The setting for this novel is Dupont University - and as usual, Wolffe manages to describe it so richly, that one envisions the roads of a Havard, Oxford or Cambridge University. In comes Charlotte Simmons, our protagonist. She's a freshman from North Carolina, wide-eyed, brilliant and with plans to make the most of her scholarship to the prestigious college. However, Charlotte comes to realize that beneath the accolades and polished exterior is a school steeped in sex, drugs and favoritism that almost breaks her...almost. She has a roomate who seems only interested in boys; she meets one of the best basketball players in the school by the name of Jojo, who ends up falling for her (theirs ends up becoming a weird relationship), but most importantly, Charlotte finds herself in the clutches of the one of the most popular frat boys in the school - Hoyt Thorpe. It's a relationship that will reveal her vulnerability and subsequent determination to rise above all the obstacles that come her way.

Young adults, fans of Thomas Wolffe, college based stories, romance and drama

The complex relationships and the journey Charlotte goes through. There are moments when she acts too self-righteous and snotty, but we do get to see the shallow lives that the rich and pampered kids of Dupont experience on a daily basis through her eyes.

The slow chapters where Wolffe seems determined to pay so much attention to detail, that one almost falls asleep through it all. It also felt a bit unrealistic in some places, making one wonder how it's possible for a 74 year old man to really capture the voice and thoughts of an 18 year old girl.

Read another of Wolffe's works [actually made me read 'A Man in Full']

Satisfied with Charlotte's final decison...even though there were parts where I felt she could have given a little shaking.

Thomas Wolffe

It's a big book - not exactly something you can finish in one day - but it's an interesting look into college life. One gets the idea that Wolffe spent a lot of time questioning college kids for this one.

It might seem a bit unrealistic in some places and make you doubt Tom's credibility in shedding light on teenage girls and their problems.

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Created May 14, 2008 at 10:21am • Submit your own review...