Foxfire has been compared with J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. The novel describes the rise and the fall of a gang of working class white teenage girls living in a small town in upstate New York in the 1950s. Raised in a community teeming with alcoholism, unemployment and violence, the girls fall under the spell of a charismatic leader. Initially, they bond for self-protection, publicly humiliating a math teacher who sexually abuses one of his students. Then they spin out of control...

Shortlisted on several occasions for a Pulitzer Prize, Foxfire has won rave reviews from critics in The New York Times Book Review, The New Yorker and elsewhere, and like Catcher in the Rye before it has been targetted by parents' groups as obscene and inappropriate for young readers.

Rules of this bookring:
1. This is an international bookring -- please be willing to ship anywhere.
2. Please journal the book when you receive it, and again when you mail it out -- that way, everyone will know the book's approximate location.
3. If you don't think you'll be able to read this book within a reasonable time from receipt, please let me know before it's sent to you by the previous reader, and I will be happy to move your name down the list.
4. Whether you have read the book or not, please do not keep it longer than eight weeks.

Participants:
1. Kaija - Muskegon, Michigan, USA - rec'd April 29, 04; mailed May 12, 04.
2. Czersk - Roscoe, Minnesota, USA - rec'd May 15, 04; mailed June 3, 04.
3. grover3d - Charleston, West Virginia, USA - rec'd June 7, 04.
4. EMA375 - Montrose, California, USA - rec'd August 22, 04.
5. mrsordonez - St. Louis, Missouri, USA - rec'd September 21, 04; mailed October 18, 04.
6. Brujula - Belfort, Franche-Comté, France - rec'd October 23, 04; mailed November 25, 04.
7. Mymlan - Helsinki, Finland - rec'd December 22, 04; mailed February 05.
8. Ruutana - Helsinki, Finland - rec'd February 05; mailed ?
9. ann-718my - Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia - rec'd July 18, 05.
10. jaenelle - Alta Vista, Kansas, USA

I'll be mailing this book to Kaija in Muskegon, Michigan, USA on April 26, 2004. I hope it won't take too long to reach you, and that you'll enjoy it as much as the movie. Best wishes from New Westminster, British Columbia! (At left: the Fraser River, as seen from the top of my street.)

Arived safely.. Hopefully I'll be done with the other Ring I was reading tonight.. Then I'll start this!

Alright, I have now finished it.. and I'm not quite sure what to say! I had some expectations because I've watched the movie.. (it's my all time favorite Angelina Jolie role.. so.. yeah.. lol), but while the movie was completely different from the book I still loved it. I think it's far more realistic than the movie.. There were times when I thought some of the characters over reacted, or just should have done something differently.

Maddy's character in this is sad.. I feel like she will live with this eternal sadness ... It's quite a shame really. Would she still have felt this way had she been there through the entire thing? Kind of makes me think she would have been better off in some respects.

I'm a bit confused about why Legs would have gone where they think she did..but, it kind of made the reader hopeful anyway.

I am Very happy I had the oppurtunity to read this, thanks for sending this ring out! Now on to the next person....

Released on Wednesday, May 12, 2004 at Mailed to a fellow Bookcrosser in n/a, n/a Controlled Releases.

On it's way to Czersk..

Came in the mail today. Will read as soon as possible.

When I first read the blurbs on the cover, I didn't believe that a book about a girl gang could be "Wonderful, Beautiful, a Vivid Novel." as quoted by the Washington Post. But once I started reading, I could not deny it. It really is a beautiful book, perfectly written with all of its run-ons and capitals--it was just perfect. Thank you for the chance to read this one.

EMA375 is next up for this book, but is on vacation, so, goatgrrl, would you have me wait, or move on to the next reader? Pm me to let me know.

I am sending Foxfire to grover3d today instead of EMA375 who has been on vacation. Just a small list switcheroo.

Received this today. It's next in line on Mount TBR. Thanks!

Incredibly well-written and touching - doesn't feel at all dated...Legs, Maddy, Violet and all the members of FOXFIRE could easily exist today...although I would be surprised if most girls, "underprivileged" or not have Legs' savvy.

Thanks for sharing this!

Received the book! I'll read this book as quickly as I can and continue the bookring. Thx.

Wow! What a story. Thanks for sharing this book. I'm looking forward to renting this movie now. Sent this to the next person today.

Ok, I'm on page 88, and just now was able to put it down long enough to journal.... So far very good! I'm breaking all rules by reading this one before the other bookring book I have in my possesion, but this a much quicker read than the other (history/philosophy)... I'll journal more upon finishing, thanks so much for sharing this book!

Oh my. I did see the movie, which was way updated for the '90s. It's been quite a while, and I don't remember Angelina Jolie, (unless I'm thinking of a totally different Foxfire movie...) I'll journal more, I don't have time now, but I have PMed the next on the list so it will be sent out shortly.

I really felt a strong connection to Maddy's emotional self. I have felt very much like she did in her friendship with Legs. I didn't like Legs very much, her character sort of put me off.... I had very up and down feelings about the book. It was hard for me to accept the narration when it wasn't in Maddy's point of view just because everything in one chapter would be so closely tied with her and her perspective and emotions, and then it sort of takes an omnicient tone to describe Legs' stay in Red Bank, the kidnapping, etc. I felt that the author strayed a bit into the fantastical at the end. So, I guess I liked the character development of Maddy the best, but the story in itself wasn't so great. A different style of narration that I'm not quite used to, nor sure that I liked. Still waiting for a PM to send it off...

Sent to France.

Found yesterday in my mailbox!
thank you goatgrrl and mrsordonez!

Well....
I started reading this book a little over one week ago. I tried getting interested in the story, but somehow I couldn't get into it. I just didn't feel much for these girls, and I didn't enjoy the writing, it bothered me.
Maybe it was just the wrong time to read this? I was tired, and needed something light!
I've kept the book long enough, so I'm mailing it on to Mymlan today!

Thank you goatgrrl for letting me read this book! (I did read 216 pages before I gave up!)

The book arrived safely, thank you Brujula!

I liked the book, but I found it a bit difficult to keep reading it - might be due to other factors as well.

I wondered about the style, I liked the way in which the first and third persons kept getting mixed, but I don't know if the style was really appropriate for Maddy's contemporary self, it seemed to belong to the Foxfire days.

I think that Joyce Carol Oates has really succeeded in painting a picture of the double curse of being poor and being female (and also hinting at the triple curse of being poor, female and black). Even though the events take place in the 1950's USA and some of the issues are typically American (the lack of social security for instance), the questions around what is accepted and demanded of girls still remain relevant - and the answers are still quite depressing.

Thanks for sharing this goatgrrl! The book will be off to Ruutana shortly.

I recieved the book in February and I'm still reading it. Sorry for the delay, but I'll send it forward asap. The book seems to be a really good one!

PMd Ruutana on June 18th to ask if she's finished with Foxfire yet, and requesting that she mail it on to the next reader soon - no response received as of July 17, 05.

just received this! currently reading a book. will get to this soon.

UPDATE (July 30): have started reading it today

UPDATE (Aug 26): i have difficulties reading this book. maybe it's just me, i've been busy with work. i read a few pages and then left it off for a few days before i could come back to it again, only finding i had to reread everything since i forgot the story. i have already jeanelle's address. i'll be mailing the book to her soon.

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