaters. I mean come on! Totally out of the fashion loop.

Yes, I found many problems with this book, the whole book is a problem to me, but don't let me deter you. Read it yourself and I will look forward to reading your bad review thats positive to warn others about it.

The only good thing. I am one more book closer to my reading goal!

Though the book had well-developed characters and generally realistic situations, the character's atitude thoroughly depressed me and annoyed me at the same time. However, some parts were interesting and made me laugh, but the ending was a dissapointment and made me wonder, what was the whole point of this book?

I thought this book was really well written and totally engaging. Lee has more than a few awkward moments, but I found them endearing and I could relate to almost all of them. An surprisingly complete and intimate character study, although the plot could have been a tad more structured for my tastes.

I've honestly never related to a character more than Lee Fiora. Her high school experience might be different than most, but the writing and depth of the characters makes it feel like a universal experience. The writing in this book is stunning. The story is enjoyable. I enjoy how it's divided by seasons and school years. Overall, this is my favorite book.

I enjoyed reading this book on the beach last summer while relaxing during a short vacation. It is an interesting take on a somewhat unoriginal story. I wouldn't give it a so-so. Not too bad, not too good. Maybe worth a try.

I couldn't connect with Lee Fiora on any level- she would have been sympathetic if she had any likable characteristics what-so-ever. She never had any moments of growth and all her personal reflection (ad naseum) did nothing but contribute to her lack of self-esteem. While the book was extremely readable, I never found myself rooting for her, it was more like I was extremely embarrassed for her. It was kind of like looking through someone's dirty laundry hamper.

Am I the only reader who found the prose ponderous, the dialogue stilted, and the whole thing badly in need of editing? I am amazed at the status this book has achieved, and doubly amazed that anyone would utter Salinger and Sittenfeld in the same breath. Read the prose out loud to yourself: are these long, wordy, rhythm-less sentences pleasing to the ear? Read the dialogue out loud to yourself: does anyone really talk like that, and do we need to have every single tedious, expository word in every conversation? At the end of Chapter 2, where was an editor to cut out the second half of the last sentence? (We get it!)

Really, why is such schlock getting such praise?

I read this book in one night and really enjoyed it. I wanted to go to a boarding school after i read this and now can't wait to go to college. This book makes you feel loke you are away from home on your own and free. I could easily relate to the main character Lee and could see me and her being best friends. A great read and a good vacation away from home. Although I hope my college experience is not as dramatic as hers.

I can totally relate with the novel PREP. I use to go to a really, really expensive summer camp when I was little and the only way I went was on schloarship. I was an outsider I only had a few friends and usually just one or a kind camp counselour. It was a totally different world and the ideas of society were vastly different too. I really do love this book because I can relate to it and understand the character! I would recommend this book to any one.

This was a book that I could not put down. I was constantly yearning to find out what happend to Lee. It is a good book for someone who thinks a lot about the way things are or has ever felt a lack of confidence. Overall, it was well worth it to read and I really thank the girl I saw on the Metro with it because she is the one who tipped me off!

This was not my favorite book but it gave an interesting perspective. It is probably a worthwhile read for parents of tweens and teenagers who want to get a better idea of what is going through their kid's minds.

It was hard for me to get past the maturity that the main character Lee Fiora had for certain people skills which seemed well beyond her age which made the story somewhat unrealistic. For example, in her thoughts about when Martha was telling her something she didn't agree with she would say to herself I didn't say anything because that would mean that Martha would stop being so honest with me. It is hard for me to imagine that Lee is so mature in this perspective when she is so immature (as most teenagers are) in other regards.

I think there are much better books out there that I would recommend like The Kite Runner, The Poisonwood Bible, and The Time Traveller's Wife.

Both are about small town girls gone to a more sophisticated place out of their element where they don't fit in. The difference between the two is that in Prep we are not expected to believe that any young girl could be as naive as Charlotte Simmons. Lee has just the right about of naivete and it doesn't drag on throughout the whole book regardless of her experiences.

Prep is a well written, but ultimately pointless book. Prep is an insignificant addition to a giant genre of literature, but it isn't nearly as good as any of the great coming of age books. The book contains a story about a privileged, teenage girl going to a boarding school with a bunch of other privileged teens. The book is about the things that happen to her and how she deals with them. Well, at least that's what the author tried to do.

Sounds great, right? The problem is that nothing interesting happens. Yes, this book is sort of realistic, but who cares about boring people living boring lives doing nothing? I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like a good book to me. The main character does not grow over the course of the book and does not seem to have any interests or passions (except for one boy she has a crush on throughout the whole book). She sets herself up as an outcast and then wonders why no one likes her. This book was boring, boring, and boring. Oh, and did I say boring?

The author does not seem to understand what a normal teenager goes through and feels while living through the teenage years. When reading the book it occurred to me that Curtis Sittenfeld was a man, since she did not quite grasp how a teenage girl feels and reacts to certain situations in her life. I did not like how the author wrote as if the focus of a teenage girl's life is sex, rather than friends, family, and other events/issues. The book felt unplanned and disorganized. When reading it, it sounded like the author was making stuff up on the spot. I thought this book was a waste of time, not just for the reader but for the author too.

"Prep" is a book that is too long, unexpectedly far too graphic, and extremely depressing. Lee doesn't fit in, feels lower than her peers, gets subpar grades, never has a boybriend, gets into a lousy college, and ends up having sex with a jerk who doesn't even care about her. At the end of the story, she looks back and realizes that she didn't enjoy herself and then rarely talks to her former best friend. IF I WANTED TO BE THIS DEPRESSED, I WOULD'VE READ THE NEWS.

But I wasn't expecting this. Prep was a little too creepy for me - creepy being the only word I can think of. Lee was so unlikeable I almost wished they'd kick her out of school so I could stop reading. But I did finish the book, it just wasn't something I'd want to read again.

I heard and read so much about this book. But that's not why I hated it. I hated it because it was absolutely awful. This is the worst first person narrative I've ever read. And I've read a lot, trust me. The narrator and plot are flat, flat, flat. My feeling about this novel and the narrator was who cares? If you want to read about adolescent angst don't waste your time with this - read or reread "Catcher on the Rye." The few times Holden rants about prep school will tell you all you need to know. What a waste of money! This was such a dull read I don't even want to torture anyone by giving it away.

Prep is single handedly the worst book I have ever had the displeasure of partially reading. I did not even get to page 50 and I threw it in the garbage! I don't know how people managed to finish this book! The protagonist is a huge bore from whom there is nothing to learn or be inspired from. From the other negative reviews I have read on here, it seems that she is that way to the end! I actually resent the author for creating her.

I am positively shocked that there are other reviews comparing Lee to Holder Caulfeld!! Lee is to Holden Caulfeld as Faster Pussycat is to Bach!

An excellent insight into the emotions of high school and just teenage years in general. Prep is an easy read but also a very well-written one capturing the rollercoaster of teenage experience. (If you like this you'll love classics like Catcher In The Rye or To Kill A Mockingbird or more recent novels like Saturday (Ian McEwan) or You Are Here (Steve Horsfall)

This book was rather engrossing initially. The author gives good details on the characters and you can almost picture them--with the exception of the main character, Lee Fiore. Lee's physical appearance is unknown, but her personality is bland, and her character weak.

I kept waiting for the story to build to a climax, but it never left the ground. It was pointless--Lee went to school, and left school.

Utterly boring.

This book was a little long, but I did enjoy reading it. It's filled with rich details and emotions that I as a fourteen year old can relate to. It seems to depict boarding school life in a realistic way, unlike so many ridiculous YA books that are out these days. However, this book was much more graphic than I was expecting, too much for my taste.

I am trying to read as this book as slowly as I can to completely savor each and every word. I fell in love with the story from the first page. I am about halfway through and I don't want the story to end. The author has a wonderful talent of bringing her character, Lee, to life. I cannot wait until her next book!

This is perhaps the worst book I have ever read. It was the most useless, horrible story ever. It highlights the worst in teenagers, makes the main character nothing but a one dimensional stereotype, and makes all the other characters one dimensional sterotypes. There is no depth to anything, there is no resolution, there is no attachment to any characters. I did not emphatize with the main character, I wanted to smack her! Don't waste your time!!!!!

I was a white girl on full scholarship for four years at a boarding school in CT in the late 70's early 80's and this book is absolutely NOTHING like what I experienced. The only things that even remotely rung true were the daily school meetings and the funny little traditions that these schools have. I bought the book because I thought it would bring back some great memories and I found I couldn't relate at all.

The main character was so entirely unsympathetic, if not to say downright ghastly on occasion, that as the book went on I found it very difficult to relate to her, much less empathise with her situation.

Great writing, but the character...ug! I was miserable reading about her miserable time at school. Nothing happened for her because she didn't do anything for herself except wallow in self pity. Again, the book was extremely well written and I hope the author comes out with another book, but hopefully with characters full of life.

I was really disappointed in this novel, especially after reading all the hype in the NYT. I found Lee, the main character, to be remarkably unchanged throughout her prep school career. She was "sad and angry" throughout the whole book and nothing -- not friendship, rejection, embarrassment, or humiliation -- fundamentally affected her. Also, as the parent of a boarding school student, I found the portrayal of her relationship with her parents profoundly misleading. Lee's inability to relate to her family was not because she was a boarding school student; she couldn't even relate to other boarding school students!! Lee seemed to have personality disorders that preceded Ault, but the author didn't acknowledge that.

Sittenfield writes about the age old story of an outsider entering the cliquish world of affluent teenagers at a private boarding school in New England. This book follows the story of Lee, the outsider, through her 4 years at "Ault". However, Lee never grows as a person or a character; she remains shallow and immature throughout the novel. This book, like the main character, lacks depth and meaning.

What is is: The Nanny Diaries goes to Prep School. What it is NOT: A new Catcher in the Rye.

Not even close. For a better example of Salinger, check out Andrea Siegel's vastly superior novel, LIKE THE READ PANDA.

About PREP: the book certainly had its moments. It was edgy, fast-paced, and entertaining. However, a lot of the scenes felt forced and the whole "angst" angle was a bit overplayed. It tried too hard.

The good thing about this story was that the author definetely has potential. She writes beautifully, with realistic situations and people. So the start of the novel was promising.

Then, it soon became apparent that the novel wasn't going anywhere. The main problem was that it tried too hard to be philosophical or moral-y. And Lee, the protagonist, was a total slacker. The end.

I had high hopes for this book. Seemed like it would be a good story yet the author never fully develops Lee. You never really get a clear understanding of who she was before she went to Ault-that makes it very difficult to understand why she is so emotionally crippled during her time there. I ended up getting so bored with the entire book - your empathy for Lee quickly fades once you realize how lethargic and unmotivated she is. Don't waste your time on this one!

This book reminds me of "Joe College" by Tom Perrotta and "Old School" by Tobias Wolff with the same formula of working class outsider attends an elite school and learns life lessons en route to graduation. Unlike the protagonists in those books, however, "Prep's" Lee Fiora, manages to make more than just temporary connections with her classmates, and it is that which distinguishes the book from others with male protagonists.

Much has been made by reviewers of the fact that the protagonist is a snob. So what. Many teenagers are judgmental and materialistic, regardless of class, and most are, at some point, intensely embarrassed by their parents. It's part of growing up. What a cop out it would be if Lee were the kind of Hollywood teen who in the end always does the right thing. It's refreshing to see an author create a first novel protagonist who clearly isn't some idealized version of herself.

I just wish the author had prefaced each section with a date - it took me a needlessly long time to figure out when it was set. Characters used today's lingo (hook-up, etc.), but there were also elements specific to both the 80's and 90's. This was a bit jarring.

Let me just say right off the bat that I go an elite - perhaps the most elite, depending on who you ask - boarding school, and I'm middle class, non-white, and not particularly tall, thin or gorgeous. Yet, I have friends! While certainly not the most popular girl in my grade, I get along with everyone and enjoy school immensely.

Yet, according to Prep, someone of my status and stature should be an outcast, a loner, a social pariah. Someone like Lee Fiora, the book's utterly charmless "heroine." She is somehow incapable of being friendly when other people greet her, and spends all of her time lusting after a boy for four - count 'em, four - years, all of which culminates into several visually disturbing, unnecessarily graphic sex scenes. I don't know if the author was trying to be hip or what, but seeing something like that spring up on you after pages and pages of slogging through muck is a little frustrating. Oh, and guess what Lee discovers at the end; the boy is Jewish! Which leads me up to my next point: how racist this book is.

It was stated once that "racism doesn't exist [at Ault, her school]", yet the author contradicts herself repeatedly. There's the Asian girl who can never seem to get the hang of English, even after four years at an institution like Ault. Funny, isn't it? There are the lone black people who get there on sports scholarships, one from the Bronx and another who gets expelled for stealing, of all things. And apparently, only the really geeky boys ever go out with girls of color. That alone just makes me want to vomit.

Morever, Prep is simply boring. The writing itself is quite well-done, but instead of being treated to a thoughtful, insightful novel on teenage angstiness, we get Lee's insipid comments on the world shoved down our throats. It's as if Sittenfield is trying to tell us something, but that grain of wisdom has been lost in this sad attempt at literature.

Sittenfield writes about the age old story of an outsider entering the cliquish world of affluent teenagers at a private boarding school in New England. This book follows the story of Lee, the outsider, through her 4 years at "Ault". However, Lee never grows as a person or a character; she remains shallow and immature throughout the novel. This book, like the main character, lacks depth and meaning.

What is is: The Nanny Diaries goes to Prep School. What it is NOT: A new Catcher in the Rye.

Not even close. For a better example of Salinger, check out Andrea Siegel's vastly superior novel, LIKE THE READ PANDA.

About PREP: the book certainly had its moments. It was edgy, fast-paced, and entertaining. However, a lot of the scenes felt forced and the whole "angst" angle was a bit overplayed. It tried too hard.

The good thing about this story was that the author definetely has potential. She writes beautifully, with realistic situations and people. So the start of the novel was promising.

Then, it soon became apparent that the novel wasn't going anywhere. The main problem was that it tried too hard to be philosophical or moral-y. And Lee, the protagonist, was a total slacker. The end.

I had high hopes for this book. Seemed like it would be a good story yet the author never fully develops Lee. You never really get a clear understanding of who she was before she went to Ault-that makes it very difficult to understand why she is so emotionally crippled during her time there. I ended up getting so bored with the entire book - your empathy for Lee quickly fades once you realize how lethargic and unmotivated she is. Don't waste your time on this one!

This book reminds me of "Joe College" by Tom Perrotta and "Old School" by Tobias Wolff with the same formula of working class outsider attends an elite school and learns life lessons en route to graduation. Unlike the protagonists in those books, however, "Prep's" Lee Fiora, manages to make more than just temporary connections with her classmates, and it is that which distinguishes the book from others with male protagonists.

Much has been made by reviewers of the fact that the protagonist is a snob. So what. Many teenagers are judgmental and materialistic, regardless of class, and most are, at some point, intensely embarrassed by their parents. It's part of growing up. What a cop out it would be if Lee were the kind of Hollywood teen who in the end always does the right thing. It's refreshing to see an author create a first novel protagonist who clearly isn't some idealized version of herself.

I just wish the author had prefaced each section with a date - it took me a needlessly long time to figure out when it was set. Characters used today's lingo (hook-up, etc.), but there were also elements specific to both the 80's and 90's. This was a bit jarring.

I absolutely hated this book. At no point was I able to work up the slightest empathy for the whining and self involved main character. I actually laughed out loud and cheered "go dad!" in the scene where he slaps her for being rude and distant to her family. It took me over a week to plow through the book and I was left with a distinct sense that I had wasted precious reading time. I cannot imagine why it ever made anyone's best seller or best book list!

Very disturbing. Basically a rich kid's idea of what a "scholarship" kid's inner life might be like....Sittenfeld's projections into an unlikeable wannabe.

No wonder we are in trouble in this country when the privileged see "LCMs" (the lower middle class) as lying around passively waiting to be screwed. What a metaphor!

Curtis Sittenfeld has proven herself as a master of characterization. She has managed to get inside the head of her main character in a very real way, revealing the kinds of thoughts that most of us have had, but would never admit to. This book took me right back to being a teenager.

oh.my.god. I can't believe I finished this book when I fould it incredibly cloying almost right away. The character Lee Fiora is a black hole of need and neurosis. I listened to the audiobook and found myself saying out loud "shuuuuut up" over and over. I'm annoyed I wasted my time with this painful freakin' book. Save yourself!!!!!

I loved Prep. One thing that I adored about the book was how well i got to know the main character, Lee. The book takes you through all four years of her College Prepatory Catholic High School experience. It starts off slow, but halfway through you'll never want to put it down.

i can't believe i read this whole book. it started out promisingly enough, but soon devolved into navel-gazing blather. this is a writer who loves the sound of her own voice too much. she needs to concentrate on these little things we like to call character development and story. what a huge bore.

The writing in this book is atrocious, proving again that publishers will print anything they think they can promote. Also there appears to be no plot. And it is repetitive in the extreme, extreme, extreme, and so forth. I relied on a NYT review. Never again.

I was very dissappointed with this book. Very slow going. While reading I kept thinking that this book would appeal to my 15 year old daughter. However, the graphic sex in the last chapter changed my mind about that. Not sure what type of reader she was looking to attract. The subject matter was too juevenile to keep my interest piqued. If she left out the last chapter this book would certainly be shelved in the Young Adult section. A real dissappointment.

"Prep" was overlong, and I found the prose to be unoriginal and the tone and setting to be underdeveloped. Lee is an incredibly uninteresting and unlikable narrator. There were repetitions of certain small details that made me feel the book was inattentively edited.

Additionally, the time period was unspecific; elements eventually pointed to the 80s, but I don't believe that the phrase "hooking up" was used then to describe sex or making out.

I don't get why the NY Times picked this as a notable book. I found it tedious and pedestrian.

I thought it was pretty good. The character was very high school. Curtis did a good job at portraying a high school girl.

I was only a little disappointed when the girl let herself be taken of advantage of. I'm still not exactly sure what the plot was. The book ended when she ended high school, but that wasn't a plot.

Sittenfeld used EVERY racial stereotyped character she could create: the black girl who was caught stealing, then thrown out of school; the "cool" black guy whose only mentioned accomplishment is playing--you guessed it--basketball; the Asian girl who speaks broken English, and stentches up the dorm room with exotic Asian foods; the Latino girl who is pretty but not intimidating to the main character because the latino girl is not white? It's relentless, and highly offensive to those of us who know real prep schools where the "minority" students are not living stereotypes!