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Description
In the tradition of Bright Lights, Big City and The Secret History comes a compelling, highly-acclaimed debut novel of youth and innocence. On the elm-lined streets of a middle-class American city, the lives of a group of teenaged boys are forever changed by their obsession with five... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis
Summary
The Lisbons are a Catholic family living in Grosse Pointe, Michigan in the 1970s. The father, Ronald, is a math teacher at the local high school and the mother is a homemaker. The family has five daughters: 13-year-old Cecilia, 14-year-old Lux, 15-year-old Bonnie, 16-year-old Mary, and... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Cast of Characters/Important People
- Cecilia Lisbon: Youngest daughter of the Lisbon family.
- Lux Lisbon: Libertine second youngest daughter of Lisbon family.
- Bonnie Lisbon: Add a description of this character.
- Mary Lisbon
- Therese Lisbon
- Trip Fontaine: Heartthrob. Never had a problem with girls because they always threw themselves at him until he wanted Lux. Lives with father and his male lover.
- Mr. Lisbon: Teacher.
- Mrs. Lisbon
Memorable Quotes
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“We could never understand why the girls cared so much about being mature, or why they felt compelled to compliment each other, but sometimes, after one us had read a long portion of the diary out loud, we had to fight back the urge to hug one another or to tell each other how pretty we were.”
- Show all quotations from this book (warning: contains spoilers)
First Sentence
On the morning the last Lisbon daughter took her turn at suicide-it was Mary this time, and sleeping pills, like Therese-the two paramedics arrived at the house knowing exactly where the knife drawer was, and the gas oven, and the beam in the basement from which it was possible to tie a rope.
Table of Contents
Authors & Contributors
- Jeffrey Eugenides (Author)
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