August 2021 book of the month club

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rubysmama

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I couldn't get the July book at all. This time the wait for the eBook from my library is 10 weeks, but there's a hard copy available. I just put a hold on it so I should have the book in a few days.
That's great. Glad to have you join us. :grouphug:
 
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rubysmama

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How's everyone doing with their reading? I'm about to start chapter 21, so past the halfway point now.
 

GoldyCat

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I just picked up the book from the library and should be able to get to it this weekend. I've got three books going already and think I should finish at least one before I start a new one. :read::read::read:
 
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rubysmama

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I finished reading this last night. Must write up a short review and save the file, while it's still fresh in my mind. Looking forward to discussion time, to see what everyone else thought.

I just picked up the book from the library and should be able to get to it this weekend. I've got three books going already and think I should finish at least one before I start a new one. :read::read::read:
I don't even read 2 at the same time, so 4 books on the go at the same time might be a tad too many. ;)
 

GoldyCat

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I finished reading this last night. Must write up a short review and save the file, while it's still fresh in my mind. Looking forward to discussion time, to see what everyone else thought.



I don't even read 2 at the same time, so 4 books on the go at the same time might be a tad too many. ;)
It helps when they're all different genres.
 
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rubysmama

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We'll be able to start discussing those girls (and their mothers) with the bright futures on Sunday. So anyone still reading, you have 2 days to finish up. Ok, really more than that, as the discussion will go on till at least the 28th, but the discussion will start on the 22nd.

I didn't pre-write my review as planned, so hopefully I'll remember what I read. Memory isn't as good as it used to be. :lol:
 

gilmargl

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Finished - in spite of the fact that my e-reader suddenly refused to charge up. Recharged my very old Sony reader - no longer state-of-the-art so I can't read in the dark - but it saved the day!!

:frustrated:............... :read:
 
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rubysmama

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I finished the book 8 days ago, and have since started another one, so my thoughts on this one have already faded a lot.

It was an interesting subject for a novel, and would have possibly seemed too outlandish to be taken seriously, if not for the Lori Laughlin / Felicity Huffman college scandal. And until I read the notes at the back of the book, I was sure the authors had gotten the idea for the book from the news, so was surprised to see they'd already written the first draft, when the scandal broke.

I still find it hard to believe parents get so obsessed with the college their children will be accepted to. I've no idea if anything like that happens here in Canada, but if it does, it's not something I've ever heard of.

I enjoyed the book, though it felt at times that they spent too much time on unnecessary details. And then when Winnie's bio Dad and family came into the picture, it started to feel like I was reading a 2nd book. And though I was glad Winnie was able to save her half brother's life, it all seemed a little unrealistic the way everything turned out.

I certainly wouldn't say it was in the top tier of books I've read, but it was definitely different than anything I've read before, so for that reason I'll give it 3 stars.
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suzeanna

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I enjoyed the book well enough. It was easy to read, and I liked the flow of it. The part of the book with Winnie's bio dad (are we allowed to say -- the rapist?) seemed disjointed from the prior part of the book. It seemed like they were trying to make that whole situation overly palatable, which made it unrealistic and even worse to me. Overall, I'd give it 3.5 stars.

I worked in college admissions for ~10 years, in state schools and prestigious schools, so the subject matter (terminology, attempted bribes, etc.) wasn't surprising to me. At Ivy+ universities, I have only worked in graduate schools, so the undergraduate mania didn't resonate (thank god). However, there have been a glut of discouraging articles in the last decade about how a disproportionate number of students at Ivy+ colleges come from very high income levels and a concentrated group of feeder schools (e.g., Middle class heavily underrepresented at top private colleges, report finds or Some Colleges Have More Students From the Top 1 Percent Than the Bottom 60. Find Yours. (Published 2017)). I am sure the Varsity Blues scandal has been a fortunate event for the authors!
 

gilmargl

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Well, not my type of story: plastic characters (or cardboard cut-out figures), no atmosphere and it was obvious as soon as we met all the mothers that it would be a Cinderella beats the lot, type of ending. I almost convinced myself a third of the way through that Maren would get her Bill Gates, and all her problems would be solved.

Having proved (to me at least) that she was (almost?) as scheming as the rest of the bunch, it became clear that had she not had to leave home pregnant, Maren would probably have been no better than the others. So, it wouldn’t have bothered me if they’d all been blown to smithereens. I kept asking myself “Why are you continuing to read this?” At times it made me cringe, for instance, the meetings with Winnie's father.

Anyway, the novel can hardly be classified as literature, but the story might make a good comic strip. I cannot sketch faces, but it shouldn’t be too difficult for someone to give Alicia, Kelly and Maren easily identified comic faces and the girls are also very different.

I am sure that the two authors had a great deal of fun developing this completely over-the-top satire, but I wish I hadn’t actually paid full price for the book. :lol:

Sorry, only one star: ⭐
 

verna davies

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I haven't read the book, not because it didn't appeal to me because it did, nearly all the reviews were promising but because my library didn't have it and couldn't get it..budget restrictions and when it was first chosen I could have bought the Kindle version for £.99p, when I came to actually buy it it was £4.99p and I wouldn't pay that on principal. Lessons n learned on buying early.

Having read the above reviews I still want to read it as it seems like a book that doesn't involve too much concentration and I need one of those now and again. Looking forward to seeing what other people think.
 
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rubysmama

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The author's have suggested some questions for book club discussion. Here's 3 of them.
Feel free to answer, or not. ;)

1. Maren and Winnie planned to emphasize Winnie’s first-gen status as a “hook” for college admissions. What would college admissions look like without this and other hooks such as athletics, legacy, or development priorities? Are any aspects of this system fair? Is there an argument for scrapping the whole system? If the system were 100 percent merit based, do you think parents would be any less manic about college?

2. There are moments of humor throughout the novel that speak to the ridiculous lengths the characters will go to in order to get ahead. What was one of your favorite moments that made you think I can’t believe they did that? Have you ever encountered a person or situation that mirrors the EBA parents’ behavior?

3. Throughout the novel, Maren struggles with the trauma in her own past and Winnie’s origin story. If you were in Maren’s position, would you have consented to a face-to-face meeting with Chase and Naomi? If you were in Winnie’s position, would you have taken the donor match test to see if you could help Eli?
 
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rubysmama

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So I don't have a teen-aged daughter, but I took the quiz anyway. Here's my results:

You’re like Maren!
 
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rubysmama

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Today's August 31st, so we've reached the end of another book club month.

Thanks gilmargl gilmargl and suzeanna suzeanna for reading the book and posting your comments.
A bit surprised that so few of us read the book, but maybe everyone is just busy with end of summer things.

What about you GoldyCat GoldyCat ? Did you ever start it? Even though the month is over, you can always post comments later, if/when you finish it. Same goes for you, V verna davies , if you are ever able to get, and read, the book.

I know gilmargl gilmargl has already started our September book, and others have posted their plans to read it, as well.
Hope you'll also consider it, suzeanna suzeanna .

The book for September is Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley.
Here's the link to thread: September 2021 book of the month club (Poll)
 

GoldyCat

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Sorry I didn’t get to the discussion earlier. Sometimes work gets in the way of real life. Then I had a cat show to go to over the weekend.

Anyway, I’ve only read about half of the book. Very light reading so far, not much substance but easy to zip through it. I’m still waiting to find out what part the girls play in the whole process.

Having been a member of a writers’ critique group for about 15 years I have a tendency to critique almost every book I read. I keep wanting to write my comments to the authors.:hellocomputer::p

I haven’t looked at the September book yet.
 
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