A refreshing, updated (though set in the 1980s) look at rich girls at a boarding school. The themes are kind of tired but Ms. de Gramont's writing brings them back to life -- Language is poetic but not overly dense. I was transported back to 16 years old while reading due to Gramont's excellent job of reminding us what teen feels like: friendships that are dearer than family ties, sense of self that is entangled in others, and above all that desperate need to fulfill one's desires, whatever they may be, and whomever must be hurt in the process. Written for adults, but a teen would like it - mature themes (coke, sex, etc.) ( )

This is a book that I got from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. I didn't really enjoy this book. I found that I really just couldn't get into it and then eventually I put aside and never bothered to finish it. ( )

Didn't always relate to the sophistication of Catherine's self-analysis, I certainly wasn't that intuitive at her age, but really liked the writing and most of the time, the plot. Would definitely recommend it. ( )

Catherine Morrow, a student at Esther Percy School for Girls, a boarding school in Vermont, is befriended by Skye Butterfield, the beautiful daughter of a Massachusetts senator. Catherine’s closest friends, Suzannah and John Paul, feel crowded out by Skye’s presence. This situation is menacingly aggravated by this group of friends’ pranks and drug use.

At first, I felt that I couldn’t relate to the story. After all, it was a story about wealthy, risk-taking, drug-abusing high school students. The story from the outset seemed unsettling. It was the author’s beautiful and intelligent prose, however, which engaged me. I realized that there was more to this story than my first impression. Having been drawn in especially by its psychology, the story presented a picture of something ominous. Throughout reading the entire book, that feeling remained. Moving through the story, I began to see a deeper layer of narration. I was taken in by a story of teenagers’ travails – dealing with parents, accepting authority, setting priorities, learning about friendship, and developing one’s own moral place in the world. These are all universal themes to which anyone can relate.

As I allowed myself to accept the characters as they were, I was rewarded with the feeling that I really knew them despite their shortcomings. This made the story much richer for me and engaged me emotionally to the end.

I definitely like the author’s writing style and would recommend this book to others. I think this story would be especially interesting to people who’ve already enjoyed such books as John Green’s Looking for Alaska or Curtis Settenfield’s Prep. ( )

On the whole, I enjoyed this book; de Gramont's writing style is engaging, and the plot moves along quickly. The subplots involving Catherine's equestrian competitions and the trip to Venezuela to buy cocaine were distracting and not very believable, and took away from the main story. ( )