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Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes (Mass Market Paperback)

by Chris Crutcher (Author)

4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (86 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Laurel Leaf; Reprint edition (Feb 1 1995)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 044021906X
ISBN-13: 978-0440219064
Product Dimensions: 17 x 10.7 x 1.5 cm
Shipping Weight: 114 g

Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (86 customer reviews)

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Such superlatives as "riveting" and "powerful" can only hint at the craftsmanship on display in this transcendent story of love, loyalty and courage. While probing such issues as friendship, free speech and moral values, Crutcher ( Chinese Handcuffs ; Stotan! ) tells a tale whose mordant humor, poignancy and suspense pack a breathtaking wallop. A social outcast in junior high due to his excessive weight, narrator Eric Calhoune found a kindred spirit in Sarah Byrnes, whose face and hands were hideously disfigured in a childhood accident. Now a senior and considerably slimmed down through competitive swimming (though still aptly called "Moby"), Eric remains fiercely devoted to his friend, whose caustic tongue is her only protection from life's inequities. When Sarah abruptly stops talking and is committed to a mental ward, Eric is compelled to take action to help her, but quickly finds that he is in over his head. He risks their friendship by breaking his vow of secrecy and enlisting others' aid--help that comes from such unlikely quarters as a former bully, Eric's swim coach and, most surprisingly, his mother's seemingly wimpy boyfriend. A subplot centering on a self-righteous teammate drives home the point that nothing is as it appears on the surface, and leads to Eric being caught between his menacing vice-principal and the even more malevolent Mr. Byrnes--with spine-tingling results. Superb plotting, extraordinary characters and crackling narrative make this novel one to be devoured in a single unforgettable sitting. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up?An obese boy and a disfigured girl suffer the emotional scars of years of mockery at the hands of their peers. They share a hard-boiled view of the world until events in their senior year hurl them in very different directions. A story about a friendship with staying power, written with pathos and pointed humor.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Customer Reviews

86 Reviews

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (86 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great the best book for Teens, Mar 11 2006

By A Customer

This review is from: Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes (Paperback)

This Book Made me think about how good some people have it. This book was also hot tempered and there were people jumping the gun through the entire book. Eric Calhoune was portrayed as a outcast a overweight "loser" whom only had one person to have in his corner as a defense system.Sarah Byrnes a Young Woman Burned and scared by more than just her childhood but it also was clear she had a horrible secret and never told anyone.Sarah Byrnes only had Eric to count on and through the entire story Eric had shown how much he cared for Sarah Byrnes.That is why this story is a good read for Teens.

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3.0 out of 5 stars okay not great, May 13 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes (Paperback)

While I initially warmed to the story of two outcasts who formed an unusual, acerbic friendship, the author's crystal clear political agenda which shone through with an annoying, un-ignorable glare in many scenes put me off. The best authors have the ability to gracefully handle today's "hot button" issues via writing without beating the reader over the head. Sadly, this was not one of them.

However, most of the characters were three-dimensional (except for the Christians). There is much biting humor in the story, and that was what sustained me through it.

Recommended but for liberals only. Conservatives are likely to be annoyed (and with reason) and toss it into the trash.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Staying Detailed for Sarah Byrnes, May 11 2004

By	Brentt (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes (Paperback)

Eric Calhoune is the main character and is quite overweight. Ironically, he's on the swim team but even there he doesn't really fit in. His nickname is "Moby" because he's, well, fat. He becomes best friends with fellow outsider Sarah Byrnes. Supposedly, she was covered in scars after pulling a pot of spaghetti on herself. Together, they write an underground magazine depicting everyone that made fun of them. Then Sarah breaks down completely. Eric desperately tries to snap her out of it without her evil father Virgil Byrnes knowing. More and more details of Sarah's life come out as Eric's once boring life becomes an emotional roller coaster.

I thought the book started off very slow. He spends about half the book explaining past experiences in amazing detail. He describes his swim practices in complete detail. If you are a swimmer, this is the book for you.

Some interesting topics come up randomly throughout the book. Political issues to religion are all portrayed from various viewpoints. Strong beliefs to being very liberal are uniquely displayed in the words of teenagers.

Overall, the book is difficult to follow at times. The author Chris Crutcher, has a remarkable sense of detail and is consistently flashing back to past memories of his relationship with Sarah. However, this sets up the ending well. All the questions are answered and the ending is thrilling and unpredictable.

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Most recent customer reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly Boring
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is a friendship/mystery novel. Eric and Sarah have been friends since grade school and he tells the story about the mystery of Sarah Byrnes and her... Read more

Published on May 11 2004 by cindy

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring!
This book was mainly about friendship. How close two kids were and where it brought them in life. It's about this girl Sarah who was burnt by her father when she was a little... Read more

Published on May 11 2004 by Lisa

1.0 out of 5 stars Irrational plot
The main characters in this book are Sarah Byrnes and Eric Calhoune. Sarah Byrnes is a friend of Eric who has a severly burned face. Read more

Published on May 11 2004 by forty ounces