Gingerbread

by Rachel Cohn

Paper Book, 2004

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Series

Gingerbread (1)

Genres

Young Adult

All Topics

Fiction

Publication

Simon Pulse, 2004.

Description

After being expelled from a fancy boarding school, Cyd Charisse's problems with her mother escalate after Cyd falls in love with a sensitive surfer and is subsequently sent from San Francisco to New York City to spend time with her biological father.

User reviews

LibraryThing member heart77

Spoilers, don't read this. The main character, Cyd Charisse, is an asshole. She treats her family like crap. Cyd used to date a rich guy, but he was a worse asshole than she was, and it didn't work out. She dates Shrimp, a weird surfer dude, but she has a crush on his older brother. She gets a job,

but ruins it because she's too busy whining and lusting over her boyfriend. Her mom sends her to meet her biological father, a typical workaholic New Yorker. Oh, and she's the product of an affair (I think?) so he's kind of embarrassed of her and sort of leaves her at home to her own stupidity, and she gets in tons of trouble. It has a happy ending. It was a really good book when I first read it, about ten years ago (yikes), but I tried reading it again last year and it wasn't as good. I think it's because it captures the annoying "teenage rebel" phase so well that once you're older, it's kind of like... jeez dude, just give your mom a hug and stop being a douche.

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LibraryThing member chibimajo

Cyd's relationship with her boyfriend becomes a little rocky after she gets in trouble again, and gets kicked out of boarding school. Because of this, her mother sends her off to spend time with her biological father, which Cyd would be happier about if he didn't live in another state. It revives

memories of her last boyfriend and the 'problems' he caused, her reason for all her bad behavior. Things get a little easier when she finally confesses and starts to get over her ex.

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LibraryThing member abbylibrarian

Cyd Charisse thinks her life is finally starting to come together. She got in big trouble at her New York boarding school, but she's home in California now spending the summer with her dreamy new boyfriend Shrimp. She volunteers at a nursing home and is about to start a job at her boyfriend's

brother's coffee shop. And then she gets in trouble. Again. And her mom decides to send her off to spend some time with her recently widowered biological father. Cyd Charisse can't believe how quickly things have fallen apart, but her trip to New York will give her the chance to get to know some of her family and to find out answers to questions she's always had about her parents. And maybe it'll give Cyd Charisse the chance to finally come clean about some of her secrets.

I tried to read this book last year and couldn't get into it, but now I have no idea why. I totally loved it. Cyd Charisse is a great character, very teen-angsty but also smart and loving. I can't wait to read the sequel!

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LibraryThing member jadore.tu

I absolutely loved this book. At times I could relate to Cyd Charisse, but at other times, it was mass chaos that was just plain entertain. I am in love with this entire series... although I haven't read Cupcake yet...o.O

LibraryThing member simplykatie

didn't really enjoy this one. i would much rather re-read "nick and norah's infinite playlist."

LibraryThing member rebachin

I think I am a very forgiving person... at least when it comes to books. I usually say that I really liked x and y about such and such book but I was a bit miffed by z.

This book has left me miff-less. No miffing to report here.

Short and sweet - the book... not at all the main character. But, the

absence of "sweet-ness" in Cyd Charisse is probably one of the things about her that endears me to her.

The premise: The book is about this girl who carries around a doll named gingerbread which her real dad gave her at the airport one year and she’s kept it ever since for a reminder of her dad who she never sees.

My thoughts: Rachel Cohn's definitely got a cool style going for her in her writing. This is the first book of hers that I've read but I have watched Nick and Norah... and I will read the next two books about Cyd Charisse Shrimp and Cupcake to test out my theory. But it goes something like this: Illustrate a moment in time for a character and make you feel the impact of the moment, don't drag it on forever, make it short and simple, but include enough backstory to add dimension to the character... and make 'em irresistable.

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LibraryThing member storybook2

Told in first person voice, Cyd Charisse details her life as bad girl, rich girl, unfulfilled girl who comes to some terms after spending 3 weeks with her absent-most-of-her-life father. While terminology and syntax is both amusing and sure-to-be-appealing to teens, the holes in the novel keep me

as mixed up as Cyd - if her stepfather was so doting, why did she feel so much like she was abandoned? When did Cyd and Nancy stop the bonding that promulagated Cyd's notion of bad-girlness? Furthermore, the abortion issue, the crux of the entire novel, was handled flippantly. Cyd's biggest beef was HER sense of abandonment when Justin couldn't find the time to escort her to the clinic? What does the reader glean from the idea that because Nancy had a little support she decided to keep her baby (Cyd) whereas Cyd went through with it? While this book hints at more serious issues, I found myself getting tired of reading about "poor rich oversexed bad girl."

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LibraryThing member lellis04

Gingerbread is a very high interest, quick read book. The quirky narrator is Cyd Charisse, a teenager who has definitely seen a lot of trouble. She carries a doll around, has had an abortion, has a potty mouth and daddy issues. Cohn does a great job with voice in this book. Charisse is hilarious

and a free thinker, and sounds just like any teenage girl you may hear telling stories in the hall at school. It feels as if she is a good friend, telling you a story—with a little embellishing along the way. She has a lot of flaws, and she is not afraid to tell you all about them.

This book is probably written at about a 5th grade reading level, but it is definitely not appropriate for elementary school. There is quite a lot of cussing, talk of an abortion, and on page sex. I get a lot of reluctant high school readers in the library that “have” to get a book for SSR Mondays at my school. Whenever I recommend this book, they come back asking for more. This book is like a chick book for bad girls. Technically, it is the sequel to Cupcake, but it definitely stands alone.

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LibraryThing member dylanesque

Gingerbread is a story about growing up, and ultimately a very optimistic book. The narration remains light-hearted in the face of serious issues, while still acknowledging complexity. The characters are portrayed as good, despite all their mistakes.

Recommended for anyone who needs something

truthful but pleasant.

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LibraryThing member br13shakel

Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn is a book about a 16 year old name Cyd Charisse. She is a very strange girl. She has a doll named Gingerbread that she takes everywhere. She got is from her Dad when she met him for the first time when she was 5. Her parents were never married and he r dad lives in New

York City while her mom lives in San Fiasco. She lives with her mom and Step-Dad and does not really like them. Cyd Charisse has also stolen from surgical supply stores!
This book was ok. It took a long time for me to like it. It started getting really interesting in till chapter 18. It was mostly about her past to get into the story. But going over the past was not like the beginning of the story remembrance it was more like a summery from another book. This book was not all bad. She had a lot of details and I really liked the ending. I thought it was very interesting to see how close she was to this doll. The doll was the only thing she had from her Dad and she missed her dad so the doll Gingerbread was the only thing she had from her Dad.

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LibraryThing member psychedelicmicrobus

Cyd Charisse is not having an easy life. She is completely relatable to any teenager. Being a teen and growing up is not a smooth ride for anyone and Cyd doesn't pull any punches.

LibraryThing member br14lirug

For Cyd, living with her step dad Sid and mother Nancy and her younger half siblings in San Francisco is more an a nuisance than paradise. Her richly decorated home, stylish mother, lenient stepfather and her relationship with her new “awesome” boyfriend Shrimp are slowly crumbling up into a

black hole that she has dug up in her past, the spoiled relationship with her then boyfriend Justin who got her hooked on his dark lifestyle and got her pregnant without giving her any support. After her life changing decision to write her own future Cyd becomes even more witty and sarcastic on quest to fix her broken relations with her parents, Shrimp and her biological father in New York. Her last memory of him was when she was five years old and him giving her a doll that she named Gingerbread. The visit to the East coast opens her eyes in more ways than she has imagined and it's up to her to either find the light or slink away into the shadows with no helping hands to pull her up.

The writing was easy to read and made the book flow. I enjoyed the brief glimpse of Cyd before she was with Shrimp and how her current situation started. “This book is like a nice, light slice of cake; it's no dinner but still fills you up.” I recommend this book for mostly girls, it is a very risky book but it keeps ones attention well.

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LibraryThing member engpunk77

This is like an R-rated version of Spinelli's Star Girl.
I found this for a quarter at the library and bought it for my classroom library. It was in my car at a moment when I had some down-time away from home. I figured it'd be better than nothing, but it turned out to be quite a gem. This would

have been my all-time favorite book had it existed when I was in high school.
***Spoiler Alert for teachers & parents****

Teenage protagonist (age 15?) is promiscuous & has an abortion.

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LibraryThing member Salsabrarian

If Cyd Charisse were to live on a commune in say, Tahiti, it would include her surfer boyfriend Shrimp; her best friend Sugar Pie, and of course her rag doll Gingerbread. They would all drink coffee and eat gingerbread cake and ride dolphins on the ocean. But Cyd Charisse doesn’t live on a

commune. She lives in San Francisco with her parents Sid and Nancy and goes to an “alternative arts school” which is really just a dumping ground for rich kids who aren’t total misfits. Life with Sid and Nancy is no bed of roses, but at least Shrimp, Sugar Pie and Gingerbread keep her sane. But when Cyd Charisse’s parents ground her for spending the night with Shrimp and then Shrimp himself dumps her, she more than ready to leave them all behind and escape to New York City for the summer to meet her real dad and her half-brother and sister. Cyd Charisse’s visit to New York doesn’t turn out at all to be the summer she expected...but maybe it was just the one she needed.

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LibraryThing member fingerpost

Cyd Charisse is a 16-year-old rebellious, eccentric, rich girl with raging hormones. Her mother and step-father don't know what to do with her. When she pushes the envelope too far with her boyfriend, they end up sending her from home (San Francisco) to spend a few weeks with her biological father,

whom she has never really known, in New York City, where she also has a half brother and half sister who didn't even know she existed.
Cyd is a sympathetic and likable character, in spite of herself, and as the book progresses, she slowly becomes more likable, as she learns a few lessons in life, and helps a few other people learn their badly needed lessons as well.

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LibraryThing member nogomu

Quite possible the best teen book I've ever read. Pure poetry.

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