OO4. A Review and a Preview

Hey!

I didn't know what to expect when I began this book. I adore Paris, which was probably the main reason I decided to buy this book. I guess you could say that it was different than I expected. I kind of thought it would be really superficial and all the characters would be super-bitchy. I was wrong. The main character, Jirina, is one of the most naive girl I have ever encountered in a book. She leaves Sweden for Paris not knowing anything, literally, about anything. She's like a child almost. Then after a while, she starts to become a little bit more in-tune with reality. Basically, the book tells the story of what happens when a naive fifteen year old Czechoslovakian girl from Sweden moves to Paris to become a model one summer in the early 80's and all of the drama and the hardships she goes through and how she kind of matures. Jirina, as much as I wanted to like her, was one of the most frustrating characters I've ever encountered. Between her naivite and her dumb decisions and ignorant ways, she just frustrated me. I did love a lot of the other characters though, like Hugo and Emanuel. They're probably the only reason why I gave this book three stars--I loved the way they handled their lives and dealt with Jirina. Well, that and I loved hearing about Paris. Overall, I couldn't say I'd recommend this book to everyone, but if you like hearing about Paris, modeling and don't mind a frustrating narrator who likes to complain about everything.

We started Frankenstein in school this week, and I'm starting Summer in the City by Robyn Sisman tonight. And I'm still in the process of listening to Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult, almost done though.

I haven't really heard much about Summer in the City, but it was one of the discounted books at Barnes and Noble the last time I was there, and it looked good, and for $2.99, I couldn't resist buying it. Its about a London woman and a New York man who swap houses for the summer for their job, and figure out this plot against one of them and try to fix it and yeah. It's pretty chick-lit-esque. So, at this point, I think it's fair to say that I have an obsession with novels that take place in cities. Paris in A Model Summer and London and New York in Summer in the City, and a million others in other books I've read. I don't know why, but I just love it.

Anyways, I should probably go do something productive with my life. Not that writing about books isn't productive. Or that reading isn't productive. But I have a pile of schoolwork that needs to get done. Well, wait, who am I kidding, I have like 16 days of high school left, why should I do schoolwork? Haha.

Julia