Private (novel series)

Private

Covers of three Private saga novels: the first book (center), the prequel (left), and the spin-off.
Private Invitation Only Untouchable Confessions Inner Circle Legacy Ambition Revelation Last Christmas Paradise Lost Suspicion
Author	Kate Brian
Cover artist	Julian Peploe Roger Moenks Laurent Alfieri C. Havemeyer Andrea C. Uva
Country	United States
Language	English
Publisher	Simon & Schuster
Published	June 27, 2006–Present
Followed by	Privilege

Private is a series of young-adult novels by American author Kate Brian, beginning with 2006's inaugural entry of the same name. With book series about young women in posh inner-circles experiencing a rise in popularity throughout the 2000s, Brian was hand-picked by an editor at Simon & Schuster to launch a new one for the publisher. This resulted in a story chronicling the rise of ambitious teenager Reed Brennan, the series' narrator, as she becomes a member of her new school's elite sorority house—composed of a glamourous yet disparate group of teens known as the Billings Girls. As the books progress, several dilemmas surrounding morality, romance, and mystery arise.

Thematically, moral relativism is a prominent feature of Brian's work. Extreme cases of loyalty and antagonism are personified in characters such as Noelle Lange and Ivy Slade—to degrees that are sometimes questioned or denounced by the narrator. However, it is often only after the details of another character's background have been revealed that Brennan can understand what motivates them, which will occasionally leave her conflicted in her judgments. The series has companion works which are dedicated to further exploring character, including the prequel Last Christmas and the spin-off series Privilege. These subsequent projects center around Ariana Osgood, the saga's third-most prominent figure, who is eventually written out of the original story line.

To further convey the story's tone, the series' art team was composed of select individuals with backgrounds in teenage popular culture and youth-oriented fashion. As a recurring visual theme, each cover from the central story depicts three young women on front, with a fourth featured a slight distance apart on the opposite side.

Debuts of Private novels on the New York Times Best Seller list have generally risen in position. The publisher has also begun converting the series and its spin-off into e-book format. As Simon & Schuster is owned by CBS Corporation and, by extension, associated with CBS and the youth-oriented CW Television Network, fans of Private have campaigned for the series to be adapted into a television program. This has been noted by the author on her blog.

Overview

Private begins with the introduction of Reed Brennan, a savvy and ambitious honors student who enters the prestigious Easton Academy private school. Coming from a shaken family and a mundane everyday life, she is eager to explore the brand new setting that awaits her in Connecticut. Unexpectedly, the center of her fascination soon becomes a famed sorority known as Billings House and the posh girls who reside there—Noelle, Ariana, Kiran, and Taylor. In time, Reed is pining to become a Billings Girl herself, and is faced with many tests and compromises along the way. As the series progresses, several additional characters and their histories are introduced and focused upon.

Pre-production

Preparing the story

File:PrivateLegacy.jpg

Legacy, the sixth book in the series

The series began with the creators intending it to run for at least four books, guaranteeing that the tale's first arc—which encompasses Reed's first year at Easton Academy—would see completion.

Simon & Schuster backed Private with book displays in Barnes & Noble outlets and a promotional contest through CosmoGIRL! magazine, in which 20 winners would receive free copies of book #1. Though it was officially released on June 27, 2006, the author reported that, to her surprise, several editions of the first book were shipped ahead of schedule by the publisher, which would also become a somewhat regular event with subsequent entries.

Brian has stated that the setting of the series was conceived by her editor at Simon & Schuster, while she herself was given free rein to choose a central focus. After a certain amount of consideration, the author decided that mystery would be the ideal center of her characters' environment.

When I sat back to think about what I wanted to do, I thought about the setting of a private school and all of that sort of tradition . . . it seemed like a great place to set a mystery. So that was basically where that all began. And then it just from there became, 'Who is my main character going to be? What does she want? Where are we going to get the mystery from?' Which just lends itself to the mysterious, untouchable Billings Girls, and they are definitely the center of the mystery, at least in the first four books. So that was basically it. It was pretty natural.

Assembling an art team

Model Kaila Wilson being prepared for a photo

The series' cover team—befitting the general tone of Private—was composed of professionals who have worked with teen idols and socialites.

Graphic designer Julian Peploe—who'd previously worked on CD covers for the Pussycat Dolls, The Veronicas, and Brandy—is largely credited for the signature cover image depicting supposed antipathy between one girl and three others. Series photographer Roger Moenks had worked with Joss Stone prior to his being chosen to photograph the Private models. In addition, Mr. Moenks and co-photographer Laurent Alfieri had collaborated before working on Private, at some points taking glamourous photos of young businesswomen from around the world to illustrate a series of portraits written by David Benaym for L'Officiel.

Stylist Christina Havemeyer has stated that when deciding what the models will wear, "I look for obviously what I think is going to be something that a teenage girl is going to gravitate toward," also noting the significance of color and variety. "Mixing and matching is very important. . .you can buy something from the store that's brand new and you can mix it with your grandma's necklace from 1959. So it creates kind of a luxe, but young, youthful look."

Since premiering, the series has been worked on by other noted artists, including Alloy Entertainment's visual director, Andrea C. Uva.

Assembling the models

One of the most frequently asked questions among readers surrounds the cover models, specifically with regard to who they each represent. The young women appearing on the first book—who grace the next three installments as well—portray the following characters according to Kate Brian: Noelle (center), Ariana (left), Taylor (right), and Kiran (back cover). The identites of other characters to appear have largely been left unverified.

Characters

Main article: Private series characters

Private has an expansive cast and a regularly changing hierarchy. As various conflicts ensue, the series is marked by gradual exits, new arrivals, and social ascensions. Consequently, characters who are on supporting status reach new heights, and characters who hold prominent positions are faced with a variety of descents, ranging from quiet to scandalous.

Reed Brennan

The collected, curious protagonist, Reed is a brown-haired, blue-eyed girl from Pennsylvania who enters Easton Academy on a scholarship at the beginning of the first book. Her troubled family background and otherwise placid past makes her overly ambitious and docile when presented with exciting opportunities. Though gifted both academically and athletically, her first major aspiration at Easton is to get into Billings House, which holds the allure of great social privileges and respect. She manages to get the attention of the Billings Girls, and a series of initiations to test her credibility follows.

Noelle Lange

Noelle is a brown-haired, dark-eyed young woman who initially serves as 'leader' of the girls in Billings House. Fiercely loyal to her friends, she is the implied counterpart to Reed, being similarly skilled in lacrosse and soccer, and apparently coming from a shaken family of her own. However, her privileged upbringing tends to make her blunt and sometimes insensitive, as she enjoys intimidating other students as well as the Easton staff. According to some classmates, she can't live without drama in her life. She tends to know everything about everyone, even the things no one else knows. Noelle possesses a mysterious long, red scar along her stomach, just above her hipbone. She has an unstable longtime romantic relationship with another senior named Dash McCafferty.

Ariana Osgood

The series' muse, Ariana is the quietest member of the group, possessing blue eyes, ethereal white-blond hair, and a penetrating stare. She is known for always having her nose in a book, and is considered to be Reed's first friend in Billings, as it was Ariana who introduced Reed to the others. Beneath her exterior, Ariana is eventually revealed to have darker issues as the series progresses.

Kiran Hayes

The most beautiful Billings Girl, Kiran is a model with green eyes and light-brown hair. She has extremely good sense in fashion, and is capable of turning people into superstar lookalikes. She is also known to be shallow and 'bratty' to others. Beneath the surface, Kiran is troubled by alcoholism, which can lead to repercussions for herself and the others. Kiran is also known for her talents of mixing alcoholic drinks.

Taylor Bell

A brainy, sensitive member of the group who possesses messy dark blonde curls and blue eyes; Reed's first impression of her is of a "cherub." She claims to have a photographic memory, and possesses a sweeter and more innocent nature than that of her three friends, as she is often visibly sensitive to others' feelings.

Cheyenne Martin

A series antagonist, Cheyenne is a controlling girl whose ambition is more aggressive than Reed's. She has a public feud with Noelle, and seeks to take her spot as leader of Billings House. Despite being on opposing 'sides,' Cheyenne and Reed tolerate each other at first, but they are thrown into conflict during the events of the fifth book, Inner Circle, when the new year at Easton begins.

Thomas Pearson

Reed's first boyfriend at Easton, Thomas is a good-looking, mysterious senior with anger management and alcoholism issues. Reed looses her virginity to him. He carries a sense of recklessness and danger, which automatically attracts Reed and several other girls at Easton. In Private, Reed discovers that Thomas is a drug dealer and that he comes from a wealthy yet dysfunctional family. He disappears at the end of the first book, a development that Reed does not take kindly.

Josh Hollis

Reed's primary source of temptation, Joshua (often called Josh by his fellow schoolmates and friends) is a blond-curled, green/blue-eyed roommate and best friend of Thomas Pearson in Private. He later becomes Reed's boyfriend in Untouchable. They broke up at the end of Legacy. He has a number of medical conditions that require him to take pills daily.

Constance Talbot

Reed's talky, informative roommate during her stay in Bradwell House, possessing emerald-green eyes, curly red hair and freckles. She becomes a Billings Girl in the fifth book. She also dates Walt Whittaker.

Sabine Dulac

A newcomer in the fifth book. She comes from Martinique and has a French accent. Like most of the Billings Girls, Sabine possesses physical beauty. She becomes Reed's roommate, and the two of them form a strong friendship. In Legacy Noelle returns to Easton and Sabine grows jealous of Reed and Noelle's relationship. She is one of the few to stand up to Noelle, though it usually goes unnoticed by the former. In Revelation it is revealed that Sabine has more than a few skeletons in her closet—ones that were better left hidden.

Dash McCafferty

Described as having Abercrombie & Fitch good-looks, Dash is Noelle's on-again off-again boyfriend. Dash has had an unsteady relationship with Noelle Lange for three years. He has a short fling with Reed Brennan at the Legacy in Reed's junior year.

Ivy Slade

The primary antagonist during books 6 and 7, Ivy Slade harbors a widespread vendetta throughout the series—mainly directed at Cheyenne Martin, Noelle Lange, and all things associated with Billings House. In Ambition, it is explained that she is driven in part by a personal, family-related grudge. Unlike Cheyenne, whose antagonism was more open and aggressive, Ivy employs quiet, calculating tactics. As part of a psychological attack on Reed, Ivy tries to thwart an attempt to preserve Billings, and dates Josh Hollis after he and Reed break up. Eventually, Ivy progresses from the role of antagonist to antiheroine, forming a truce with Reed in the interests of a common goal.

Halls of residence

Easton Academy is unofficially distinguished by a caste-like environment, socially divided by lower-, middle-, and upper-class dormitories.

The series' original Billings Girls

Billings House

An upperclassmen dorm for girls, recognized as the most prestigious of all houses in the series. Acceptance into Billings is granted by invitation only. The building carries a mixed reputation throughout the books; members are typically depicted as being socially and academically privileged, but almost all of the Billings Girls are also shown to engage in varying illicit and snobbish practices. Furthermore, some are not above resorting to methods such as bribery, blackmail, and treachery. Initiations on prospective newcomers are a Billings tradition. However, this practice is banned—and violated—in the fifth book, Inner Circle.

Among the notable inhabitants of Billings House are Reed Brennan, Noelle Lange, Ariana Osgood, Kiran Hayes, Taylor Bell, and Natasha Crenshaw in the first four installments. Cheyenne Martin, London Simmons, Vienna Clark, Rose Sakowitz, Constance Talbot, Sabine DuLac, Portia Ahronian, and Amberly Carmichael reside there in later Private installments.

Bradwell Hall

Bradwell is a dorm for sophomore girls. In the first book, it is where Reed Brennan lives before being admitted into Billings Hall. It is also where Missy Thurber, Kiki Rosen, Lorna Gross, and Constance Talbot reside before their eventual move.

Ketlar House

The dormitory for senior and junior boys where Josh Hollis and Gage Coolidge reside, where Thomas Pearson lived in Private, and also where Dash McCafferty lived in the first four books. This is the dorm that houses all of the most coveted boys on campus.

Drake House

Drake is a dormitory for upperclassmen boys, nicknamed "Dreck" because it is supposedly where all the unsavory boys at Easton live. Kiran Hayes at one point has a fling with a boy from Drake House and is forced to publicly break up with him when the other Billings girls find out. Marc Alberro, whom Reed becomes friends with in Ambition, lives here.

Pemberly Hall

Junior/Senior girls who fall short of reaching Billings reside in Pemberly. When Reed is kicked out of Billings in Revelation, she gets a single in Pemberly, right next to her former nemesis Ivy Slade.

Hull Hall

Hull Hall is where members of staff reside. It is nicknamed "Hell Hall" by the students.

Themes

The central themes in the Private series revolve around sociological matters such as conformity and elitism—particularly as they pertain to an outsider during the coming of age period. As Reed strives to become a Billings Girl, she enters a world of moral relativism that raises questions concerning how far the young women will go regarding matters of sexuality, mortality, and loyalty.

Book releases

The series has maintained a steady release schedule since 2006, with its first arc being re-released in a collected edition during September 2007. With the exception of the first book, which debuted in Canada on June 27, 2006, releases of the US and Canadian editions have been simultaneous, followed by releases in the United Kingdom.

Since its inception, the saga has expanded to include a prequel and a spin-off. In addition to release dates, the tables below account for New York Times Best Seller list peak numbers.

Book #	Narrative #	Title	US release	UK release	New York Times peak
1	2	Private	July 1, 2006	February 5, 2007	N/A
The initial entry follows series protagonist Reed Brennan during her introduction to Easton Academy, her interactions with romantic interest Thomas Pearson, and her discovery of an elite dorm called Billings House—a legendary but shady monument, said to have been resided in by senators, movie stars, news anchors, and others. Reed is soon faced with an assortment of challenges in her efforts to gain acceptance with the Billings Girls.
2	3	Invitation Only	November 7, 2006	July 2, 2007	N/A
The first continuation of the series, following Reed's ongoing journey as she discovers the fuller extent of what it means to be a Billings Girl, with the issue of blackmail entering the picture and secrecy becoming more prominent. Also, Reed finds out about an exclusive party called the Legacy and tries to find a way to get in.
3	4	Untouchable	December 26, 2006	November 3, 2007	N/A
This edition focuses on the mystery surrounding the lost life of a major character. While dealing with the repercussions, Reed finds comfort in the arms of a love interest, but is soon faced with an ethical dilemma as he becomes a suspect in the case.
4	5	Confessions	April 24, 2007	March 3, 2008	7
The fourth entry marks a series milestone by closing the book on Reed's first year at Easton and concluding the story's first arc. Major resolutions and revelations are presented, with Reed's primary focus being an ultimately life-risking quest to uncover the truth surrounding the campus mystery.

Book #	Narrative #	Title	US release	UK release	New York Times peak
5	6	Inner Circle	August 28, 2007	June 2, 2008	3
The fifth installment marked a new beginning for the series, following the initiation of Reed's second year at Easton and giving greater prominence to supporting characters—namely Constance, Astrid, Missy, Kiki, and Lorna. The ambitious Cheyenne Martin rises to new heights on the social scene, putting her at odds with Reed due to differences over the fate of Billings House. Additionally, a newcomer named Sabine arrives at Easton, joining the campus conflicts.
6	7	Legacy	February 19, 2008	October 6, 2008	2
As life changes rapidly, Reed is promoted to Billings president—leaving her to reap the benefits of her new position, while being simultaneously challenged by the various duties and expectations it brings. A central focus of the book concerns Reed's increasingly troubled relationship with Josh. This matter is fueled by a number of factors, including her growing commitment to her new position, the return of Noelle Lange, and the romantic advances of Dash McCafferty, who flirts with Reed via email and eventually in person.
7	8	Ambition	May 5, 2008	February 2, 2009	3
After the dramatic events of the previous book, Reed, president of Billings, is now tasked with preventing her dorm from being shut down. As part of a deal with Headmaster Cromwell, Reed soon learns that she must raise 5 million dollars in only one month. During that time, the Billings Girls attempt to find ideas for a grand fund raiser. Also, Reed begins to find things such as black marbles and Cheyenne's clothes in her dorm room, leading her to suspect Ivy Slade—Josh's new love interest—of planting these artifacts.
8	9	Revelation	September 16, 2008	TBA	TBA
After being exiled to Pemberley after the video of she and Dash was spread to the entire school, Reed must grapple with becoming an outcast, being Ivy Slade's new neighbor, getting back into Noelle's good graces, and above all, finding Cheyenne's murderer—before they come after her.

Book #	Narrative #	Title	US release	UK release	New York Times peak
9	1	Last Christmas	October 7, 2008	TBA	TBA
This prequel revisits Ariana Osgood during the events of her junior year, including her relationship with Thomas Pearson.

Book #	Narrative #	Title	US release	UK release	New York Times peak
10	10	Paradise Lost	February 24, 2009	TBA	TBA
Paradise Lost will follow the Billings Girls on their vacation to St. Bart's during winter break.
11	11	Suspicion	September 8, 2009	TBA	TBA
The eleventh installment.

Spin-off

Book #	Narrative #	Title	US release	UK release	New York Times peak
1	1	Privilege	December 30, 2008	TBA	TBA
As with the prequel, this spin-off will also focus on Ariana Osgood, following her present life and her ties to her former classmates.
2	2	Beautiful Disaster	June 2, 2009	TBA	TBA
The second installment of the Privilege series.

Reception

The series has been mostly well-received among Brian's fanbase, while critical response has generally ranged from positive to mixed. After covering the first book, a review for Publishers Weekly stated that readers would "no doubt eagerly await the next installment," but also cited issues with characterization in the series opening. Comments in this regard have normally claimed that Reed is the only character who is initially well-developed, with Publishers Weekly remarking that "the Billings Girls themselves are stereotypical, but Reed is more complex than most of this genre's narrators." This matter remained under scrutiny as the series moved on, with a review from School Library Journal being generally neutral, claiming that the continued series includes "characters and situations that are interesting yet familiar." Children's Literature praised Brian's writing style for presenting "a very easy read, broken up into small chapters that allow the quick pace to carry the reader through."

In a survey conducted via the Website polldaddy.com, readers of the Private series voted Reed Brennan their favorite Billings Girl. Conversely, a more critical review from School Library Journal claimed that in the first book, several elements of her personality were left underdeveloped, including her apparent lack of ability to "empathize at all with her mother's pain-killer addiction."

On January 15, 2008, Kate Brian posted an excerpt from Legacy on her MySpace blog, which was met with generally positive feedback.

There has been controversy regarding Brian’s grasp of the characters’ names and physical appearance. Throughout the beginning of the series, when the character of Kiki is first introduced, her last name is Rosen. However, as the series progresses, her name switched to Kiki Thorpe. Also, one of the secondary characters, Joshua Hollis, possesses green eyes in Private, Invitation Only, and Inner Circle, but has blue eyes in the other installments. A critic stated in a review for Amazon.com that the appearances of many of the secondary characters, with the exception of a few, changes "with each new installment."

Multi-media

Trailer

To promote the release of Inner Circle, Simon & Schuster teamed with the New York Film Academy in 2007 to produce an Internet-released live-action trailer for the novel. Written, produced, and directed by John Paschall, the short film is included in Amazon.com's "Reel Reads."

Fan campaign

Fans of Private are currently campaigning for the series to be adapted into a television program or feature-length film. This appeal is bolstered by the fact that the series' publisher, Simon & Schuster, is owned by CBS Corporation, and thereby associated with CBS and the CW Television Network. On June 10, 2008, Kate Brian posted a link on her MySpace blog directing readers to a fan-organized petition regarding a proposed TV series or motion picture. Following this author referral, activity on the petition saw a fast and drastic increase.