Sunday, June 26, 2011

Little Miss Teacher - Cassandra O'Sullivan Sachar

1

Pages: 265

Published: 2011

Date Finished: 27th June 2011

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Told through the eyes of Candace Turner, a high school English teacher straight out of college, Little Miss Teacher details one woman’s struggles through the important initial stages of her career and her life as a grown-up. While teaching her students about writing and literature, Candace learns her own lessons about life. As she worries about fitting in with the faculty and conquering piles of essays to grade, Candace also pursues an old crush only to have her heart broken. Through her endless attempts to succeed in both her job and life, she has many adventures within and outside of her classroom walls. Ultimately, Candace hopes to finish the school year with a feeling of triumph at having touched the lives of her students… and having survived.

In the vein of both Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus’s The Nanny Diaries and Lauren Weisberger’s The Devil Wears Prada, Little Miss Teacher is a story about a young woman dealing with the ups and downs of work and life. In experiences that are sometimes amusing and sometimes sad, Candace endures everything from chaperoning the prom to helping a friend deal with a problem. In her earnest, self-conscious, conversational manner, Candace gives a voice and an all-access pass to the often embarrassing life of a young educator – Good Reads Synopsis -

I can honestly say that this novel didn’t immediately spark my attention. I am not a great fan of school settings, neither that of gossiping teachers and womanizing males. The premise drew me in and I really wanted to fall into step easily with Little Miss Teacher, but introductions fell flat for me and I found myself putting the book down, not really interested in the characters or their lives.

The novel starts out with [Candi] Candace pondering the minds of her sexually vocal student and sleaze ball colleagues to maneuver onwards to even more dull minded men. Facing off as a confident character, I didn’t really find much substance to her from the get go and felt even the more minor characters had more character then she did.

I’m not much for a daily grind novel, I think mainly because when I get stuck into a book by page thirty I want to have a decent grasp on the main characters personality and because to me she lacked that intense personality I am used to and desire in a character. I was frustrated with the lack of progress and wanted her to get into life outside the prison of the education system.

I gladly tip my hat to anyone who can put a smile on their face and work passionately against the daily turbulence that teaching must create.

As the novel progressed I found myself unable to hold back my laughter and started to enjoy it for what it was rather than what it wasn’t. It picked up around the 50 page mark and I couldn’t wait to curl up in bed with a hot cuppa and really delight in the journey of the characters. I began to appreciate teachers a lot more and the effort they made and even reminisced about my own teachers and the effort they had made, despite the unwillingness of some students.

Some of the situations she had to go through really hit me hard and made me consider her position much more deeply. I never even considered some of the harder points of teaching and I fell more in love with Candace as a character because of the hardships she had endured as well as the good times, reminding me that life goes on and regardless you have to make time for fun and relaxation. I even questioned my own career intentions wondering if I had the balls to do what she did every day. However I think I’ll stick to my study for the time being.

Overall I really did enjoy this novel. Her writing style was easy and such a joy to read despite the awkward start. Definitely pick it up for sure. Thank you Cassandra for letting me read and review Little Miss Teacher.

You can find Little Miss Teacher on Good Reads : http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10639770-little-miss-teacher

Blog Tour Link:

http://chicklitplusblogtours.wordpress.com/2011/03/30/little-miss-teacher-by-cassandra-osullivan-sachar/

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