Rating: 
Summary: A Stunning Novel...
Review: "Serious Girls" is an unusual book. Mia takes her time in revealing herself to us--we are first aware of her vulnerability, then her spunk, and finally her inner turmoil. In Roe she finds a sweet friend, an ally, and a mirror. Those painful teenage years, ones that most of us tend to want to forget, are brought to light and we realize their utmost importance. It is thrilling to read words written by an author who so precisely and aptly describes the observations and emotional state of a teenager. It is certainly one of the more enigmatic and conflicted stages of being a woman. Swann nails it on the head--the inwardness, the obsessiveness, the range of emotional and intellectual experiences that Mia and Roe encounter, all written in a beautiful flowing yet rhythmic prose. Mia's surroundings and experiences are convincing, pulling us in for as long as we'd like.
Great the second time around, too!
Rating:
Summary: "The Catcher in the Rye" for young women
Review: "Serious Girls", by Maxine Swann is the most beautiful, poetic, funny and profound piece of literature I have read in many years. I can't think of a more enlightening novel written about the life of two young girls and their first experiences in this world.
The subtelty, courage, and the vivid descriptions of the author make me think that these two characters, Maya and Roe, unveil what we secretly knew all along about women, in spite of all the usually more banal or cliche depictions of them. A true small miracle.
Rating:
Summary: A Stunning Novel...
Review: "Serious Girls" is an unusual book. Mia takes her time in revealing herself to us--we are first aware of her vulnerability, then her spunk, and finally her inner turmoil. In Roe she finds a sweet friend, an ally, and a mirror. Those painful teenage years, ones that most of us tend to want to forget, are brought to light and we realize their utmost importance. It is thrilling to read words written by an author who so precisely and aptly describes the observations and emotional state of a teenager. It is certainly one of the more enigmatic and conflicted stages of being a woman. Swann nails it on the head--the inwardness, the obsessiveness, the range of emotional and intellectual experiences that Mia and Roe encounter, all written in a beautiful flowing yet rhythmic prose. Mia's surroundings and experiences are convincing, pulling us in for as long as we'd like.
Great the second time around, too!
Rating:
Summary: "The Catcher in the Rye" for young women
Review: "Serious Girls", by Maxine Swann is the most beautiful, poetic, funny and profound piece of literature I have read in many years. I can't think of a more enlightening novel written about the life of two young girls and their first experiences in this world.
The subtelty, courage, and the vivid descriptions of the author make me think that these two characters, Maya and Roe, unveil what we secretly knew all along about women, in spite of all the usually more banal or cliche depictions of them. A true small miracle.
Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing and intense
Review: An intriguing novel of two young girls as they struggle to fit into boarding school and wait for "life to begin"...tand all the complexities that come with that assumption. Their maturation process and discovery of the outside world and sexual awakening is written with brutal honesty and exacting words that made it eerily painful but beautiful to read certain passages.
Rating:
Summary: Where did the flower childrens children go ?
Review: Anyone who happened upon Maxine Swann's "Flower Children" in Garrison Keillot's collection of Best Short Stories of 1998, know that there were more great stories coming. Her novel "Serious Girls", plants one of these flower children in young adulthood. Totally unprepared to fit in socially, Maya begins her exploration of life beyond her mother's garden. Maya's observations of the natural world are as keen as her insights into the persons around her. The description of an ice storm at her boarding school will invoke chills.
Ms. Swann's "Flower Children" left the reader frightened for the fate of the spawn of the love and peace generation. Could children "raised" totally unstructured, unfettered, and exposed to all the mysteries of adult life at an early age possibly cope with life in the malls of America ? "Serious Girls" delivers the answer. The author's fine ear for dialog and gift for unfolding this unique story keeps the reader embedded in the novel from beginning to end. I'm hoping for much more writing from Ms. Swann.
Rating:
Summary: serious reading
Review: I read this book chapter by chapter every morning at dawn before going to work. I read it slowly to savor it and watch the world shift. The book is beautifully written and structured, and just pops with a kind of strange and lovely energy. The title is ironic in more ways than one, capturing gravely the lightness of adolescence. And the reverse. Highly recommended. Crisp. The cover is also beautiful.
Rating:
Summary: Serious Girls, Serious Novel
Review: It is a great pleasure to read a first novel that is as lucidly and unprentiously written as Maxine Swann's. It is vivid and thoughtful. It's main characters are full of the intellectual and sexual energy that we associate with that time in in our lives when almost every adventure is new.
Rating: 
Summary: Nicely written and compelling, but not exactly original
Review: It should be noted that Swann is working within a French tradition (she has a master's degree in French literature & lived in Paris for a number of years). The French influence is obvious: this book owes much to The Lover by Marguerite Duras and to the novels of Jean Rhys (British, but living in Paris). Compare deflowering scenes in The Lover and Serious Girls and you'll see. Not that writing within an established style is bad, but keep in mind that this novel is not "entirely original."
Rating:
Summary: Genius
Review: Maxine Swann creates an intriguing world in her first novel. Her prose is expressive, enlightening, and deeply though-provoking. This is an incredible story. Swann opens up a new world for her readers. She is a brilliant writer.
A MUST-READ!!
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