BEEN THERE, HAVEN'T DONE THAT

Imagine going back to college as an adult and reliving those nightlong conversations about relationships, guys, and ``doing it.'' Sounds pretty awful, doesn't it? Now imagine doing the same thing, only this time you're subjected to a monologue by the most insufferably smug and egotistical girl in your class. And worse still, this self-appointed expert in puerile love is a virgin—and proud of the fact—at the ripe old age of 25. What you have then is Tara McCarthy's memoir of life in the slow lane. McCarthy, a columnist for a Rolling Stonelike Irish magazine, hastens to assure her readers that, although she has never actually consummated a physical relationship, she is no prude (heaven forbid!). She likes men and kissing, and of course she's had plenty of opportunities to have sex (she'll tell you about them all with no prodding), because she's very attractive. And did she mention that she graduated Harvard with a high GPA? Although it may seem like a strange criticism, the only thing that marks McCarthy as a virgin is the fact that she hasn't experienced sexual intercourse. Her decision not to have sex stems from a pretty ordinary Catholic upbringing, and while she often questions her choices, she never tackles the issues with any profundity, such as her lack of moral qualms about engaging in heavy petting, or the deeper social and religious implications of premarital intercourse. Instead, she seems more than satisfied with self-indulgent prating and cataloguing her loves, teasing almost-dones, and other standards of young adult fare.