A Girl Named Charlie Lester [Paperback]

Carissa Halston (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

"The razory hip Charlie sallies forth from a hateful adolescence to find sex, self-awareness and then, in its many guises, the thing called love.

Early in Halston's tale, Charlie has a black sheep tattooed on her back, but that's more a wish than a reality. Living with an abusive aunt after the death of her parents, she is a smart, reflective creature--post-Goth, baleful and brooding with a long streak of bookish bohemianism--though she displays little smarts when she falls for the tattoo artist. The emotional pain that Charlie experiences is beveled as Halston seesaws the chapters, touching down at the aunt's house, then eight years later when Charlie has her own bookstore, and between, the now charged, now dolorous years. The author keeps the scale intimate so readers see the events of Charlie's life up close, from the slap of her aunt reddening her cheek to raw, yet fruitful, discussions with her friends regarding her sexual orientation: "What a gentlemanly feminist you've become," chides one, as Charlie explores her lesbian leanings. The air of the book is sweet but not saccharine, emotionally generous, allowing Charlie to be uncompromising and independent and then tyrannized by her love life, idiosyncratic in her brainy verve, then willing to step back and look at the effluvia of her suburban existence. Halston lets the characters' actions speak for them and, as a result, well-rounded personalities emerge. Charlie is a gem--a hard-bitten gem for sure--if calculatingly available.

A lovely piece of female confessional." --Kirkus Reviews, February 2008

Review

"Emotionally generous...Halston lets the characters' actions speak for them and, as a result, well-rounded personalities emerge.

Charlie is a gem...A lovely piece of female confessional." --Kirkus Reviews, February 2008

"Strong female bonds, witty dialogue, and an acute sense of what it's like to be young today make Charlie a great read." --Nina Lary, Curve Magazine, August/September, 2009

"A Girl Named Charlie Lester is Reality Bites without the cheesy romantic ending or a soulful Ethan Hawke gazing into the camera." --EDGE Boston, August, 2008

"If you laid out Charlie's story in chronological order, it would resemble the conventional form of the hero's journey...[it] will be totally familiar to those of her generation." --Sarah Boslaugh, Playback: STL, September 2008

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 222 pages
• Publisher: Aforementioned Productions (September 19, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 061516546X
• ISBN-13: 978-0615165462
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,965,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!, April 15, 2010

By 

C. "Chirtlb" (Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Girl Named Charlie Lester (Paperback)

I received this book as part of a Library Thing Member Giveaway and if I had had the time, I would have done nothing else but read this book in one sitting. (As it was, I read it in three days.) I am grateful for the opportunity to read this novel.

A Girl Named Charlie Lester is a riveting piece of fiction. Halston tells the story of Charlie's journey from the abused and confused teen to a confident woman, without turning Charlie into a victim. The characters felt genuine and I appreciated the ambiguity in their personalities and at times within their sexualities. Halston writes about love in a way that is real and not cliche- sometimes the people you love are not who you expect.

Funny, sweet and at times, poignant, Halston's work entertains and leaves me wanting more!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sticks with you, February 9, 2009

By 

Amanda Trition (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Girl Named Charlie Lester (Paperback)

I loved this book! The way each chapter is balanced by the next makes it near impossible to put down. Charlie Lester has something that I often find lacking in modern fiction...a cast of characters that stays with you even after you're done reading their story. I can't recommend this book enough.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book!, August 17, 2008

By 

Steven E. Higgins "vacuumboy9" (Florissant, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Girl Named Charlie Lester (Paperback)

An absolutely brilliant novel about identity, sexuality, gender, and growing up. In the novel Halston explores the ways in which "what do I want to do with my life?" frequently belies the deeper question of "who am I?" The flashback framework shows us Charlie as a well-rounded adult in contrast to Charlie the messed-up, angst-ridden post-teen. Charlie's not always easy to love in these flashbacks, and she doesn't always make the wisest choices. But these mistakes shape her, and in the end every one was worth making. Anyone who reads this book will find something to relate to in its pages.