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Wow It's hard to believe that Tom Wolfe was once a "cutting-edge" journalist on par with the late Hunter S. Thompson. I'm really sorry I purchased this fat book. It's certainly the most overwritten, wordy, and ultimately SHALLOW novel I have read in ages; I was only able to finish it by forcing myself -- and now I wish I had that time back. I Am Charlotte Simmons is quite bad. Wolfe seriously needed much more aggressive editing here. The main character of Charlotte is really a cartoon character (no depth or complexity at all) -- and she's the best-drawn character in the book! Not at all content to tell Charlotte's simple story, Wolfe had to "flesh out" the novel (by hundreds of pages) with other cartoon characters: jocks, frat boys, etc -- all stereotypes. Each character is more shallow -- and instantly forgettable -- than the next. This book is really a HUGE corporate hype-job. It pains because I purchased another book off Amazon: The Losers' Club by Richard Perez -- a vastly more authentic novel than Charlotte -- and yet one book, The Losers' Club, lingers in total obscurity while Wolfe's Charlotte continues to rake in readers. I'm tired of being a victim of marketing! If you want to read a seriously funny novel, read The Losers Club: Complete Restored Edition by Richard Perez. Forget Charlotte Simmons -- truly a 600 + pound turkey. Unbearably tedious.