Girls Dinner Club [Paperback]

Jessie Elliot (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2006

ingredients one rainy afternoon one huge crush on a boy a few secrets a kitchen, preferably somewhere in Brooklyn fresh laughter -- as much as you want one or two broken hearts a pinch of salt a good friend -- or even better, three Junie's The love of Junie's life for the past year is suddenly acting like a crazed puppy. Celia's dad has found the most ridiculous woman in all of Manhattan -- and decided, after fifteen years of being single, to date her. Danielle's hot-guy-in-a-band ex-boyfriend is trying to convince her that he's "changed." Sometimes, living life is a recipe for disaster. Sometimes, girls just have to make their own recipes.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up–Junie Wong-Goldstein lives in Brooklyn and has what others would consider a charmed life. Her parents are overseas on business all the time so she is rarely bothered by them, and hunky Brian adores her. However, Junie wishes she could turn back the clock to when her parents were home more often and before she and Brian became sexually active. Her best friend, Celia Clarke, is worried about not having a boyfriend at all, maybe because she's taller than most of the guys she knows. Add Celia's friend Danielle Battaglia, who's desperately in love with Steve the serial cheater, and that's the recipe for some serious girl-bonding. Junie and Danielle first meet at Celia's place, and the three of them rustle up something to eat while discussing their troubles. They eventually turn this into a weekly girls' dinner club, trying new recipes and sharing and supporting one another, somewhat like a YA version of Rebecca Wells's Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (HarperCollins, 1996). Each of the teens is clearly drawn and has strengths and weaknesses common to girls their age. Their families add unique ingredients to the story. Disturbingly casual sexual activity happens throughout the book, although condoms are mentioned multiple times. An interesting read for mature audiences.–Paula J. LaRue, Van Wert City Schools, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 9-12. A little bit of sex, a lot of food, and strong friendship make this story fit comfortably into the chick-lit category. The major sex scene, such as it is, takes place early on, when Junnie Wong-Goldstein and her boyfriend go at it, mostly offscreen. It's their second time, but Junnie isn't ready, which leads to boyfriend abandonment and more time to spend with old friend Ceilia and new friend Danielle. The girls bond over food, and there are delectable descriptions of the dinners each makes at her house. The girl's stories are predictable. In addition to Junnie's boyfriend problems, Ceilia is mixing it up with her father over his new girlfriend, and Danielle needs more self-respect when it comes to the boys she chooses. Yet the writing is smooth, the girls have their own voices, and Elliot takes obvious pleasure in indulging in funny moments, of which there are many. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Paperback: 246 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060595418
• ISBN-13: 978-0060595418
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,308,627 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 Enjoyable novel that celebrates the pleasure of friendship and the joy of cooking, June 28, 2005

By 

Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Girls Dinner Club (Library Binding)

Junie and Celia are best friends who welcome Danielle into their circle. The three girls soon discover that they enjoy cooking together. Danielle and her grandmother teach the other two to concoct luscious Italian dishes. While the girls are inspired to try other recipes and invent their own food creations, they become closer, sharing the most intimate details of their lives and drawing support and comfort from each other.

Junie's parents are always gone. Trying sex with her boyfriend, Brian, has been a turning point for their relationship. Junie did not enjoy the act and hasn't been able to confide in Brian. She leans on her friends as her connection with Brian unravels. Eventually, Junie finds herself crushing from afar after one glimpse of Danielle's hunky cousin, Roberto. Amazingly, he seems to be attracted to her as well. Rob is a cheese expert and teaches Junie some fascinating facts about this calcium-filled food. However, as time goes by, Junie finds herself daydreaming about Brian again and feeling irritated by some of Rob's mannerisms.

Celia's cozy life with her dad is rocked when he brings Jane home. Celia despises Jane, and is horrified that her dad would get involved with her. However, she ends up grudgingly escorting Jane's British nephew, Henry, around New York and discovers a redeeming feature --- Henry can cook! Still, Celia can't wait to see the end of Henry's trip to New York. Or can she?

Danielle adores her grandmother, Nonna, but loathes the paths her mother and sister have chosen to follow as lingerie saleswomen. Nonna and others urge Danielle not to waste her beautiful singing voice, but Danielle has her reasons for turning them down. When bad boy Steve returns, she more or less forgets how he broke her heart. Then she uncovers an amazing family secret, and her perspective on her own life changes.

This is an enjoyable read, celebrating both the intense joy of cooking good food and the pleasures of friendship. The reader comes to care about each girl, rooting for successes and worrying over setbacks. Each character is clearly defined, and there are frequent funny scenes. The one way to improve this book? Include recipes!

[...]

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My review, June 13, 2005

By 

Aliasfan "kt" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Girls Dinner Club (Library Binding)

I loved this book. I laughed, cried, and smiled. It was slow at some parts but later on i could not put it down. You knew what was going to happen at some parts but others you did not. I would read this book if you get the chance.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, August 5, 2006

By 

Tina "Tina" (Montreal, Quebec) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Girls Dinner Club (Library Binding)

I am an adult who enjoys well written teen fiction.

The Girls Dinner Club is a wonderfully crafty novel. All of the main characters are flawed, but through it all, the author manages to keep them enjoyable.

You can feel the camaraderie of these three girls, despite the fact that they are all so different. They each, in their own ways are suffering, but still manage to be there for each other.

I thought the whole dad and eccentric girlfriend was a tad cliché, but yet the author makes it work with a bit of a twist at the end of this storyline.

The writing is wonderful and entertaining and the pacing was just right!

I hope this author is working on another novel of this quality. It would be great if she would bring back these characters. It would be interesting to see them grow together.