General info: Novel, published in 2008
Storytelling: 4 – Ok, Sittenfeld. You’ve really disappointed me with this one. You are infinitely too creative of a writer to have to rip-off the life of Laura Bush, which you do here to an alarming degree. Prep was masterfully created and entirely fictional. This drivel is about 15% fiction, and the other 85% inappropriately rips off the history of our former First Lady. Although minor things have been changed (Alice grows up in Wisconsin, not Texas. Her father-in-law is merely Governor and not President), the majority of this “tale” is based on a life that has actually been lived. How the hell does Laura Bush feel about this?
Sittenfeld was obviously making an absurd political statement through her pathetically conflicted main character, Alice Blackwell, who remains a Democrat throughout the novel even though her blundering and self-absorbed husband, Charlie, climbs to the presidency as a staunch Republican. She goes on and on about how left-leaning she is and how awful it is keeping her secret from Charlie’s much more powerful and money-rich family. She secretly donates to organizations her husband might not approve of. She tolerates his alcoholism until completely out of the blue she grows a backbone and leaves him for a bit. (Is it wrong I sided with the confused and bewildered Charlie during that bit?) The novel completely loses ground during the last section, while she is an impatient and ungrateful First Lady. She’s so tortured and conflicted about her husband’s War on Terror, which he decided to enter in to after a terrorist attack in 2001. (Oy! Another coincidence!) She mentions how ill-equipped he is to be in politics. She secretly votes for his opponent. I understand if you feel strongly about something political, but is the best choice really to craft some half-assed novel based on some woman’s real-life role as a First Lady, just to espouse your beliefs? C’mon Sittenfeld. I’m pretty darn liberal, but I would never stoop this low.
What really irked me was that the only real emotion driving this mess was guilt. This is the most guilt-soaked book you’ll ever pick up. As a teenager, Alice accidentally kills a classmate/potential boyfriend in a horrific car wreck (same as Laura Bush). Don’t get me wrong, this whole scenario is horrific and incredibly sad, but she harps on her guilt for the next 300 pages. Then, she feels guilty for dating and marrying Charlie even though her friend Dena liked him (Really? Are you 13?) Then she feels guilty about their life of privilege…about living in a nice house…about Charlie’s trust fund…about being the First Lady….blah blah blah. What a mouse! Stop complaining and make something of your life!
The only redeeming moments here come from Sittenfeld’s ability to shine bits of real-life light through her story. She has such a firm grasp of reality, and she is a master at proffering witty bits of surprising insight. She makes me laugh at times with her frank honesty, and throughout this book I especially loved her remarks on the nature of being a reader. Alice is a book-lover and an elementary school librarian when she meets Charlie. I’ll give you one guess as to who else was a librarian when she met George Bush…
Writing: 8 – Here is where Sittenfeld redeems herself. She is obviously talented, and her delivery is concise and spot-on. I’ve never been married, but after reading this, I feel like I understand it a little bit more. I credit this to Sittenfeld’s superb diction which paints a picture of an experience so well, I could feel myself stepping into Alice’s head each time I opened this book. For the most part, I found this interesting, but at times it did get difficult to suffer through the long passages of monologue. Alice is very much a character who lives in her own head, and she comments often on the fact that she is grateful for people who talk more than she does. Now, I’m willing to cut Sittenfeld a little bit of slack considering I am the polar opposite personality type, and I was still able to sort of relate to Alice, but this got wearing. Were it not for Sittenfeld’s wit, clever insight, and apparent ability to pluck perfect words out of thin air (I would often reread passages a few times, silently saluting her for her brilliant construction), I would probably not have made it through this book.
Characters: 7 – Firstly, I did not really like any of the characters in this book, aside from Alice’s spunky and fun-loving sister-in-law, Jadey. They were all either boring or offensive, and I doubt I’d be friends with a single one (save for Jadey…and maybe Miss Ruby). However, my own preferences should factor in negligibly here, and I need to rate these characters instead on their construction. What Sittenfeld does well here is she includes a lot of characters who are just unique and flawed enough to be compelling. She introduces a large cast, and I am able to keep track of them mentally through 500+ pages. I give her credit for this. Her characters are also easily identified, which is a challenging task, but one that is made a bit easier through the eyes of one individual. In a quirky, slightly confusing way, they all seem to complement each other well, and I am thankful for the way their personalities weave together.
However, Sittenfeld gets points taken off for the super blunt way she contrasts Alice and Charlie. I understand that opposites attract, but these two have nothing in common and their love never really makes sense. When Alice separates from Charlie for a short bit, her immediate family and friends aren’t surprised because he’s such a louse. Well…duh. Sittenfeld tries her hardest to convey how much Alice loves Charlie despite his flaws, but it comes off as superficial and forced. After the 9th “why I love Charlie even though he sucks” passage, you start to roll your eyes.
Best part: Shortly after they are engaged, Alice goes to meet Charlie’s extended family at their “rustic” compound on Lake Michigan, where they vacation for 2-3 months every summer (like the Bush family does in Maine). Charlie’s family is loud and boisterous, proud of their ability to rough it with many people sharing one bathroom. They all eat huge meals together, swim in the lake all day, enjoy their mis-matched furniture, and mingle with the families in the nearby compounds. Because she is completely lame and hates fun, Alice wants to leave immediately and is scared by everyone. I, however, adored this part because my extended family does something similar, albeit it’s the middle-class version (less booze, more tents). Sittenfeld evokes the feeling well, and it made me yearn for summertime.
Recommend to: not Laura Bush
Reminded me of: Jennifer Weiner, who I can sometimes tolerate.
How I would murder the main character: Oh boy. What a decision. I’d probably get her drunk on whiskey and then stone her to death with copies of The Giving Tree.
Sexy parts: Alice and Charlie have a lot of sex, and Sittenfeld describes it in detail. These parts are what endear me to Charlie the most, because he is affectionate and generous. There’s also a scene where a socially inept 9-year-old girl goes pilfering through the bedrooms and finds Charlie’s stash of Penthouse magazines. (Cue Alice’s long rambling monologue about objectifying women).
To sum it up: A good read, but political discussions are best left to the media.
Overall: 6
No comments:
Post a Comment