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Lisa sees the life of her gorgeous best friend Celeste as just about perfect: she has a gigantic house, two older sisters to coach her through the hazards of high school, and loving, lively parents. As Lisa's own home has long been a place devoid of joyful noise—her mother has shut herself off in her bedroom for years—Lisa joins the Diamond household, slipping into their routine of sit-down suppers and soaking in the delicious normalcy of Diamond family life. But what begins as the story of two young women living a charmed adolescence, one of mastering dance moves and the protocols of male-female interaction, soon swirls into an intoxicating novel of art, music, and self-destructive impulses as Lisa and Celeste dare each other ever onward.
My Thoughts: Wow. This book really shocked me. It doesn't take much to shock me, but this did it. Two best friends growing up together. They meet in sixth grade, while taking a placement exam to get into a prestigious prep school. Their friendship begins immediately.
The first paragraph:
I met Celeste in one of those lucky years of childhood you get before anybody significant dies-before Grandma goes, before your dad's secretary doesn't beat breast cancer, before the pharmacist gets into the car wreck. Celeste fit those years perfectly: me with my illusions of everyone living on into some hazy infinity of old age, Celeste with her surreal beauty, her otherworldly trust, her yellow eyes more gold than green, her skin, her lips, her-god!-her grace. You wouldn't believe how beautiful a sixth-grader could be until you saw her.
They are together every summer, and celebrate special moments together; their first kisses, first dates, first experiences with alcohol and drugs, then later their first sexual encounters. I envied their closeness....and knew that they would be there for each other no matter what. I think the best thing about this book is the end.....It blindsided me....never saw it coming.
This is a gritty, raw and surprising coming-of-age story that I will never forget.
Very Good!"Pretty Little Dirty takes a classic coming-of-age tale and turns it inside out, then gives it a few kicks in the head for good measure. Funny, sexy, inventively told, and scary as hell—a gutsy debut." –Dani Shapiro, author of Family History
- Paperback: 432 pages
- Publisher: Vintage (March 14, 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1400096820
- ISBN-13: 978-1400096824
8 comments:
Hmm, good review! Seems like I saw another good review for this book on someone elses blog. Maybe I can look into this one.
Oh, this one sounds really good! Thanks for the review!
Such a good review! I haven't heard of it before, but it sounds really great! :)
i'm looking forward to read this book..i love reading about girls bestfriends because it reminds me of my bestfriends. *LOL*
I have recently found that I enjoy coming-of-age stories and this one would probably appeal to me even more since it seems to have shocked you. That got me really intrigued.
I love a book that gets you at the end! I haven't heard of this one -- but then you're always introducing me to new books!
good review! will add to my list,thanks.
I read this book awhile back, and it shocked me, too!
--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric
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