Thursday, September 08, 2011

Carrie Pilby by Caren Lissner

Carrie Pilby doesn't fit in -- and she's pretty much given up trying. A year out of college and settling in to life in the big city, this nineteen-year-old genius believes everyone she meets is immoral, sex obsessed and hypocritical, and the only person she sees on a regular basis is her therapist. When he comes up with a five-point plan to help her discover the "positive aspects of social interaction," Carrie, who would rather stay home in bed, is forced to view the world in a new light.

I really liked this book. Carrie was someone I could relate to well, even though I'm not a teen genius. :) But I was always the youngest in my class, as well as naïve--which made me feel even younger, and had a strong sense of what's right and wrong. I was far too shy to preach my beliefs and lacked the self-confidence to judge how others made their choices, but I remember feeling the way Carrie felt through much of this book.

The story is on the slower, quieter side, and it's all about Carrie's growth as a character. It wasn't difficult to figure out where the story was going or who she was going to end up with, but I thoroughly enjoyed the journey getting there. Carrie is funny in a zinging kind of way, and her observations waste no time in getting straight to the point. I loved this.

Even more so, I loved how she starts out as a judgmental, holier-than-thou loner, and gradually starts to the world through other people's eyes. This changes her perspective in ways she doesn't expect, and it's entertaining to see her genius brain try to work it out.

If you're looking for a good character-driven story where the main character goes from unlikable to likable, this is the story for you.

Side note: this book was presented to me as YA, but it's not really. It's an adult book with a teen main character, which also has crossover appeal. So, while I wouldn't classify it as YA, I can see many teen girls enjoying it immensely.

7 comments:

angel011 said...

Sounds interesting...

Kelly Hashway said...

Very interesting. I was always the youngest in my class too since I started kindergarten at 4. I was only 13 in 9th grade. Today 7th graders are 13. Crazy.

Katja Weinert said...

Sounds pretty good, thanks for posting your review. Hadn't heard of this one before.

Christina Farley said...

I love reading about books on blogs. It really helps me build my reading lists. Thanks for sharing.

Midnyte Reader said...

This sounds really cute. I love characters who change before my eyes.

AddledWriter said...

Thanks for your review! Also, great site. I like your advice for writers. It's hard to get good critiques on one's writing. Some people are better at constructive criticism than others.

Unknown said...

Just like you, we are fans of the book Carrie Pilby by Caren Lissner. From Carrie's journey to fit in to her Pilby Parties to her sassy quotes, we couldn't put the book down. That is why we decided to get together to create the Carrie Pilby movie. We are currently in the middle of our crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, and we need help of our fellow Carrie fans to help us make the movie happen. Head to http://bit.ly/CarriePilbyKS for a sneak peek, to learn more, or to become a backer!

Best,
Carrie Pilby Kickstarter Team