Gossip Girl

Serena van der Woodsen was the It Girl of New York City's Upper East Side but her departure for boarding school without a word to her friends has left its mark. Her return is fraught with bitchiness, backstabbing and rumours. But the quintessential It Girl knows how to be nothing else and Serena weathers the storm by finding new friends, new hobbies and new drama.

Meanwhile, Blair Waldorf has to adjust to her new normal.

Well.

I can't say this has aged well at all. And was I ever that young at seventeen? This was sort of entertaining? But also not really at all?

There's an odd mix of youth, sex and swearing - which is probably more to do with how much I've aged in the last decade - but I felt it worth noting at least. All the characters show more are either drunk or high, most of them seem to have eating disorders and there's more than one instance of sexual assault. I think most problematic was the way in which the sexual assault was treated so casually. A few instances were barely even commented on and the worst one with Jenny and Chuck was dealt with by Serena telling Chuck to fk off? Just reading the name Chuck had me wanting to take a shower and no one seemed to recognise the seriousness or disgustingness of his behaviour and it was terrible.

From when this was published, I do think we've come a long way as a society regarding attitudes and acceptable behaviors towards and about women. The casual slut shaming, derogatory comments and even sexual touches are no longer left to linger silently - I won't deny it still happens but I definitely think we're more likely to speak up and out about it than we were. So while I recognise it was the norm, it still doesn't sit right, reading it now.

Regarding the book itself - any love I have for the characters is more to do with lingering nostalgia over the television show rather than the book - because frankly none of them were particularly likeable. They were whiny, self-centered and kind of flat. All of them needed therapy. The television show has doubtlessly also not aged well but it's also very different to the book series. Plus I'm a Chuck/Blair fan - I never liked Nate on the show and I absolutely hate him in the book. I don't get what Blair even kind of sees in him.

The confessional tone makes easy reading and the inclusion of the gossip girl blogs breaks up the story and adds drama to the narrative. I liked the style, I just found the plot a bit young for my taste.

When I first read this I rated 3 stars but upon rereading I can't go higher than 2 stars - there's just not enough depth to the characters or the plot to warrant more. show less

This book is some seriously trashy fun (though the voices for the characters in the audiobook I listened to were super annoying). Great writing. The narration is pretty cool- a third person that gets deep into the characters heads, with witty interjections from a birds eye view narrator every now and again. A perfect expression of teen (insanely wealthy teen) drama. The right tone of earnestness and mockery, down-to-earth and over-the-top.

I've read some negative reviews that were horrified by the book's lack of morality, but that is entirely the point. This isn't the book for 12 year old girls. The characters are about 17, and I think readers that age are old enough not to see the characters as role models. Still, there is a lot of show more casual drug use & a case of a serious eating disorder dealt with lightly, so if your young teen is reading this you might need to discuss those things first.

Although there are lots of scenes replicated in some way in the start of the TV series, they really are different beasts. The show is more serious, with the characters more fleshed out, more sympathetic. Think of the cast of War & Peace. The book is sort of devil-may-care, love me or hate me, with compelling but less respectable characters. Think Scarlett O'Hara. I loved both approaches. (Note: both these books were references in Gossip Girl, which gives it extra brownie points). show less

There are some books that we’re obsessed with in high school that stand the test of time and remain part of our permanent internal library, but there are others which don’t quite hold their gleam when raised to the light of an adult understanding. I hate to say it, because Gossip Girl was so iconic in the history of YA publishing (and television), but this book is part of the latter category and isn’t quite as pith-ily amusing as I wish it was. The television series stands on its own because of the styling and brilliant actors, but without the verbal intonation and New York visuals the book falls a touch flat. In this first book, we’re introduced to all of the main characters: Serena and Blair, Chuck and Nate, and Dan and Jenny, show more and we get touches of their adolescent personas, but I felt like von Ziegesar’s dialogue didn’t jump off the page and her constant asides don’t work nearly as well in written form as they do verbally. I can definitely see how this book would have shaken the YA market back in the day, since it was a unique setting, set of characters, and tone for the time, but somehow it seems lacking when reflected on 20 years later. I’m glad that they saw the brilliant spark in these novels though, since the world shouldn’t have to live without Leighton Meester’s and Blake Lively’s Blair and Serena! show less

In this first book of the currently 12 part series, von Ziegesar introuduces the reader to the glamorous world of four teenage Manhattan socialites. Serena van der Woodsen, the perfect blond goddess, has just returned to the city after a year of boarding school. Rumors abound, with the help of the mysterious Gossip Girl, as to why Serena has come back. Her best friend, Blair, isn't welcoming her back with open arms, but Blair's boyfriend, Nate, is sure happy to see her.

Because I hadn't previously read any of the series, I was prepared for the worst based on all the negative attention the books have received. I didn't find it too shocking -- but yes, it is a lot raunchier than the SVH series I read throughout my middle school days. I show more can understand why parents get so up in arms about these books because of the drinking, drugs, and sex. But just from my introduction to different YA literature this semester there are just as many "quality" YA books out there that are just as risque/controversial. With the right balance between these popular novels and quality literature I don't see the harm in reading them. These kids are spoiled, shallow, and have their priorities totally screwed up, but you can't help but be fascinated by how the "other side" lives. One thing's for sure, these books are definitely addictive just like my daily dose of People online. show less

I wanted to read this before I put it on my library shelves. It's very trashy, as expected, but it has surprisingly entertaining Austenesque moments--observations of "civil" society--only from within rather than without. I confess I don't have much of a taste for it, and I won't be surprised if I get complaints. It's definitely a test of the 'freedom to read.'

Wow - young adult books have changed a lot since I was a young adult (don't ask how many years that has been). Or maybe there just weren't too many young adult books and I moved on to adult books. Either way I think that it's wonderful that there are so many young adult books out there for adults and teenagers to choose from. So - I heard about this series and wanted to read it. The first one was definitely interesting. It seems so different from how it was when I was a teenager, but then again I didn't live in New York or have extremely wealthy parents, so these kids are different from me. Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading about them. Remove the fast and rich lifestyle and they have the same problems as any other teenager, plus there own show more set of problems. This book does not glamorize the life of the rich, but shows how these kids are like other kids. They are insecure, they do dumb things, they fall in love, make tough decisions and decide on the path their life will take them. They have trouble with friends and with boyfriends, they pick on other kids, sometimes they are picked on. Their parents fight, divorce, date, sometimes act like parents and embarass them.

So I really enjoyed reading about Blair, Nate, Serena and the other characters. The book centers around gossip that is reported and how it can be expounded upon and everyone seems to believe it. Thankfully as the reader you have a little more insight into the characters and you can see that the gossip hurts. But it sucks you in. I flew through this book and have the second one on the way so I can learn more about this crowd. It's a worthwhile, fun read and I can't wait to read more about them. show less

I've been so burned by "literary" books lately that I'm reading some real pablum, because hey, at least it lives up (or down?) to expectations.

Gossip Girl is eerily reminiscent of Pretty Little Liars. I honestly don't know which came first, and I don't care enough to look it up. The point is, if you like PLL, you'll like GG, and if you hate PLL, I can't imagine you liking GG. They're two privileged, gossipy high-school peas in a pod.

It may be due mostly to primacy bias (by which I mean, because I read it first), but I give PLL the slight edge. As you may recall from my reviews, the PLL books each ended on a fairly dramatic cliffhanger that sent me scrambling for the next book in the series. Also, there was only one character referred show more to by an initial, the mysterious and threatening "A". In GG, annoyingly, the little gossip columns scattered throughout refer to everyone within initials: "D and J might hook up! But B might have something to say about that, unless N gets there first! I and K are totally getting fat, and I think J has a crush on S!" You get the picture -- and it's a pretty annoying picture. Fortunately I think the gossip columns are pretty easily skimmed and otherwise ignored -- I don't much care about the identity of GG. As a mysterious figure she just can't hold a candle to A.

One thing that really bothers me: the gigantic closeup of some part of Serena's body that is everywhere as "art", but no one seems to know what it is. Her eye? Her belly button? Her pursed lips? I am really deeply afraid that it's something unmentionable, because why else all the secrecy? Ick!

For commitment-phobes, though, this is a very quick and easy read. I began and finished it during a nice long soak in the tub -- maybe an hour and a half, if that long. It might get you through a doctor's appointment, but don't take it to the beach unless you have room in your tote bag for the next two books in the series as well. show less