Penelope [NOOK Book]

( 17 )

Overview

When Penelope O’Shaunessy, “an incoming freshman of average height and lank hair” steps into Harvard Yard for the first time she has lots of advice from her mother: "Don't be too enthusiastic, don't talk to people who seem to be getting annoyed, and for heaven's sake, stop playing Tetris on your phone at parties." Penelope needs this advice. She is the kind of girl who passes through much of her life with coffee spilled on her white shirt, who can't quite tell when people are joking, and who, inevitably, always ...
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Penelope

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More About This Book

Overview

When Penelope O’Shaunessy, “an incoming freshman of average height and lank hair” steps into Harvard Yard for the first time she has lots of advice from her mother: "Don't be too enthusiastic, don't talk to people who seem to be getting annoyed, and for heaven's sake, stop playing Tetris on your phone at parties." Penelope needs this advice. She is the kind of girl who passes through much of her life with coffee spilled on her white shirt, who can't quite tell when people are joking, and who, inevitably, always says the wrong thing. But no amount of coaching will prepare Penelope for the people she meets at school.
 
Gloriously skewering the social hierarchy of college, Penelope is the brilliantly funny story of one of the most singular, memorable heroines in recent fiction. 
 
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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Harrington’s debut is a wryly funny bildungsroman chronicling the titular character’s freshman year at Harvard, and all the supplementary standard collegiate fare—drunken parties and regrettable hookups, pretentious extracurriculars, friends with and without benefits, an incessant pressure to succeed, and the #1 question: Who am I? Relatively plotless, the novel still works in a meandering, searching way. Penelope is sweet but socially awkward, and woefully prone to let little things spiral out of control—during a drunken dance, a boy kisses Penelope, “mostly with his incisors,” before vomiting on her shoes; and a favor for a roommate leads to a long-term commitment to a stage production of Caligula. While navigating the perilous social tides of the sea of her privileged peers, Penelope’s heart floats between Ted, whose romantic involvement with Penelope’s friend Catherine is ill-defined, and eccentric Gustav, who uses words like “darling” and “bourgeois,” and prides himself on being “as primed for disease as an Indian.” Penelope’s candidly deadpan neuroses provide plenty of humor, and while the well-off kids of Harvard Yard might seem too aloof, in Harrington’s hands they’re entertaining company. Agent: Jane Finigan, Lutyens & Rubinstein. (Aug.)
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780307950338
  • Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
  • Publication date: 8/7/2012
  • Series: Vintage Contemporaries
  • Sold by: Random House
  • Format: eBook
  • Pages: 288
  • Sales rank: 60,989
  • File size: 2 MB

Meet the Author

Rebecca Harrington is a twenty-six-year-old writer living in New York City. She has worked at The Huffington Post, studied history and literature at Harvard and journalism at Columbia. Penelope is her first novel.
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Read an Excerpt


From Chapter 1.

Letters of Note
 
 
 
In the July before school started, Penelope Davis O’Shaunessy, an incoming Harvard freshman of average height and lank hair, filled out a survey about what type of roommate she was looking for. She felt she had accurately represented herself as someone who was not too messy while, at the same time, not too clean. Hopefully, she would end up with people who answered the same description.
 
In August, the Harvard Admissions Office sent Penelope a brief note with the names of her future roommates and their contact information. One roommate, Emma Green, was from New York City, and the other, Lan Wu, was from Palo Alto, California. Penelope hesitated, unsure of whether to contact either of them. Luckily both contacted her before she could decide what to do about the matter.
 
The first missive was from Emma, the resident of New York City:
 
Hi, Penelope and Lan,
 
 
I wanted to get the ball rolling on introductions, so I figured I’d tell you guys a bit about myself. My name is Emma and I’m from New York City. I can’t believe I’m going to be missing out on New York pizza and dry cleaning for a whole four years! I graduated from Spence and am thinking about concentrating in history, with maybe an eye toward law school. I am incredibly committed to my extracurricular activities and am especially interested in joining student government or the Institute of Politics. Go Schumer! Of course, I like to have a good time, if I ever get time to have it. Also I hear we are living in the worst building on campus. My mother is complaining.
 
Emma
 
 
Penelope was just about to wonder how it was possible to miss dry cleaning in any particular region when she received an e-mail from Lan of Palo Alto, California:
 
 
Dear everyone,
Yes, I am a smoker.
 
Love,
Lan
 
 
* * *
 
Apart from this correspondence, Penelope’s summer was much like any other summer. She worked at an ice cream shop. She went to the beach. Occasionally, she pretended she was Julia Child and talked in a funny voice while cooking beef bouillon. Penelope was normal and typical in many respects. Thus she looked forward to college with a certain amount of pleasant apprehension and dread.
 
When the day finally arrived, Penelope loaded all her possessions into the car and tumbled in next to her mother. Uncharacteristically, Penelope’s mother was silent for a while, but as soon as they got onto the highway, her eyes started filling up with tears. Then she said, “Oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening. I just can’t. Doesn’t it seem like two seconds ago that you were in high school?”
 
“Yes, it does,” said Penelope.
 
“I can’t believe it. It’s sad, but so exciting for you. I bet you will meet the best people.”
 
“Probably tons of famous scientists,” volunteered Penelope.
 
“Probably,” said her mother. There was a bit of a silence.
 
“So what are you going to do once you are up there?” asked Penelope’s mother. She said this very casually, which made Penelope nervous.
 
“How do you mean?” asked Penelope.
 
“What I mean is, do you have any strategies for making friends at Harvard? How are you going to make a good impression? How will you introduce yourself?”
 
“I don’t know,” said Penelope. “I was thinking I would strike a balance between friendliness and intelligent raillery.”
 
“Um, OK,” said Penelope’s mother. “I mean, you can be friendly, but not too friendly. Sometimes silence is best. Especially in the beginning.”
 
“I suppose,” said Penelope hesitantly.
 
“It doesn’t do anyone good to be too enthusiastic, you know, because that can put people off. Just be friendly. Friendly and aloof.”
 
“OK,” said Penelope. A reconciliation of opposites, she thought.
 
“So let’s go through this. What are you going to say to people when you meet them?”
 
“Hello.”
 
“Penelope, seriously. Because, you know, I have heard you say some things that might put people off and you really have to be careful of that.”
 
“What kinds of things? I don’t think I say anything weird,” said Penelope.
 
“Penelope, I know what I’m talking about.”
 
“See, I don’t,” said Penelope.
 
“The car seat thing, for example. Whenever you bring that up, it is totally bizarre.”
 
“What do you mean?” asked Penelope. “What car seat?”
 
“Penelope, you know which car seat.”
 
“You mean the car seat I sat in until I was in fourth grade? That’s an interesting anecdote. It is like something Noël Coward would say at a party.”
 
“What?” said her mother. “It really isn’t.”
 
“Fine,” said Penelope.
 
“And you never even had scoliosis.”
 
“But I was spiritually in a brace,” said Penelope. Her mother ignored her.
 
“Why don’t you promote yourself? Why don’t you say that you are a National Merit Scholar?”
 
“Who would want to know about that?” said Penelope sulkily.
 
“Lots of people,” said her mother.
 
“Not any famous scientists!” said Penelope. “They would find that very boring information. What do you want me to say? Hello, I am Penelope, I am a National Merit Scholar?”
 
“No, you are missing the point of what I am saying,” said Penelope’s mother.
 
“OK, except I am not,” said Penelope. They were silent until they got to Harvard.
 
 
* * *
 
 
Penelope was duly awed. Harvard stretched languidly and impressively into the rest of Cambridge like a redbrick monopoly. It was larger and more obliquely Federalist than Penelope remembered and, if she thought about it, she was intimidated. To her right she saw a large clock tower; to her left she saw a tobacco shop filled with antique pipes. In the center she saw a gigantic Au Bon Pain.
 
“Wow,” she observed to her mother.
 
“I know,” said her mother. “I have never seen that big of an Au Bon Pain before either.”
 
 
* * *
 
 
Penelope and her mother parked the car on a small cobblestone side street and followed several signs emblazoned with arrows and the word “Registration” in crimson filagree lettering. Eventually they arrived at a small table in the middle of Harvard Yard, the large field around which all the freshmen were going to live. The Yard was very impressive, a wide expanse of perfectly manicured lawns and pathways, surrounded by old brick dormitories. Penelope remembered Harvard Yard from her admissions brochure, specifically a picture of it where Abercrombie models were playing touch football in Harvard sweatshirts and disheveled cashmere bow ties. She was excited to live there. In her fantasies, Penelope pictured herself advocating for Title IX while attractively tackling several men at once.
 
Two men were sitting at the registration table. Both were about twenty and one had a ponytail. They were laughing at something.
 
“I know, man,” said one of them. “What would we do without old Fermat kicking us in the balls?”
 
“Hello?” said Penelope.
 
“Oh, hi,” said the ponytail while the first one recovered himself. “What can we do for you?”
“I’m here to register. I’m a freshman. Penelope O’Shaunessy?”
 
“O’Shaunessy, O’Shaunessy, ahh, here we are. You have two roommates, as you must already know by now, and you live in Pennypacker, which you also probably know. Here is your key. You live on the third floor...”
 
“Um, where is Pennypacker?” asked Penelope. “Is it that one?” She pointed to a large brick building with a neoclassical stone porch. A handsome man with chin-length blond hair was walking past it. He was wearing a three-piece khaki linen suit and laughing into a cell phone, like the regent of a tiny, unpronounceable European principality. Penelope wondered if he was drifting toward the registration desk. It seemed as though he was going to.
 
“Oh, no, it’s actually down past the library, across the street,” Ponytail said, pointing to an unseen building. Penelope craned her neck, but she was distracted by the blond man, who really was heading toward the registration desk.
 
“But I thought all the freshmen lived here,” Penelope said.
 
“Most all of them do,” Ponytail said. “You, on the other hand, live in a converted apartment building above a radio station.”
 
“Oh,” said Penelope. She was disappointed but tried to hide it. The blond man was now within earshot.
 
“The radio station is great though,” said Ponytail. “Sometimes they play music for twenty-two hours at a time, uninterrupted.”
 
“Is that fun?” said Penelope.
 
“Only if you like flutes, darling, and honestly, who does? In their heart of hearts,” said the blond man as he walked by. Then he was gone.
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Reading Group Guide

The questions, discussion topics, and suggestions for further reading in this guide are designed to enhance your group’s discussion of Penelope, Rebecca Harrington’s hilarious look at one young woman’s freshman year at college.

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 2.5
( 17 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(3)

4 Star

(2)

3 Star

(2)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(10)

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Sort by: Showing all of 17 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted August 11, 2012

    I tried

    To like this book. I kept waiting for it to get good or make sense but it never did. And I like alot of books...not fussy usually but i have no idea how this made the hot reads list.dont waste your precious reading time.

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 4, 2012

    Just awful- don't bother.

    I agree with most of the other reviewers who stated they expected the novel to develop and the characters to form into their own- this doesn't happen. A very lack luster stance on college life and an overall disappointment.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 16, 2012

    Save ur $

    Worst book i have read in a long time. No character development she stays naive and undeveloped the entire book despite the situations she is put in or encounters. The book describes what i am saying in one question from Lan when she asks Penelope if she is mentally fragile. Save ur money and skip this book.

    2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 30, 2012

    Boring, dull, not worth the read.

    I agree with most other reviews, this book is boring and I kept waiting for the interesting part to come...but it never did. Don't waste your time like I did!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted September 4, 2012

    Really?

    I read this book expecting something to happen, but it never did. The author spent the entire book making fun of Harvard, but the characters that raged against the norm were too boring and similar to the people they were laughing at to cheer for. What a disappointing book.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted August 26, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    Note: I received a complimentary advance copy of Penelope to rev

    Note: I received a complimentary advance copy of Penelope to review.
    Penelope is a socially awkward young woman who begins her first year at
    Harvard. This is Penelope's story of trying to fit in. While there
    are some issues that are specific to Harvard, most of the book could be
    representative of any college, or in some cases, even high school. There
    are a lot of relationship, social and academic issues that are not
    necessarily unique to any school. I was thinking that maybe this
    book should be read by graduating seniors and discussed. It is a
    light-hearted look at freshman year but it does address situations
    regarding class selection, auditing, parties, making friends,
    extracurriculars, competitiveness, etc. It is not unusual for a freshman
    to become overly stressed about his or her experiences and this book
    looks at the humor of it. I did chuckle in many different places,
    sometimes because I remember going through some of the same things
    during my first year at college, and others just because they were
    really funny: "Penelope was duly awed. Harvard stretched languidly
    and impressively into the rest of Cambridge like a redbrick monopoly. It
    was larger and more obliquely Federalist than Penelope remembered and,
    if she thought about, she was intimidated. To her right she saw a large
    clock tower; to her left she saw a tobacco shop filled with antique
    pipes. In the center she saw a gigantic Au Bon Pain. "Wow,"
    she observed to her mother. "I know," said her mother. "I
    have never seen that big of an Au Bon Pain before either.""
    One negative is Penelope's personality. She is a complete pushover and
    truth be told, has absolutely no personality. She agrees with
    practically everyone, let's people walk all over her and then rejects
    the one really good person in the whole book. It got a little old.
    There are no profound messages in this book. However, Penelope is a
    quick, light read and anything that makes me laugh is worthy of my time.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 29, 2012

    Depressing

    This book was disapointing..never got good...thought Penelope may get a mind of her own but never did

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted September 24, 2012

    I liked it

    Thought this book was quite funny. I enjoyed it.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted September 11, 2012

    This is one of the worst books I've read in years. I wanted to s

    This is one of the worst books I've read in years. I wanted to stop reading about one third of the way in. You spend the whole time waiting for something to happen, the main character is boring, and the writing is awkward. From reading the overview I thought this would be a fun and easy read about a college girl navigating her way through college. I was sadly mistaken. I would not recommend this book to anybody.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted September 7, 2012

    I'm wondering if I'm just not smart enough to read this book, or

    I'm wondering if I'm just not smart enough to read this book, or something....According to many reviews, it's "hilarious"....I have yet to come across any hilarity, and some of the statements just don't make any sense....

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 2, 2012

    Loved it!

    Hysterical

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted August 23, 2012

    This book was such a fun read--a look at college life through th

    This book was such a fun read--a look at college life through the eyes
    of a person who doesn't see and interact with the world like the
    majority do. I found Penelope to be a clever book about friendship, love
    and discovering how to live in a world that doesn't quite fit who you
    have discovered yourself to be.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted August 20, 2012

    I did not like this book. I kept thinking there would be some d

    I did not like this book. I kept thinking there would be some
    development that would make it worth reading in the end, but it just
    never happened. Plus I am tired of the girl falling for the weirdo guy
    and then thinking his treatment of her is OK. I would not recommend
    this book.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 13, 2012

    AaWESOME

    HII rad book right.

    0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 15, 2012

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted September 7, 2012

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 26, 2013

    No text was provided for this review.

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