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Summary: Great Read!
Review: I enjoyed this book. It was a fun read for a long airplane ride. I enjoyed the language and the flow of the book.
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Summary: A different type of chick lit
Review: Caren Lissner's "Carrie Philby" deals with Carrie, child prodigy who graduated from Harvard at the age of nineteen who realized that she doesn't quite fit in with the rest of her peers. As she skipped a few grades in school, she realized that she had a hard time relating to people her age and hence, her she has very little social skills. In addition, Carrie felt that most people are hypocrites and very easily pushed into doing something because of peer pressure even though they realized that it is wrong. She analyzed everything to death and viewed the world as either black or white and there is no middle ground. Her world slowly changed when her therapist gave her a list of five things to do. Along the way, she met interesting characters and realized that things are not always how they seemed and that it is indeed not a black or grey world.This is not your everyday chick lit book as it is very philosophical and 80% of the book deals with Carrie's inner thoughts and observations. There aren't many conversations and at times, it can be very slow and unappealing. Personally, I didn't really enjoy this book as I feel that it is a bit too depressing for me and I prefer something livelier. However, this is still a well-written book and the author's quirky observations can be sometimes interesting. If you want something different, this is the book for you!
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Summary: Great, fast read
Review: This was a great book. At some points, I felt like I was reading about myself. The only thing that bugged was, what did she NOT want to say to the English prof.? I only wished that was cleared up a bit, but I have my ideas. If you want a quick weekend read, this is it.
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Summary: The world from Carrie Pilby's eyes
Review: Carrie Pilby is a 19 years old Harvard-graduate-and really genius-girl. She is good with thinking, memorizing, and problem solving. But really-really bad in socializing.
So...living in New York City, she tries to understand the world with her point of view.
And through her journey, she meets a lot of interesting characters, such as the leader of new church (which she thought is a cult), a guy who wants to cheat from her fiancee, etc.
Carrie learns to see the world from grey area, not just from black/white area.
This book is really-really great for people who think that the world is full with hipocryte characters...
And of course, for people who love to laugh, think, and cry at the same time...not because Carrie Pilby, but because the world itself.... =)
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Summary: A unique view of the world...
Review: from a woman looking to find where she belongs. Carrie Pilby doesn't quite know how to fit in...where to fit in. The book details her quest to find her place. Carrie's got a unique world view which simply delights. And despite an air of cynicism, she's got a kind heart. Everyone can empathize with Carrie...everyone has had points in their life where they just don't know how to fit in...if they want to fit in. Carrie Pilby is a unique read, with a unique heroine who will stay with you a long time. A page-turning read.
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Summary: Caren Lissner is good in my book
Review: Ok, I don't know about other books by Red Dress Inc, and frankly I don't care if Red Dress Inc is any good. Carrie Pilby is possibly the best book I've ever read that came from a viewpoint of a young, prodigy, adult.
I read this book in one sitting and I couldn't put it down. The problems and emotions that this character went through made me double think about everything I do and how I act in life.
I laughed out loud when she tried to do what her therapist outlined for her to do. And I almost felt as though I was living through the story with her, as her.
I would definately say to buy this book and read it. Really read it, just don't absentmindedly skim the pages, because this book deserves full on attention.
Live and learn with her as she begins to grow up and join the world.
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Summary: Welcome, unique addition to the Red Dress Ink books
Review: This was not like the typical Red Dress Ink books I've read where the heroine is a single relationship/fashion obsessed young woman in the big city trying to find love and committment. This was more about a unique young woman trying to find her place in her world, with the focus placed mostly on her emotional well-being and her acceptance of others. Carrie Pilby is very much like the young Amelie from the movie "Amelie." She's young, single, quirky, shy and lonely. Both Carrie and Amelie are curious about the world around them and long to fit in, to find love, to make friends and to express themselves as individuals without fear of rejection. But Carrie differs greatly from Amelie in personality. Where Amelie was gracefully generous and tentatively curious, Carrie is cynical, suspicious and overanalytical. Though both women embark on missions to help virtual strangers, Amelies's reasons are more unselfish - she just wants to see these people happy. Carrie's reasoning is more to prove a point - to teach someone a lesson in morality. Carrie Pilby has been isolated from others nearly her whole life because she's a prodigy. She skipped three grades in school and graduated from Harvard before the age of 19. As the book begins, we find a shy, sarcastic person who struggles to understand morality and hypocrisy. Since she has had limited social experiences, she's on the verge of defining morality thanks to her therapist, who has provided her a with a list of goals to achieve before the year's end. Carrie approaches the goals in a somewhat unconventional manner with the intent of quickly just getting the list completed, but learns some unexpected lessons about human rationalization. I highly recommend this book. It was such an unexpected pleasure and change from the typical "chick" stuff Red Dress has printed in the past. I hope they continue to publish quirky stories where it's more important for the heroine to evolve and become satisfied with aspects of her life than to 'get the guy'. And if you've seen the movie "Amelie," read this book and compare the two stories about a single young woman trying to understand and fit in her world.
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Summary: Heart, Mind, and Funnybone
Review: A wonderful book that strikes deeply in all of the above. Rare in that it can be read with pleasure again and again; rarer still in that, for example, during a coffee break you can open it to any page and re-enjoy slices of Carrie's wit, wisdom, and observations. How many books have you read with this quality? An unforgettable character, an unforgettable book.
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Summary: Carrie is a little high strung...
Review: I liked this book, for a chick-lit girl Carrie is refreshing as she isn't obsessed with shopping, getting a guy, losing weight, or otherwise revamping her entire life. Unfortunately this also makes her rather high strung. But her character does makes this book enjoyable. I liked how the author takes everyday situations and makes them amusing. Carrie's observations on life are maybe a little more analytical than most people's, but at some point we all think about the hypotcrites in the world or what a "date" really consists of. And at some point we are all in the city. Lonely.
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Summary: a very different book
Review: For the last 32 years I've read 100-250 books a year and the highest praise I can give this book is that it doesn't remind me of ANY other book I've read. Carrie is truly a unique creation: she's bright, funny, interesting and, yes, sometimes a little maddening. But she's also quite touching and the reader comes away from the book hoping for good things to happen to her and eagerly awaiting Lissner's next effort.
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