Nora Carroll

Elements of class and privilege emerge in this story about prep school life.

There are really two narratives unfolding in Academy Girls. In one, Jane Milton is a teenage student, running around with her two best friends, reading poems (with the intensity that poetry can have for teenagers), obsessing about their English teachers' lives, and investigating a murder that might have happened on campus years ago. There are layers of secrets, from the students sneaking a beer or a smoke, to a cheating scandal, to a hit-and-run, and more.

In the other storyline, Jane Milton has returned to campus to teach English. Out of work and deeply in debt after her ex-husband's, uh, financial irregularities landed him in jail, Jane knows this job is her last chance. She's given all the subtle (and not-so-subtle) suggestions to work the kids hard and give them all As, because that's how the funnel into the Ivies works. The students, far from caring about poetry and school history, are disaffected and privileged, and without any resources of her own, Jane discovers a new side of the school.

The two stories unfold together, revealing the school's secrets in both timelines. Such a great read.… (més)

I received this book from NetGalley.
The strong points of the book: the descriptions of the scenery, the back and forth conversations Jess had with herself, a tickling sensation that all would not end well, or would it?

I really disliked: the stilted and archaic dialog attributed to Jess' Grandmother, the "sometimes" weakness in Jess' character that never seemed to fit the story, and the abrupt ending.

"I can still call to mind the precise shade of the water that day. I call that summer blue, the color of water in July—all of promise wrapped up in it, and every disappointment too." That quote from the book defines the story succinctly, promises and disappointment.… (més)

This novel takes us back and forth between present day Jane Milton - reluctantly returning to her old boarding school as a first time teacher because she is out of options to pay back her ex-husband's debt. And Jane Milton 35-years ago, during her senior year at Grove Academy. Jane and her two best friends Kat and Lissa are convinced their English teacher was involved in an unsolved murder that took place on school grounds. They dissect lines and lines of poetry looking for clues that will prove she's guilty.

Thanks to her least favourite student, and an old friend and now colleague, present day Jane is able to finally uncover several truths and put the past to rest.

A really solid story. Filled with good writing, backstabbing, mystery and intrigue. And unfortunately poetry.… (més)