Alice Pung

Laurinda is an exclusive school for girls. At its secret core is the Cabinet, a trio of girls who wield power over their classmates - and some of their teachers. Entering this world of wealth and secrets is Lucy Lam, a scholarship girl with sharp eyes and a shaky sense of self. As she watches the Cabinet at work, and is courted by them, can Lucy stay true to herself as she finds her way in this new world of privilege and opportunity?

Lucy and Linh

From an author Amy Tan calls “a gem,” this is a witty, highly acclaimed novel that’s “part Mean Girls, part Lord of the Flies” (The Bulletin, Starred review) about navigating life in private school while remaining true to yourself. Lucy is a bit of a pushover, but she’s ambitious and smart, and she has just received the opportunity of a lifetime: a scholarship to a prestigious school, and a ticket out of her broken-down suburb. Though she’s worried she will stick out like badly cut bangs among the razor-straight students, she is soon welcomed into the Cabinet, the supremely popular trio who wield influence over classmates and teachers alike. Linh is blunt, strong-willed, and fearless—everything Lucy once loved about herself. She is also Lucy’s last solid link to her life before private school, but she is growing tired of being eclipsed by the glamour of the Cabinet. As Lucy floats further away from the world she once knew, her connection to Linh—and to her old life—threatens to snap. Sharp and honest, Alice Pung’s novel examines what it means to grow into the person you want to be without leaving yourself behind. An NPR Best Book of the Year A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection A Texas Tayhas Reading List Selection A Bank Street College of Education and Children’s Book Committee Best Children’s Books of the Year with Distinguished Outstanding Merit "A bracing, enthralling gut-punch and an essential read for teens, teachers, and parents alike." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred review "This daring work with an authentic protagonist teaches important lessons about being yourself while navigating through life."—School Library Journal, Starred review "Lucy’s struggle to find her place and sense of self will have a wide appeal for teen readers and is a welcome addition to the prep-school canon."—Booklist, Starred review "Lyrical, enchanting prose from a narrator with perception so acute she cannot help but share it immerses readers into the very heart of every scene. This is highly recommended for classrooms and libraries [and] a superb choice for book discussion groups and world young adult literature survey courses."--VOYA, Starred review "Part Mean Girls, part Lord of the Flies, and part Special Topics in Calamity Physics, this well-observed and unsentimental novel taps into what is primal within privileged adolescent girls."—The Bulletin, Starred review "Lucy’s narration pulls readers alongside her uncertain navigation of two worlds, and we can’t help but cheer in solidarity as Lucy recognizes assimilation masquerading as inclusion, refuses to back down, and instead embraces who she is."—Horn Book Magazine "In a novel filled with strong visual images, Pung draws a sharp contrast between authenticity and deception, integrity and manipulation. Against the vividly painted backdrops of two very different communities, she traces Lucy’s struggle to form a new identity without compromising the values she holds closest to her heart."—Publishers Weekly

jess

I don't know what I was expecting from this book, but it blew me out of the water. Lucy and Linh was clever on its commentary about the viciousness of girls, the "white woman's burden", and the discrepancy between white descendants of colonialists and new immigrants, but it was also a highly enjoyable and entertaining read. Lucy Lam has won a scholarship to an upscale girl's school, Laurinda, and loses herself in the school. 

I loved the setting of Laurinda. It was picturesque and felt too good to be true, which it was, and even though the Cabinet were unlikable, and did many awful things throughout the book, I still felt for them somewhat. Somehow, Pung humanizes the mean girls while still keeping them mean and not giving them a redemption, and it was fascinating to read about. 

Lucy's voice was beautiful and while her writing seemed a bit mature for a fifteen-year-old, I can see how her time at Laurinda would justify it. Her character was strong at the beginning and just got better and better. (view spoiler)[I did not see the Lucy is Linh plot twist coming, though; it was a clever plot twist, but I'm not sure how well it worked for when Lucy addressed Linh and her actions in narration. (hide spoiler)]

There were also really clever commentaries on racism. How Laurinda was taking an Asian student for diversity. How Lucy was embarrassed when she went to Ms. Leslie's house to make rice paper rolls; how white people can talk about "exotic" culture and never have to think about consequences. And the commentary on girls and sexuality: how girls were supposed to be pure, but the Laurinda language was loaded with sexual innuendo. (I feel like this is Foucauldian and incredibly interesting? Literary theory class ruined me.)

This was a great, entertaining and self-aware book. While it's about mean girls, it goes far deeper on social commentary and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sheila

Suuuuuuuch a great book ;~; Written in a kind of diary style, will definitely resonate with first-gen/third culture kids. It's a bit navel gaze-y, but that's to be expected given the format. Kind of hope there's a sequel!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

tanvi deshpande

I'd definitely recommend, however there isn't much world building. You have to figure it out for yourself, if you're not into that kinda thing it wont be a good match. Overall a great unconventional story