Penelope

by Rebecca Harrington  274 p.

          This is a novel of a socially awkward and disconnected young woman starting her freshman year at Harvard. Her inability to read in to people's motives, her passivity, and her wanting to follow her mother's instruction to make friends can make some funny happenings. Her mother and her mother's suggestions to Penny on how to make friends, get a boyfriend, and other odd ideas are very funny. The first half of this book was one of the funniest things I've read ever. Then the second half was not particularly funny, but was a good description of a first year in college, especially the confusion and new social situations.

                                  Kel