Withering Tights: The Misadventures of Tallulah Casey

As a HUGE fan of Louise Rennison's Georgia Nicholson series, I was so excited to read this, and even more so when I realized that Tallulah Cassey is Georgia's cousin, but I have to say that the book fell a little short of my high hopes and expectations.
Tallulah, whose parents seem inexplicably more up-market than Georgia's family, is off to Yorkshire to study dramatic arts for the summer, but it's never really clear why- she doesn't seem to really have any passion for theater, and never takes the program seriously at all. While there, she makes friends, and of course, boyfriends, but I felt her character fell into the "oh I'm SO TALL and SO THIN with SUCH GREEN EYES and SUCH SHINY HAIR, why, I'M A TROLL, and boys will never like me" trap- which is so annoying and overdone and at this point such a ghastly cliche. One of the things that made Rennison's voice so authentic in her other YA books was that Georgia came across as a real girl, and relatable, while Tallulah did not.
It is a shame, because the set-up had a lot of potential, and coming from such a talented author, could have been a great young YA read, but as it was, it was a bit grating, and Tallulah's silliness annoyed rather than enchanted.

I am not typically a reader of YA novels, but on a recent trip to London I saw a bunch of promotions for this book, and it intrigued me. I had to check it out. "Withering Tights" (love, love, LOVE that title!) is about 14-year-old Tallulah Casey, who embarks on a journey to Yorkshire to spend her summer at a performing arts college. Tallulah is hilarious, but she's also a hardcore portrait of a stereotypical teenager, which was a bit cliche. Still, her clever observations and offhand remarks kept me laughing from beginning to end. I love the fact that this book includes a glossary at the end so readers can easily define many of Tallulah's obscure references. Perhaps the best thing about this book is Tallulah's candidness and honesty throughout the entire story. I think most teenage girls, regardless of whether they are British or American, will be able to relate to her.

I'm such a huge fan of the Georgia Nicolson series. They're absolutely fabulous, so I had pretty high expectations for Withering Tights. Withering Tights did not let me down, although it didn't start off as good as I expected. I'm going to try not to compare this series to the Georgia Nicolson series, but it'll be a little hard.

I was initially thrown by Tallulah being Georgia's cousin - does anyone else remember her being mentioned in the Nicolson series? I remember a creepy cousin who tried to feel her up (James or something) but that it's. Whatever, that's the besides the point. I was glad Tallulah is supposed to be Georgia's cousin though, because it meant Georgia was mentioned several times and I squealed a little bit :)

The characters in Withering Tights are not as interesting as the other series. But that's okay, really, because the other series has 10 books and this only the first one. Tallulah is an interesting character with many quirks and faults, and the group of friends she makes while away at college - don't be thrown by this word, fellow Americans, Tallulah is 14. From what I've gathered, college is basically a high school with a specific focus - are equally as quirky. My favourite of her friends is probably Ruby, because she's the craziest.

The boys in this book were a bit mehish. I didn't squeal over anyone really (although Alex is a bit dreamy and Charlie is very nice) so I'm hoping things liven up boy wise in the next books.

The first 50 or so pages aren't that funny and are pretty disheartening. But let me tell you, they get much, much better. Once I got through the first bit, there were many instances where I was literally laughing so hard I had to put the book down. There's one scene with Irish dancing that I just...Read more ›

Author Louise Rennison has carved out a very successful niche with her young teen coming-of-age book series that follows the escapades of Georgia Nicolson. The `Confessions of Georgia Nicolson' series is hugely popular; but I knew nothing of that when I choose `Withering Tights' the first book in the new Tallulah Casey series.

British teen Tallulah Casey typifies the awkward, confused, foot-in-your-mouth early teen life that is such a great source of comedy and fun. That is as long as you are looking back at it from a distance of a few good years. No doubt girls living through this age now will read and commiserate with 14 year old Tallulah; whereas those of us who enjoy quick, funny young "chick lit" summer reading will rejoice at having gotten through those years.

Tallulah finds herself, through no effort on her part, off to summer performing arts college at Dother Hall in the northern English countryside of Yorkshire. Tallulah's observations immediately illicit chuckles and smiles as she describes her amazement at having to sit next to a sheep on the small village bus to Heckmondwhite, the fictitious town where Dother Hall resides. Tallulah works hard to find her balance as she moves in as a boarder with a rather wacky family, goes looking for the "shops" to have coffee, and realizes that the college brochure merely suggests that the college it's co-ed. Tallulah experiences disappointments, embarrassing missteps, creative accidents, and triumphs as she navigates through the minefield of meeting new friends, and finding her place among the zany talented teachers and students of Dother Hall.

`Withering Tights' is a great light-hearted, witty, romp of a book that easily transcends any surface differences between British and American teenage girls. However, just incase there is any doubt as to what an `apple catcher' is, or a `barm pot', Tallulah has included a glossary as part of her journal (a Rennison standard) to illuminate us all.