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Loading... Virgins (edition 1984)by Caryl Rivers (Author)
Work InformationVirgins by Caryl Rivers
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The million-copy bestseller: "A laugh-out-loud and cry-out-loud tale of growing up . . . this fast paced, sassy novel triumphs" (The Philadelphia Inquirer). For the seniors at Immaculate Heart High, hormones triumphed over the State of Grace--and everyone's vocation was to DO IT. The Map of Forbidden Sexual Delights extended its boundaries nightly in the back seats of tail-finned cars. And nothing--not even the Anti-Smut League--could keep the boys and the girls from a rowdy, raunchy romp through those heart-stopping, heart-wrenching days of growing up! "To read Virgins is to remember the days when a kiss was two tightly closed mouths colliding and there were definite rules as to where a roving hand could rove . . . and no, if you are too young to remember those days, Caryl Rivers is not making it all up. Rivers has written a very funny book." --The Washington Post "Rivers is in her element. Her descriptions, from the blue serge uniforms and scuffed oxfords to the continuing battle of wits with the nuns, are right on target. Virgins is quick and bright." --Los Angeles Times "Miss Rivers demonstrates her sharp comic form right from the start." --The New York Times Book Review "Rivers doesn't give one time to pause for breath between the bawdy laugh-out-loud and wrenchingly moving moments in her new book . . . This glimpse of the chasm separating youthful hopes and realities will affect readers strongly." --Publishers Weekly No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.75)
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Wikipedia in English
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Peggy Morrison, her friends and classmates Con and Molly, seniors at Immaculate Heart of Mary High school, and her neighbor and boyfriend, Sean McCaffrey, a senior at Sacred Heart of Jesus High School, struggle with the challenges of growing up and entering adulthood. Peggy and Con dream of being writers and journalists and living a glamorous life in New York City. Sean plans to be a priest, and will be entering the seminary after graduation.
It's an era in which there is no acknowledged place for women, and especially girls, with serious ideas. Individuality and creativity are not encouraged. If the stern, demanding Sister who is principal of Immaculate Heart is a little more sympathetic than she outwardly seems, the girls certainly don't notice. The girls and Sean struggle to explore their ideas and dreams without getting caught breaking the rules, and they all struggle with issues in their families. Con is living with a painful situation that leaves her unable to respect either parent. Sean's father, a professor at St. Anselm's College, is pompous, hard to reach, and a brave if somewhat clownish crusader against Smut. Peggy's father dies, suddenly, unexpectedly, leaving Peggy without her strongest support, and her mother to take over the family business and keep them afloat financially.
I can't really say much about the plot, because this book is about its characters, more so than what happens to them. The friends work their way through the challenges of sex, obedience, maturity, and taking responsibility. It's a world that had changed by the time I was growing up in the sixties, and has changed again, and yet again, since then. It's funny, it's moving, and thoroughly enjoyable.
Recommended.
I received a free electronic galley of this book from the author. (