Gossip of the Starlings

June 9, 2008
In this poignant novel, de Gramont explores a loyal and destructive friendship between two girls at a New England prep school. Catherine Morrow, the book's relatable protagonist, can't believe her luck when Skye, the popular daughter of acclaimed senator Douglas Butterfield, befriends her. A symbol of idealistic American wholesomeness, Skye is quick to push the boundaries at the Esther Percy School, and soon she joins Catherine in a blur of drunken nights and cocaine binges. But as Catherine cleans up and focuses on school work and extracurricular activities, Skye spirals deeper into her addiction and has an affair with a teacher. Despite Catherine's efforts, she can't untangle herself from Skye's daring escapades, and soon the girls are again involved in dangerous situations. Though Catherine warns the reader of the story's tragic finale from the opening chapters, the ending still reverberates with heartbreak. De Gramont's coming-of-age story distinguishes itself with sincere prose and complex characters.

May 15, 2008
In fall 1984, best friends Catherine and Skye have quite a few things in commonwealthy New England roots, cocaine habits, and the distinction of being expelled from other boarding schools before meeting at the Esther Percy School for Girls. Catherine is preparing for equestrian championships and juggling a long-distance relationship with John Paul, while Skye maneuvers her very public life as a popular liberal senator's daughter. Various adult supporting characters are well drawn, but the teens and their perspectives remain center stage. Against the usual high school backdrop of boys, angst, and excess, Harvard Extension School writing instructor de Gramont ("Of Cats and Men") skillfully sustains a tension that leads to an explosive ending while providing us with characters that go well beyond many recent examples of upper-crust East Coast teenage life. Think Donna Tartt and Bret Easton Ellis with the wisdom of hindsight. Young adults should be a strong audience for this compelling coming-of-age novel, which excels in its honest depiction of the interrelationships among teens and with their families and circumstances. Recommended for all fiction collections.Jenn B. Stidham, Houston Community Coll. Lib., TX

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