Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
An upmarket debut novel set at a New England all-girls boarding school--for readers of Sally Rooney, Taylor Jenkins Reid, J. Courtney Sullivan, and Curtis Sittenfeld--from a stunning new voice in women's fiction.
An all-girls boarding school in a hilly corner of Connecticut, Atwater is a haven for progressive thinking and feminist intellectuals. The students are smart, driven, and worldly; they are also teenagers, learning to find their way. But when they arrive on campus for the start of Fall term, they're confronted with startling news: an Atwater alumna has made a troubling allegation of sexual misconduct against an unidentified teacher. As the weeks wear on, and the administration's efforts to manage the ensuing crisis fall short, these extraordinary young women come to realize that the adults in their lives may not be the protectors they previously believed.
Emily Layden's All Girls unfolds over the course of one tumultuous academic year, and is told from the point of view of a small cast of diverse, interconnected characters as they navigate the social mores of prep school life and the broader, more universal challenges of growing up. The trials of adolescent girlhood are pitched against the backdrop of sexual assault, consent, anxiety, and the ways that our culture looks to young women as trendsetters but otherwise silences their voices and discounts their opinions. The story that emerges is a richly detailed, impeccably layered, and emotionally nuanced depiction of what it means to come of age in a female body today.
Synopsis
"All Girls is an exciting, innovative debut from a fresh and assured new voice. Emily Layden renders the fictional Atwater School in nuanced, honest, and rich depth, guiding its young characters with a tender and knowing hand. This is a sincere, poignant, and moving story of a group of teenage girls coming to terms with the world they've inherited."
--Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones and the Six
A keenly perceptive coming-of-age novel for fans of Sally Rooney, Curtis Sittenfeld, and J. Courtney Sullivan, All Girls captures one year at a prestigious New England prep school, as nine young women navigate their ambitions, friendships, and fears against the backdrop of a scandal the administration wants silenced.
But as the months unfold, and the school's efforts to control the ensuing crisis fall short, these extraordinary girls are forced to discover their voices, and their power. A tender and unflinching portrait of modern adolescence told through the shifting perspectives of an unforgettable cast of female students, All Girls explores what it means to grow up in a place that promises you the world--when the world still isn't yours for the taking.
Synopsis
"Readers will find themselves thinking about the vividly and compassionately rendered characters long after their chapters end, and considering decisions they would make in the same situations. Give it to grown-up fans of Gossip Girl and readers of Curtis Sittenfeld and Emma Straub."
--Booklist
"All Girls is an exciting, innovative debut from a fresh and assured new voice. Emily Layden renders the fictional Atwater School in nuanced, honest, and rich depth, guiding its young characters with a tender and knowing hand. This is a sincere, poignant, and moving story of a group of teenage girls coming to terms with the world they've inherited."
--Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones and the Six
A keenly perceptive coming of age novel for fans of Sally Rooney, Curtis Sittenfeld, and J. Courtney Sullivan, All Girls follows nine young women as they navigate their ambitions and fears at a prestigious New England prep school, all pitched against the backdrop of a scandal the administration wants silenced.
But as the months unfold, and the school's efforts to control the ensuing crisis fall short, these extraordinary girls are forced to discover their voices, and their power. A tender and unflinching portrait of modern adolescence told through the shifting perspectives of an unforgettable cast of female students, All Girls explores what it means to grow up in a place that promises you the world--when the world still isn't yours for the taking.
You grow to love a place... and then you grow up.
Synopsis
A striking debut. --Good Housekeeping
For fans of Gossip Girl and readers of Curtis Sittenfeld and Emma Straub. --Booklist
Incisive, astute. --Publishers Weekly
An exciting, innovative debut from a fresh new voice. --Taylor Jenkins Reid
A keenly perceptive coming of age novel for fans of Sally Rooney, Curtis Sittenfeld, and J. Courtney Sullivan, All Girls follows nine young women as they navigate their ambitions and fears at a prestigious New England prep school, all pitched against the backdrop of a scandal the administration wants silenced.
But as the months unfold, and the school's efforts to control the ensuing crisis fall short, these extraordinary girls are forced to discover their voices, and their power. A tender and unflinching portrait of modern adolescence told through the shifting perspectives of an unforgettable cast of female students, All Girls explores what it means to grow up in a place that promises you the world--when the world still isn't yours for the taking.
You grow to love a place... and then you grow up.
Synopsis
A striking debut. --Good Housekeeping
Sharp, engrossing.--Town & Country
For fans of Gossip Girl and readers of Curtis Sittenfeld and Emma Straub. --Booklist
Incisive, astute. --Publishers Weekly
An exciting, innovative debut from a fresh new voice. --Taylor Jenkins Reid
A keenly perceptive coming of age novel for fans of Sally Rooney, Curtis Sittenfeld, and J. Courtney Sullivan, All Girls follows nine young women as they navigate their ambitions and fears at a prestigious New England prep school, all pitched against the backdrop of a scandal the administration wants silenced.
But as the months unfold, and the school's efforts to control the ensuing crisis fall short, these extraordinary girls are forced to discover their voices, and their power. A tender and unflinching portrait of modern adolescence told through the shifting perspectives of an unforgettable cast of female students, All Girls explores what it means to grow up in a place that promises you the world--when the world still isn't yours for the taking.
You grow to love a place... and then you grow up.
Synopsis
The pages turn fast and the girls are complex, compelling and written with incredible tenderness. Layden excels at rendering the everyday details of boarding school life. --New York Times
Sharp, engrossing.--Town & Country
For fans of Gossip Girl and readers of Curtis Sittenfeld and Emma Straub. --Booklist
Incisive, astute. --Publishers Weekly
If Gossip Girl meets Curtis Sittenfield sounds like your jam then All Girls is extremely your jam. E]ngrossing."--E Online
A keenly perceptive coming of age novel for fans of Sally Rooney, Curtis Sittenfeld, and J. Courtney Sullivan, All Girls follows nine young women as they navigate their ambitions and fears at a prestigious New England prep school, all pitched against the backdrop of a scandal the administration wants silenced.
But as the months unfold, and the school's efforts to control the ensuing crisis fall short, these extraordinary girls are forced to discover their voices, and their power.
A tender and unflinching portrait of modern adolescence told through the shifting perspectives of an unforgettable cast of female students, Emily Layden's All Girls explores what it means to grow up in a place that promises you the world--when the world still isn't yours for the taking.
You grow to love a place... and then you grow up.