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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A slice of home, May 23, 2004
By A Customer
Though I've moved away to attend college, I still list Grosse Pointe as my permanent residence. Ms. McCandless' book rings uncannily true. This edition is, I believe, an edited second printing; it is longer than the earlier printing that I've read before, and some names have been changed. It is also longer, and contains an unexpectedly poignant chapter on her class' ten-year reunion. While Grosse Pointe is a unique place to grow up, the thing that strikes me most about this book is its universality. Individual people, places, situations are atypical for anywhere but GP, but the overall feeling of the book is of that adolescent struggle between individuality and acceptance; perceiving yourself as an outsider when everyone else sees you as in. Another reviewer found this book to be trite, perhaps overplayed - but as he said, he's been out of GP for a long time. People identifying with this book too closely -- looking into another's adolescence to try and find their own, people that nitpick the details that the author chose to include, are not going to get overmuch out of their read. But the book is well-written (the prose is engaging and not overwrought, though not particularly outstanding), and it accurately portrays growing up on the 'right side of the tracks'. Reading it made me think back to my middle- and high-school days, and wonder what it will be like at my own ten-year reunion. It made me realize that everything changes, and everything stays the same. It is a poignant reflection, and worth a read.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well-Told But Well-Worn Coming of Age Story, November 21, 2004
Thirteen brief chapters charter the coming-of-age of Emma Harris, beginning with her relocation to Detroit's upscale Grosse Point suburbs during the summer before sixth grade. Although capably written, Emma's story is a collage of familiar awkward moments and cliches seen in countless memoirs and movies about the American teenager. In a sense, this gives it a certain warmth and comfort, in a "we've all been there, sister" kind of way. On the other hand, McCandless never really gives Emma's journey any new twist or perspective, which is a little disappointing. She is immediately befriended by a nice girl next door, whom she ditches as soon as the cool girls start to be nice to her (although why they do is not apparent), and then eventually spurn her in turn. She struggles with the usual uncertainties of her first crush and first kiss, embarrassment of her first period, and disappointment of losing her virginity. In short, all the familiar touchstones of the female coming-of-age story are here, in a well-told, but ultimately well-worn tale.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Grosse Pointe Girl, February 5, 2001
This review is from: Grosse Pointe Girl (Paperback)
Grosse Pointe Girl by Sarah Grace McCandless is not a typical diary from the well-to-do in this northern suburb of Detroit. It is instead almost an understated peek at the angst of the adolescence of one of its residents. It is not a whine, and like fine wine, the flavor is subtle yet rich. It truly sneaks up on you. Each chapter is well written with a vivid imagery, but "The Lochmoor Moms" is truly the apex. In one final sentence, Ms. McCandless captures the sense of a generation in suburbia.
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