Von Ziegesar is an occasionally inelegant but always wry writer; her name-checks of everything from Stila lengthening mascara to Red Bliss pommes frites were so on point that she must have had spies in upper-crust New York teen culture. Von Ziegesar may have placed her characters in an ever-escalating lineup of decidedly adult situations, from modeling at Fashion Week Serena to dating an English lord Blair , and getting published in the New Yorker as a high-school student disaffected poet Dan, in perhaps the least likely scenario of all , but she still cared about them.
She knew what she wanted, and because she believed absolutely that she could have everything she wanted if she tried hard enough to get it, she never stopped trying.
This Edith Wharton-esque weariness is excised from the TV show almost entirely, making for an extremely fun viewing experience that nevertheless lacks a weightier authenticity. She thinks malevolent thoughts about everyone, but she does not act on them. It is her own foot that she invariably shoots. Her goals of the moment—to lose her virginity to her boyfriend, Nate Archibald, and to get into Yale University—elude her.
Something always gets in the way of her doing it with Nate, and her Yale interview is a catastrophe beyond imagination. He lives in a town house in the East Eighties and is a senior at St.
I say almost because of Carmen Fortier, a scholarship girl from the Bronx, who appears—chewing gum—on page 86 of the first book of the series, and is never seen again. She does not compromise it. There are no Brussels sprouts hidden in her Rice Krispie marshmallow treats. She is writing a transgressive fairy tale, not a worthy book for a school list.
We all live in huge apartments with our own bedrooms and bathrooms and phone lines. We have unlimited access to money and booze and whatever else we want, and our parents are rarely home, so we have tons of privacy. Von Ziegesar understands that the princes and princesses of fairy tales require the foil of beggars and commoners, and so, of her six main characters, only three—Blair, Serena, and Nate—belong to the world of the disgustingly rich.
Of the others, two live on the wrong side of the Park, and one lives in Williamsburg. But he lacks nothing in the hugs department and, indeed, turns out to be the only attentive parent in the series.
Either you spent an arm and a leg to send your kids to private school, where they learned to shop for insanely expensive clothes and to be snobbish to their father, but also to converse in Latin, memorize Keats, and do algorithms in their heads; or, you sent them to public school, where they might not learn to read, might not graduate, and risked getting shot.
The question of where Rufus gets the money for the private-school fees—and for the designer clothes that Dan and Jenny buy on his credit card as their lives intersect with those of the East Side kids—is left unanswered. Von Ziegesar has other concerns than writing books that make a lot of sense. Along with the pieties of political correctness, she has taken on the indecencies of consumer culture. Insanely expensive clothes are the engine of her sendup of our time of ceaseless shopping.
If the book has any redeeming social value, it is as an education in label recognition. Dan Humphrey is a caricature of the angst-ridden nerd who writes poetry. I stopped right around when Jenny and Dan Humphrey got introduced. So the characters, not very developed. The author jumps around too much from sentence to sentence. I think we are supposed to think of Gossip Girl of being an omnipotent narrator, but it doesn't make a lot of sense with the scenes that are set. I think that it's supposed to be third person point of view but with asides from Gossip Girl and then the Gossip Girl POV if that makes sense?
It doesn't does it? You can see why I had to stop reading this mess. The writing is not good. The way that the author chose to frame things is making my eye twitch. You can just say that someone turned red, or smelled like candy, or had an emerald cuff link. Instead it's Nate turned as red as the Louis the 14th chaise that he stood near. Or Serena smelled like cotton candy, lily of the valley, and baby powder, but expensive.
I mean what the hell. The flow is awful. The book takes place in New York but so far we have just been in people's fancy apartments. I honestly don't care if Blair finds out or anything. I am maybe shaking my head that they are trying to reboot Gossip Girl and am shuddering about how that is going to look.
Wtf I did not think I was going to enjoy this that much! To be honest I read this because I missed Gossip Girl the show and while rewatching season 1 again for the millionth time because that's the best season of the show I started thinking about the book and wondering if there were any similarities.
I'd read a few of these books back in middle school but I can't remember anything about the book and only the show. I really love this author's writing and I love the Gossip Girl parts. This was Wtf I did not think I was going to enjoy this that much!
This was so entertaining and ballsy especially when you considered when this was published. I mean people are freaking out about sex and drugs or drinking in YA now and this book has all that and more and it was published almost 15 years ago! In my opinion YA needs to talk more about these things. There were a few things that bothered me a little and were a tad problematic mainly Chuck. Holy shit he is such a freaking creep the way he treats girls honestly makes me so uncomfortable because he was totally the 'no means yes' kind of guy who didn't give two shits about consent Also I wish Blair's eating disorder was talked about more but I guess since it's a series it will eventually be brought up and she will have to face those feelings eventually.
Overall this was a fun trip down nostalgia lane and exactly what I needed. Jul 06, Kate rated it did not like it Recommends it for: Masochists bent on understanding Kids Today. I really wanted to like this book. In fact, I expected to devour it. I heard the author speak on a panel at ALA this year and found her articulate, charming, and thoughtful about her series. Many of my co-workers at a suburban library hated the Gossip Girl books because of their vapid influence on already spoiled readers, but I wanted to give the books a chance.
I found most of the "gossip" about Serena, Blair, and the gang tedious and completely without humor, and the voice of the Gossip Girl irritating and intrusive rather than wickedly funny which seems to be what the author was going for. The writing was uneven and confusing, with the narrator switching POV on a dime, at times representing the Gossip Girl through catty editorial comments and otherwise relying on bland, third-person omniscient.
I think a series that examines the truth and consequences of high school gossip could be delightfully controversial and titillating, but Gossip Girl misses the mark. Aug 16, Tiny Pants rated it liked it Shelves: series , fiction , young-adult. I don't seem to much like actual teenage girls. Then again, the Gossip Girl characters don't act much like actual teenage girls.
Or actual humans really. They are all basically insane in their own individual ways. The main character, Blair, is probably the most insane. I think the reader is possibly intended to be sympathetic to her, but it's never been clear to me why. She's obsessed with Audrey Hepburn, throwing up all her food, and the fact that she is consistently outdone by Serena, her best I don't seem to much like actual teenage girls.
She's obsessed with Audrey Hepburn, throwing up all her food, and the fact that she is consistently outdone by Serena, her best frenemy who is the other sort of main character.
Their relationship is fraught by the facts of a Serena losing her virginity to Blair's boyfriend way before Blair does b Serena being 1 taller 2 prettier 3 less annoying 4 blonde c Serena being seemingly impervious to all outside stimuli, while Blair takes everything personally.
The books either end with Blair and Serena fighting which usually means Blair acting haughty and pretending to be in Roman Holiday or some such, and Serena being totally oblivious to the fact that Blair is mad at her , or with Blair and Serena making out with each other in front of a bunch of people at some party. The other characters are all basically secondary. There's Nate, who is Blair's boyfriend and who I think we are supposed to think is a paragon of masculinity typical description of Nate: "Nate had gotten stoned pretty much every day since he was eleven".
His girlfriend is Vanessa, who is also alternative -- she makes pretensious films pigeon pecking at used condom, dog peeing in snow -- ew , shaves her head, and as they mention constantly, is a little bit fat for these books, that is VERY alternative. And of course, who can forget Dan's sister Jenny, who now has her own series of books The It Girl and whose ONLY attribute mentioned frequently yeah, yeah, artistic schmartistic, this is all they really talk about -- that her breasts are 34 DD "It wasn't like she could hide her enormous boobs anyway.
They were just there". There are also smaller characters who come in and out and basically provide a backdrop to the things that happen to these characters which are basically lots of sex with each other coupled with occasional brushes with fame that always work out for Serena and never work out for Blair. The other character though sort of is the "Gossip Girl," who doesn't really exist, or does, or whatever, it doesn't really matter.
Throughout the books there are these random pages where it is a fake well actually sort of real website that is ostensibly a gossip site for NYC private school kids. I remember in I think or , there actually was a site like that, and it got shut down really quickly and was a big deal, at least in New York City.
Anyway, those pages don't really advance the action, but they do give them a chance to drop a few more brand names. GG is crazy with the brand names, though they often lose track of what they are talking about on one page a guy is staring down at his Prada dress shoes, two chapters later he is pensive again yet staring at his Dior loafers -- I guess when you're that loaded, you keep a change of kicks in the limo.
But yeah, even their undies they like La Perla for special occasions, Hanro for everyday get a namecheck. It's actually most effective when they use the brand names on the characters who are supposed to be less wealthy -- the distinction is pretty subtle and one of the aspects of the books that actually rings true for me. But yeah, it gets ridiculous "Blair squeezed Tom's of Maine fennel toothpaste onto her Braun electric toothbrush". For example, after any of the main characters leaves a room, everyone else in the room will immediately start speculating that they are pregnant or going to rehab or whatever, which is fine.
But the Gossip Girl narrator always sort of puts a finer spin on things. I know this is already like a frickin' dissertation on these, but allow me a lengthy quote to demonstrate: "'No stupid. Blair is seeing that old guy, remember? She's not having his baby anymore, though. She had a miscarriage. That's why she missed so much school. I think in general those kind of references do, as do when they randomly mention like pretty intensely specific NYC references that I am not sure like, twelve-year-olds even in the city would get.
But anyway. This was so long! And technically about the entire series, not just the first book, but what can you do. View 1 comment. Feb 06, Mon rated it did not like it Recommends it for: my dog.
Recommended to Mon by: The wonderful world of open source. Shelves: ya. Normally I don't judge people based on the choice of books they happen to enjoy. But this is an exception, anyone who managed to finish this book without feeling an intense need to put to it down and scream, or at least cringe at certain parts that resemble the Stuff White People Like blog, congratulation, you have a literary taste equivalent to overnight McDonald burgers.
The characters are about as human and profound as my wallpaper decorated with European brands I can't pronounce and it pro Normally I don't judge people based on the choice of books they happen to enjoy. The characters are about as human and profound as my wallpaper decorated with European brands I can't pronounce and it probably has the most exclamation marks I've ever read in a book that is not self published!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank god I was the captain of chess team in high school. Aug 11, Izzy added it Shelves: read-in , contemporary , young-adult , library. Jul 30, Sara rated it did not like it Recommends it for: nobody - watch the TV show instead! Shelves: fiction , chick-lit , series , , 3rd-person-omniscient , tv-series. How can I love the show so much, but think the books are horribly written and duller than dishwasher?
Over explosion of adjectives? Unnecessary descriptions of non-entity characters and clothes? T How can I love the show so much, but think the books are horribly written and duller than dishwasher? That was really annoying. There must have been hundreds of dropped name brands. At least in the show, we get to see the outfit, not read a boring description about it. The book was boring as hell. Nothing happens!
Except for parties and drug use and teenage sex and gossiping. You think that'd be fun, but no! It's boring! The only good thing about the book was Gossip Girl's witty entries and I kept hearing Kristen Bell's voice in my head when I read them but there wasn't enough of them to keep me satisfied. Trust me, I'm doing you a favor!
Jun 06, Maddie L rated it liked it. This book was okay. I thought it would be better then it was. I started to read it, one, because it was a shorter book that I knew I could finish before the end of the year. Two, because I have seen the show and I wanted to compare them. It wasn't that bad so if you like these kinds of books I recommend this book for you. Sep 18, Amber rated it did not like it Recommends it for: daydreaming girls with no sense of reality.
Shelves: chick-lit , young-adult. I read this in a few hours, and it's pretty horrendous. I found a few punctuation mistakes—without looking, which bothers me—like " Cyrus Rose was a completely annoying, fat, loser. It's a book about a bunch of sixteen- and seventeen-year-old kids who are richer than rich, go to private school in New York, and are, of course, immensely popular. It's written like a cheap fantasy, complete with overt descriptions of the h Ugh.
It's written like a cheap fantasy, complete with overt descriptions of the houses, clothes, and everyone's looks. The girls double-kiss everyone on the cheeks for greetings; even the "poor" kids can afford brands like Armani; the kids drink all of the time, everywhere, and never get carded or looked at strangely by adults; one popular girl gets asked to model when she goes to at an art gallery by, of course, two famous gay artists who happen to be brothers; and everyone is barely shocked, much less disgusted, when a senior strips an unwilling freshman naked to the waist to grope her boobs in a bathroom I suppose they'd be an alright series for people who don't read much, but I was just left with a bad taste in my mouth.
I've read fanfiction more realistic, complete with Mary Sues. Mar 12, Evey rated it it was ok Shelves: read-in-english , reading-challenge. I don't really know why I read this book.
Maybe because I had it, maybe because every now and then my brains asks me for a trashy read. And this one is really, really trashy. And, still, I want to keep reading. Goddamn you, brain. The gossip girl series is already my favorite series, and ive only read the first book. The most important characters in the series so far are Blair, who is a down to earth teen, who loves to party and has a skater boyfriend.
Blair's boyfriend's name is Nate. He is into drugs and he isnt the best in school, but blair still loves him. The book goes on about the peak The book Gossip Girl the first of the Gossip Girl series written by Cecily Von Ziegesar, was one of the best books i have ever read. The book goes on about the peaks and downfalls of their relationship, and all the drama between them. Serena is a young girl who made lots of bad choices, she went to boarding school, and got kicked out because of some of her mistakes.
Serena and Blair used to be best friends before Serena went off to boarding school, but ever since she came back, nothing has been the same. Serena came back expecting to come back to what she had left off, but she came across that she was totally wrong. Blair had heard things about what she did a boarding school and she wasnt interested in being friends with her anymore. Serena finally got the hint and moved on, trying to find some friends on her own. This was tough for Serena, she was known as the prettiest, richest, and smartest girl in her single-sex private school, Constance Billard, in New Yorks Upper East Side , but still couldnt seem to find a friend.
The main idea of the book basically goes on about their senior year of highschool and all the drama that comes with it. All the highschool parties have its own drama that gets so majorly interesting. Serena finally finds someone when she tries out for a part in a movie a girl in her grade was doing. His name was Dan. Dan was smart, funny, and charming. It was love at first sight. Serena and Dan went on dates and hung out together frequently after they met, Serena had never known Dan but Dan remembered her from before she left, he has had a crush on her since middle school.
Serena really liked Dan and they continue to like eachother throughout the rest of the book. Blair and Nate are having problems a lot towards the end of the book. They get in fights, they scream at eachother, then the next day they are fine and cuddiling together, and then something comes up. Its a big something!
Nate tells Blair something big, Blair gets so mad she couldnt see straight. What could it be, what did Nate confess to Blair? Do Blair and Nate stay together? Read gossip girl and your bound to find out!!! View all 10 comments. Nov 12, Stephan rated it did not like it. I read this book in my local Raleys grocery store.
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