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meghan111's review
3.0
This novel grew on me. It takes place in the 1980s at Esther Percy School, an elite New England prep school, and is narrated by a woman looking back and figuring out her past and her teenage relationship with the wealthy daughter of a prominent politician. There is horseback riding and cocaine; however, it is actually more about character than plot. About halfway through I realized the writing was actually very good:
"I had started prep school at thirteen. Rich, wild girls - the ones who couldn't contain their outlaw yearnings - were dazzling and commonplace as New England snow. But Skye was a newborn rebel, with a vengeful and mercurial heart. At any moment she might repent, or head for a cliff, not caring who else got hurt."
"I had started prep school at thirteen. Rich, wild girls - the ones who couldn't contain their outlaw yearnings - were dazzling and commonplace as New England snow. But Skye was a newborn rebel, with a vengeful and mercurial heart. At any moment she might repent, or head for a cliff, not caring who else got hurt."
ckausch's review
1.0
The only reason I finished this was becauase I HAD to know what the big F-up would be, not because I was invested in the characters at all. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless you are REALLY interested in self-destructive teenagers. When it comes to boarding school centered fiction, I could provide a list of better novels than this.
themadmadmadeline's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Absolutely gorgeous.
I literally couldn't put this book down. Very much like A Separate Peace (another one of my favorite books) and equally as beautiful. I loved the setting (New England, 1980's prep school), the horse motif, the descriptive and heart-wrenching writing and the teenage angst theme.
Simply stunning- Gossip of the Starlings is officially in my Top 5 Favorite Books of All Time List. Gorgeous.
February 2024: re-reading this book at 33 years old was almost better than reading it more than ten years ago. Absolutely spectacular. I feel like this is the most underrated book I’ve ever come across. Absolutely exquisite novel, in my humble opinion.
I literally couldn't put this book down. Very much like A Separate Peace (another one of my favorite books) and equally as beautiful. I loved the setting (New England, 1980's prep school), the horse motif, the descriptive and heart-wrenching writing and the teenage angst theme.
Simply stunning- Gossip of the Starlings is officially in my Top 5 Favorite Books of All Time List. Gorgeous.
February 2024: re-reading this book at 33 years old was almost better than reading it more than ten years ago. Absolutely spectacular. I feel like this is the most underrated book I’ve ever come across. Absolutely exquisite novel, in my humble opinion.
sarahfrog's review against another edition
3.0
This is set in the 80s at a girl's prep school--a theme I have fast grown tired of--but I did find this to be well-written and thoughtful. It's really the story of the consequences of being friends with someone who is so fascinating that they block out reason and sense. I think the author did a good job of describing certain friendships between girls, and how much teen girls tend to be willing to sacrifice for the sake of what they see as loyalty.
kricketa's review against another edition
3.0
having been caught in the sack with her boyfriend john paul, catherine is withdrawn from one prep school and enrolled in another. here, she tries to start anew, eschewing drugs to focus on her riding. She is befriended by Skye Butterfield, the daughter of a well-known senator, who seems like the perfect role-model: driven, focused, angelic. It turns out Skye has befriended Catherine hoping to become bad, and Skye's side wins out.
Skye is an intense and somewhat frightening character...sort of manic. I've met people like her and I found her very real. As the narrator, Catherine is telling the story years later in a strangely detached way. The writing is haunting and the story gripping, a bit intense. Not for younger teens.
Skye is an intense and somewhat frightening character...sort of manic. I've met people like her and I found her very real. As the narrator, Catherine is telling the story years later in a strangely detached way. The writing is haunting and the story gripping, a bit intense. Not for younger teens.
melissakuzma's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't really like this. I prefer my drug and sex-fueled boarding school books to be a little more cheerful and upbeat. Seriously, though, hated the characters, hated the ending... bleh.
emilyrhodes17's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book a few years ago. Underrated in my opinion. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
kirstena's review against another edition
2.0
Hmm...the author has an amazing way with words. And I think that's why I kept reading. But the plot was lacking and the ending bizarre.
mhall's review against another edition
3.0
This novel grew on me. It takes place in the 1980s at Esther Percy School, an elite New England prep school, and is narrated by a woman looking back and figuring out her past and her teenage relationship with the wealthy daughter of a prominent politician. There is horseback riding and cocaine; however, it is actually more about character than plot. About halfway through I realized the writing was actually very good:
"I had started prep school at thirteen. Rich, wild girls - the ones who couldn't contain their outlaw yearnings - were dazzling and commonplace as New England snow. But Skye was a newborn rebel, with a vengeful and mercurial heart. At any moment she might repent, or head for a cliff, not caring who else got hurt."
"I had started prep school at thirteen. Rich, wild girls - the ones who couldn't contain their outlaw yearnings - were dazzling and commonplace as New England snow. But Skye was a newborn rebel, with a vengeful and mercurial heart. At any moment she might repent, or head for a cliff, not caring who else got hurt."
heykellyjensen's review against another edition
1.0
What a disaster of a book. I can't begin to comprehend what the goal or purpose of this way, and I feel like it was a major rip off a lot of other stories and rehashed terribly.
First, the over reliance on drug use as a major theme in pre-college boarding school is plain absurd. Whoever the audience is for this story is in for disappointment - this is way too adult for the high school age and way too juvenile for adults. De Garmont wants to write something similar to Curtis Sittenfield's "Prep," but falls so flat.
Second, the title has nothing to do with the book. There is one line in the entire book and in no way is this about gossipy folks. All of the characters are dry and predictable, with no depth and no interest in anyone except themselves. It's like De Garmont wanted to portray something that she wanted to convey, but failed in both respects as the story falls flat and the title does nothing more than make clear this is nothing but "show."
The writing is not spectacular. It's cliched, and it's not original. There's nothing spectacular here, and all of the hype surrounding this book (through its publisher and through press) is nothing but a means of trying to sell something that just isn't. The story line has too many elements cobbled together poorly without giving an indication of aim or aspiration in any character - Catherine apparently is a big deal horse rider, but we know so little about it. Sure it comes up, but maybe only after a few chapters. It was a total afterthought...a detail added simply because it adds to the air of the prep school. Maybe if this had actually been developed and made a reader care about Catherine's passion it could have worked but since Catherine didn't care herself (until the horse went missing, a la the end of the book), we can't care, either.
I would not recommend this for anyone. I finished it simply because I wanted to see what the disappointing ending was that other reviewers mentioned. I found the ending to be the only redeeming quality of the book: one character ends up dead (not that she was ever alive, anyway) and the others have nothing going for them. I love myself a good prep school story, but this was painful not because of that, but because of how poorly executed and planned it was. Really - high schoolers able to hop a plane to South America on a whim to get coke without a parent even knowing? Even for the early 80s, you have got to be kidding me.
First, the over reliance on drug use as a major theme in pre-college boarding school is plain absurd. Whoever the audience is for this story is in for disappointment - this is way too adult for the high school age and way too juvenile for adults. De Garmont wants to write something similar to Curtis Sittenfield's "Prep," but falls so flat.
Second, the title has nothing to do with the book. There is one line in the entire book and in no way is this about gossipy folks. All of the characters are dry and predictable, with no depth and no interest in anyone except themselves. It's like De Garmont wanted to portray something that she wanted to convey, but failed in both respects as the story falls flat and the title does nothing more than make clear this is nothing but "show."
The writing is not spectacular. It's cliched, and it's not original. There's nothing spectacular here, and all of the hype surrounding this book (through its publisher and through press) is nothing but a means of trying to sell something that just isn't. The story line has too many elements cobbled together poorly without giving an indication of aim or aspiration in any character - Catherine apparently is a big deal horse rider, but we know so little about it. Sure it comes up, but maybe only after a few chapters. It was a total afterthought...a detail added simply because it adds to the air of the prep school. Maybe if this had actually been developed and made a reader care about Catherine's passion it could have worked but since Catherine didn't care herself (until the horse went missing, a la the end of the book), we can't care, either.
I would not recommend this for anyone. I finished it simply because I wanted to see what the disappointing ending was that other reviewers mentioned. I found the ending to be the only redeeming quality of the book: one character ends up dead (not that she was ever alive, anyway) and the others have nothing going for them. I love myself a good prep school story, but this was painful not because of that, but because of how poorly executed and planned it was. Really - high schoolers able to hop a plane to South America on a whim to get coke without a parent even knowing? Even for the early 80s, you have got to be kidding me.