Rating: 
Summary: An Anti-Book
Review: Again, a female British author has created a massively compelling and highly amusing tale of the world of celebrities, socialites and fashionistas. Emma Forrest's work reminds me of Wendy Holden's. However, this novel centers on a young woman's quest to Hollywood stardom. Her insights on the film industry are engrossing and compelling. Forrest is a great writer who isn't afraid to acknowledge certain values that popular culture dishes out, and turn it delightfully on its head. She is a consummate storyteller and her ear for humor is outstanding. I do hope that Ms. Forrest releases new material. I for one look forward to her next effort with enthusiasm...
Rating: 
Summary: Fun, engrossing and poignant read!
Review: I absolutely loved this book! I was so impressed with Viva Cohen, the protaganist--her style, her wit, her intelligence, her drive--and yet I could also relate to her more vulnerable qualities--feeling a little too plump, falling in love for the first TWO times, loving and hating your best friend all at once, caring about pop culture more than school. The plot is very gripping and moves speedily along but the charm of this novel is in Viva and who she is as a character. A lot of people have compared Emma Forrest's writing style with Nick Hornby's and while that is somewhat accurate, calling her the "Jane Austen of the techno-generation," (though Viva has more of a thing for Don Henley than techno) as Diane Leslie said in a review is not so far-fetched. This book is really in the same vein of another wonderful book I gulped down, Dodie Smith's *I Capture the Castle*. That one also documents the coming-of-age of a wryly intelligent, hyper-observant young Brit, Cassandra Mortmain, though that story was written in and takes place in the 1930's. And as for the "Bridget Jones," comparisons, Bridget was ok but Viva is just fantastic.
Rating: 
Summary: A soak-in-the-hot-tub kinda book
Review: I bought this book,and as soon as I started reading it I could not put it down!This book had some very interesting characters,and Viva (the main character) was very likeable (and I kinda think she is someone every teenage girl could relate to). At first this book is kinda hard to get into,but once you start reading it you can't put it down!This book is a little explicit and probably not for younger readers,but other than that I suggest this book to any teenage girl. It is a lot of fun to read,and before the book is over you will be counting ways in which you can relate to Viva!! I loved this book,and so will you!
Rating:
Summary: Not funny, just odd and meandering
Review: I had to read this for a book club. While Viva is likeable enough, the book lacks a plot or any other characters of note. Everyone is shallow, self-involved and ultimately not very nice to any other living human being. Other than Viva, no one else in the book approaches likability. It was one unreal, shallow encounter after another. 60 pages in, I almost threw this book against a wall because it frustrated me. I laughed once, just once. Being hip or funky requires a lot more than referencing dead movie stars.
Rating:
Summary: I can't wait to read it again.
Review: I love this book. I want to read it again, although I've just finished it. I've never wanted to do that before. I can realte to this character, to everything she says, she's so real.
Rating:
Summary: I <3 Viva Cohen
Review: I loved this book, I have read it multiple times. I felt so many similar things involving boys, and friends, and school, and family, that I could relate to the Viva pretty well, even though I am not Jewish or British.
Her horrible, painful crush on the suicidal drunk boy was hard to read, it brought back memories of the tragic crushes I had fostered in my past. Her best friend who finds something "better" to occupy her time (ie, her other best friend), her accidently offending the philandering rock star, it is all so lovely and mildy uncomfortable to read (the memories i had to relive, etc.)
Well, this is a great book, and all girls/women who have issues with BOYS (not men) and who have some indie-rock leanings should read this.
ps. I agree that all boyfriends should be "working-class" as well!
Rating:
Summary: Not good
Review: I stuck with this book against my better judgment because I expected it to get better. It didn't. It was just dull, dull, dull. The main character, 17 year-old Viva, is quirky, but not in a good way. The book seemed like it should be interesting based on the strange cast of characters in Viva's life, but nothing ever happened! I didn't like the author's writing style, either. I found it annoying. Even though she's only 17 years old, I found myself wishing Viva would just have sex already and get it over with, since the author kept teasing us with the possibility of sex. Just a very disappointing read. Save your time for better stuff, like any of Rachel Gibson's books or Bridget Jones's Diary if you've never read that.
Rating:
Summary: Very hip and lots of fun
Review: Most books get onto my to-read list because they have good reviews or because friends have recommended them to me. This one, I happened to pick up at the library because the cover photo caught my eye. I often judge a book by its cover. And this one was a lucky pick. Viva Cohen is a girl, a teenager, a North Londoner, a Jew, and a dedicated virgin, not necessarily in that order of importance. She's also very bright and a terrible student. And an expert on music and films, especially Elizabeth Taylor. She was raised by her Uncle Manny, who is gay and rather wise, and her best mates are a blindingly beautiful blonde her own age (whom she frequently loves and hates at the same time) and a second-tier pop star fifteen years her senior. This is the armature on which Forrest wraps a thoroughly delightful, very funny, very touching story of what it means to be Viva, to discover that you've mis-heard the lyrics to the rock tune that you thought defined your life. The writing crackles, the turn of idiom is droll, and the author is going places.
Rating:
Summary: honestly, junk.
Review: There are a couple ways for a book to be bad. Some books are fun to read candy. They don't take a lot of work and you can pretty much start reading them at any page and even if they are a cliche ridden and bubbleheaded, it doesn't matter. Other books are so God-awful bad that you find yourself thinking about all the other books in the universe and why this one if sucking away your life like this. Then you find yourself staring at the author photo wishing you could make them bleed.This book is of the latter. Not that it is even really fair to call it a 'novel,' since usually novels have characters that are interesting and develop over time while following some thread literary types call a 'plot.' This is more like a note captured by a teacher during and extremely dry biology lecture, written by a sloe-eyed naif whose perceived depth is entirely due to her fashion sense. Please, just put the book down and walk away slowly. Don't run, you will only provoke it.
Rating:
Summary: Edgy and hip...
Review: When I first started Namedropper, I wasn't sure what to think. The prose was a little disjointed for my taste; it almost seemed like the author was rambling on a bit. However, once I got into the book (roughly 60 pages or so), I found that I was really enjoying myself. The main character, Viva, is extremely likeable and funny, even though I don't think she means to be. Definitely a book to try out. There isn't much by way of plot or twists and turns in this novel. Namedropper is basically the story of 16-year-old Viva, who lives with her gay uncle, Manny, in London. She has two best friends, beautiful drug addict Treena and famous rock star, Ray. Viva spends her days skipping school, failing exams, going to concerts, having meaningful conversations with people she's just met, and feeding her infatuation with Elizabeth Taylor. Viva is well-read and extremely smart, but bad at test-taking. Viva is also helplessly devoted to her virginity. She is obsessed with the thought of suicide, despite the fact that she'd never do it. And of course, like the title suggests, Viva's story is sprinkled with the names of countless famous people. Namedropper is a totally fun book, and the heroine is one of the best teenage characters I've come across. Viva's innocence in the face of rebellion is quite captivating, and her desire to fall in love in a dramatic way is endearing. However, this novel may not be for everyone because it does tend to ramble a bit, going off on tangents then back again. And while I think it is edgy and hip, others might find it just plain odd. Either way, though, I think Emma Forrest is a talented writer and I look forward to reading her next book.
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