The Eliot Girls

by Krista Bridge

For years, Audrey Brindle has dreamed of attending George Eliot Academy, the school where her mother, Ruth, has taught for a decade. But when she is finally admitted, she discovers a place of sly bullying, ferocious intolerance, and bewildering social standards. Ruth, meanwhile, finds her world upended by her attraction to a new teacher, and the ambitions and desires of both mother and daughter find themselves on a collision course. An acutely observed exploration of betrayal, cruelty, and fallen idols, The Eliot Girls deftly explores the intimacies and injustices of privileged female adolescence and the relationship of a mother and daughter for whom life will never be the same.

Genres: Fiction, Canada, Adult Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2013

Reviews

[Margret Thatcher · Rating 1 out of 5]

You keep reading the book thinking it will get better eventually, but thats not the case whatsoever. I had to read this book for my ISU. IF YOU NEED A BOOK FOR UR ISU DO NOT CHOOSE THIS ONE. There are no keys to theme and no character development. In simpler termes the book sucks

[Chetana Jessica Torrens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bridge has a very engaging and fluid prose style. I am surprised there was not more buzz about this book. We delve deep into the psyche and reflections of a not-so-on-board private school girl in Toronto and the intriguing dynamics given that her mother teaches at the school. For anyone who has ever wanted an inside peak at the minefields of such an institution, this is your book. Bridge very skillfully masters the art of writing a teen protagonist for an adult readership.

[Isobel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, this book has sentences written fairly well, realistic daughter & mother character, and some unpredictability in plot. Ultimately, though, the plot seemed a bit pointless, and the ending was terrible, resulting in these well-written sentences wandering around a bit aimlessly, only to result in the reader wanting to throw the book to the ground when he/she finished reading. Overall, an ok/good read.

[Marie-claire Dominique · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm at page 42... and I think I've given enough chance to this novel... that I found at my work library... very boring... not much going on a too much lingering on boring details. I'll put it back where I found it.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty depressing!

[Rebecca Romalis · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a talented writer Krista Bridge is. I could not put this book down. I have always been fascinated by private schools as I always attended public ones. What a great read!

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up at random while at the library - something I do increasingly rarely. At first I found it a bit overwritten and self-consciously first novel-ish, and I still find that Ruth's character was sort of half-drawn, with some dimensions very finely shaded and others completely missing. I also wonder, in works like this, if there isn't a way to put in some characters that are normal, for lack of a better term. Everyone is always either the protagonist or a kind of caricature - all the other teachers are overly dramatic, or have dietary tics, or are too wrapped up in perfect motherhood. But on the whole I really enjoyed it - or admired it, is probably more accurate. It was a clear-eyed rendering of the savage arena of adolescent girlhood and of an incident of adultery, that made both things familiar and yet just different enough to be interesting. And the language was often quite striking.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugh I found it hard to read the characters. I couldn't really get a sense of what they were feeling at times. Audrey's character was like a zombie, she gave no explanation on why she participated in the notes or how she felt, or if she felt anything at all. Ruth was so bland and unidentifiable. Like I couldn't understand what she was feeling and why she felt certain things. And I found the relationship between she and Henry to be rather vague. I found it very hard to connect with the characters. I felt like the author sometimes over told the story (along with run on sentences). Too much extra information that readers probably don't care about. On many occasions during a breakthrough moment, the author would get side tracked by something so minute like someone's broach. And then she'll start elaborating on it and completely take you out of this significant moment of ones character. Over all the premise of the story was good, but it could have been executed better.

[Amanda Coak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. I thought I would really love this novel, but I found it to be pretty predictable and boring. I also was hoping to connect to the characters more. Ruth is the mother, and she is also a teacher. But, as I was reading, I found myself really disliking her. I don't care about her as a character at all, and there was NO redeeming qualities. She seemed petty and spoiled and selfish. I didn't get her drive to have an affair with Henry because he is a horrible asshole with no personality. As for Audrey, her daughter, I found her to be one-dimensional. She played the moody teenager well, but again: no redeeming qualities. The ONLY time I really liked Audrey was at the end when she reveals Ruth's secret to her nemesis. I wanted to like The Eliot Girls, but I found it too quiet, too drawn-out. It had no sense of humor and left me wanting a lot more.

[Ali Rowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm still not quite sure what to make of The Eliot Girls. At the beginning, I trudged through what felt like ostentatious language for its own sake while a story struggled to claw its way out from underneath, but around page 70, a switch flipped, and I was hooked. I'm just not sure what that switch was, whether that was the book or my mindset improving. The other strange thing is that, while I read it compulsively, it was a detached compulsion. I'm not sure why I liked it, what I got from it, or what I should have gotten from it. This is one I'll have to think on, but I did enjoy it. Now to figure out why.

[Karen Lowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well written book, with fully developed characters and environment. Bridge captured the school world and the teenage existence in that world very realistically. But overall I was disappointed that the characters didn't reveal anything extraordinary, that they didn't lead me to any insights in how we as a society cope with that world. Being a teenaged girl is hard, especially in a place surrounded by so many other teenaged girls, just like being an adult woman is hard, living with the choices that you've made and always wondering about the what-ifs.

[THE TORONTO QUARTERLY]

Hey, Everyone! Please check out my interview with Toronto author Krista Bridge as we discuss private schools, bullying and her debut novel The Eliot Girls (Douglas & McIntyre, 2013). Read the interview now on my TTQ Blog. http://thetorontoquarterly.blogspot.c...

[Ampersand Inc. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written story of an exclusive private girl’s school. The main characters are a mother and a daughter whose relationship is complicated by their roles as teacher and student at the school. Bridge manages to capture the nuances of the school society both in the classroom and the staff room.

[Jillann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audrey has waited her whole life to get into the prestigious Toronto private school where her mother teaches. When she finally is accepted for grade ten, the reality of bullies, fitting in, keeping up, results in damaging choices.

[Danielle Lemon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Promising character study that never quite developed in terms of plot, with a somewhat dissatisfying conclusion. This author's first book was a well-received collection of short stories - not sure if she's ready for novel-length yet?

[Lindsay Heller · Rating 3 out of 5]

There wasn't anything really wrong with this book. It just wasn't... it didn't really... the characters were too... I don't know what was wrong with it but there was something. It wasn't enough of anything.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, that explains schoolgirl antics a little bit.

[Stefanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of an all girls private school was interesting, but the story itself was thin and could have been more compelling.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

It reads like Krista Bridge believes that all women are caddy, lying, self-absorbed, tyrannical, and simultaneously dependent, emotional, and servile.

[Rachel Seigel · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting fictionalized account of a girl who starts at a girls`private school in Toronto in grade 10, and the struggle to fit in. Not brilliant, but enlightening.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

This just dod not capture my imagination at all, I tried but only got about 100 pages in before giving up.

[Julie Aquilina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The neat thing about this book: typical school and life scenarios experienced by the main characters (mainly Audrey & Ruth), but with atypical reactions.

[Larae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm, not sure I liked this story or the characters but a compelling read. Amazing we all survive our teenage years and our mothers!

[LInda L · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strange book -- did it happen to the author?? Didn't much like it, but I finished it. Only person I liked much was the father.