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Girl #1
Girl
Meet Andrea Marr, straight-A high school student, thrift-store addict, and princess of the downtown music scene. Andrea is about to experience her first love, first time, and first step outside the comfort zone of high school, with the help of indie rock band The Color Green.
"After I saw Todd Sparrow something deep inside me began to change. It was not a big change and I didn't shave my head and I didn't really think any differently about my life or Hillside or anything like that. But one glimpse of Todd and you immediately realized how limited you were and all the things you could do if you could just break out of your normal existence and stop worrying about what everyone thought."
"After I saw Todd Sparrow something deep inside me began to change. It was not a big change and I didn't shave my head and I didn't really think any differently about my life or Hillside or anything like that. But one glimpse of Todd and you immediately realized how limited you were and all the things you could do if you could just break out of your normal existence and stop worrying about what everyone thought."
252 pages, Paperback
First published September 13, 1994
About the author
Blake Nelson
27 books401 followersBlake Nelson grew up in Portland, Oregon. He began his career writing short humor pieces for Details Magazine.
His first novel GIRL was originally serialized in SASSY magazine and was made into a film staring Selma Blaire and Portia De Rossi.
His novel PARANOID PARK won the prestigious International Grinzane Literary Award and was made into a film by Gus Van Sant.
His most recent Young Adult novel THE PRINCE OF VENICE BEACH has been shortlisted for the 2015 Edgar Award.
His 2011 novel RECOVERY ROAD has been adapted into a television drama for ABC FAMILY and will premier in January of 2016.
His first novel GIRL was originally serialized in SASSY magazine and was made into a film staring Selma Blaire and Portia De Rossi.
His novel PARANOID PARK won the prestigious International Grinzane Literary Award and was made into a film by Gus Van Sant.
His most recent Young Adult novel THE PRINCE OF VENICE BEACH has been shortlisted for the 2015 Edgar Award.
His 2011 novel RECOVERY ROAD has been adapted into a television drama for ABC FAMILY and will premier in January of 2016.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 259 reviews
January 10, 2009
I I wanted to use Girl for a Teen book display on music, but found that it was catalogued as Adult fiction. Huh? I had heard that it was a coming-of-age novel about a teenage girl who gets involved in her local grunge music scene in Portland in the 90s. So I read it to find out why it was in Adult.
Now, I suppose I can see why it was. While no adult could ever enjoy reading this book, it does contain quite a bit of graphic sex. So much, in fact, that it struck me as unrealistic. Did normal teenagers in the 90s have so much graphic sex with so many different people and take it so lightly? Geez.
Girl was written from the point of view of high school student Andrea Marr. It reads exactly like a teenage girl's diary, except possibly less interesting. More to the point, it's like listening to a self-absorbed teenage girl who can't shut up about anything she does. It's written entirely in run-on sentences. Nothing she does, no matter how trivial and uninteresting, is edited out. She doesn't have any clever observations or perspectives that so often make coming-of-age tales worth reading.
TO my surprise, I found that this book has no shortage of positive reviews, with readers stating things like "This book could have been about my life!" This book could have been about me too, although my teenage years involved far, far less graphic sex. I was an outwardly dull, suburban loser with an exciting secret life. I was attracted by a counterculture music scene, hung out at seedy venues over my parents' objections, and mooned over a badass punk rock guy who was too old for me and jerked me around. However, I was less like Andrea than her friend that the plot revolved around: Cybil, the one who actually started a band and did some cool stuff. Yes, the book could have been about me. It still wasn't interesting.
It would be interesting to go back through and count the number of times the characters in this awful book went to Scamp's for frozen yogurt. OK, I get it! You like frozen yogurt! You go to Scamp's for frozen yogurt! But after 50 times, reading about frozen yogurt starts to lose its zest!
I gave this book two stars rather than one because I did sort of want to find out what happened. Reading it gave me a headache, but I did see it through to the last excruciating page.
I would not recommend this piece of crap to anyone, unless they are under the age of 18 and interested in reading about frozen yogurt or graphic sex.
Now, I suppose I can see why it was. While no adult could ever enjoy reading this book, it does contain quite a bit of graphic sex. So much, in fact, that it struck me as unrealistic. Did normal teenagers in the 90s have so much graphic sex with so many different people and take it so lightly? Geez.
Girl was written from the point of view of high school student Andrea Marr. It reads exactly like a teenage girl's diary, except possibly less interesting. More to the point, it's like listening to a self-absorbed teenage girl who can't shut up about anything she does. It's written entirely in run-on sentences. Nothing she does, no matter how trivial and uninteresting, is edited out. She doesn't have any clever observations or perspectives that so often make coming-of-age tales worth reading.
TO my surprise, I found that this book has no shortage of positive reviews, with readers stating things like "This book could have been about my life!" This book could have been about me too, although my teenage years involved far, far less graphic sex. I was an outwardly dull, suburban loser with an exciting secret life. I was attracted by a counterculture music scene, hung out at seedy venues over my parents' objections, and mooned over a badass punk rock guy who was too old for me and jerked me around. However, I was less like Andrea than her friend that the plot revolved around: Cybil, the one who actually started a band and did some cool stuff. Yes, the book could have been about me. It still wasn't interesting.
It would be interesting to go back through and count the number of times the characters in this awful book went to Scamp's for frozen yogurt. OK, I get it! You like frozen yogurt! You go to Scamp's for frozen yogurt! But after 50 times, reading about frozen yogurt starts to lose its zest!
I gave this book two stars rather than one because I did sort of want to find out what happened. Reading it gave me a headache, but I did see it through to the last excruciating page.
I would not recommend this piece of crap to anyone, unless they are under the age of 18 and interested in reading about frozen yogurt or graphic sex.
April 11, 2011
I really liked the book, to be honest. This is a book that I will reread once every few years just because it's like one long deja vu trip. Andrea's voice is strong and honest and the entire book is told in a kind of stream of conscious that doesn't so much feel like we're reading the story as it happens, but that it's being recounted later. Either over coffee years after the fact, or because we found her diary helping her move.
I'm not sure who this book was originally supposed to be marketed to. Because I know it's appeal now would be Young Adult. And certainly I would have loved to have gotten my hands on it in high school, but I remember what the YA books where like back then. And they weren't this...honest. Andrea has sex. Andrea's friends are having sex. They do drugs. They curse. They have eating disorders and question their sexuality and worry about being cool. This is what our lives were like. But to read the fiction we were being given it was like we were all buffered in happy cotton balls until our first days as undergrads.
Some of Andrea's musings transcend the diary feel because the lines are just amazing. Also, they're pretty fucking astute. But then, Andrea was a smart kid, so it's no surprise. I liked that she didn't just one day wake up and go "I think I want to be a groupie today" but that the progression was natural enough that Andrea's relationship with Todd seemed about as real as it could have. I also really liked that Andrea wasn't the center of the scene she was in. If anything, she seems to fall into it, decide she likes it, and desperately wants to fit in. She's a character with flaws, but her flaws make her real.
Overall this is a great read, I'm glad I reread it (again) and I recommend it to anybody.
I'm not sure who this book was originally supposed to be marketed to. Because I know it's appeal now would be Young Adult. And certainly I would have loved to have gotten my hands on it in high school, but I remember what the YA books where like back then. And they weren't this...honest. Andrea has sex. Andrea's friends are having sex. They do drugs. They curse. They have eating disorders and question their sexuality and worry about being cool. This is what our lives were like. But to read the fiction we were being given it was like we were all buffered in happy cotton balls until our first days as undergrads.
Some of Andrea's musings transcend the diary feel because the lines are just amazing. Also, they're pretty fucking astute. But then, Andrea was a smart kid, so it's no surprise. I liked that she didn't just one day wake up and go "I think I want to be a groupie today" but that the progression was natural enough that Andrea's relationship with Todd seemed about as real as it could have. I also really liked that Andrea wasn't the center of the scene she was in. If anything, she seems to fall into it, decide she likes it, and desperately wants to fit in. She's a character with flaws, but her flaws make her real.
Overall this is a great read, I'm glad I reread it (again) and I recommend it to anybody.
June 28, 2009
"Even when I did bad things, they were the RIGHT bad things, the NORMAL bad things, like drinking or staying out late or having sex with boys."
This is Andrea Marr. She's a smart girl, a cool girl, a kind of bad girl, a complicated girl. She's in love with a rock star, and goes for fro-yo with her friends, and she doesn't always know what she wants.
I wanted to give this 4.5 stars. Like, 'really really liked it.' But it wasn't so hard to bump it up to 5.
I was 13 when this was published, so I didn't exactly live the same high school experience, the real grunge years, as this Andrea. But I can picture it really well. It makes me want to go to HOP! and find my own cow dress.
This is Andrea Marr. She's a smart girl, a cool girl, a kind of bad girl, a complicated girl. She's in love with a rock star, and goes for fro-yo with her friends, and she doesn't always know what she wants.
I wanted to give this 4.5 stars. Like, 'really really liked it.' But it wasn't so hard to bump it up to 5.
I was 13 when this was published, so I didn't exactly live the same high school experience, the real grunge years, as this Andrea. But I can picture it really well. It makes me want to go to HOP! and find my own cow dress.
November 29, 2011
I had read an interview with the author of this novel and he seemed like a pretty cool guy, so I picked up this book. My expectations dropped as I read the back cover and the first few pages, and my expectations were met without exceeding them.
The choppy sentence structure bothered me at first, but grew on me as I read. I will say that until I got near the end I didn't think Andrea was the brightest. Her narration was very flat and dull and simple. Not that there's anything particularly wrong with that, but I did not catch on to the fact that she was smart until it was spelled out for me. I'm a teenager and when I think, I think in much more depth than Andrea ever did, and I can't really grasp her thought process in comparison to her intelligence.
I couldn't relate to her, to be honest. Andrea is insecure and doesn't embrace herself, instead kind of going with the flow. The publishing year was my birth year, I don't have the same level of sexual experience, and my life isn't as crazy as hers is in the music scene. So yeah, I'm not the target audience and I realize that.
I really didn't know what to think about this book. It was just kind of there in my life, not impacting me in any profound way, but not comforting me with its simplicity either.
The choppy sentence structure bothered me at first, but grew on me as I read. I will say that until I got near the end I didn't think Andrea was the brightest. Her narration was very flat and dull and simple. Not that there's anything particularly wrong with that, but I did not catch on to the fact that she was smart until it was spelled out for me. I'm a teenager and when I think, I think in much more depth than Andrea ever did, and I can't really grasp her thought process in comparison to her intelligence.
I couldn't relate to her, to be honest. Andrea is insecure and doesn't embrace herself, instead kind of going with the flow. The publishing year was my birth year, I don't have the same level of sexual experience, and my life isn't as crazy as hers is in the music scene. So yeah, I'm not the target audience and I realize that.
I really didn't know what to think about this book. It was just kind of there in my life, not impacting me in any profound way, but not comforting me with its simplicity either.
March 22, 2010
I have read Girl no less than 75 times since the first time I sat down as a high school student and entered the mind of Anrea Marr. Now a 31-year old woman, I still pick up this book on occasion and relive my youth. I have passed this book along to all of my friends and they have all loved it as much as I do, it is easily one of my favorite books...ever. If you are a super fan like me, I suggest you email Blake Nelson and tell him so, and he might just reward you by replying with the never-published sequel which follows Andrea to college.
December 19, 2007
I skipped school in seventh grade because I could not put this book down. I’d read it again today if someone mailed me a copy (it’s like 99¢ off Amazon marketplace), and most likely laugh through fits of nostalgia. Accurate in its 'teenspeak' (though slightly unimaginative in its style/form/content) Girl is the unsurprising product of a male writer for Details aiming his howitzer at the wanna-be-jezebel readers of Sassy magazine. Cute, fun, brazen but not quite 'art'.
September 18, 2012
A few years ago, I experienced an incredibly debauched New Year's Eve with my hetero lifemate best friend. Just the two of us, in a whirl of: BK warehouse parties, heavy metal bars full of losers and go-go girls, $40 cabs to Harlem, a pale pink snowflake dawn.
One persistent takeaway from that night, imprinted onto my brain for all of posterity, is the wholly absurd sight of dozens of mini-trampolines flying in every direction. Once lining every spare inch of labyrinthine cement floor, they succumbed to the fresh panic of those who had just been happily (druggily) bouncing on them. I can close my eyes and witness it in slow motion; I focus on one girl who just didn't want to stop bouncing, her blissful IDGAF smile beaming through the chaos. She did eventually step down gracefully to just walk right out of there, but not before bestowing a wink to one of the cops.
Finally back at our apartment, pinpricks of light and snow pierced the sky. We dissected the night to keep it alive, before finally giving in to the dead sleep that accompanies such exploits. Hours later, a gasp woke me. "Izzy!" She shook me. "What did we do last night?!" I creaked open an eyelid. Her black dress was covered in white powder; her face was covered in white powder. That got my attention. When, in the blackness that was the previous night, did we even get a chance to acquire all that...coke? That wasn't even our style. We racked our brains. Nothing. We ordered a pizza.
Later that day, I found a tin full of Christmas cookies my mother had sent the week before. They were Greek koulourakia, butter cookies topped with mounds of confectionary sugar. They melt on your tongue immediately, and the sugar clings to the roof of your mouth or catches in your throat. Death by delicious pastry always lurks. I opened the tin, fully looking forward to indulging in a few. And...you got it, empty. And that, my friends, was more our style.
What could have been the mother of all "stories not to tell my kid" turned into something comical. Farcical, even. Sweet. (Both kinds.) (My poor mother.)
While I can't even hang like that anymore, I firmly believe that Girl by Blake Nelson (serialized in Sassy, no less) is to blame for my several years of hedonism. If I hadn't read it at such a tender, impressionable age, innocent, sheltered teenage me wouldn't have nursed a longing to act out in such a manner. It implanted a little ball of carbon, and the hardening, polishing was left to me. It's not the best, you don't learn anything, God forbid, but it's fun, and it's kinda scandalous for the time (and targeted age group) and legions of women my age probably have similar stories. Who is your Todd Sparrow?
In retrospect, the book is also comical, farcical, and kind of sweet.
One persistent takeaway from that night, imprinted onto my brain for all of posterity, is the wholly absurd sight of dozens of mini-trampolines flying in every direction. Once lining every spare inch of labyrinthine cement floor, they succumbed to the fresh panic of those who had just been happily (druggily) bouncing on them. I can close my eyes and witness it in slow motion; I focus on one girl who just didn't want to stop bouncing, her blissful IDGAF smile beaming through the chaos. She did eventually step down gracefully to just walk right out of there, but not before bestowing a wink to one of the cops.
Finally back at our apartment, pinpricks of light and snow pierced the sky. We dissected the night to keep it alive, before finally giving in to the dead sleep that accompanies such exploits. Hours later, a gasp woke me. "Izzy!" She shook me. "What did we do last night?!" I creaked open an eyelid. Her black dress was covered in white powder; her face was covered in white powder. That got my attention. When, in the blackness that was the previous night, did we even get a chance to acquire all that...coke? That wasn't even our style. We racked our brains. Nothing. We ordered a pizza.
Later that day, I found a tin full of Christmas cookies my mother had sent the week before. They were Greek koulourakia, butter cookies topped with mounds of confectionary sugar. They melt on your tongue immediately, and the sugar clings to the roof of your mouth or catches in your throat. Death by delicious pastry always lurks. I opened the tin, fully looking forward to indulging in a few. And...you got it, empty. And that, my friends, was more our style.
What could have been the mother of all "stories not to tell my kid" turned into something comical. Farcical, even. Sweet. (Both kinds.) (My poor mother.)
While I can't even hang like that anymore, I firmly believe that Girl by Blake Nelson (serialized in Sassy, no less) is to blame for my several years of hedonism. If I hadn't read it at such a tender, impressionable age, innocent, sheltered teenage me wouldn't have nursed a longing to act out in such a manner. It implanted a little ball of carbon, and the hardening, polishing was left to me. It's not the best, you don't learn anything, God forbid, but it's fun, and it's kinda scandalous for the time (and targeted age group) and legions of women my age probably have similar stories. Who is your Todd Sparrow?
In retrospect, the book is also comical, farcical, and kind of sweet.
March 15, 2010
I was reading some blog that was all nostalgia for the 90s and someone mentioned this novel, so I ordered it on PaperbackSwap, then I was feeling sick so I decided to read this because I didn't have to think too hard about it, which was fine because I was jacked up on Sudafed which meant I couldn't think hard even if I wanted to anyway.
Whew! That sentence I just typed? Yeah, that was pretty much how this entire book was written. Imagine reading 250 pages of that. But this is the thing, it actually kind of works. And it didn't hurt that the narrator, Andrea Marr, was recognizable to me as a cooler and less uptight version of my teenage self. There would be all of this vapidness about boys and clothes and shit, and buried beneath the inanity would be a rare nugget of insight, which was totally how I was as a teenager, as shallow as a kiddie pool but intelligent from time to time, almost as if by accident.
But what was most entertaining was all the early 90s-Pacific Northwest-Sassy stuff, when people listened to grunge and "alternative" actually meant something and girls wore dark lipstick without being all Goth about it. It's very much a product of its time, just like the Weetzie Bat books and my Pearl Jam albums, which means they are enjoyable to someone like me, who actually came of age during that time, but would probably seem totally dated to anyone who is much older or younger than I am.
I can see how someone would find this book utterly annoying, because I did at times, but then again, I read it in less than two days, so I couldn't have found it THAT annoying.
Whew! That sentence I just typed? Yeah, that was pretty much how this entire book was written. Imagine reading 250 pages of that. But this is the thing, it actually kind of works. And it didn't hurt that the narrator, Andrea Marr, was recognizable to me as a cooler and less uptight version of my teenage self. There would be all of this vapidness about boys and clothes and shit, and buried beneath the inanity would be a rare nugget of insight, which was totally how I was as a teenager, as shallow as a kiddie pool but intelligent from time to time, almost as if by accident.
But what was most entertaining was all the early 90s-Pacific Northwest-Sassy stuff, when people listened to grunge and "alternative" actually meant something and girls wore dark lipstick without being all Goth about it. It's very much a product of its time, just like the Weetzie Bat books and my Pearl Jam albums, which means they are enjoyable to someone like me, who actually came of age during that time, but would probably seem totally dated to anyone who is much older or younger than I am.
I can see how someone would find this book utterly annoying, because I did at times, but then again, I read it in less than two days, so I couldn't have found it THAT annoying.
January 18, 2011
This book clearly stands the test of time. It came out in 1994, I believe, and still holds the same truths and powers today as it did then (I mean, not that I'd know since I was not even a teen then but I have seen it on tv and in movies plus you'd just KNOW).
Andrea is one heck of a compelling character, as she tries to make herself into something she's not, and we follow her as she questions it step by step without even knowing she is. She tries so hard to both fit in and stand out that really, she's just being herself. This smacks her in the face in the end when she realizes she's a girl, a real girl, who has these feelings and questions and ideas and beliefs that are hers and wholly hers.
I love the style in this one, but it is exhausting! Nelson writes in stream of consciousness and each paragraph packs in a LOT. Many times, I went back and reread to make sure I was getting it all.
Lots of music in this one, lots of drugs and sex, too. There were times I really wanted to cry for this girl, especially in her experiences with boys that were so real and painful that it hurt to read (then reread). I'm incredibly impressed how well Nelson captures this.
I can see how many writers today were influenced by GIRL because it's definitely a classic in the YA canon. And I would really like to know what happens to Andrea after.
Andrea is one heck of a compelling character, as she tries to make herself into something she's not, and we follow her as she questions it step by step without even knowing she is. She tries so hard to both fit in and stand out that really, she's just being herself. This smacks her in the face in the end when she realizes she's a girl, a real girl, who has these feelings and questions and ideas and beliefs that are hers and wholly hers.
I love the style in this one, but it is exhausting! Nelson writes in stream of consciousness and each paragraph packs in a LOT. Many times, I went back and reread to make sure I was getting it all.
Lots of music in this one, lots of drugs and sex, too. There were times I really wanted to cry for this girl, especially in her experiences with boys that were so real and painful that it hurt to read (then reread). I'm incredibly impressed how well Nelson captures this.
I can see how many writers today were influenced by GIRL because it's definitely a classic in the YA canon. And I would really like to know what happens to Andrea after.
April 22, 2021
I started this book at a request from one of my friends, who said that it was "pretty good". Usually, the books she recommends me ARE, in fact, good, quick reads (more often than not, quite to my surprise.).
This, however, was NOT one of those books.
The very first paragraph erased any interest I might have had in the book - it was a thick, BLOCK paragraph, where every sentence ran on without stopping and contained at LEAST 3 "and"'s. (this format, by the way, did not change throughout the book as far as I could tell.) The writing contained all the unnecessary details, all of which were brief and vague, and the amount of several days spanned over a few paragraphs, where only the random things were mentioned.
I read about 2-3 chapters before I had to give up reading this book altogether. I was becoming dangerously close to throwing this book across the room, and that was not the best idea because my friend would NOT have appreciated said treatment of her book. I skimmed through the rest of it quickly, hoping that perhaps, miraculously, the format and writing style of this book changed...nope. Block paragraphs and too long, running sentences with annoying narration all the way through.
I think we can safely say I will not be returning to this book.
Or finishing it.
EVER.
This, however, was NOT one of those books.
The very first paragraph erased any interest I might have had in the book - it was a thick, BLOCK paragraph, where every sentence ran on without stopping and contained at LEAST 3 "and"'s. (this format, by the way, did not change throughout the book as far as I could tell.) The writing contained all the unnecessary details, all of which were brief and vague, and the amount of several days spanned over a few paragraphs, where only the random things were mentioned.
I read about 2-3 chapters before I had to give up reading this book altogether. I was becoming dangerously close to throwing this book across the room, and that was not the best idea because my friend would NOT have appreciated said treatment of her book. I skimmed through the rest of it quickly, hoping that perhaps, miraculously, the format and writing style of this book changed...nope. Block paragraphs and too long, running sentences with annoying narration all the way through.
I think we can safely say I will not be returning to this book.
Or finishing it.
EVER.
March 25, 2017
It's the early 90s and main character Andrea Marr is a straight-A student, we only know that because the author says so - we never see her study, or do anything schoolwork related. We read about Andrea's friendships and extra-curriculars as she turns 16, 17, and 18 but never see her engaging positively with her family, just getting the car from "my stupid parents" or off-handedly mentioning them with derision: "and my parents were getting old, especially my mom."
I don't understand why author Blake Nelson gets heaped with so much praise for this kind of garbage: "Fashion was sports for girls." "with the other boys I had sex. But now I'd been fucked... they were male and you were female and they fucked you. You did not fuck them." "you could tell by the way she walked, how slinky and dreamy she was, that she was totally getting laid." Also I hated Nelson's glorification of smoking: "it was so fun holding it and having it burning in your hand and it was the prefect thing to fiddle with while you're talking... cigarettes weren't just about being cool and having a prop but they also made you really still inside and you could understand things and accept things better than you could before." "It was so weird to see her smoke. She was incredibly good at it. She looked like a movie star."
I don't understand why author Blake Nelson gets heaped with so much praise for this kind of garbage: "Fashion was sports for girls." "with the other boys I had sex. But now I'd been fucked... they were male and you were female and they fucked you. You did not fuck them." "you could tell by the way she walked, how slinky and dreamy she was, that she was totally getting laid." Also I hated Nelson's glorification of smoking: "it was so fun holding it and having it burning in your hand and it was the prefect thing to fiddle with while you're talking... cigarettes weren't just about being cool and having a prop but they also made you really still inside and you could understand things and accept things better than you could before." "It was so weird to see her smoke. She was incredibly good at it. She looked like a movie star."
June 13, 2014
This story is really good. I was scared that I wouldn't like it but I really enjoyed it. I don't know why but I have an obsession with the 90s maybe because I was born in the 90s but after I saw this book I knew I had to read it. Being that I was a baby during this time I don't really remember it but if it was anything like this for girls growing up I'm glad I was just a kid.
Summary: Andrea Marr is a teenage girl growing up in the 90s. She's obsessed with indie rock and the rock band The Color Green's lead singer Todd Sparrow. Not only does she has high school to worry about she has to deal with her friends, drama, and figuring out who she is.
Character(s): I'm really kind of iffy when it comes to Andrea. I liked her because she had fun and did what she want. But she did alot of stupid shit. I know she's a teenager and that's your time to do all the stupid stuff you can but alot of the time she acted like she didn't have common sense. Not only was it her but her friends acted that way too. It seemed like all they wanted to do was drugs and have sex with anyone. Andrea wasn't as bad as some of her friends but with alot of situations she was in, it seemed like she didn't think. I'm glad she ended up growing out of that phase and I'm glad she didn't take her relationship with Todd Sparrow that seriously. Even though she claimed she loved him I didn't think she did. If she was really in love with him she would have cared if he had more than one "girlfriend". He probably did like her but he didn't like her as much is she liked him. I liked Todd at the beginning but throughout the book he got on my nerves. I don't know what his deal was and what he was going through but he needed to grow up.
Writing: I'm surprised the writing didn't turn me off. It's reminds me of a 14 year old girl's diary. I usually don't like reading books written like this but since it was meant to be this way I got over it pretty quickly.
Overall: I think every female should read this book. Even if you don't like books like this just give it a chance. I'm not into the stuff that Andrea was into but I could kind of relate to her. I didn't think I would want to read the next book. But the last sentence in the story changed my mind.
Summary: Andrea Marr is a teenage girl growing up in the 90s. She's obsessed with indie rock and the rock band The Color Green's lead singer Todd Sparrow. Not only does she has high school to worry about she has to deal with her friends, drama, and figuring out who she is.
Character(s): I'm really kind of iffy when it comes to Andrea. I liked her because she had fun and did what she want. But she did alot of stupid shit. I know she's a teenager and that's your time to do all the stupid stuff you can but alot of the time she acted like she didn't have common sense. Not only was it her but her friends acted that way too. It seemed like all they wanted to do was drugs and have sex with anyone. Andrea wasn't as bad as some of her friends but with alot of situations she was in, it seemed like she didn't think. I'm glad she ended up growing out of that phase and I'm glad she didn't take her relationship with Todd Sparrow that seriously. Even though she claimed she loved him I didn't think she did. If she was really in love with him she would have cared if he had more than one "girlfriend". He probably did like her but he didn't like her as much is she liked him. I liked Todd at the beginning but throughout the book he got on my nerves. I don't know what his deal was and what he was going through but he needed to grow up.
Writing: I'm surprised the writing didn't turn me off. It's reminds me of a 14 year old girl's diary. I usually don't like reading books written like this but since it was meant to be this way I got over it pretty quickly.
Overall: I think every female should read this book. Even if you don't like books like this just give it a chance. I'm not into the stuff that Andrea was into but I could kind of relate to her. I didn't think I would want to read the next book. But the last sentence in the story changed my mind.
October 16, 2012
So today I went in this bookstore and I was wearing this really cute dress and I had my hair in a bun but the lady at the desk was giving me these weird looks and I guess she must have been jealous because I was young and have a boyfriend and she's almost forty and has to dust books off all day. And then my friend came in and it was so random we began hopping around. And then everyone was looking at us so we ran behind a bookshelf and I knocked a book off because I was so excited and it turned out to be this book. And it looked pretty interesting so I took it home and I thought I was very cool.
So maybe I'm overexaggerating the writing style just a little bit. But you get the idea. It was odd, I began reading this chronicle of Andrea's life, teen girl in the murky world of early 90s Portland, with an immense sense of dread. I guess I was expecting something else, a different style, a more likeable character. And then suddenly I began relishing the writing, admiring, imitating, quoting, doodling. The story was interesting enough, the prospect of living in a time that most of my wardrobe is inspired by tantalizing to my imagination. However eventually the novelty wears off. It might be realistic to have a teen girl ramble about insignificant things and people and have her place so much importance on individuals who later fizzle out into nothingness, but it doesn't mean I want to spend time reading about it. The book grew tedious with so many people being met and introduced and yet little to no closure. The most interesting character wasn't the main one, and if you ask me too much time is devoted to questionable sexual escapades than identity and character development. Or maybe the best way to define Andrea's character is having sex in a park with a skeezy musician. Who knows. Ultimately I enjoyed the book, I liked the way it was written (sort of), and there were parts that were exceedingly relatable. However it is nothing incredible or astonishing, but maybe it wasn't meant to be.
So maybe I'm overexaggerating the writing style just a little bit. But you get the idea. It was odd, I began reading this chronicle of Andrea's life, teen girl in the murky world of early 90s Portland, with an immense sense of dread. I guess I was expecting something else, a different style, a more likeable character. And then suddenly I began relishing the writing, admiring, imitating, quoting, doodling. The story was interesting enough, the prospect of living in a time that most of my wardrobe is inspired by tantalizing to my imagination. However eventually the novelty wears off. It might be realistic to have a teen girl ramble about insignificant things and people and have her place so much importance on individuals who later fizzle out into nothingness, but it doesn't mean I want to spend time reading about it. The book grew tedious with so many people being met and introduced and yet little to no closure. The most interesting character wasn't the main one, and if you ask me too much time is devoted to questionable sexual escapades than identity and character development. Or maybe the best way to define Andrea's character is having sex in a park with a skeezy musician. Who knows. Ultimately I enjoyed the book, I liked the way it was written (sort of), and there were parts that were exceedingly relatable. However it is nothing incredible or astonishing, but maybe it wasn't meant to be.
July 26, 2010
The early Nineties alternative music scene as seen through the eyes of Andrea Marr, a Portland, Oregon, teenager who lives out in the suburbs: Girl goes to shows, shops at thrift stores, obsesses about boys, and eats a lot of frozen yogurt. Andrea provides the voice for the narration, and it reads like a long string of events and activities over a three-year period covering her sophomore through senior years. There is no traditional dialogue in the book; rather Andrea reports what she does and what people say. The narration will either seem authentic to you or grating. I pretty much found it to be the former and was actually quite impressed how well Blake Nelson conveyed what it is like to be a teenager. I liked the book very much, but then I also was a teenager living in the Northwest in the early Nineties and could relate to a lot of what is in the book. My experience was much tamer than what is portrayed in the book, however.
There was definitely some nostalgia for me in reading the book. It was originally excerpted extensively in Sassy magazine befor being published in 1994. My So-Called Life was briefly on the air, Factsheet Five was the place to go to send away for Zines, and of course there was the tragic story of Nirvana. Because of its pretty explicit nature, Girl was originally released as an adult title. With the recent burgeoning of the Young Adult genre, it's now been re-released as a YA paperback. I'm sure teenagers today will find this book curious. However, I'm sure this book will continue to find an audience, and it's pretty wonderful that it remains in print, available for new readers to discover.
There was definitely some nostalgia for me in reading the book. It was originally excerpted extensively in Sassy magazine befor being published in 1994. My So-Called Life was briefly on the air, Factsheet Five was the place to go to send away for Zines, and of course there was the tragic story of Nirvana. Because of its pretty explicit nature, Girl was originally released as an adult title. With the recent burgeoning of the Young Adult genre, it's now been re-released as a YA paperback. I'm sure teenagers today will find this book curious. However, I'm sure this book will continue to find an audience, and it's pretty wonderful that it remains in print, available for new readers to discover.
June 29, 2021
When I picked out a book titled “girl” written by a man, I probably should have realized what I was getting myself into.
This book is unrealistic on so many different levels. The first of which, our main character meets her love interest casually. Afterwards, there is a period of time where they are apart. Throughout the entire time, all she can think about is a man she met for only a bit.
Second, the teenagers seemingly have no supervision? There is plenty of drug use, alcohol, etc. and her parents never seem to really care about what their daughter is doin?
Finally, and probably the most trivial, she seems to always have time to be out and about. She keeps up good grades, yet we almost never see her study? In fact, she spends so much time at clubs it’s almost comical.
This book doesn’t really understand what it’s like to be a teenage girl, as it clearly isn’t written by one.
This book is unrealistic on so many different levels. The first of which, our main character meets her love interest casually. Afterwards, there is a period of time where they are apart. Throughout the entire time, all she can think about is a man she met for only a bit.
Second, the teenagers seemingly have no supervision? There is plenty of drug use, alcohol, etc. and her parents never seem to really care about what their daughter is doin?
Finally, and probably the most trivial, she seems to always have time to be out and about. She keeps up good grades, yet we almost never see her study? In fact, she spends so much time at clubs it’s almost comical.
This book doesn’t really understand what it’s like to be a teenage girl, as it clearly isn’t written by one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2013
I wanted to like this book, the ideas were solid, the character the less interesting hanger-on, with cool interesting friends. It was like every YA story of it's kind. Which was what I was looking for, a little escapism, a little nostalgia back into Nineties Portland. But the writing, OH, the writing!
I felt I had stumbled into the poor girls diary, and I desperately wanted her to take a English class, BECAUSE, GIRL, RUN-ON SENTENCES ARE EXHAUSTING. And, and, and. It never ended. I knew everything she wore, everything her friends wore, but dang, did I not give a shit about them at all. Basically because I knew nothing ABOUT them.
I didn't hate it, it was a little slice into teenagehood in this scene, with the grunge rock element featuring heavily. But the writing style had me tired by the second chapter.
It also really made me crave frozen yogurt.
I felt I had stumbled into the poor girls diary, and I desperately wanted her to take a English class, BECAUSE, GIRL, RUN-ON SENTENCES ARE EXHAUSTING. And, and, and. It never ended. I knew everything she wore, everything her friends wore, but dang, did I not give a shit about them at all. Basically because I knew nothing ABOUT them.
I didn't hate it, it was a little slice into teenagehood in this scene, with the grunge rock element featuring heavily. But the writing style had me tired by the second chapter.
It also really made me crave frozen yogurt.
September 4, 2019
Diese Buch halb ich als Teenie der 90er geliebt. Dabei ist es sooo schlecht geschrieben.
Aber ich denke, jeder hat da so seine Guilty Pleasures. Dieses Buch ist jedenfalls definitiv meins. Wie um mich zu bestätigen und weil ich überlegt habe, es wegzugeben, las ich es 2017 nochmal. Nun mit 32. Ja, ich kann sagen YA, rockt für mich schon lange nicht mehr so. Trotzdem war ich erstaunt wie wenig mir hier peinlich war. Ich halte zwar Todd Sparrow, das etwas asoziale Rocksternchen dieses Buches, inzwischen für einen Triebtäter, aber okay. Die Weisheit des Alters nennen ich das mal. Trotzdem weigere ich mich die Bewertung zu senken.
Aber ich denke, jeder hat da so seine Guilty Pleasures. Dieses Buch ist jedenfalls definitiv meins. Wie um mich zu bestätigen und weil ich überlegt habe, es wegzugeben, las ich es 2017 nochmal. Nun mit 32. Ja, ich kann sagen YA, rockt für mich schon lange nicht mehr so. Trotzdem war ich erstaunt wie wenig mir hier peinlich war. Ich halte zwar Todd Sparrow, das etwas asoziale Rocksternchen dieses Buches, inzwischen für einen Triebtäter, aber okay. Die Weisheit des Alters nennen ich das mal. Trotzdem weigere ich mich die Bewertung zu senken.
February 13, 2020
Oh.my.gosh. 5 stars because I just got struck with all sorts of nostalgic feelings when this book magically showed up as recommended on my timeline. I read this about 5 times when it debuted in 1994. I had forgotten what it was called, but back then, I was pretty sure Andrea was my soulmate. My best friend, Katy (who was my online penpal through Prodigy (AOL for the pretentiously angst kids)), and I would send quotes to each other across the country and long to live this girl’s life. I’m going to listen to my Versus album all weekend and read this again. ♥️
January 11, 2009
This was my guidebook to adolescence. I read an excerpt of it in SASSY magazine and then trolled the bookstores for it. This is the one and only time I've ever chased a book down like that. To this day, I send people copies of this book. I just think it rocks.
October 3, 2011
I read this book when I was in high school and I have to admit it was the definitive description of my life at the time and being in high school in 90's. I have seen the movie (good) and re-read this book multiple times and it still rings true and fills me with flannel ridden nostalgia.
November 21, 2018
This was one of my favorite books as a teenager - yet I had a hard time fully admitting to myself that I liked it? I would almost hate read it because I found the main character to be irritating, but it has a voyeuristic quality that just called to me. It's basically a step by step rundown of a girl's high school life in the early 90's, with lots of "boring" details included. As a major voyeur, I wish more novels were written this way. I really enjoyed myself on this reread as an adult, and I found myself yearning for the 90's sooooo hard. I was a self conscious fat teen with no love life to speak of, so I think I was kind of jealous of Andrea's experiences (yet also not, since reading about them was safer). Anyway if you want to pine for a time before social networking or cell phones & how it felt to discover a music scene outside your suburban or small town bubble, look no further than GIRL!
July 24, 2024
i lied. i didn’t finish this book.
most unrealistic book i’ve ever read.
when i first started the book i was hooked, started out pretty good and i liked the vibes.
but then it got to the point where the writing was sloppy, too many characters were being introduced in the plot, & andrea (who at the point where i stopped was 16 years old) was having sex like every chapter.
not only that, the back of the book described a teenage girl as “sexy”.
yeah, this wasn’t edgy, this was just ass.
also, band names were stupid and seemed ai generated. thrift store apocalypse? be so fr.
most unrealistic book i’ve ever read.
when i first started the book i was hooked, started out pretty good and i liked the vibes.
but then it got to the point where the writing was sloppy, too many characters were being introduced in the plot, & andrea (who at the point where i stopped was 16 years old) was having sex like every chapter.
not only that, the back of the book described a teenage girl as “sexy”.
yeah, this wasn’t edgy, this was just ass.
also, band names were stupid and seemed ai generated. thrift store apocalypse? be so fr.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2020
The book felt rush and for it taking place in the last three years of her high school yearss
May 19, 2023
Haven’t read this since high school but when I did I had an existential crisis about how I was wasting my life and uncool and would never be loved so yes I think it was pretty good
December 22, 2019
Being a music junkie, I was excited to read this book: the premise sounded promising & was basically right up my alley [regarding setting, time period, etc.] with early 90s, music, grunge...
I was left, however, slightly disappointed due to...
•Writing Style: The #1 thing that irked me the most was the author’s writing style. It read like one HUGE run-on sentence throughout the ENTIRE book! You could almost hear Andrea Marr gasping for air as she rambles on and on. Mr. Nelson didn't pause to allow poor Andrea to breathe!
•Main character portrayal: The author was trying his best to convey the thoughts/feelings/actions through a teenage girl‘s perspective, but many times Andrea Marr came across as a real ditz. She sounded like a stereotypical Valley Girl, which is weird -considering Andrea’s supposed to be a savvy, music-loving hipster. Andrea’s dimwit personality bogged the story down. Does the author really believe that all teen girls talk this way?
•Sex: *in referring back to my review Judy Blume’s ‘Forever’* Again, I’m not a prude, but some of the sex scenes were a little much. There were definitely some TMI moments!
•What about Todd?: It would’ve been nice to know Todd Sparrow’s whereabouts later on. Did his group ever become famous? Did he contact Andrea down the line a few months (or years) later? Seems like Todd just fell off the map...
While ‘Girl’ does have its glimmering moments [via Andrea's thought-provoking reflections/musings on life, friendship, popularity, love], they are far few in between. I also wouldn’t go so far as to compare this book to ‘Catcher In The Rye’ [as the press release hypes], comparing Andrea Marr to Holden Caulfield is like comparing apples to oranges!
It's frustrating to know that ‘Girl’ could've been so much more; there’s so much potential here!
I was left, however, slightly disappointed due to...
•Writing Style: The #1 thing that irked me the most was the author’s writing style. It read like one HUGE run-on sentence throughout the ENTIRE book! You could almost hear Andrea Marr gasping for air as she rambles on and on. Mr. Nelson didn't pause to allow poor Andrea to breathe!
•Main character portrayal: The author was trying his best to convey the thoughts/feelings/actions through a teenage girl‘s perspective, but many times Andrea Marr came across as a real ditz. She sounded like a stereotypical Valley Girl, which is weird -considering Andrea’s supposed to be a savvy, music-loving hipster. Andrea’s dimwit personality bogged the story down. Does the author really believe that all teen girls talk this way?
•Sex: *in referring back to my review Judy Blume’s ‘Forever’* Again, I’m not a prude, but some of the sex scenes were a little much. There were definitely some TMI moments!
•What about Todd?: It would’ve been nice to know Todd Sparrow’s whereabouts later on. Did his group ever become famous? Did he contact Andrea down the line a few months (or years) later? Seems like Todd just fell off the map...
While ‘Girl’ does have its glimmering moments [via Andrea's thought-provoking reflections/musings on life, friendship, popularity, love], they are far few in between. I also wouldn’t go so far as to compare this book to ‘Catcher In The Rye’ [as the press release hypes], comparing Andrea Marr to Holden Caulfield is like comparing apples to oranges!
It's frustrating to know that ‘Girl’ could've been so much more; there’s so much potential here!
August 3, 2014
I wish I could tell you that I finished this book. I can't even say for sure how far I did make it; but I was 15 or 16 when I attempted and even after all the silly formulaic boy-drama YA books I've also, for whatever reason, tried, this is still the one that insulted me as a teenager the most.
The reason I picked it up at all was because I watched the movie on TV the summer previous and actually really, really enjoyed that, if just for something kinda campy to watch on a 100 degree day. Movie Andrea Marr's narrative had a quality which seemed more sincere [it was also written in complete sentences] and the movie even depicts her having at least some semblance of eternal conflict that leads to her actual coming of age that the book neglects. I believe she was also changed to be older in the movie, in her summer before college, and that also made her 'rebellion' seem somehow more appropriate.
Not only did I not at all relate to [book] Andrea's actions, but the writing style absolutely killed it. I get the point the author was going for with the diary-style. I've kept a diary and there are a lot of 'and's and random unimportant thoughts; however, despite other reviews I've read, I felt more that the adult male author trying to write with the voice of a teenager girl overcompensated by generalizing the entire demographic into this shallow, consciousless, static character. It reminded me of all the main reasons I didn't enjoy high school. And if that's what the author thought of us, and what I was supposed to relate to, then I was offended.
This probably reads more like a rant than a review. I don't discourage or encourage anyone else from at least trying. But, if you can find the movie and have nothing else to do, watch it first.
The reason I picked it up at all was because I watched the movie on TV the summer previous and actually really, really enjoyed that, if just for something kinda campy to watch on a 100 degree day. Movie Andrea Marr's narrative had a quality which seemed more sincere [it was also written in complete sentences] and the movie even depicts her having at least some semblance of eternal conflict that leads to her actual coming of age that the book neglects. I believe she was also changed to be older in the movie, in her summer before college, and that also made her 'rebellion' seem somehow more appropriate.
Not only did I not at all relate to [book] Andrea's actions, but the writing style absolutely killed it. I get the point the author was going for with the diary-style. I've kept a diary and there are a lot of 'and's and random unimportant thoughts; however, despite other reviews I've read, I felt more that the adult male author trying to write with the voice of a teenager girl overcompensated by generalizing the entire demographic into this shallow, consciousless, static character. It reminded me of all the main reasons I didn't enjoy high school. And if that's what the author thought of us, and what I was supposed to relate to, then I was offended.
This probably reads more like a rant than a review. I don't discourage or encourage anyone else from at least trying. But, if you can find the movie and have nothing else to do, watch it first.
September 8, 2009
When I first read "Girl" I was fifteen, gay, closeted, and more than a little sexually repressed. Each month my friend Laurie would lend me the latest issue of "Sassy" - I think she lent me this book, too. I remember finding Andrea's behavior shocking, and so far removed from my own high school experience that I wasn't sure if I believed it.
So it was pretty fun re-reading this book at age thirty. And kind of interesting to note that one of the central relationships in the book - that of Andrea and her (somewhat) closeted lesbian friend, Cybil - hadn't left an impression on me. Even though Cybil's sexual repression mirrored my own at the time.
I savored the language this time around, which (typical of Nelson) is blunt and authentic: "Afterward everyone hung out." And Andrea's somewhat dizzying string of relationships with both boys and girls feels real to me too (even though the names are a little hard to follow).
I can see myself re-reading this book every year or so, just to return to this world, now tinged with nostagia. High school. Mid-nineties. Sigh. Didn't seem like it at the time, but weren't those the days?
So it was pretty fun re-reading this book at age thirty. And kind of interesting to note that one of the central relationships in the book - that of Andrea and her (somewhat) closeted lesbian friend, Cybil - hadn't left an impression on me. Even though Cybil's sexual repression mirrored my own at the time.
I savored the language this time around, which (typical of Nelson) is blunt and authentic: "Afterward everyone hung out." And Andrea's somewhat dizzying string of relationships with both boys and girls feels real to me too (even though the names are a little hard to follow).
I can see myself re-reading this book every year or so, just to return to this world, now tinged with nostagia. High school. Mid-nineties. Sigh. Didn't seem like it at the time, but weren't those the days?
July 28, 2011
I watched this movie years ago due to my obsession with Sean Patrick Flanery and I remember liking it. I had no idea that it was based on a book, but I stumbled across it one day. The book in set in the 90's in Portland, and the main character, Andrea is dealing with typical teen things, and the book reads almost like a stream of consciousness, and you can really hear the hurried speech of a teen just talking. Girl is very realistic. Andrea has sex, with several people. Not that it glamorizes sex, but it's something that Andrea and her friends talk about, think about and feel pressured to have. She's around drug use, and there is violence. Andrea herself is constantly changing and evolving and she's influenced by her friends and popular culture. She's often contrary. Because I was a teen in the early and mid 90's it was easy to relate to, and I loved how heavily music was featured in the book, even if most of it was fake Portland and Seattle bands. I mean, Andrea and friends still have cassette tapes! Not everything is cds. The book is almost painfully honest and realistic.
February 12, 2012
I read this book wayyyy before I should have. I had borrowed it from my local library, after discovering the new-to-me "Young Adult" section of the library.I'm guessing the year was around 1998 because after reading it I was at my grandparents' with my Mom and we had rented the movie Girl, Interrupted on VHS. One of the previews included the trailer for Girl. Which I had NO idea had was turned into a movie (a straight to VHS movie that is). For the longest time I searched and searched but could never find any more information on it (finally watched it last year, btw).
If I read the book now I'm not sure I would like it as much. It might come across as angsty and silly. But then it was about high schoolers' in the Northwestern grunge scene-a world I have/had NO idea about. I was on the verge of becoming a teenager myself and reading about this world of high schoolers' more or less blew my mind. They were so grown up doing such adult things.
I saw a used copy of this book at Hastings the other month and almost bought it. But I think I secretly hoped some young preteen who reads books too mature for herself would somehow get her hands on it.
If I read the book now I'm not sure I would like it as much. It might come across as angsty and silly. But then it was about high schoolers' in the Northwestern grunge scene-a world I have/had NO idea about. I was on the verge of becoming a teenager myself and reading about this world of high schoolers' more or less blew my mind. They were so grown up doing such adult things.
I saw a used copy of this book at Hastings the other month and almost bought it. But I think I secretly hoped some young preteen who reads books too mature for herself would somehow get her hands on it.
February 2, 2008
Why didn't I read this in the 90's while in middle school or high school? I probably would've loved it...Or maybe I would've been too cool and totally hated it and thought it was for "posers". But the point is, reading it now as an adult, I loved the way that this book captured the experience of a teen who gets caught up in her local music scene (even if it was the early 90's...a bit earlier than my own experience), and all the funny rituals involved in becoming "cool". While definately corny at times, Nelson nails the experience much better than most other YA attempts I've read. He also surprised me at times with his ability to capture a somewhat true teenage girl experience. I related to Andrea's experience of walking the fence between "cool rebel" and "over-achiever". Overall, this was a fun book to read.
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