Comments on: Review: Prep, Curtis Sittenfeld

By: kathrynthegreatqueenoftheuniverse

kathrynthegreatqueenoftheuniverse — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 18:20:58 +0000

I’ve re-read the book a couple of times, although I am truly disgusted by Lee. As a prep school mom and as a woman who has spent the last thirty years married into the poor, bastard branch of an old New England family I can tell you Sittenfeld totally nailed so many of the mannerisms of the preppies and the self-defeating attitudes of the LMCs. For me, reading the book is like clicking on a link that will show photos of a horrible accident. You know you shouldn’t, you know it will make you feel sick, but you can’t help it.

By: Iris

Iris — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 11:23:03 +0000

I felt decidedly blah about this book, particularly the last half (or 3/5ths) of it. AS much as I felt I was recognising part of “being a teenager” in the first pages, it got to go on for so looooong… And Lee just did not seem to make any progress at all. I don’t know. You summed it up much better than I did. I agree, it is not the worst book ever, but I would probably ask someone if they were reading it is they were enjoying it, and if not, recommend them to pick up something else.

I gather you have read more by Sittenfeld? Which book would you recommend by her?

By: sarafist

sarafist — Thu, 31 May 2012 22:18:43 +0000

In reply to Jenny. Thank you! I am in a near-constant state of amazement.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Fri, 25 May 2012 23:17:36 +0000

In reply to Jenny. A baby! Congratulations, that's amazing!

By: schatzi

schatzi — Fri, 25 May 2012 21:21:57 +0000

In reply to Jenny.

Hahahaha, hi!

I got superbusy n’ stuff; I had a baby in December. My online presence … diminished somewhat. But, glad to see you’re still around! 🙂

By: Jenny

Jenny — Fri, 25 May 2012 01:49:32 +0000

In reply to schatzi. You! Hi! You! Hi, hi! I haven't seen you in ONE THOUSAND YEARS. Boo to that but yay to you right now! Hi!

By: schatzi

schatzi — Wed, 23 May 2012 06:20:42 +0000

Reading Prep (which I’ve done about three times now, I think–I do not know why. I am a glutton for punishment, I guess) always makes me feel sick to my stomach, for pretty much the same reasons you didn’t like it. She’s so awful and she just doesn’t change or learn from ANYTHING–at least not that we see; the epilogue seems to imply otherwise.
I understand kids being shitty to their parents the way she was because kids can be assholes, but IIRC, she never regretted it, or felt bad about it, and that made it so much worse. Pretty much the same goes for every shitty interaction she had with someone. Bleh.

By: Bybee

Bybee — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 01:50:34 +0000

When Lee got involved with that guy was when the book started going downhill for me. Ugh, cringe.

By: Andi (Estella's Revenge)

Andi (Estella's Revenge) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 16:28:11 +0000

Yeah, I haven’t read this one because Curtis Sittenfeld made herself look like an ass in the NYTimes when she reviewed another author’s “chick lit” book and threw around some really backhanded remarks and the word slut, I believe it was. I just tend to think she’s a bitch now and totally don’t even want to engage in her books.

Biased is me!

By: Karen K.

Karen K. — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 19:26:34 +0000

I hated this book too. It nearly turned me off Sittenfeld but a couple of years ago my real-life group read American Wife and we really liked it, so I’ll give her another chance.

I completely agree, Lee was just a brat and needed a good smack upside the head.