Monday, March 03, 2008

Carpe Diem, by Autumn Cornwell


Vassar is a master of planning (from a family of planners) and she's got it all figured out: HS Valedictorian, attend Vassar College (hence, the name!), get PhD, win Pulitzer, and so on. But when her Grandma Gerd (the family flake) invites her to come to Southeast Asia for the summer for less than two weeks' notice, Vassar gets the surprise of her life when her parents insist that she go! Never mind what plans it will ruin. Something is definitely up, but to find out what it is, Vassar will have to go and learn a lot more about Grandma, Asia, and herself than she could have ever possibly imagined.

Long-ish, but entertaining, with a nice mixture of self-discovery, romance, adventure, and some minor suspense. You know how it is all going to end (especially with the amazingly exaggerated beginning), but you have to credit the book for being a decent read. It doesn't drag and you do get caught up in it. Now, why anyone thinks that going to Vassar is their life-long ambition is beyond me (been there, have the AB cum laude to show for it!), but I guess it is better than calling her Barnard!

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