Customer Reviews

A Girl Named Charlie Lester

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

This funny, touching, coming-of-age tale follows the life of Charlie Lester through her ups, downs, and those inevitable sideways movements. Told in alternating chapters (teenage Charlie, adult Charlie), this book provides a witty, insightful, and sometimes sad, look at the life of Charlie as she learns to understand herself and the world around her. Definitely recommended!

I thought the book was ok, but the dialog seemed very unrealistic and took me out of the novel. I like to get lost in a book when I read, but it was just impossible. I really dont think anyone would converse like that, and it just makes the main characters seem pretentious. I read it, but would not suggest it to others.