Just 'eh.'

It's not as exciting as a book about a girl gang should be.

The story seems to lack that certain spark and energy that one would expect from a tale centered around a group of feisty female characters.

Perhaps it's the pacing that's off, or maybe the characters aren't developed enough to truly engage the reader.

There are moments that hint at potential drama and action, but they never quite reach their full potential.

Overall, it's a bit of a letdown and leaves the reader hoping for more.

Maybe with a few tweaks and some added oomph, this could have been a really great book about a girl gang.

As it stands, however, it's just average and fails to leave a lasting impression.

Not quite 4 stars, more 3.5 ish.

I really liked the movie and then decided to read the book. Ah, back then Angelina was so hot. Between the movies Foxfire, Gia, and Hackers, I was completely smitten with her. However, now her face just annoys me. She should just go away already, Angelina.

Well, I kind of got off on a tangent there. I remember that the book was decent, although it wasn't entirely believable. This so-called "gang of girls" was not intimidating at all in my opinion. And just like in the movie, I really wanted there to be a more overt examination of the queerness. It felt like it was kind of brushed aside or not explored as deeply as it could have been. I think that aspect could have added a lot more depth and interest to the story.

Overall, while I did enjoy both the movie and the book to a certain extent, there were definitely some areas where they could have been improved. Maybe if they had delved deeper into the queerness and made the "gang of girls" more believable and intimidating, it would have been a more engaging and satisfying experience.

Yo no sé como vine a dar con este libro exactamente.

I read the name of the author somewhere, perhaps on a virtual page, that I don't remember. I suppose I noted it down in one of the many lists of books and authors that I have and that I carried with me to Patagonia but never took out to read which authors or titles interested me. So, in that place where they sell the cheapest books in the world, I came across Joyce Carol Oates. Yes, my memory is terrible, but I wanted to read books by women, so something remained in my head. I didn't go with the intention, not even semi-consciously, of looking for it or finding it, because those books by contemporary female authors are almost impossible to find, and I didn't think twice and bought it along with many others.

American authors don't interest me, stupid prejudices, although the American culture is growing on me more and more. If they kill me for what I say, so be it, but I understand them better and better. I work for them, they pay me, and almost everything is fine. Americans are a very repressed people, very innocent at heart, and with a particular artistic sensibility: a mixture of kindness with something alternative, and perhaps that innocence is also what leads them to the extremes of psychopathy. And since Carol is from my group of girls, I wasn't going to stop reading her just because she's from the Northern Hemisphere, especially when male authors haven't even reached an understanding of women that convinces me.

She understands everything, and when I say everything, I mean everything. She understands the main prototypes of femininity. In those five girls from Firefox, perhaps all the possible prototypes of women converge: sexy, shy, rejected, popular, intimidating, fat, stupid, repressed, extroverted, feminine, masculine, intelligent, analytical, lesbian, heterosexual, bisexual, princesses, rebels, humiliated, humiliating, funny, boastful, serious, ironic, sensitive. The only thing the five girls from Firefox have in common is their disastrously dysfunctional families, which, well, was very similar to mine. Believe it, that's the genius of that author, and for that reason and for also understanding perfectly the world of an adolescent girl in the worst institution in the universe: school.

She understands that wild, ridiculous, stupid environment that will eat you alive if you fall asleep. Full of those disturbed teachers and those idiotic boys, those idiotic boys who at that age are incapable of understanding anything about a woman or the opposite gender. But it's also illusory. Who wouldn't have given anything to belong to a group like Firefox, a group of girls, a group that fights for justice, in an environment where imperfection abounds, both one's own and that of others, and where those who think they are perfect take advantage of it in the most macabre ways. That's illusory. Legs is one of the greatest illusions one can have: a female leader who defends other women during puberty, during miserable puberty! One would fall in love with Legs, of course, her strength, her sense of justice, but she only exists in books. The reality is that in school, the socially incompetent are left without defenders, and it will always be like that until one learns to defend oneself. The reality is that that rotten world of schools will continue to be a mess, and Firefox is only a beautiful and, of course, dangerous utopia.

I found my Legs once, but I was already grown up and had defended myself on my own. In reality, I never had to defend myself. I was always on the margins of the idiotic exploiters and those who were exploited (I think CH can understand me in that sense. I know he was a bit like that). No one touched me, no one spoke to me, no one bothered me, neither for good nor for bad. I was literally a kind of strange creature in my school. Andrea? That old woman is very strange. She doesn't talk, she doesn't say anything, she doesn't bother anyone. She's on another planet. And yes, I was always in another world, but that's another topic. But still, I was like an observer. I understood all of them, not in the sense of kind understanding, no! Empathy is not my thing (that's why I left psychology). I just knew what was in each of their hearts, how pretentious, but that's how it is, and I still know it wherever I go, whoever I meet. I can see inside without asking so many questions, and perhaps for that reason, they stay on the margins and continue to do so (come on, I'm an illusionist, it's just a hypothesis).

Legs reminds me a lot of JQ, her disordered, spontaneous house, full of objects that one doesn't understand why they are there, the smell of home. If JQ's house has the smell of home, not like mine: perfectly ordered and with meaning, meaning, what irony. CH's house is also like Legs', with those walls of old papers, the smell of dog, people here and there, the same senseless objects, the disorder, the lack of aesthetic harmony, the smell of home. They have the strength of Legs, the sense of justice of Legs, the perceptiveness, the shrewdness, and that's why I love them, but they weren't leaders of change like Legs, and that's why Legs is an illusion, and I'm like Maddy, waiting to see what they say, what they do, analyzing everything, observing everything, with strange ideas, a bit shy, not at all empathetic, rather judgmental, fearful, loyal, with the fridge full of old, past food, and they always come there to eat what one doesn't eat, to get into one's bed where they sleep, to mess up the perfect house, to make noise in the silent house. That's how Maddy's house and fridge are, I swear, and that's how mine is, and they know it.

I have reached a point where I am inclined to believe that every book written by Oates deserves a five-star rating.

As I will likely end up upgrading all of my previous four-star ratings for Oates' books to five stars eventually, and now that I have read up to 16 books, perhaps it is time for me to start keeping track of my rankings of Oates' novels and novellas.

Here are my current rankings:

1. Solstice

2. My Life As A Rat

3. Big Mouth and Ugly Girl

4. Foxfire

5. The Corn Maiden

6. Hazards of Time Travel

7. The Rise of Life on Earth

8. Sexy

9. The Man Without a Shadow

10. The Triumph of the Spider Monkey

11. Zombie

12. Lives of the Twins

Each of these works has its own unique charm and literary value, and I look forward to exploring more of Oates' writing in the future.

I really enjoyed this experience.

It was chaotic and stressful at times, but there were also moments of great tenderness.

The overall experience can be rated as 4.5 out of 5.

The chaos added an element of excitement, making it a truly unforgettable adventure.

The stress, although challenging, also pushed me to grow and learn.

And those tender moments, they were like precious gems that shone through the chaos and stress, making it all worthwhile.

I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a unique and fulfilling experience.

It may not be for the faint of heart, but for those who are willing to embrace the chaos and stress, it can be an incredibly rewarding journey.

Overall, I am extremely satisfied with this and look forward to more experiences like it in the future.

Many people wanted to ban this book.

It dealt with themes such as girl gangs, sex, love, and friendship, which were considered too much for some.

My Father made me read it, and it turned out to be probably the earliest feminist literature that I read.

For this important literary legacy, I am truly thankful to him and to Joyce Carol Oates.

Her work opened my eyes to a world of complex female characters and their experiences.

It made me realize the importance of representing women's voices and struggles in literature.

Thanks to this book, I began to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for feminist ideas.

I will always remember this early introduction to feminist literature and be grateful for the influence it has had on my life.

If rock'n'roll is your ideal, then this is a book you definitely want to read.

Although Foxfire doesn't deal explicitly with music at any point, Oates is remarkably able to distill that same electrifying essence.

The story is set in the 50s, yet, aside from a few scattered cultural markers, it could just as plausibly be set in the contemporary moment. And that's how I read it.

Nothing in it felt artificial or "for show." I've known women who are like the characters in this book, including some close friends I've come to know over the years. They are wild, courageous, and vulnerable all at once.

Most importantly, Joyce, with her use of capital letters and italics, is able to make you truly feel the urgency of the teen drama. So if people want to debate the authenticity of her story, that's fine; I'll simply state that it's real enough.

After reading this book, it's hard not to fantasize about what it would have been like to have joined a gang. My advice? Start a rock band. It's the next best thing.

A Pleasant Surprise!

I bought this book during a promotion at Pingo Doce without great expectations, simply because I recognized the author's name.

I liked the way Joyce Carol Oates approaches the harassment that most women deal with on a daily basis and the way it can transform and even isolate them over time. "Legs" is definitely one of the most interesting characters I have come across recently. However, I didn't feel that the other characters were as memorable as she was.

It was a good start with Joyce Carol Oates' writing and I definitely want to read more of her extensive work!

"Puro fuego" by Joyce Carol Oates.

Edited directly in paperback in Spain, it is a pleasure to come across a work like this.

Beneath the apparent simplicity of the plot: the diary of a group of adolescent girls and all that they go through, it hides an excellent work, a wonderful exercise in style combined with an absorbing plot that also offers us several levels of reading.

From the simple account of adventures to a portrait of friendship above all that occurs among women, passing through clear reflections on feminism, the established patriarchal society inherent in it ("Only women could be promiscuous, boys never"), racism ("Isn't it better that people live with those of their class, aren't they happier this way?"), destiny and luck ("Luck is only a combination of destiny and desire. If you desire something very badly, surely it will happen"), and a countless number of other things.

Noteworthy is the metamorphosis in its style that adapts to the way of speaking of adolescent girls, with hasty sentences, without interruption, sometimes without commas, and that gradually evolves.

Also changing the point of view, depending on who is telling the story.

In short, we are faced with an essential work, a masterpiece of the genre. Joyce Carol Oates offers us a lot and very good things, but above all, how many stories and how many nuances she is capable of giving, how much subtlety. Splendid.

The vivid characters that constitute Foxfire strive to undermine the violent order of the world they dwell in.

However, they quickly discover that ideological purity, passionate belief, and fierce loyalty are not uncorruptible virtues. This is especially true when the adversary is so all-pervasive and all-powerful.

Ultimately, they become entangled in the very system they combated, rendering this novel both profoundly personal and strikingly political.

And, of course, the very concept of a girl-gang in 1950s industrial America is novel enough to maintain the freshness, aliveness, and captivating nature of every aspect of this novel.

The story unfolds with the girls' initial idealism gradually giving way to the harsh realities of their situation. Their attempts to resist the dominant order are met with various challenges and setbacks, leading them to question their own beliefs and actions.

As they become more involved in the system they oppose, their personal identities and relationships are also put to the test.

The novel thus explores themes of power, resistance, and the consequences of one's actions in a complex and engaging manner.

There is so much to think about regarding this book. I believe that this, my first encounter with Oates' work, will remain with me for a long time. I can't recall exactly where I heard about this book, but once I did, I knew without a doubt that I had to read it. It took me a year and a half to finally get around to it, haha. It is a read that is sometimes heavy and sometimes tender, set in upstate NY in the 1950s. I think it would be worth a reread sometime in the future.

One of the beauties of this book is Oates' remarkable ability to subtly portray age and aging. Just by reading the words, I could sense the characters evolving from early teens to early adulthood, and then the narrator into later life. It was truly a captivating experience.

However, there are also some negatives. The later initiates to Foxfire, I suppose, were introduced to create the divisions that would ultimately contribute to the downfall. But they didn't really stand out as completely necessary or thoughtful additions to the plot. I wondered if the book could have managed just fine with only the central few characters.

Another aspect to consider is the heavy-handed use of racial slurs. Granted, it was the 50s, and one could argue that it was a reflection of the times. But personally, I didn't enjoy it. I only found it relevant in the scene with Marigold, where the Foxfire girls began to be quietly divided by prejudices, having grown into their own individuals yet still bound by an ideology formed years before. Otherwise, it felt rather surprising and unnecessary.

Foxfire is my very first Joyce Carol Oates novel. She is an extremely prolific author, and her works have frequently been highly regarded by both readers and critics. It is truly about time that I delved into one of her novels.

This turned out to be an excellent choice. Foxfire is the name of a 1950s girl gang residing in the northern New York town of Hammond. Its history is recounted by the group's official chronicler, Maddy Wirtz, in a succession of episodes that culminate in the final events leading to the destruction of the group. Gang leader Legs Sandusky is a captivating creation, a charismatic yet troubled teenager who perceives herself and her followers as a kind of Robin Hood and his merry men, safeguarding victimized girls from "Others", those who take advantage of them.

Writing in a rapid-paced narrative style, with minimal punctuation and run-on sentences, Wirtz offers an insider's perspective on the events. She is particularly close to Legs and thus is uniquely qualified to tell her story. Part of her narrative is also presented from the perspective of her adult self. To emphasize this differentiation, the adult Maddy refers to her younger self in the third person.

Despite their criminal behavior, many of the members of Foxfire are empathetic characters, especially for modern female readers who will find the misogyny of 1950s America quite astonishing. Many of the girls are neglected by their families and vulnerable to exploitation. I often found myself on their side.

This is a quick and engaging read, and it serves as an eye-opener. I wholeheartedly recommend it.