Of course,
being a genius also means having no friends. She’s also a very naïve and
gullible girl because people use her for her brains but she doesn’t figure it
out soon enough. When she meets Emily, Millicent concludes that this is her
shot to get a real friend…if she can hide her brilliant smarts. This follows
the mantra: To gain another, you must lose yourself.
“Yet in Emily’s
eyes I was a normal girl. And normal girls don’t talk about those sort of
things. Normal girls talk about…well, just what do they talk about? I’m going
to have to research that.” (71) She’s so adorable!
“I love
blank pages, they hold so much promise.” (55) I loved that she loved to learn
and read (just like ME!) And, like me, she overthinks and overanalyzes, and
she’s not into boys or childish antics.
“I wish I
could walk into Bob’s Hardware Store and buy a shut off valve for my brain. At
bedtime, my mind races. Thoughts pour out and dance around. Numbers add up and
divide. Lists begin and never end. Songs without names taunt me. If my head can
only be as empty as [the boys], I would be able to slip into the delicious,
deep sleep that eludes me.” (190)
“What my
parents kept failing to understand was how happy I was when I was alone with my
books. There was no pressure to perform or be cute, and books never
disappoint—unless, of course, you’ve chosen a bad one. But then, you can always
put it down and pick up another one without any repercussions.” (98)
“I hate
shopping. To me, malls are monolithic icons of mass consumption and
capitalism.” (29) Totally agree! Absolutely smart! Love her!
“I didn’t
know what to say. Was I supposed to congratulate her or tell her I was sorry? I
don’t suppose there’s a Hallmark card for this sort of thing. I mean, what
would it read? ‘A standing ovation for your first ovulation!” (133) Hilarious!
“Last night,
Emily and I had a huge argument over the definition of ‘attractive.’ She seems
to think it has a lot to do with good hair, sparkling eyes, and the ability to
make a person melt. Me, I believe that it encompasses the ability to
communicate (the written word, as well as spoken), high intelligence, and a
firm grasp of current events.” (107)
“True, I
have led a somewhat solitary life and have on rare occasion wondered what it
would be like to be popular. But it is not as if I sat alone in my room all day
brooding. My life was so full with my studies and endless projects that there
really wasn’t time for friendships. And if there wasn’t time for friendships,
then wouldn’t it follow that there wasn’t time for loneliness?” (120)
Witty,
funny, and smart!
My rating: 5 stars
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