Name: At Briarwood School for Girls
ISBN: 9780802128423

Michael Knight

From the award-winning writer of Eveningland and The Typist, Michael Knight, At Briarwood School for Girls is an incisive, witty, beautifully-written novel set at a boarding school in the Virginia countryside

At Briarwood School for Girls

Megan Leprich

Thank you so much to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was immediately drawn to this story as I love any book with a boarding school as its location and add in the creepy ghost aspect, I was sold. Even though the story is really not about a haunted boarding school, it's about a pregnant teenager and her depression, I will got drawn in. I have never read anything by Michael Knight before but I've heard great things and I honestly really enjoyed this book.

Set in 1994, this story revolves around an all girls boarding school in Virginia. This story is told from multiple points of view and one main character is Lenore, a pregnant and depressed teen that is trying to hide it from her fellow classmates and her teachers. Her history teacher Mr. Bishop is the first to find out about the pregnancy and is also another main speaking voice in this novel. While all of this is going on a Disney theme park is being constructed that would use history attractions to hopefully bring more people into the rural area.

I loved the literary and historical aspect of this book which surprised me as I'm not known for reading those types of genres. As I said going into it, I first assumed it was about a haunted boarding school and ghosts but it was so much more than that. I loved all of the characters (especially Coach Fink, she cracked me up) and I loved all of the dialogue between the characters. The way the author portrayed them you could just imagine an angry Mr. Bishop in your head and feel the true depression from Lenore.

Very great book and honestly one I could probably read again!