Fangirl
Rowell, R. (2013). Fangirl.
New York: St. Martin’s Press
Fangirl is the
wonderful coming of age story of a young girl, Cath, who is heading to college
with her twin, but her sister has decided they won’t be roommates. Cath is very
introverted and has a hard time adjusting to her new dorm life. She manages to
go to classes, but hesitates to even go and find the cafeteria. She finally
hits it off with her roommate, Reagan, and her “boyfriend” Levi. Cath (and her
sister, Wren) are HUGE Simon Snow fans and have created their own Simon Snow
stories shared on-line that have a substantial following. Cath is a talented
writer who thinks she might have found someone in her creative writing course,
Nick. She discovers that Levi is not Reagan’s boyfriend and they start spending
more time together. While struggling with the first semester exams and
projects, her dad has a significant bi-polar incident and ends up in the
hospital. During the second semester, Cath finds herself and her voice. She
finally feels accepted enough as herself to enjoy her relationship with Levi
and her growing relationship with her sister. She also learns to embrace her
fanfiction writing, but to also accept that she can write more than fanfiction.
Fangirl is a
contemporary young adult novel that paints a realist picture of freshman life.
Cath’s fanfiction is fantasy, which is where she escapes her stressful life.
This book is very character driven and told from Cath’s point of view. She
deals with her father’s mental illness and the reappearance of her long absent
mother and watching her sister self-destruct. Through it all, her romance with
Levi continues to grow. By the end of her first year, she becomes stronger and
is learning to stand up for herself. When she stands up to her former writing
partner and refuses to bend to his demands, she finally starts finding out how
strong she is.
Interesting Links:
Book Trailers:
Other books by
Rainbow Rowell:
Elenor & Park
Carry On (The
fanfiction story Cath and Wren write about Simon Snow)
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