Gidget. Mein Sommer in Malibu

Gidget series #1

by Frederick Kohner

Wie fühlt es sich an, frei zu sein? Ein Sommer unter der Sonne Malibus, strahlend blauer Himmel und ein junges Mädchen, das von den Wellen magnetisch angezogen Das ist die Geschichte von Kathy alias Gidget, die die Wellen, das salzige Meer, den Strand und die Freiheit nicht den »Jungs« überlassen, sondern sich den großen Traum erfüllen will, selbst auf dem Brett zu stehen. Ein atemberaubender Sommer voller Träume, Abenteuer, sandiger Erdnussbuttersandwiches und erster Verliebtheit beginnt, in dem Gidget entgegen aller Widerstände ihrer größten Leidenschaft folgt - dem Surfen. Frederick Kohner, jüdischer Emigrant und Hollywoodgröße, Zeitgenosse von Anna Seghers und Thomas Mann, verleiht der wahren Geschichte seiner geliebten Tochter Kathy, die als eine der ersten Surferinnen zur Ikone der weltweiten Surfkultur wurde, eine hinreißende Gidget. Mein Sommer in Malibu ist ein moderner Klassiker, ein ikonischer Roman, das Geschenk eines Vaters an seine Tochter. Es ist die Geschichte eines paradiesischen Sommers, eine Geschichte über Leichtigkeit, Freiheit und darüber, wie man sich nicht an die Regeln hält.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Classics, Romance, Chick Lit, Historical Fiction, 20th Century

169 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 1957

About the author

Frederick Kohner, born Friedrich Kohner, was an Austrian-born novelist and screen writer, both in Germany and the US.

He is best known for having created the "Gidget" novels, which inspired a series of movies, two television series, three telemovies and a feature length animated film. He based the title character on his own daughter, Kathy Kohner-Zuckerman.

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having seen and enjoyed the 1959 Sandra Dee film a year or two before reading the book I came to it expecting a fun, quick read with possibly some unintentional humor due to dated references/slang. While it is certainly fun and a term or two may have illicited a smile I was surprised by how modern this read was. The subject matter is a lot more adult than one would expect.
On the back of the book is a quote from the Hartford Courant that compares it to The Catcher in the Rye and while before reading the book I couldn't believe they would make such a comparison to a big name book. Upon finishing the book I realized how accurate the statement was. Like a sand crab at the beach there is more going on under the surface and with each wave more life is exposed. Disguised as a fun book about a girl's summer learning to surf is in reality the story of the awkward transition from childhood to adulthood and the desire to speed up the process.
In fact, I enjoy Gidget far more than I do The Catcher in the Rye, which I find to be overrated. Gidget meanwhile is vastly underrated despite having a timeless story and a more relatable character than Holden Caulfield. Yes, as a twentysomething heterosexual male I found myself relating more to this 15 year old girl who just wants to learn to surf and grow up a little too quickly to the 17 year old meandering Caulfield. Perhaps it is Kohner's research (taking stories told by his daughter), perhaps his breezy prose,or perhaps it is Gidget's clear motivations. Whatever the case may be Gidget is someone I loved following and plan to revisit in the future.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a strange and off-putting book. Gidget of 1960s TV and movies was based on a real person, Kathy Kohner, the daughter of screenwriter and novelist Frederick Kohner. The summer she was 15, she spent all her time on the beach at Malibu Colony, hanging out with the surf bums and learning to surf herself, and her dad wrote this book based on that summer. It's written from the point of view of Gidget two years after the fact, but possibly the combination of 1950s teen slang as voiced by the 52-year-old Eastern European author makes it read more as if it were a conversation you were having with a crazy elderly relative who's telling you inappropriate stories at the family picnic. The fact that Kohner wrote this during Kathy's surfing summer makes his descriptions of her fictional alter ego making out with her college-aged boyfriend or the night that she thought losing her virginity to the 40-something Kahoona, who had been a father figure to her up to that point, disturbing to say the least. Did no one say to him, "uh, Fred? You know this is your daughter, right?" Nonetheless, the book was a huge bestseller, which I think is fascinating in an anthropological way, but, aside from the creepiness, the book itself is not very interesting.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this was fascinating. I grew up watching reruns of the Gidget TV show, starring Sally Field as the bubbly surfer girl. I also loved the movies, and the Frankie and Annette movies about surfing and beach parties. What I didn't realize was that it was a book that started it all (this book, obviously) and that the book was based on a real life girl!

Frederick Kühner was a Hollywood screenwriter whose daughter Kathy became obsessed with surfing at the age of fifteen. She started hanging out all day at the beach in Malibu, before Malibu became THE beach to hang at, goofing around and surfing with a bunch of beach bums who had names like The Kahoona, Moondoggie, and Lord Gallo. At five foot nothing, Kathy was soon dubbed The Gidget, short for Girl Midget, and was the first girl to be one of the crew. With her permission, her father wrote down conversations that she had with her friends, interviewed them all, and had her tell him in detail what it was like: to surf, to meet these guys, to live on the beach with no ambitious but to catch some bitchen waves.

Although light on story, I think Kohner captures something unique: a new movement, a new language, a new lifestyle, before it became a fad. Before Frankie and Annette were singing on the shore about young love, there was Kathy, the Gidget, hanging on the beach with Moondoggie, getting sideways looks from adults and running from the cops who wanted to shut them down.

This edition was also great, featuring an intro by Kathy, and with photographs throughout.

[Ellinor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Während ich hier den Windsurfern zuschaue, handelt meine Strandlektüre auch vom Surfen - allerdings von der anderen Variante, nämlich dem Wellenreiten 🏄‍♀️ Diese ist nicht weniger cool, wenn auch hier nicht möglich (wobei es sogar ein paar Kandidaten gibt, die auf eine Fähre oder ein anderes Boot warten, um schnell hinten auf den Wellen zu surfen). Meist sind dies junge Männer, die Zahl der Frauen und Mädchen ist aber auch nicht gerade gering. In den Fünfzigerjahren sah dies noch ganz anders aus. Die fünfzehnjährige Franzi lernt dort durch Zufall ein paar Surfer kennen und ist sofort angefixt - sie möchte auch unbedingt Wellenreiten lernen. Sie ist das einzige Mädchen, wird von der Gruppe jedoch schnell akzeptiert. Die Jungs verpassen ihr den Namen Gidget, eine Mischung aus Girl und Midget - Zwerg. Gidget verbringt fast ihre gesamte Freizeit am Strand und hat den Sommer ihres Lebens- inklusive ihrer ersten großen Liebe.
Gidget ist eine amüsante, kurzweilige Lektüre. Ich musste häufig ein wenig über die Sprache schmunzeln, sie passt aber perfekt zur Geschichte und zur damaligen Zeit (wer jemals einen Film aus den Fünfzigern gesehen hat, weiß was ich meine). Die deutsche Übersetzung stammt übrigens vom Verfasser, einem deutschen Juden, der in den Dreißigern aus Nazideutschland nach Hollywood emigrierte. Er veröffentlichte die Geschichte, die auf den Erlebnissen seiner Tochter basiert als Buch, sie wurde später verfilmt. Das Buch wurde mit Françoise Sagan verglichen und dem kann ich nur zustimmen. Hauptsächlich liegt das an der frühreifen Art der Protagonistin, die mich hier jedoch deutlich mehr störte als bei Sagan.
Gidget ist eine schöne Wiederentdeckung, die hoffentlich viele Leser*innen findet.

[LeserinLu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Süßes Buch, wenn auch weniger tiefgründig als erwartet - mein Highlight waren eigentlich Vor- und Nachwort!

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must admit I was disappointed by Frederick Kohner's Gidget. Here are some things you should know: 1) It was originally published in 1957. 2) It is to some degree based on a true teen girl named Kathy, nicknamed Gidget. 3) Fredrick Kohner, the author, based the book on his own daughter and on his own daughter's coming of age story. 4) It is set in Malibu in the mid 1950s. 5) The book became popular enough that a movie was made. 6) Presumably the movie and book were doing so well, it became a TV show. There was something sweet and verging on innocent about the first movie and about the TV show. Not so the book. It may make it more realistic in some people's opinion. 7) The book is written in first person.

The heroine, Franzie, a.k.a "Gidget," is fifteen years old and in love with the beach, the ocean, all things surf, including surfers--no matter their age. She considers herself all grown up, or, at the very least, mostly grown up. I personally prefer "clean" or even "squeaky clean" books in terms of language. This one has a lot of bad language, and, in particular a lot of taking the Lord's name in vain. I was NOT expecting Gidget to have the mouth that she does, because that is certainly not depicted in the movie or the TV show!!! Her days are devoted to the beach, to surfing, to hanging out with as many surfer guys as she can. She becomes particularly close to two. One being "the love of her life" Jeff (aka Moondoggie) and the other Cass (Big Kahuna). Perhaps because her first sex-dream is of Jeff, she becomes convinced that he is the one and that they are meant to be together forever and ever and of course she must share her dream with him and tell him how much he means to her!
There is great longing and much curiosity in Gidget. She's a boy-chaser. (Also she wants to smoke and drink and be one of the guys.) She doesn't want to be thought of as a fifteen year old girl who should be at home with her parents. Her thoughts are definitely becoming more and more focused on one thing. She's scared to death of it and longing for it at the same time. When Jeff begins to show some interest in her--physical interest--she's more than okay being the "other woman." Who cares if he's got a girlfriend?! He's hers for the summer. His girlfriend isn't here at the beach. His girlfriend doesn't even surf. Surely she's not worth any consideration! Jeff's lips are HER LIPS...at least until college starts back up in the fall.

One could easily say that nothing and everything happens in this one. Nothing if you are looking at it in terms of events alone. It's a bit repetitive. Wake up. Go to beach. Follow Moondoggie around. Surf. Get sick for a week or maybe two. Get better. Go to beach. Have awkward conversations with brother-in-law and parents. Go to beach. Sneak out to all-night beach orgy. Go surfing. Make silly reflective statements about how mature you are now as compared to then. Everything if you are looking at it in terms of capturing very angst-y, awkward, embarrassing moments that may be common enough to one and all but more cringe-worthy than anything else.

One thing that makes it creepy, for me, is that it is a father writing about his daughter. Even if it's fifty-fifty in its origins--half fictional, half based on true events/people--it's still a bit weird for me when I think about a father writing about his daughter's lust and curiosity. There are just some scenes in this one that are uncomfortable if you keep this in mind. Other scenes are just awkward. Like when Jeff tries to explain to Gidget that dreams are dreams are dreams and not actual reality or signs from the universe that you belong together.

Reading the book did make me appreciate the movie more. The changes made between the book and the movie were for the best, I think. The romance comes across better, cuter.

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My love for this book knows no bounds! It never fails to put a smile on my face.

Gidget, Franzie, is a 15-year old girl, eager to grow up and enthralled by surfing in Malibu, CA. She sets out to learn the sport, befriending an all-boy surfing crew headed by the great beach bum himself, Kahoona.

The story is told from Gidget's point of view, as she sets out to write about the most unforgettable summer she ever had so that when she's old she can look back on it fondly. Her language is quintessential 50's California speak. And I absolutely love it.

And then there's Moondoggie, aka Geoff Griffin. This guy. He's not perfect but damn do I have a sweet spot for him and the boys haha.

[Josie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars for the setting in Malibu and being a book about a girl learning to surf. I understand it was popular in its time but the Gidget book didn’t age well. The book creeped me out and to explain it I have copied an example passage below from the books conclusion when Cass kisses Franzie.

“Then he kissed me. He kissed me like a father. Different from Jeff. Tender.”

No teenage girl, furthermore no one at all in the history of forever, has wanted a romantic interest to kiss them like a father. That’s gross!

[Mols · Rating 2 out of 5]

all i’m saying is freud would love this book

[Bev · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is no way on earth that I would have voluntarily chosen to read this book, but it was the selection for my book club this month. It is the book on which the Gidget movies and TV series were based and is the story of real life Kathy Kohner (now Zuckerman), who lived in Malibu and at age 15 fell in with the surfers at Malibu beach. The book is written by her father (and it amazes me that a DAD could write this book) and uses what I assume is the vernacular of the beach set in the 1960s. Though it is long on character description and teen age love angst, nothing really happens in the book. Ever. Unless you count the fire that gets set on the night of the "orgy" on the beach. A 71 year old retired woman is definitely NOT the target audience for this book.

[Geli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gidget- so wird die fünfzehnjährige Franzi von der Surfercrew am Strand von Malibu genannt, eine Kombination aus den Worten Girl und Widget, Frau und Zwerg.

Als sie die Surfer das erste Mal sieht, wird sie von einem gerettet, weil sie im Meer zu weit rausgetrieben wurde. Danach beobachtet sie und will es unbedingt lernen, bringt Essen, lässt ihre Späße über sich ergehen und wird doch nicht so recht anerkannt. Dazu kommt die erste Verliebtheit eines Teenagers, die Hitze des Sommers und schließlich fast eine Feuerkatastrophe.

Mich konnte das Buch nicht so recht fesseln, eventuell lag es an der Sprache, die die Ich-Erzählerin nutzt. Ich konnte auch ihre Gefühle nicht nachvollziehen, dieses fieberhafte Dazugehören wollen und diese Verliebtheit nach ihrer Erkrankung.

Hat mich nicht überzeugt.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly relevant for a teen coming of age story nearly seven decades old.

[Monemi1986 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nochmal ein bisschen Sonne tanken. 🌞

[Lucia Nieto Navarro · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

El autor de esta novela fue guionista en Hollywood y su hija, protagonista de esta historia, Kathy (Gidget), una niña que a los 15 años se obsesiona con el surf. Aunque en los años 50, que una mujer se enganche a un deporte de hombres, no esta bien visto…
Gidget, (abreviatura de Girl Midget ) , fue la primera chica en formar parte del equipo de surf, después de pasr días y días en la playa de Malibú, conociendo a un grupo de chicos que si al principio no se fiaban, después son los que la enseñan todo lo que saben.
Gidget pasa sus días en la playa, donde aparte de conocer este deporte, también conocerá a su primer amor, sus primeras experiencias, un libro divertido y escrito con una narración y un lenguaje propio de la época.
Su padre fue quien se dedico con su permiso a recopilar toda la historia, haciendo entrevistas a sus amigos, conocer como es ese deporte que tanto gustó a su hija…etc..
Como dato curioso: el autor y padre de Gidget, fue un judío alemán que emigró de la Alemania nazi a Hollywood en los años 1930. Publicó esta historia y luego se convirtió también en película.
Un libro muy cortito, diferente sin duda, para leerlo en un tarde y pasar un buen rato.

[Nadja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man kann sich dieses Buch geben. Es ist okay. Während des Lesens fand ichs okay. Im Nachhinein betrachtet war das Buch total underwhelming. Ich hab die ganze Zeit gewartet, dass etwas passiert. Und es ist dann auch etwas passiert, aber dieser Climax, von dem die Erzählerin die ganze Zeit geredet hat, war vielleicht der Höhepunkt der Geschichte, aber hoch war er trotzdem nicht. Es ist ja okay, wenn in einem Buch nicht so viel passiert, aber dann wünschte ich mir wenigstens imposante Landschaftbeschreibungen oder spannende Beziehungskonstrukte... Einfach irgendwas. Aber es war alles so oberflächlich. Es hat schon einen Sog irgendwie, aber mehr nicht. Es fühlt sich an wie ein Buch, dass ein Teenagermädchen über ihr Leben geschrieben hat, weil sie meint, ihr Leben sei so unfassbar interessant. Und es kommt wirklich so daher, die Erzählerin sagt das selber. Das ist vielleicht ein bisschen relatable.
Aber in Wirklichkeit hat dieses Buch ein Vater über seine eigene Tochter geschrieben... Er hat über die ersten sexuellen Erfahrungen seiner eigenen Tochter geschrieben. It's kinda weird.

[Janet Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reread this because my husband and I are streaming the single-season TV series on Tubi starring Sally Field. Haha, we're watching the FLYING NUN, too, which got two seasons. I loved both the Gidget novel and the TV series as a teen. The book doesn't quite hold up and the TV series is obviously dated, but Field is great in both shows. Gidget hits my sappy, nostalgia bone, revisiting a time when teens talked face-to-face and held surfboards rather than cellphones.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty awesome book for a beach read. I finished it in a few nights. You can almost picture Sally Field narrating the entire book. It was great to hear a bit of the 1950s Malibu nostalgia as well. A great read about a girl coming to age, her strong emotions of love, and the beauty of California surfing.

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was interesting to learn Gidget was based off a real girl and it was at times a fun coming of age story...was a little weirded out that’s it’s written by her dad

[Sean O'Hara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always thought of Gidget as a bit of '50s kitsch about some all-American teen Aryan who hangs out at the beach with Frankie Avalon and Fabian. And indeed, that's what the Gidget movies and TV series were. But recently while reading Foster Hirsch's Hollywood and the Movies of the Fifties:, I came across a reference to the character originating in a novel based upon the author's daughter, who was one of the first women to get into surfing. Even more astounding, the author was a European Jew who'd fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s, making the real Gidget a very different person from the character played by Sandra Dee and Sally Field.

The book itself is a fascinating and surprisingly unsanitized look at Post War teen culture. Frederick Kohner wrote it at his daughter Kathy's behest based upon her diaries, and she does not seem to have hidden anything from him. The plot involves Kathy, nicknamed Gidget, hanging out with a bunch of college aged beach bums who spend their days drinking, surfing and, in one oblique reference, smoking weed. She soon develops a crush on one of these beach bums, a guy known as Moondoggie, and has erotic dreams about being with him. In pursuit of her crush, she sneaks to a beach party which he has told her not to attend because it's going to be an orgy -- a term that Gidget is unfamiliar with. The party does seem wild, though not quite that wild. At least not by the point when somebody starts a wildfire and the police swarm the beach in response.

The book serves as a great counterpoint to people who think Leave It to Beaver and The Donna Reed Show were accurate representations of the 1950s.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Do not read the Introduction to this book unless you don't really want to read the book. As so often happens in modern reprints of old books, the writer of the Introduction ruins the actual story by telling the whole thing in a few sentences: crisis, denouement and all. Why do they do that, and why do editors think it's allowable? Perhaps because they know most people skip Intros and Forewords and go straight to the story, and there's a reason for that. I would also have preferred the photo segment to have been separate from the text; particularly in the ebook edition it is an unwelcome interruption to the reading as most of the photos are placed at random, with no reference to the text where they are placed.

For all the talk in the Intro about how the author studied the way his daughter and her friends talked (to the point of listening in on her phone conversations "for hours, with her permission"--right Dad), and supposedly this is a "true" story, it still reads like a shojou-type coming of age movie written by an older man from the 50s. I recognised the type of film starring Hayley Mills or Sandra Dee. The most important thing is that Gidget remain "sweet, simple and girlish" and above all learn her place and keep to it. In those days a girl's place was in the home, waiting for Mr Right.
The first part of the book was okay, but by the end I was putting it down and reading other things. Last night I sat down and powered through the "big scene" at the end, rolling my eyes the whole time as Gidget sidelines herself as a nice girl should while the guys save the day. But at least I found out where the expression "bitchen" came from. I've often wondered.

Two and a half stars.

[Meg D. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had this book sitting on my shelf for literal years before I picked it up. I got it in a blind date with a book at a secondhand shop and was a little disappointed when I opened it up. Since I’m starting a TBR challenge I figured that I would read it.

I really didn’t enjoy this book as much as I could have. I think it would have been more enjoyable if it were written by Kathy (or Gidget) herself instead of her father. That being said, there were a few topics in the book that I would be really uncomfortable if my dad had wrote them about me. I understand that they might have a different relationship, but it was just strange especially with the many passages before the book that emphasize that her father wrote this about her.

I also realize that this book was written in a different time period, but the language didn’t age well (the F-word relating to those in the LGBTQ community and referring to African Americans as “colored” are the main offenders). This language also had nothing to do with the plot. I’m not even sure why they felt the need to include it.

It was a very quick read, and I liked how there were actual pictures included to show snippets of Kathy’s summer and surfing with the guys. I wouldn’t have ever picked this book up and I don’t think I’ll be recommending this book to anyone. The book is dull and hasn’t aged well. I regret wasting my time reading it instead of just giving it away.

Edited to add: I saw a review comparing this book to Lolita and now I understand the general discomfort I felt while reading 🚩

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gidget was written by Fredrick Kohner and published in 1957. The book follows an (almost) 16 year old girl nicknamed Gidget on account of her short stature. One summer she becomes infatuated with the beach scene in Malibu, with surfing and an older boy named Moondoggie aka Jeff. Told from Gidget’s first person perspective this is a humorous account of teenage years and wanting to grow up so quickly. It also perfectly captures the language of the teens of that time as well as the emerging California beach culture. This book apparently started it all! After it was published beach movies became popular, and music like The Beach Boys etc.

I really enjoyed this! It was quite funny, which I wasn’t expecting and a delight to read. Fredrick Kohner based this book on his actual daughter Kathy Kohner. Apparently he talked to her extensively and with her permission listened in on phone conversations. He did a great job, but there is something mildly unsettling about the fact that he wrote this. Especially since Gidget is very curious about sex like most teenagers and has a little bit of a romance plot. It’s a bit weird that her dad was describing this! That aside, I adored this cute little book. I loved the movie and tv show growing up , so it was nice to finally read the book.

[Luisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frederick Kohners Geschichte eines Sommers in den 50er Jahren fängt auf perfekte Weise Zeitgeist, Summerfeeling, Freiheit und Aufbruchstimmung ein. Überraschend modern in Sprache und Ereignissen ist der kurze Roman auch die Betrachtung einer Emanzipation, eines Coming-of-Age und des Zaubers des Glaubens an die erste Verliebtheit. Gidget, die Titelfigur, für die Kohners Tochter Pate stand, stellt sich im Kreise einer männlichen Surfercrew im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes auf eigene Füße, testet ihre Grenzen aus und lernt ihre Unsicherheiten und das Erwachsensein kennen.

Der Roman fesselt den Leser von den ersten Zeilen an. Überaus überzeugend, authentisch und glaubhaft gelingt es dem Autor, die jugendliche Sprache der Ich-Erzählerin auf die Seiten zu bannen. Gidgets Stimme ist lebendig, ehrlich und fast hörbar. Ihre Auseinandersetzung mit ihren Gefühlen und Wünschen, ihre Pläne und Ränke, um ihre Ziele zu erreichen sind für eine Fünfzehnjährige absolut passend und nachvollziehbar. Großartig ist vor allem die Darstellung des Konflikts zwischen angestrebter weiblicher Reife, z.B. wenn Gidget eifersüchtig versucht, die Nummer Eins im Leben ihres Schwarms zu werden, und kindlich-naivem, überfordertem Verhalten, wenn ihr nach dem ersten Kuss bereits der Satz „Ich liebe dich“ auf den Lippen brennt. Sie ist mittendrin im atemlosen Sommer ihres Lebens – auch wenn sie die Geschichte angeblich für später aufzeichnet – und der Leser ist es mit ihr. Neben der sehr lebhaften und lebensechten Erzählerin fängt der Text auf feinste Weise das Lebensgefühl eines endlosen, kalifornischen Sommers am Malibu Beach ein. Lange sonnendurchflutete Tage, warme Nächte, Gemeinschaft, Surfen und Parties prägen den Erzählfluss – wie Gidget fühlt man auch als Leser die Anziehungskraft von Malibu Beach.

Ein wunderbarer, sommerlicher, jugendlicher und gar nicht mal so leichter (wenn man etwas tiefer blickt) Sommerroman, der allein schon durch seine vorwitzige, weibliche Erzählfigur ein Klassiker sein sollte.

[Andria Potter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compared to Lolita this was a definite NO for me. The way the guy writes about his daughter's bossum and how he describes her sometimes is real red flag vibes. Though the writing was good this was rather disturbing at times to read. Gidget herself was a fascinating person, however and that's why I'm giving this three stars. I'm not a big surfer person either but this story was interesting and well written enough for me to finish reading. 2.5 ⭐ rounded up.

[Micha · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a weird book. I need you to know I had a laugh and liked reading it, whilst being completely baffled throughout. There are a lot of layers here. It's humorous, it's dated, it's racy, it's uncomfortable, it's fun, it's naive. Gidget's half-real, which is great, but this is her father writing about her chest size and her sexual curiosity, which is weird, but also she's a fifteen-year-old girl and it was the 50s and it shifts the narrative we've long since adopted and she gets to be cheeky and wistful and awkward and all the other things girls that age are.

I came here because I was reading Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan, and he referenced the Gidget movies and show, which I've heard of before, so I decided to check out the movie. My reaction to Kahuna was purely animal--there are no higher functions in my brain when he appears on the screen or, apparently, on the page--but even then you can only partly blame Cliff Robertson for bringing me here. There's something about the culture captured here, it's an interesting snapshot of a reality that's been blurred because we too often paint the past in broad strokes. A slice of a certain time period, placed between slides and examined through a narrow microscope, revealing more than could be seen when we attempt to view the whole.

This book, it's stupid and surprising, I don't know what else to call it. I don't fully know what my own reaction to it is, just that my brain goes electric on account of it.

[Nicoletta · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5-3

[Dominic Carlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gidget didn’t quite make me want to move to California and surf every day, but it did make me want to fall in love all over again 💖

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Might have been three stars, but I round up for her shooting the perfect curl being really the most significant event of the summer, and not anything involving Moondoggie or the Kahuna.

[Yuii · Rating 2 out of 5]

idk something abt writing from your daughter's perspective is a bit weird

[Ariadna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A falta de surf, sempre va bé un llibre de surf.