Worst book I've read in recent memory. It inspires in me a feeling I imagine to be familiar to those who have ever seized a pitchfork or a flaming torch and set off to terrorize a neighbor.

I've never read anything with a more loathesome, spineless, vacuous, sad-sack main character. Every single time (EVERY SINGLE TIME) Lee is on the precipice of learning something or connecting to someone or growing as a human being in any conceivable way, she slumps her shoulders and sabotages herself, and we're back to square one. This is done without the slightest self-awareness, either on her part or the writer's, which makes her an infuriating protagonist. The book is supposedly narrated by Lee later in her life as she looks back at her prep school days, but there's no perspective on her stupidity or sense that she has developed as a personality or matured in any way in the intervening years.

Also, the girl thinks about literally nothing but herself and what she imagines people think of her. She has no interests, no hobbies, no ideals, no goals. I'll hand it to Curtis Sittenfeld for creating a believable universe in the prep school setting, but her main character is not a three-dimensional human being. I mean, dude, lots of us have been depressed and self-isolating as teenagers, but we had *something* we connected to, be it music/movies/nature/sports/fashion magazines/video games/model cars/long walks/our dog/SOMETHING. It made no sense for such an emotionally sensitive and insightful character (and really, she was -- she had a lot of potential) to have no interests whatsoever beyond her own popularity (also thwarted by her utter lack of social skills). It's like Sittenfeld just plain forgot to add that dimension to her character, much like the time in 11th grade Child Development class I forgot to record bath times in my egg baby journal.

And look, I know there are plenty of books with unlikeable protagonists, but they usually have interesting personalities or are, you know, active. Scarlett O'Hara would be a terribly unpleasant person to know personally, but she's a great protagonist because she has ambitions and she gets shit done. She drives her story, even if you don't care for how she does it. Lee does nothing, cares about nothing, and gives us no incentive to follow her worthless life for 500 (or whatever) pages. I only finished the book because I promised my roommate I would.

And the thing is, Sittenfeld can write. Her prose is elegant and tight, her supporting characters are believable, her dialogue is realistic, and her world-building is awesome. Of course, I believe the prep school is based heavily on the school Sittenfeld attended herself, but its descriptions are full of little quirks and in-jokes that ring very true to what high school dynamics are like. The problem is Lee Fiora: since she is so ridiculously solipsistic, the bulk of the book takes place in her head, and her head has all the appeal of a flooded basement.


Also? I read this three years ago and still get flushed with anger whenever I think about it. I saw the book in my "read" list and realized I hadn't vented my spleen adequately with my original two-sentence review, and if I read it again (uhhh....NO), I'd have even more to add. Heinous book.

This was too real, and it made me realize I have unresolved high school trauma <3

I absolutely adored this, and alternated between desperately needing it to end so I could see how things played out, and hoping it would continue on so that it never had to end.
A wonderfully masterful coming of age story that was expertly created by Curtis Sittenfeld’s quick fire brain; the writing was so so wonderful and brought me such a feeling of deep, intense nostalgia as well as a whole heap of sadness and frustration over the trials tribulations of growing up as an awkward, slightly quirky teenager who doesn’t seem to fit in properly with her peers yet is doing everything in her power to be accepted, even if it means friendships and morals are ignored or put at risk. One of the first books for a while that has made me want to turn back to the front and start all over again.

Questo libro l'ho lasciato in libreria 7 anni prima di leggerlo: nonostante l'avessi preso scontato del 65% sospettavo (date le negativissime opinioni lette in giro) di aver comunque fatto un pessimo acquisto. E invece no. "Prep"(il cui didascalico titolo altro non è che l'abbreviazione "preparatory school", ma è anche l'abbreviativo di "Preppy", come indicazione dei giovani benestanti del nord-est degli Stati uniti) ha ampiamente superato le mie aspettative. La peculiarità di questo libro è che sembrerebbe quasi privo di trama perché la storia non è altro che un resoconto di 4 anni di collegio, che si dilunga per ben 500 pagine. Noioso? Nient'affatto. Per me questa lettura è stata quanto di più distante possa esserci dalla noia! La protagonista è una ragazza molto introversa che passa praticamente inosservata per tutti i suoi anni trascorsi a scuola e la narrazione, scritta dal suo punto di vista in prima persona, è incredibilmente vivida, una delle narrazioni più credibili e veritiere che abbia letto, capace di trasportare il lettore in tutto e per tutto nella storia, a patto però che si riesca ad immedesimarsi almeno un po' nella protagonista, cosa che a me è riuscita molto bene. Penso non sia necessario essere caratterialmente tali e quali a lei per capirla, però è certamente necessario essere introversi per riuscire a capire molte delle scelte che fa, o sarebbe meglio dire molte delle scelte che NON fa. Perché in questo romanzo c'è più riflessione che azione, più cose non dette o cose non fatte che il contrario. E' affascinante come ogni cosa non detta o non fatta abbia sempre un elaborato retroscena e l'autrice è bravissima a descrivere ogni cosa capiti alla protagonista con estrema lucidità e in maniera molto semplice e scorrevole.
Poteva essere un romanzo banale ma vincente, in cui la protagonista inizia la sua avventura scolastica da "nullità" ma poi ha un processo evolutivo sorprendente e sul finale si riscatta e diventa la ragazza più ammirata e popolare della scuola. Ma no, non funziona così e i romanzi in cui i protagonisti hanno questi salti di qualità sinceramente non fanno per me. Invece questo romanzo nella sua "normalità" è stato per me straordinario e pieno di spunti interessanti, una lettura nel complesso leggera e poco impegnativa, anche se con un fondo di introspezione acuta, che purtroppo temo non possa venire colta da tutti a causa dell'insormontabile divario che da sempre le persone timide creano con il resto del mondo. Ma non è colpa del libro.

I loved this so, so much. The narration is so amazing. Selin-in-the-Idiot level wows. Like Foster Dade, Never Let Me Go, and Perks of Being a Wallflower, it understands how it feels to be young. I thought the final 15 pages were a bit of a weak ending but I will overlook that because of how I felt listening to the final sentences, sensing I would be parting from Lee for the first, but not the last time.

4/25: I love this book so much!

First read: There were a host of things in this book that irritated me (some questionable decisions from the narrator, an unsatisfactory ending, etc), but certain things about that I really liked that pulled it up to 3 stars - the style, the detailed characterizations, the reflections in hindsight from the narrator, and certain sentences / paragraphs. In particular, I loved the chapter where Lee's parents visit her at school; to me, that chapter alone made the story worth reading.

Second read: Still enjoyed it but a little less the second time. Again I thought the dynamic of Lee with her family was well done. Definitely felt like shaking her vigorously a few times.

O tej książce słyszałam kilka lat temu w moim ulubionym książkowym podcaście ("Girls Like Us"); nie sądzę, bym bez tego kiedykolwiek po nią sięgnęła, a na pewno nie w polskim tłumaczeniu (ten tytuł! Ta okładka!). I myślę, że sporo bym straciła, ponieważ Curtis Sittenfeld wydaje się bardzo świadomą autorką, która doskonale wie, dlaczego coś umieszcza albo pomija w swoich książkach, i że nie jest twórczynią, której prace można brać powierzchownie. Z pewnością sięgnę po inne jej książki, ale może wróćmy do "Prep" (odmawiam używania polskiego tytułu).

Przede wszystkim, Sittenfeld z niesamowitą pieczołowitością, a zarazem naturalnością oddaje atmosferę bycia nastolatkiem z wiecznym lękiem, odgrywaniem ról i byciem niesympatycznym - ponieważ *żaden* z uczniów Ault nie jest do końca sympatyczny, ale to chyba najbardziej nastoletnia rzecz, jaką można znaleźć w bohaterach mających być nastolatkami: że są okropni, a autor nie boi się tego pokazać. Lee, nasza główna bohaterka, nie odstaje od tej reguły; Lee jest zresztą nie tylko bohaterką, ale również narratorką - nigdy jednak nie przestaje być postacią. Wszystkie opisane w książce wydarzenia relacjonuje z perspektywy około kilkunastu lat później, jako dorosła kobieta, i choć widzimy, że pewnych rzeczy się nauczyła poprzez pytania, które zadaje zarówno nam, jak i sobie (dlaczego taka była? Dlaczego myślała tak, nie inaczej?), innych wciąż nie jest świadoma. Sittenfeld do końca pozostawia bez jednoznaczego komentarza w tekście choćby rasizm Lee - a jednocześnie pojawia się pod koniec scena, która nie pozostawia wątpliwości, że autorka wszystko, co mogło unosić brew współczesnego czytelnika, umieściła tu właśnie w celu zbudowania pewnego większego obrazu, a nie z powodu własnej nieświadomości. Spotkałam się z opinią, że Sittenfeld pisze o rasizmie, nie eksploatując doświadczeń, których mieć nie może, tylko z perspektywy białych ludzi z klasy średniej, w przyziemności i lekceważeniu, jakie okazują pewnym sytuacjom, tworząc komentarz - jednocześnie nie traktuje czytelnika jak idioty, pozwalając mu odejść z jakimś własnym wnioskiem.

Chociaż jest to książka o nastolatkach, zdecydowanie nie powiedziałabym, że jej targetem jest młodzież. Nie z powodu jakichś wyjątkowo wulgarnych scen, ale po prostu dlatego, że nastolatka mogłaby znudzić; mógłby jej po prostu nie zrozumieć, gdyż nie jest przypadkiem, że Lee opisuje swój pobyt w Ault już jako dorosła. Pewne wrażenia, nierozerwalnie związane z pozytywnym odbiorem tej książki, są ściśle wplecione w dorosłość, kiedy można się obejrzeć za siebie - niekoniecznie z tęsknotą za nastoletnimi latami, ale ze współczuciem dla młodszej, głupszej wersji siebie.

Na koniec bardziej osobista refleksja: bardzo lubię książki o szkołach z internatem, niestety dwie ostatnie, na jakie trafiłam ("W moich snach to ja trzymam nóż" i "Moja mroczna Vanesso") wchodzą w tę nieznośną dla mnie narrację, że pochodząca ze średniej klasy nikta dostaje się w takie miejsce i ma ogromny potencjał, ale nikt go nie dostrzega; Sittenfeld z kolei idzie w ślady Tartt, tworząc postać, której cała wyjątkowość znajduje się w jej głowie i jeśli nikt jej nie dostrzega, jest to wyłącznie kwestia faktu, że jej nie posiada. Na szczęście dla mnie, bo taka kreacja jest nie tylko realniejsza, ale również ciekawsza. Niesympatyczni celowo protagoniści zawsze są lepsi od tych, którzy wychodzą tacy przypadkiem.

This book is on my nerves. I'm going to give it my best and try to finish the last 150 or so pages but I may tear each page out one at a time and burn it as I read it.

011510. Finally finished!!! This one almost made it to my "couldn't finish" list but I made it!

Lee has zero growth throughout the entire book until the last 50 pages, when she actually becomes interesting only because she becomes controversial.

I know it's wrong to judge a book by its cover, but the cover didn't reflect the feel of this book at all. The cover says "light, airy, cheery, fun". In reality it's "sad, self absorbed, pathetic, dark".

If only the book had started within the last 100 pages and continued from there, it may have had some hope.

There will be a direct correlation between your enjoyment of season one of Felicity and this book. Did you never watch Felicity because it looked boring? Did you hate it because Felicity is too annoying, too passive, too obsessed with a boy, or too intospective? Then do not read this book. Don't say I didn't earn you.

If you obsessively rewatched all of season one alone the weekend before college (a cable marathon no less) while making "the perfect" quilt for your dorm, then this is the book for you.

I read this a long time ago....and LOVED it......

(saw a new book coming out which compared their book to PREP)!

I knew I would love this book, I loved American Wife even though the subject was one that sickens me: Laura Bush. I find the whole concept of prep school to be fascinating, and this book so completely sucked me in I feel like I've been through four years of boarding school in the 24 hours it took me to read it. I loved all the characters, even (maybe especially) the ones who weren't likable. Now I can't wait to read Sittenfeld's other novel, The Man of My Dreams.

After thinking about it for a few hours, I remembered there was a bit where Lee the main character mentions later on attending a local highschool in her hometown in the midwest, and that heightening the delicious tension about whether or not she gets kicked out of her prep school... and in retrospect I feel cheated a bit, I don't know if it was a cheap contrivance, sloppy untied thread, or if I just misread somehow? I won't change my rating of this book, I still super enjoyed it.

Every time I pick up a book, I expect to be taken on a ride. Sometimes it's a short drive into the city for dinner, consisting of laughs and entertaining conversations, leaving me full and content by the time I reach home again. Other times it's a fast-paced roller coaster, ups and downs twisting my stomach in knots, exciting me until the very last page. My favorites are road trips, the ones that take forever and a day to get through, but every adventure is new and you get to know the characters on a more profound level.

With Prep, what started off as a promising book---a protagonist with room to grow, a realistically structured setting, the timeless coming-of-age plot---quickly became one of the most boring, ridiculous things I have ever read. I wanted very much to like Lee Fiora, because I related to her shyness, her seeming invisibility, and her self-deprecation. I waited patiently for her to learn from her mistakes and was sorely disappointed when Lee stayed exactly the same through four years of high school. As a time of self-discovery and growth, it is not only uninteresting for Lee to remain unchanged through one of life's most crucial periods, it is impossible.

As if the protagonist being a stagnant, unlikable mess weren't enough reason to give this book a mere one star (I wouldn't even give it that, had I a choice), the plot mirrors its protagonist, setting up what could be a wonderful story about finding oneself, but ultimately going nowhere. Think about taking a very long and slow drive around the block; about fifty laps of seeing the same neighbor mow his lawn, the same houses, cars, and weather, before you pull back into your driveway disappointed, frustrated, tired, and just as hungry as when you left. After turning the last page, my exact words were "That's it?"

I wasted a week of my life on a book that did nothing save leave me with the bitter taste of a girl, similar to myself, who gets used by her crush for a game of sexual conquest, ruins every potential relationship she might have, ultimately ends up alone and unsuccessful, and doesn't learn a thing throughout the entire process.

I read to find romance, inspiration, fantasy, and escape. Sometimes my forays into a good book are rewarded with tears, sometimes with giddiness, but always with the satisfaction of having gone somewhere outside of what reality can offer and having learned something new and exciting.

Prep offered me a pathetic woman with nothing to show for herself but an ungrateful, cynical attitude. If I've learned anything, it's that after two hours of passing my own driveway, I should pack it up and choose a different ride.