What She Saw in Roger Mancuso, Gunter Hopstock, Jason Barry Gold, Spitty Clark, Jack Geezo, Humphrey Fung, Claude Duvet, Bruce Bledstone, Kevin McFeel

because I felt for Phoebe. In each of the little vignettes, I could see a little bit of myself and my life. In her neurotic-isms, and in her self doubts and in her hopes as cliche as it sounds (but I'd hope I am a little bit more together than this character!). Seriously, though, I flew through this book in a day. I was expecting a light, fluffy read, and while it was light, on one level, it was also true to the realities of the educated-20-something-in-the-city. Reminded me of Bridget Jones and of Sex and the City. Lots of fun pop culture references. Lots of sarcasm. Lots of what I found to be witty points. Just an enjoyable, although at moments frustrating and searing, read.

Talk about a voice! This book has a vivid voice, and a real person trying to have a good time with someone she can be meaningful to. Like so many young women, Phoebie looks for herself by falling into the arms of men who are not necessarily her friends. This book is thrilling, painful, hopeful over and over again, sort of like dating. A wonderful "concept" novel, and a fresh, new voice.

"What She Saw..." is funny, clever, insightful, sophisticated, sad, and quite a good psychological case study of a girl/young woman struggling with issues of self-esteem. From a clinical standpoint, the main character suffers from what psychoanalyst's call "narcissistic depression," and the novel does an excellent job providing a subjective sense of that experience (replete with wit that one doesn't find in case studies). Reader's might complement the reading of "What She Saw..." by also reading Alice Miller's "The Drama of the Gifted Child" which gives a psychoanalyic perspective of the impact of parental narcissism on children's development. The sub-title is something like "how narcissistic parents form and deform the emotional lives of their children." Rosenfeld captures the essence of that impact in an altogether touching and memorable fashion. She must have suffered it, at least somewhat, to understand it so well. She's transformed her suffering into a delectable account of growing up and sorting it all out. I hope that Rosenfeld, who appears to be both lovely and vulnerable, keeps growing as both a woman and writer. Five stars for this lovely debut.

This is a wonderful, smart book, but that is only the half of it. To call the writing stylish is hardly adequate. Some passages I laughed out loud, others I read again and again, some I wanted to read aloud like a poem. But the book also seems intellectually engaged and smart about feminism, an astute commentary on the fun and the limitations of postmodern feminist thinking, "do-me" feminism I think a men's magazine called it. Charming and memorable.

This book is well worth reading, and it may be one of those that has a long, long life. Rosenfeld has a very sharp and very sympathetic eye, and her portrait of Phoebe Fine is both appealling and--later in Phoebe's quest--troubling. While the details are fun and absolutely on target, the novel goes well beyond being a simple period piece, a bit of Gen X, coming-of-age nostalgia. Don't be misled by the opening "chapters." This is much more than a book about someone in the fifth (or any) grade, though those parts are superbly evocative and essential to the story. Phoebe Fine, in her own way, travels the same twisted paths that most of us have. But don't look for a neat resolution. It's too true to itself for that.