The International Writers Magazine: Young Fiction

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‘Luuurve is a many trousered thing…’ Fab new confessions of Georgia Nicolson. (2007) By Louise Rennison. HarperCollins, £10.99 ISBN 978-0-00-722210-0 (Paperback due Feb 2008) • Louise Webster Nostalgia reacts upon me as a delightful curse. Remembering all the cartoons I had loved when I was a child, the playful fads of pokemon, pogs and my little pony. To me looking back at growing up is essentially embarrassing and exciting. And the thing which really makes me form a smile in the corner of my mouth, is my memories of the teenage girl novel. A bible, bulging with girl’s essential chick lit, their guides to the world in the most confusing years of their lives.

Rennison’s successful ‘The Confessions of Georgia Nicolson’ book series’ is about Georgia, our quirky, hormonal teen protagonist. Living with the strange on goings from her peculiar parents, younger sister Libby and her two psychotic cats Angus and Gordy. Georgia tries to spend her valued time on her friends the Ace Gang dealing with the issues of boys, school life, looks and more boys. The series begins with the first novel ‘Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging’ where we are introduced to Georgia at the tender age of fourteen, where she becomes infatuated by Robbie aka the Sex God, a main singer of a local band named the Stiff Dylan’s. The series continues throughout all the books, of Georgia’s constant on and off relationship with Robbie which ends in him moving abroad and the meetings of other eccentric characters such as Dave the Laugh, Georgia’s ex boyfriend, a supposed mate who she frequently snogs at the wrong time. The newest novel in the series ‘Luuurve is a many trousered thing…’ carries on with the crazy adventures of Georgia’s life and concentrates on her new dilemma, the Luuurve God Masimo, the Italian singer who replaces Robbie’s place in the band. However how can she cope, when Masimo wants her but then Robbie returns from New Zealand with Georgia still on the brain? Sex God or Luuurve God? This is Georgia’s exciting boyfriend nightmare.

This may all seem so complicated, but honestly teenage life is. Don’t you remember in your teens, all the guys or girls you fancied, questioning your friends what certain body language meant or how hatching a certain cunning plan will get the attention of the gorgeous guy that you have been pining so long for. The series almost seems an escape from the grown up world and back to the time where you could act like a raving drama queen.

However there could be criticism that this book does not cover the important contemporary issues of teenage life like exams, contraception and family issues. But to be honest, I think nowadays teenagers are safely covered in other texts for this sort of education. Luckily we have Jacqueline Wilson’s ‘Girl’s Under Pressure’ which deals with protagonist Ellie dealing with Bulimia and family problems. Teens have television programmes like Grange Hill and Byker Grove that helps them to understand the difficulties of school life and social behaviour. And the increase of the positive content of teen magazines such as J-17 and Sugar deliver helpful and essential information about drugs and safe sex, a much more desirably and cooler way to be safe and smart rather than learning at school or asking the parents. And even though I am ending my teenage years, I’m so thankful for these options which I have had access to and I’m sure so many more teenagers will appreciate this too.

I feel that characters like Ellie and Georgia make those scary years of any teenager’s life more bearable and fun, these are the characters that teens can align themselves to and shed the embarrassment of being emotional hormonal wrecks and dealing with their misunderstandings over the opposite sex

Even though this book is designed for teenagers, I see no harm in picking it up when you want to get away from the stresses of the real world and go back to once was. It almost seems to be a trend now to read children’s books, look at all the adults reading ‘Harry Potter’ or ‘Northern Lights’. It may even be giving the world a message that adults might be chilling out for once.

At the end all I can say is that I love this book and every other book in the series. I came across them in my early teens when at the time I was also obsessed with Jacqueline’s Wilson’s books and teen shows like Sabrina the Teenage Witch. They entertained me, especially whenever I was feeling down, or worried. And looking back now, I am always going to be jealous that I cannot remain a teenager for ever, because even though our bodies are going absolutely crazy and our heads are all over the place, that time was the best ever time I will have in my life. If you have a bored teen that needs a great read this Christmas, I guarantee with this series, they will not be disappointed and even if you fancy a flick through the pages neither will you.
© Louise Webster November 2007
webbygirlonly@msn.com

Louise is studying Creative Writing at the University of Portsmouth

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