Getting In

Rating:
Summary: Funny, frantic, filmable.
Review: First things first: if someone other than JFB had written this book, I'd have given it three stars, but since I read it as part of and start-to-finish reading session of all Boylan's work, I appreciate the craft that went into writing it.

As multi-threaded coming of age novels go, this one is head and shoulders above the crowd. Yes, it has drinking. Yes, it has sex. Yes, it has motor homes. And yes, it's a light comedy. It's an amusing take on the lunacy attendant upon leaving adolesence and becoming an adult.

This will not sit on the shelf next to your autographed Great Books by Dead White Men of European Extraction, but it's a solid piece of work that will appeal to anyone who's suffered through the US university admissions process.

It's funny without being continuously hilarious, and thoughtful without being maudlin. The situations are likely to be familiar, the settings are unchallenging, and the dialogue is contemporary without being trite. Where her other novels are deliberate, this is casual.

Why, you ask, did I give it four stars rather than five, if I liked it so much?

Because it reads like "Boylan Lite - Now with Fewer and Simpler Words!" Throughout the story I keep thinking, "Yeah, you could film this. And this. And that." It reads as though it had been written to be optioned and filmed, although the story doesn't suffer as a result.

Rating:
Summary: A playful look at serious issues of self and success
Review: I am a fan of Jim Boylan and have enjoyed his previous books, but I particularly liked Getting In. The process of getting accepted into a college becomes an avenue to explore how one presents oneself, what constitutes success, what motivates us... all in a funny, tender look at growing up, finding oneself and being true to oneself. Sensitive understanding of dynamics of parenting, the college admissions process, and ties that bind in families. An entertaining book that will make you laugh, and if you are my age, remember when it all seemed so terribly important to the rest of your life what a college admission officer thought of you.

Rating:
Summary: This is not a "how to" guide...
Review: I read "Getting In" when it first came out a few years ago, and found it to be a sweet and funny look at the nightmare that is the college admission process. Boylan is an insightful writer who speaks from life and cares about his lost characters. I was, however, disturbed by the rather adolescent reviews I saw posted here on Amazon.com--calling the book boring and worthy of toilet paper. Boylan never claims the book as a guide on how to get into college, nor does Boylan claim to have all the answers. If you want a "how to" guide on getting into college, buy yourself something from Fiske or Peterson's.

Rating:
Summary: Boylan needs a lesson on Getting In A Good Writing Program
Review: I would not recommend this book to anyone unless they are looking for a non-realistic cutsie book to pass the time. The book starts with a good premise: what the elaborate ritual of college admissions really tells about a person and who he or she is. However, the story gets lost with odd twists, turns, and irrelevant plot lines. This poorly written maze of a book about nothing isn't exactly written for teens as it heavily focuses on the emotions of the stress of parents sending their children away. There are some mildly amusing parts as Dylan goes through various college interviews. However, most of these situations are cliché and predictable. The more unintentional amusing parts of this book is watching the author, James Finney Boylan, attempt to create characters that talk like modern day teenagers. Someone should tell this guy no one calls each other "dickweed" or "dude" in every sentence. Another thing that is annoying is that he writes like he is still in junior high. One may notice he shifts from the narrator talking in first person to third person at various points. He also used convoluted vocabulary in an attempt to add some sort of depth to the writing. So if you are really bored, there may be some humorous things in this book to read, mostly unintentional.

Rating:
Summary: This is not a "how to" guide...
Review: If you would like to waste your time by reading some truly awful writing, this would be a wonderful place for you to start. I very rarely read books that I absolutely can not stand, but Getting In is definitely there. Luckily, I was given this book for a book club, so at least I didn't waste my money on it.

The idea of the book is a good one--following high school seniors around on their college visits. Being a junior myself, I thought that I could stand to gain a lot from reading what appeared to be a fun and also helpful book. I was less than 30 pages into when I learned that I had made a grave mistake. Perhaps it was the fact that the writing was so elementary it was pathetic, or possibly the fact that the book could easily be a soap opera it seemed so fake, that caused the book to lose its appeal.

I must be honest and say that I didn't read every word of the book. Maybe if I would have, my review would have been two stars instead of one, but I doubt it. I realize it might seem like I have no right to be reviewing this book as I read only the first few chapters and skimmed the rest (simply to get some closure as to what happens and move on--quickly). The truth is, I really don't think that this book could have been helped all that much. However, if you need a quick, easy, mindless read, go for it.

Rating:
Summary: Gets to the Heart of the Matter
Review: This book was great. There are not many authors out there that take the time to research and write about college-aged kids. Boylan gets to the issues that face many kids as they choose a school and learn about life. I love to read about this age group, and I feel Boylan is definitely in touch with them. I recommend reading this book, especially if you are a senior in high school, but also if you are in college.

Rating:
Summary: A Unique Tale
Review: Uniquely structured, this book takes the form of a college tour across New England. For anyone who has ever dreamed of strolling through Harvard Yard, getting lost on the rolling hills of Middlebury or being tapped by the Yale Society, this book puts a new spin on the ancient rite of passage facing high school seniors across America: college selection. But in reality, while this books operates under the premise of college selection, it functions more as a searing psychological portrait of Americans young and old, men and women struggling to cope with the mistakes of their past and retain hopes for a better future. Boylan brilliantly juxtaposes the psyche of the teenager confused by not knowing who or what to believe in but having an entire lifetime ahead with that of the adult, who having endured the trials and tribulations of age, must face the yearnings to be young again and start over. A very good read.