Brave New Girl

If this was supposed to be (as it was billed on the cover) "Doreen ultimately impels her troubled family to forge a new understanding of the world -- and, maybe more surprisingly, of one another" IT FAILED DISMISALLY. I had been previously very impressed with two of Luna's other books (and I'm going to try at least one more) but this was awful. I didn't like the lead character and tho' prospectively alerted (by the cover) that she swore, the CONSTANT use of the F word (as adjective, noun, verb and adverb) ultimately was so distracting that it contributed to my dislike of this book. Please try "The Janes" or "Two Girls Down" but this one isn't worth your time. Wish I could give it no stars.

Luna succeeds in creating a very specific atmosphere in this book - both of time and of place. She perfectly captures the intensity of teenage emotion (especially in the passages about The Pixies...I've never read a novelist write so well about the intensity with which a young person can love a certain band). She also writes well about Pasadena in the summertime (and by extension, Southern California in general). Her descriptions evoked for me not merely an idea of what Doreen's life is like, but the actual feeling in the pit of my stomach of the corresponding episodes in my own life. Even when I didn't relate to Doreen's specific experiences, I had the feeling that when I was young I expected my life to be like Doreen's, and I think this is because the book has a sort of universal coming-of-age feel that another reviewer (mistakenly) called cliched. This coming-of-age appeal can be described as the intensity of The Wonder Years' nostalgia mixed with the irreverence and balanced good-bad truth of Catcher in the Rye. I expected this to be about on par with The Perks of Being a Wallflower, as it was published by MTV press at about the same time. While it is a good companion piece (could be the female-version of Chboksy's novel), the writing far surpasses Perks as Luna has a talent for evoking exact and specific emotions that few contemporary writers of young adult fiction can approach. Very very highly reccomended...

I was not a big reader at all, not until I found this stunning book by Louisa Luna. I am a 21 year old University student, and thought I might be too old for this book. Turns out I was wrong, I think I became so personally attached to this book because I was ALOT like Doreen when I was her age. She is sarcastic, has only one close male friend, has nothing in common with her older popular sister, is a tom boy who acts so tough on the outside, but it is evident that she longs for more, she longs to be desired and she feels that she needs to make it her mission to save her long-lost brother (so to say, I don't want to give much away). She finds compfort in her favorite band, The Pixies. The most interesting thing about this novel is the way that Doreen reacts to a certain circumstance that occurs in the story; like most young girls her insecurities take over and she blames herself for what has happened, when really she was only an innocent, young girl trying to find her place in this world, thinking she was following her heart.The ending of this story is outstanding, it definatly pulled the whole thing together. Although this novel is small, I gave it 5 stars because the emotion was so true, and something I could relate to, and i found myself thinking about Doreen even when I put the book down. I imagine its not for everyone, but if you enjoy coming of age stories about young females trying to find a place for themeselves, I would highly recommened Brave New Girl.

Ms. Luna's is a voice to be reckoned with. With remarkable aplomb, she has created characters that sear the pages in a melancholic study of teenage agnst. Her narrator and protagonist, Doreen, is a Holden Caufield of the 21st century. A must-read for one and all.

Brave New Girl needs to be read by every teenager as it depicts the "real" life of so many of our young people today. I applaud Doreen's intelligence and courage and can only hope that every teen who reads this novel will become empowered by her example. I work with young students on a daily basis and the story of Doreen and Ted kept me riveted to every page. Ms. Luna's work is a masterpiece! I laughed, I cried, I cheered.....but mostly, I cheered!

This is truly an amazing book. The author takes you deep inside the mind of a young girl and nearly crushes you with the experience. The language is strong and pure, and the voice of Doreen pulled me through the book like a steel hook. It gripped me. I don't usually like books about 'girls growing up', but this is a true work of art. I've never heard of this author before, but I'm sure we'll hear of her again. I'd recommend it to anyone.