Rating: 
Summary: Great dialogue and nicely done
Review: Look, this book is no National Book Award winner, however the book was enjoyable. Chrissie is an original and endearing character. Hornburg does a nice job of capturing the teen-angtsy thing. The plot does get rather absurd toward the end (I see Miramax is making a movie--did they offer script notes on the end? It was very hollywood). The pleasure of the novel is experiencing life thru Chrissie's eyes. It is an easy and interesting read. Well worth the few hours it should take you to read it. Several Chicagoans have complained about geographical lapses--I enjoyed the setting (come on, Downers Grove--what a perfect title and town name), even if he missed abit on details about the Chicagoland area. It was supposed to represent the midwest--not be exact in streets and stores. Lighten up readers and get the important part of the story. That is, universal teen issues--blue collar, real life, america.
Rating:
Summary: Even better than Bongwater!
Review: Michael Hornburg has subverted the reigning phenomenon of a second novel not living up to the first. Donwner's Grove is even better than Bongwater! In fact, I think it has more heart, more cohesiveness, and sharper, funnier prose. It's so well-paced, well-crafted -- a total fun, wild ride. It just sizzles! Chrissie reminds me of me at that age, only perhaps in more exaggerated form. Hornburg has really tapped into the heart of suburban teenage angst, and maintains a little glittery flower of hope amidst all the ugly rubble. A great read!
Rating: 
Summary: No sophomore slump here
Review: More literary and more novel than the screenplay-waiting-to-happen, Bongwater, Downers Grove reads like it's the "one book" MH's had in him all his life. He captures the surreal ennui of midwest suburbia vividly. I'm sure he's been there. More remarkable than the content is MH's skill of voice. Written first person, 17 yr/old girl, the dialog is witty and concise (something I enjoyed in Bongwater), the observations true and clear. Keep it up, Michael. More Grandma next time.
Rating:
Summary: Not Bad
Review: Reading this book was an adventure. I didn't like how it just ended, that there was no more to say. I did enjoy this book, Chrissie's outlook and alot of the dialogue is what made me enoy this book more. I recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: Not Dickens, But Not Bad Either
Review: Right before the Christmas Break, a classmate of mine asked our senior English teacher what she planned to read over the break. She, off the top of her head replied, "Oh, this Stephen King novel I've been meaning to finish." We gasped. This, the woman who forced _Crime and Punishment_, _A Portrait of the Artist As A Young Man_ and _Hamlet_ down our sometimes reluctant (but in hindsight, very grateful) throats, was going to read Stephen King! She looked at us, smiled and said, "You gotta have your Twinkie reads." And that is what _Downer's Grove_ is: a Twinkie read. Not too complex, but entertaining. I could see someone reading this while snowed-in for a few days or relaxing on the beach. You can read it in one sitting (it's not too long), or pick it up and put down while you do your laundry (you can pick it up days apart and still find your place, as I did). And it's important to have those reads. To relax. To be entertained. To take a study break every few hours. Not every book has to be _War and Peace_.The plot is rather simple: Crystal is avoiding the senior curse where one senior dies before graduation while working our her feelings about her long-gone father, her new boyfriend (kinda boyfriend) and her mother's new boyfriend. The Booklist review pretty much gives the meat of the plot. While it seems like it could be rather unremarkable, the dialogue is witty and the characters have interesting personality quirks (Tracy, Crystal's friend, loves Hole and Crystal's brother). However, those qualities are often the book's shortcomings. The dialogue reminds me of _Buffy: The Vamire Slayer_: witty but unrealistic. I've never been to the Chicago suburbs, but I doubt everyone there has such a quick tongue. Also, the book is uber-contemporary. The girls listen to Hole and Nine Inch Nails. Not that those are bad bands, but I wonder if readers twenty years from now will know who/what those are. But the one truly compelling qualitiy is Hornburg's portrayal of teenage girls. Being a Michael (appartently a guy), he has the unusual talent of wrting from a place he is supposedly unfamiliar. These girls come to life and at times it is hard to believe that was written by someone who had never been there before. The girls giggle and plot how they are going to meet the guys they like, not run over to them and fling their clothes off. The girls have other interests besides their weight or looks or boys. The girls approach their problems the way girls do, not the way adult men may like to think they do. As for the geographical inaccuracies that other readers pointed out: not being from the area myself, I had no clue. Hornburg could have made up the whole town and I wouldn't have been the wiser. This book can be put down and picked up two weeks later with little review. Can be read in one sitting. Won't make you think too deep, but will entertain you. So, depending on your mood this could be a great book. Actually, a great Twinkie read. So just relax and...Yummy!
Rating:
Summary: Not Dickens, But Not Bad Either
Review: Right before the Christmas Break, a classmate of mine asked our senior English teacher what she planned to read over the break. She, off the top of her head replied, "Oh, this Stephen King novel I've been meaning to finish." We gasped. This, the woman who forced _Crime and Punishment_, _A Portrait of the Artist As A Young Man_ and _Hamlet_ down our sometimes reluctant (but in hindsight, very grateful) throats, was going to read Stephen King! She looked at us, smiled and said, "You gotta have your Twinkie reads." And that is what _Downer's Grove_ is: a Twinkie read. Not too complex, but entertaining. I could see someone reading this while snowed-in for a few days or relaxing on the beach. You can read it in one sitting (it's not too long), or pick it up and put down while you do your laundry (you can pick it up days apart and still find your place, as I did). And it's important to have those reads. To relax. To be entertained. To take a study break every few hours. Not every book has to be _War and Peace_. The plot is rather simple: Crystal is avoiding the senior curse where one senior dies before graduation while working our her feelings about her long-gone father, her new boyfriend (kinda boyfriend) and her mother's new boyfriend. The Booklist review pretty much gives the meat of the plot. While it seems like it could be rather unremarkable, the dialogue is witty and the characters have interesting personality quirks (Tracy, Crystal's friend, loves Hole and Crystal's brother). However, those qualities are often the book's shortcomings. The dialogue reminds me of _Buffy: The Vamire Slayer_: witty but unrealistic. I've never been to the Chicago suburbs, but I doubt everyone there has such a quick tongue. Also, the book is uber-contemporary. The girls listen to Hole and Nine Inch Nails. Not that those are bad bands, but I wonder if readers twenty years from now will know who/what those are. But the one truly compelling qualitiy is Hornburg's portrayal of teenage girls. Being a Michael (appartently a guy), he has the unusual talent of wrting from a place he is supposedly unfamiliar. These girls come to life and at times it is hard to believe that was written by someone who had never been there before. The girls giggle and plot how they are going to meet the guys they like, not run over to them and fling their clothes off. The girls have other interests besides their weight or looks or boys. The girls approach their problems the way girls do, not the way adult men may like to think they do. As for the geographical inaccuracies that other readers pointed out: not being from the area myself, I had no clue. Hornburg could have made up the whole town and I wouldn't have been the wiser. This book can be put down and picked up two weeks later with little review. Can be read in one sitting. Won't make you think too deep, but will entertain you. So, depending on your mood this could be a great book. Actually, a great Twinkie read. So just relax and...Yummy!
Rating:
Summary: Not Dickens, But Not Bad Either
Review: Right before the Christmas Break, a classmate of mine asked our senior English teacher what she planned to read over the break. She, off the top of her head replied, "Oh, this Stephen King novel I've been meaning to finish." We gasped. This, the woman who forced _Crime and Punishment_, _A Portrait of the Artist As A Young Man_ and _Hamlet_ down our sometimes reluctant (but in hindsight, very grateful) throats, was going to read Stephen King! She looked at us, smiled and said, "You gotta have your Twinkie reads." And that is what _Downer's Grove_ is: a Twinkie read. Not too complex, but entertaining. I could see someone reading this while snowed-in for a few days or relaxing on the beach. You can read it in one sitting (it's not too long), or pick it up and put down while you do your laundry (you can pick it up days apart and still find your place, as I did). And it's important to have those reads. To relax. To be entertained. To take a study break every few hours. Not every book has to be _War and Peace_. The plot is rather simple: Crystal is avoiding the senior curse where one senior dies before graduation while working our her feelings about her long-gone father, her new boyfriend (kinda boyfriend) and her mother's new boyfriend. The Booklist review pretty much gives the meat of the plot. While it seems like it could be rather unremarkable, the dialogue is witty and the characters have interesting personality quirks (Tracy, Crystal's friend, loves Hole and Crystal's brother). However, those qualities are often the book's shortcomings. The dialogue reminds me of _Buffy: The Vamire Slayer_: witty but unrealistic. I've never been to the Chicago suburbs, but I doubt everyone there has such a quick tongue. Also, the book is uber-contemporary. The girls listen to Hole and Nine Inch Nails. Not that those are bad bands, but I wonder if readers twenty years from now will know who/what those are. But the one truly compelling qualitiy is Hornburg's portrayal of teenage girls. Being a Michael (appartently a guy), he has the unusual talent of wrting from a place he is supposedly unfamiliar. These girls come to life and at times it is hard to believe that was written by someone who had never been there before. The girls giggle and plot how they are going to meet the guys they like, not run over to them and fling their clothes off. The girls have other interests besides their weight or looks or boys. The girls approach their problems the way girls do, not the way adult men may like to think they do. As for the geographical inaccuracies that other readers pointed out: not being from the area myself, I had no clue. Hornburg could have made up the whole town and I wouldn't have been the wiser. This book can be put down and picked up two weeks later with little review. Can be read in one sitting. Won't make you think too deep, but will entertain you. So, depending on your mood this could be a great book. Actually, a great Twinkie read. So just relax and...Yummy!
Rating: 
Summary: Dull
Review: The description on the back of the book makes the story sound so interesting but don't be led astray! The characters, namely Chrissie, are so self-absorbed, lack direction, have no interesting character traits and in short, are just plain dull. The whole story is supposed to be about a girl maturing and finding her way in life during her senior year. However, the story is so boring that I did not care what kind of trouble she encountered and I actually understood why her brother would be on drugs (the author should have concentrated on him-he was far more enticing as a character). Save your time and money on this one.
Rating: 
Summary: I couldn't give it zero stars
Review: The first rule of creative writing is "Write what you know." Hornburg breaks this rule on every page of "Downers Grove," a vapid story about two high school seniors in 1999 in this western suburban Chicago town where I happen to live. (I didn't grow up here.) Hornburg's cultural references are consistently ten to fifteen years behind. He has Chris describing the mom's boyfriend as an "astronaut-type." The last time anyone thought of "astronauts" was 1986, when this child would have been in grade school. "FBI-agent type" would have been better as this... would have been familiar from TV. References are made to "as horny as a Prince song" and "as rich as Madonna" - wouldn't 1999 teens have been listening to Britney Spears, 'NSync, and Eminem? The "Kurt and Courtney" movie they see was released in 1998, and anyways, there is no place in Downers Grove that would show such a documentary. Hornburg also consistently gets his geographical references wrong. At one point, the kids drive into the city to look for Chris' dad in WICKER (not Whicker) Park. The route they take does not exist - Lincoln Avenue runs parallel to Lake Shore Drive, and anyways, they would have taken the Kennedy to get to that neighborhood. There is no such suburb as "Bowlingbrook," either, it's Bolingbrook. At times it seems like Hornburg just picked names off a map because they sounded good or looked like major streets. So many other questions remain. Why is a high school senior taking algebra? Why does she have so many little projects due during finals week? As far as the battery-throwing incident, it happened in her friend's car - wouldn't they have targeted the friend instead, as they would have seen the make and license on HER car?...
Rating:
Summary: An accurate look at my hometown
Review: This book portrays the harsh reality of growing up in a seemingly perfect place with humor and honesty. Having grown up in Downers Grove for twenty years, this book was a refreshing, mostly accurate description of my teenage years. Things aren't as perfect as they may seem in the suburbs, which is why I got out. Hopefully Chrissie gets out as well.
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