Product Description

Chase Marin is an 18 year-old girl filled with more confusion than common sense. A daughter of affluent parents, Chase is expected to go to college at the University of Arizona and prove herself as equally successful as her big sister. How can she do that when she doesn't even know herself? Dagny Robertson is everything that the Marin's would want in a daughter - too bad Dagney's own parents don't even know their only child, borne from their intense love, exists. Now, Dagny works on her graduate degree while acting as a TA in Psych 101. Can this older woman, once the worshipped babysitter of a lost eight year-old girl, help Chase find herself?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #189645 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Customer Reviews

Stories Within a Story... More Fun Than Should Be Had In One Book
This reader always enjoys a story by Kim Pritekel. I've read all of her published books and all of her online stories (at least those I've found). Her writing is generally good for a good dose of angst and frustration, but she tells a heck of an Uber story. This one is told in the present, but includes a series of well-introduced flashbacks.

`Lessons' is about Chase Marin - tall, brunette, blue eyes to die for - is a college freshman with controlling parents and no major. Her sister can do no wrong and she seems to wonder if she was switched at birth. Begrudgingly going to Arizona State, Chase is surprised to find her childhood babysitter, Dagny Robertson - short blonde with devastating green eyes -- , teaching her psychology class. Feeling a connection, but not truly cognizant of their history, the two women strike up a conversation. It doesn't take long before they realize how they know each other.
Over the course of Chase's freshman year, they get reacquainted and begin to develop feelings neither of them is willing to recognize or voice. As their relationship continues to grow, they deal with a series of unfortunate events such as Chase's best friend's rape, her sister's engagement, and Dagny's ex-boyfriend's death. Ultimately, they can no longer hide their feelings and that's when all hell breaks loose.

Not only is the story well told, it has a myriad of different levels and dimensions. There seem to be many small stories within the story. In fact, even Joie and Jenny - characters from one of her web-posed stories - make a cameo appearance. This one will be a permanent addition to my personal collection. Do yourself a favor and give it a shot.

A superb storyteller
There are certain stories that are repeated in literature, told again and again by different writers. What is it about one version that makes it stand out? Makes it more than the pat retelling of something that the reader is already familiar with? Since it can't be the story itself, it has to be the skill of the writer in drawing the reader in and causing her to want to know how this version ends.

Chase Marin is just beginning college, more of an escape from her family than a real interest in education. Many things are changing in Chase's life and she's feeling very uncomfortable trying to sort out what is causing them and, more importantly, how to react to them. Things seem to get a little easier when she discovers that the graduate student who is teaching one of her classes is an old friend from when she was much younger. Dagny Robertson is a few years older than Chase and was once her babysitter. She always seemed to understand the younger Chase when her family didn't and they reestablish their friendship based on the same kind of understanding for each other. As Chase moves through the process of establishing more mature relationships with her friends and family, Dagny becomes the stabilizer she can always turn to. As time passes though, Chase comes to realize that her feelings for Dagny go beyond the hero worship she felt as a child and the friendship she feels as an adult. She's concerned about this because she isn't sure how Dagny perceives the relationship, so she has to hide her feelings. This is refreshing because the friendship is important enough to Chase that she's willing to suppress the desire for anything else to keep from threatening it. As the story continues to unfold the challenge for both Chase and Dagny will become to decide which is more important, the friendship which has become so crucial for both of them or a relationship that neither is certain she's ready for.

What makes Pritekel's book stand out is that she takes the time to develop her characters. They don't rush through a few pages making instant discoveries and proclaiming undying love for each other. More than once the story takes a turn which leaves its outcome in suspense. The reader also gets to know these two women and their friends. They have lives that involve other people besides the two of them. Anyone who has read many romances already has an idea of where the story is heading. It's how the book gets there that makes this one appealing. By the end of the book, Chase and Dagny are people you wish you really did know. Lessons is well worth reading in order to feel that experience.

Lifetime of Learning,Living, and Loving!
I have read a lot of books in the last couple of years and I would have to say this has been one of my very favorites! If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would! It is deserving of more... The story and the characters are wonderful and very endearing. Kim Pritekel tells an intersting story of growing up and learning new things about yourself and the world around you. You never stop learning! What you learn and how you choose to use that knowledge on your path of life, makes us who we are. I thought the characters were very well written and the book flowed nicely. The chemistry between the two main characters, Dagney and Chase, is so passionate. This book is very real and believable. Lessons was an easy, enjoyable read. I couldn't put it down until I finished it. I highly recommend it and this amazing writer! I will keep this book in my collection to read again and again!