TLC Book Tour Review: Virgins by Caryl Rivers

Virgins
Caryl Rivers
Diversion Books
June 3, 2012
256 pages
Amazon | B&N
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5/5 Books

For the seniors at Immaculate Heart High, hormones triumphed over the State of Grace – and everyone’s vocation was to DO IT. The Map of Forbidden Sexual Delights extended its boundaries nightly in the back seats of tail-finned cars. And nothing – not even the Anti-Smut League – could keep the boys and the girls from a rowdy, raunchy romp through those heart-stopping, heart-wrenching days of growing up!

About The Author:
Caryl Rivers has been called “one of the brightest voices in contemporary fiction.” Her novel Virgins was an international critical success, published in the US, UK, Sweden, Germany and Japan. It was on many best seller lists and in paperback (Pocket Books) sold more than a million copies. Her novels deal with American women trying to find a foothold in a rapidly changing world. She was included in the book Feminists Who Changed America from the University of Illinois Press.

She is a nationally known author, journalist, media critic and professor of Journalism at Boston University. In 2007 she was awarded the Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Professional Journalists for distinguished journalism. She is the author of four novels and nine works of non-fiction, all critically acclaimed. Her books have been selections of the Book of the Month Club, Literary Guild, Doubleday Book Club and Troll Book club. The Chicago Tribune says of her, “Few other writers are as funny as she, and none funnier. Yet she is capable of wrenching your heart and soul.” There are film offers in place for the new edition of Virgins.

Her articles have appeared in the New York Times magazine, Daily Beast, Huffington post, Salon, The Nation, Saturday Review, Ms., Mother Jones, Dissent, McCalls, Glamour, Redbook, Rolling Stone, Ladies Home Journal and many others. She writes frequent commentary for the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune and Womensenews. Of her book Selling Anxiety: How the News Media Scare Women, Gloria Steinem says it “will save the sanity of media watchers enraged or bewildered by the distance between image and reality.”

She has co-authored four books with Dr. Rosalind Barnett, senior scientist at the Women’s Studies Research Center at Brandeis—the latest (2011) being The Truth About Girls and Boys: Confronting Toxic Stereotypes About Our Children. Articles based on the book won a Casey medal for distinguished journalism about children and families and a special citation from the National Education Writers association.

Connect With The Author:
Website

My Review
Wow! Caryl Rivers is brilliant! She is a super talented author who made this reader laugh-out-loud on more than one occassion with this unique and interesting take on coming-of-age in an all girls Catholic school. I wasn’t sure how I would like this book, as I am not a Catholic. Turns out, you don’t have to be Catholic to enjoy this book. You get laughs, meaning and amazing characters in a fantastically written book.

Peg, Con, Sean and all the other witty, quirky characters in this story are awesome. Each one had a different issue that they were struggling with, all while trying to remain a “devote” Catholic. But, as with all teenagers, they were on a road of discovering who they truly were, and what they were meant to be or do. Not wanting to be left out of anything, and willing to risk all to try everything. With romances, abuse and trying to please the Nuns, these characters take the reader on a journey of ups,downs,ins and outs of transitioning from teenagers to young adults.

While this is written about kids in the 1950’s , and about Catholics, I could seriously relate to many of the characters in the book. I remember my teenage years quite fondly at times, with the desire to try new things. There were things I did in high school that I just shouldn’t have, while other things were done with a passion and done right! Back seats of cars….oh yea! Those were the good ol’ days, and Ms. Rivers captures the good ol’ days of the ’50s with this amazing book!

Whether your are a young adult on a road to self-discovery, or an adult who loves laughs, antics and well written stories, this book will bring every reader something enjoyable. Definitely a 5 Book worthy book and one that I will go back and read over again. I love the characters, the plot line and meaning of letting go and taking a chance on happiness;finding out who you truly are and what means the most to you. Kudos go out to Ms. Rivers, and I can’t wait to read more of her work! This is one happy fan!

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