Jennifer S. Brown's Reviews > Penelope

This was a light, fun read, a satire of life on the college campus. It's not a serious read, it's not going to make you ponder life's great lessons, but I found that I really connected with the socially awkward Penelope who never seemed to click with college life.

As a satire, the kids are extreme versions of themselves. Penelope is on one hand frustrating as she allows others to push her around, yet she's clearly an intelligent self-assured kid on so many other levels that she doesn't come off as pathetic. As someone who didn't love her own college experience, I appreciated a book that doesn't paint that pretty "college is the best time of your life" picture. Perhaps I identified with Penelope a little too much. I remember those groups of kids sitting around as if they'd known each other forever, wondering how they got to be that way. I eventually found my place, and I feel confident that Penelope in future years will as well, but the portrayals seemed pretty honest to me. This is a good vacation read.