I Am Charlotte Simmons...and Thomas Mann

A compelling read -- I couldn't put it down and finished it in four days -- but upon reflection, not a great book. Funny, but too clever by half. Perfect teen movie material. The characters, with the exception of Charlotte and perhaps Adam, are flat and hugely unsympathetic, the plot's predictable and heavy-handed, and Wolfe tries a little too hard to show us that he "gets" how college students (and administrators) think, speak, and behave.

I did, however, completely fall for Charlotte. Which, for people who know me, should come as no surprise.

Thomas Mann, on the other hand, is just fabulous. Out of the collection, I've thus far only managed Death in Venice and Mario and the Magician, but am looking forward to more once I get back to San Francisco. Maybe I should re-read The Magic Mountain.
Posted by kungfuzi at 11:17 am |