In a list I compiled a few months ago I mentioned the books that I wanted to read. I've already discussed the Great Gatsby and Water for Elephants, and now I'm going to talk to you about Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. Before you make any hasty assumptions, you should know these three books have absolutely nothing in common aside from the fact that I wanted to read them and I did.
Okay, so, Fangirl.
I picked this book up for a few reasons. First of all, I liked the title. To anyone who is unfamiliar with the term "fangirl" and its connotation, it basically designates a (generally teenaged) girl who is passionate about a TV show or a series of books or movies. Think Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Marvel… All that good stuff. It generally implies girls who don't go outside very much and spend a lot of time on the internet. As I consider myself a fangirl of many things, I was curious. I also like the idea behind the story.
This is the story of a girl named Cath who enjoys writing fan fiction (the continuation of a story/movie/TV show, using characters but creating new scenarios than what the author wrote) and is just starting college. She has a twin sister, Wren, with whom she is incredibly close, and her father. However, Cath and Wren are very different and whereas Wren is very excited to start college with new friends and a new roommate, Cath is terrified and lonely. Things get better, then worse, then the story goes on as stories do.
That's all you need to know now.
I really liked it. I liked it when I read it before summer, in that lovely sunshine time of the year when it's not too hot, but it's nice enough to have the windows open. I liked it again when I re-read it on the beach this summer. I think I'll like it again this winter if I choose to read it once more. It's a feel-good book, it really is, it's cute and hopeful. It's not fantastic or transcending literature, but then again if everything was, nothing would be transcendent or fantastic, would it? I liked it, because it's easy and I can get lost in the characters and the story. I can picture the campus and the people. I can imagine myself besides Cath. I like books that either make me think or that make me travel. This one made me travel.
I suggest getting this as a present to someone, because that's what I'm going to be doing for my best friend. If you have a teenage daughter/friend/other family member or person you want to give a book to, who enjoys stories such as Harry Potter or Doctor Who or Supernatural or even Sherlock and spends a lot of time writing or reading fan fiction, or even just being on Tumblr, someone who is, in short, a fangirl, this is a good book to choose. It's the story of the fans, not the characters.
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