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Summary: Red Dress Ink takes a different turn
Review: Carrie Pilby is a genius, but this fact alone doesn't make her life easy or enjoyable. She sees a therapist, works as a temp, and suffers from odd mental malaise. I found her insights to be believable, yet often annoying. Having known several people like Carrie in my life, (No, I'm not a genius!!) I can relate to the ways the other characters in the novel interact with her.I think this book definitely gives Red Dress Ink some credibility. This strays from the usual poor, loveless fashion hopeless protagonist and gives us someone who readers can truly empathize with. This is a fast read and a fabulous insight to the lonely world of "geniushood."
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Summary: Not the usual Red Dress Ink book...
Review: Carrie Pilby, as you have probably figured out is a child prodigy. She skipped 3 grades throughout school then graduated from Harvard at 19. It's obvious she's not the typical teenager- in some ways that's good because I wouldn't have normally chosen this book unless it was Red Dress Ink. I didn't like the fact that I was about 1/2 way through the book and I could figure out if I really like it or not. It's not a bad read... I liked how she over-analyzes EVERYTHING (it made me laugh) and I liked listening to her try to understand how to make friends and why she should care about other people. It was "different", but not necessarily in a bad way. If you're on the border about buying it, I'd say buy it used or wait for a friend to loan it to you- but do read it. It was definately interesting seeing things from Carrie Pilby's point-of-view, because I'm no where near the prodigy qualifications.
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Summary: The cynical yet hilarious outlook of a former child prodige
Review: Ever look at the world and see it swarming with hypocrits? Ever refuse to tell someone what movie you've rented because if you ever decide to rent a dirty movie you don't want to have to tell them? Or have you ever refused to tell someone what book you are reading because you don't want to have to give them a 10 minute summery? Carrie Pilby, the former child prodige does all of these things. Not to mention requiring to know the IQ of someone before she dates them! If you like a bit of cynical humor this book is really for you, and even if you don't you'll still find this book amusing if not absolutely hilarious. Ah..the wonders of a good book. In this marvelous masterpiece you can get a glimpse through the eyes of a cynical former child prodige who realizes that morals aren't as clear cut as she once thought.
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Summary: Funny AND thoughtful
Review: This book is extremely funny and fun to read, but it also made me think. I actually wrote down a few of the lines and told them to a friend, because there are many good quotable observations here about society. Carrie Pilby is a 19-year-old genius who graduated from Harvard last year. She has spent her life getting good grades and didn't socialize much with people her own age. Now she lives in New York and her psychologist gives her a list of goals, like going on a date and joining a club. She is very moral, though, and findsit hard to tolerate all the 'hypocrisy' among people in the city. (She also talks about all the hypocrisy there was back at college, and it really reminded me of some things from my own college days). She tries to understand religion, make friends, and get to know different types of people. Carrie starts off very judgemental, and after some funny adventures and foiled social outings, she slowly learns not to judge so much. A big dilemma is when she meets a guy she's attracted to but who is morally off limits. Should she be like everyone else and just have her fun? I think most people will get something out of it...maybe different things for different people. As a bonus, I also think I'll do a lot better at the "word origins" category on Jeopardy now! I laughed, but I learned some things, too. It gives you a lot to think about and talk about, especially the whole idea of 'fitting in' as Carrie's attempts to avoid changing in negative ways just to fit in with society. I also enjoyed the cast of characters.
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Summary: An Educated Girl Grows Up
Review: (...)The reader is taken on Carrie's sometimes comical, sometimes poignant, sometimes heartbreaking, but always valuable journey to see what life after educational institutions in terms of social interaction is all about. Carrie opens her eyes to a society that she sees is full of hypocricy, lies, and thinks of nothing but sex. Along the way, she meets a handful of diverse characters who challenge her stubborn beliefs and ideals, She ventures out of the safety and comfort of her apartment and enters a world where a perfect SAT score won't do anything to get you noticed. 'Carrie Pilby' is a wonderful read. Both humorous and touching, this is a novel you won't want to put down. Carrie learns that life is about compromise. Sometimes, quick judgements are not always accurate. Even geniuses must take a closer look. I say order this book NOW. Don't wait until later. Really, you'll be very glad you did.
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Summary: Bravo, Carrie!
Review: I really, really liked this novel. It had all the elements of a good read. I liked how Carrie was a unique character with endearing struggles. She is someone who still holds on to her high moral principles and doesn't sell out her high intelligence in a society where that's all too common, particularly in young women. I liked the way the novel depicted a highly unusual young person's viewpoint, the struggles Carrie encounters with trying to be more like others, and the personal growth she experiences when she pushes herself beyond her comfort zone. I found the novel alternately funny, in a wry way, and poignant.
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Summary: Life according to Carrie Pilby
Review: Carrie Pilby is an impressive first effort by a talented author. She has a sharp wit and an unerring ear for dialogue. I loved reading about the nineteen-year-old genius and her struggles to hold on to her principles, perceptions and beliefs in a world where it seems that everyone is either fixated on sex, pop culture references or hypocritical behavior. Just when she's given up on ever finding someone with her level of intelligence, her therapist comes up with a five-step plan that might just change her life... It isn't difficult to see things from Carrie's point of view. I, too, at times feel as though I'm the only person left on this planet with any real perspective on life. I, too, look for the meaning of everything -- whereby looking up words in the dictionary or dwelling over unanswered questions -- so this book spoke to me. Even though I am not a prodigy, I was nevertheless able to relate to the protagonist. Those who are not afraid to acknowledge the pitfalls that pop culture dishes out will love this book. Kudos to RDI for having published this wonderful gem. I very much doubt that the aforementioned publisher saw Caren Lissner's gifts less than noteworthy. Her writing is full of poignancy and sheer humor. I for one look forward to her next effort with enthusiasm...
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Summary: A most interesting character and an open road
Review: I was kind of expecting the superficial, lightweight Red Dress story, the type that you like to read when you had a hard day or on vacation, but this character surprised and fascinated me. The ending is not obvious at all, and the story depicts quite well the feelings of alienation and neuroses of a pretty, really smart and insightful teen who lives in New York. Those who have been through social phobias and inadequacy will definitely relate to Carrie. Bravo! Looking forward to your next novel, hopefully not about Carrie getting engaged and married and living happily ever after.
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Summary: Not A Light Read
Review: This book was almost like a personal biography, and was quite disturbing to read in many respects because I could identify with Carrie. The book was initially very hard to get into, and I almost gave up on it, but by the middle of the second chapter I was able to get a better idea of where the story was headed. The book follows the life of Carrie Pilby, a female genius, and the problems she has fitting in and reconciling her own ideas with the people and world around her. It's a personal struggle for her to make friends, go to work, and motivate herself to do better. The irony of the story is that this girl genius is actually not very smart where it counts. She is socially inept, friendless, struggles just to make polite conversation, and lives life from inside her head. I thought the writing was very philosophical as about 80-90% of the book is musings on the state of our world (as seen through Carrie's eyes). The book is chick-lit, but not in the Bridget Jones kind of way - this is definitely more of a thinking book and is humorous only to the extent that the person at the heart of the story, Carrie, is struggling. The writing was insightful, but I'm not sure I would read anything by this author again. I was expecting a "light" read and this really wasn't.
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Summary: A very well written RDI book
Review: Very well written and asorbing account of a girl genius. No cliches. There are several new books by RDI that are busting the genre wide open - I love this one and Laurie Gwen Shapiro's Matzo Ball Heiress. They seem smarter than the rest. This one is a poignant addition to an RDI collection
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