Journal Entry 1 by rapturina from Yantai, Shandong China on Sunday, May 23, 2010

I really enjoyed this book! I didn't really know what to expect of it, but I picked it up as the premise sounded interesting. And I ended up being completely engrossed by it. I didn't want it to end. :D

Alice Lindgren is a very likeable character and though I didn't always agree with her thoughts or her actions, I really admired her. It was very interesting to read how her relationship with Charlie developed and the choices she made, the experiences she went through.

It's kind of a big book, but also very small at the same time. The storyline focuses completely on Alice and her emotional development, but it's fascinating throughout. I couldn't put it down, even though nothing really happens. There are very few big turning points in the plot and the story just kind of ambles along through the pages, but it was one of the most gripping books I've read this year. I really liked the understated, almost restrained style of writing Curtis Sittenfeld employs throughout the book, which I guess makes sense as it's written from Alice's perspective.

I think this book is definitely going to make it to my list of favourite reads this year. :D 

Journal Entry 2 by AnonymousFinder at Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland Netherlands on Friday, August 06, 2010

While I, for the most part, enjoyed reading this book, I also have mixed feelings about it now that I've finished it. At first, I really liked Alice Lindgren and the story she was telling, the dilemma's she encountered, but this changed in the last section of the book. I didn't agree with her actions or thought anymore, and especially her passivity started to bother me. Besides this, there are some major voids in the plot that I feel take away from the story's credibility, which annoyed me.
That said, I must add that the author's style made it a gripping book and I will look into other novels by Sittenfeld. Also, I wonder if Laura Bush has read this and what she thought of it...