If I had to read the line, “I am Charlotte Simmons!” one more time I would’ve puked. This novel needed an editor’s touch. It’s too long and loosely written, excruciatingly repetitive. The plot is transparent and predictable. The ending wraps up everything with a pretty little pink ribbon that readers can see coming from the first couple of chapters. There is absolutely nothing endearing about Charlotte’s character, nothing that makes me identify with what she goes through or feel for her in any way other than that she’s a silly self-absorbed twerp. But shouldn’t even silly self-absorbed twerps, when they are the main character in a novel, have some redeeming quality that makes you care for them? I cared more about the villanious frat boy, Hoyt, than I cared about Charlotte. I could at least feel for him and understand where he was coming from even if I disagreed with his behaviour. Characters are supposed to change over the course of a novel, and especially in one of this size, you would think something would happen. Charlotte changes from the sweet studious hick to a social climbing sorority wannabe right at the start of the novel and stays that way until the end when she finally nabs the boyfriend who elevates her to sorority status on the college social ladder. Bah! This book doesn’t even deserve this much thought and discussion.

These stories are so simply written, so easy to understand . . . and yet so difficult to fully comprehend. I think I need to read and re-read these in order to sort them out.

After hearing Beth Powning read, I couldn’t not buy this book. Mom read it and really loved it. I think I can learn a lot by reading this woman’s work.

I bought this book from the man himself at breakfast Saturday morning at the Alden Nowlan Festival. He is the PEI’s poet laureate. I saw him read on Friday evening and enjoyed his reading very much.

This is my first book of Alden Nowland poetry. I’m really enjoying it. I’ve been interested in his work for a few years now since I read a biography about him called If I Could Turn and Meet Myself.

I’m having a really hard time getting into these stories. I’ve tried a few times and I can’t get past the first two. Not sure why that is, maybe King should stick to novels.

I’ve loved Mordecai Richler since I read The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz in university. Barney’s Version is widely believed to be Richler’s most autobiographic novel. I’m loving it! It’s funny and unique and has guts in the way that only a Richler novel can. The premise is interesting, it’s Barney’s version of events . . . complete with footnotes to correct the facts he has wrong. It’s a strong reminder that everyone has their own version of events . . . that no two people experience the same event in exactly the same way. Siblings don’t have the same parents. Memory is unique and individual.

Very informative. Six months that changed the world, and she’s not kidding. I know I’m terribly naive about the way in which the world works most of the time, but it’s frightening to read this and see how these men sat around hotel rooms in Paris and decided the fate of the rest of the world. This is a very educational read. It’s well written and engages the reader better than many history texts.

Margaret Laurence is one of my favourite authors of all time. While most people cite The Stone Angel as their favourite and Hagar Shippley as her best character, I much prefer Morag Gunn of The Diviners. I relate to this character on so many levels. I also love the way this novel is shaped, the use of Memorybank Movies is so well done. That’s also how I tend to view my world, in a series of little films. This is a fantastic read!

This is a collection of personal essays. I identify so much with Alden Nowlan, if he had lived in another time I might have thought I was him reincarnated.