Prep for Success

by Daisy Maryles -- Publishers Weekly, 2/14/2005

Another fiction debut grabs today's #15 spot. Billed by Random House as "a hothouse of angst and ambition," Prep chronicles a Midwestern girl's trials and tribulations at an elite New England prep school. Author Curtis Sittenfeld, who won Seventeen's fiction contest at 16, is herself evidently no slouch in the world of academe, being an alumna of Groton, Stanford and the Iowa Writer's Workshop. Her debut has drawn praise from the likes of Dave Eggers ("a young writer with a crazy amount of talent") and Wally Lamb ("a rising star"), among others. PWgave Prep an "A-grade," adding, "Sittenfeld proves herself a natural in this poignant, truthful book." Publicity hits have included features in the New York Times, Vanity Fair and Elle; and a seven-city tour through March. Interest from the fashion world: accessories designer Alyssa Tierney is offering a limited-edition ribbon belt modeled after the one on the book jacket; it's available for purchase at Sittenfeld's readings and through www.atierney.com. Copies in print: 69,000 after seven printings. (For more on Prep, see Hollywood Reader, p.10.)