Gossip of the Starlings

by Nina de Gramont

Book Overview

"The book soars . . . A transfixing confessional about the secret lives of dangerous girls."
--Kirkus

When Catherine Morrow is admitted to the Esther Percy School for Girls, it's on the condition that she reform her ways. But that's before the beautiful and charismatic Skye Butterfield, daughter of the famous Senator Butterfield, chooses Catherine for her best friend. Skye is in love with danger and the thrill of breaking...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1565126769
• ISBN13: 9781565126763
• Release Date: June 2009
• Publisher: Algonquin Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

my summer lesson

"Gossip..." is the third book I've read this summer that takes place in a setting not familiar to me, nor previously of interest. deGramont's book was recommended to me by a "horse person" who insisted I read it. I have to say: the prose is so flawless, so graceful, that you hardly feel yourself moving through the pages. The last third of the book seemed to accelerate for me, the pages seemed riper, more poetic as the tale moved forward -- not sure if this was from falling in love with the language, or that the story and characters sneaked into my psyche and ruffled my feathers (!!) -- I just know that I found myself racing to reach the reward of a perfect ending. This book was a very pleasant surprise. I've since ordered and started reading deGramont's collection of short fiction "Of Cats and Men" -- haunting, sneaky, dark little tales that prove this writer can jump genres like a purebred. Loving them!

A Great Book

I really enjoyed this book. Nina De Gramont captures the desperate, intense emotions that overwhelm all of us (male, female, rich, and poor) as we struggle through adolescence. A great book for anyone who enjoys a compelling story, beautifully told. Read it now, before the movie comes out!

Could not put it down

I usually read something dull to put myself to sleep at night, but after reading most of this book on a plane ride, I refused to switch to my usual fare. It brought back highschool and the incredible intensity of my teenage friendships. de Gramont's prose illuminates those heady moments and secret bonds that were so all consuming. I thoroughly enjoyed this finely tuned page-turner!

An amazing story that will take you back

This book reminded me so vividly of what it felt like to be a teenager. The friends you can't live without; the amazing drama that takes place every day. The wealth and the location are immaterial. This story is about the incredible power of friendships and the struggle to be good. It was a beautiful and very emotional story that I read in two days.

Wow!!!

The best book I've read in years - de Gramont's writing is stunning, gorgeous, and she captures the struggles of being a teenager - ANY teenager - brilliantly. I may not have gone to prep school, but I know these girls, I know these feelings, the alienation, the acceptance, the dazzling friend who you love and hate at the same time. There are sentences in this book that I had to read three times in a row - and I still didn't stop reading until the whole beautiful and tragic story was done. If you want to read a book that will keep you talking, that will take you back in time and then make you pick up the phone to say YOU HAVE TO READ THIS! then get this book. Brilliant.