Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

Rating:
Summary: Great Message
Review: Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is one of the most touching books I have ever read. It is a story about a girl named Sarah who was mysteriously burned when she was three. She makes friends with a fat boy named Eric Calhoune(aka Moby)because they both have what they call "terminal uglies." When Sarah stops speaking Moby gets very worried about her and realizes what a true friend Sarah is to him. This book gives a wonderful message which is: don't judge a book by it's cover. Even though Sarah and Moby have "terminal uglies," they are both living, breathing human beings on the inside and everyone should realize that.

Rating:
Summary: My favorite book.
Review: The question I get asked most often has got to be, "So what's your favorite book?"

It's a tough one to answer, because there are so many wonderful books out there. But when all's said and done, I think I have to go with "Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes," by Chris Crutcher.

Overweight Eric "Mobe" (as in "Moby") Calhoune and burn victim Sarah Byrnes united during junior high because of their shared "terminal uglies," fighting off bullies and insidious school faculty, to name a few.

Now in high school, Mobe's an athlete on the swim team, despite his efforts to remain plump and preserve his treasured friendship with Sarah Byrnes (sick of every idiot calling attention to her condition and her last name, she makes everybody call her by her full name).

When she winds up in the psych ward, the story launches into something both horrifying and heart wrenching: When Sarah Byrnes was three, her abusive father Vergil held her face to a hot stove.

Mobe's got to find a way to protect her from her father and bring her back into reality.

It's a truly gripping tale, one that will have readers on the edge of their seats. Vergil Byrnes is by no means an ordinary villain; he is a monster. But Crutcher doesn't simply stop with Sarah Byrnes' saga.

On the sidelines, but no less important, is the story of Mobe's rivalry with Mark Brittain, a fellow swimmer.

Mark is hardcore religious, while Mobe's more accepting and easygoing. It's fascinating to watch such different individuals with so different beliefs go head to head, whether in the pool or in their debate class, Contemporary American Thought.

It's heavy stuff, but Crutcher adeptly balances it by giving his characters the ever welcome gift of sarcasm. The humor is a welcome counterbalance to such controversial taboos as abortion, religion and censorship. Virtually every line is one that will make you howl with laughter, even as you are moved to tears by the characters' plights. This, my friends, is real life.

And what characters there are! Besides the aforementioned few, Eric's mother is a delight, the very picture of hip maternal instincts, and her geeky boyfriend Carver ultimately proves heroes can come in surprising packages. Ellen Lemry, Mobe's swim coach/CAT teacher/adviser is a force to be reckoned with.

But my hero is Steve Ellerby, an enigma in and of himself. Son of a preacher and a choir boy, he also possesses an obnoxious blue car and what some would consider a sacrilegious personality. He's acerbic, he's disrespectful, he's fun.

And he has the best scene in the book, but race through it and you'll miss it when Brittain kneels at the pool side to lead his teammates in prayer: "Ellerby drops to both knees, throwing his head back as he stretches his arms wide, and loudly begs Jesus to come swim the laps for him. When there's no answer, he opens one eye to a squint and asks if John the Baptist is home. 'Damn,' he says in the face of no response."

In fact, "Staying Fat" is frustrating because no amount of description will be adequate in capturing its splendor in its entirety. This review is only the tip of the iceberg. There's still so much to discover: Read it and find out for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: So boring!
Review: Sorry, "Staying Fat" fans, but trying to read the first chapters of this book was a horror! It's not a challenging reading level for me, but among the negative list is bad character introduction, unnecessary details (that make the book long and boring), and just plain boring-ness. I commend the author for creating such a good story idea, but he ruined it by writing the way he did.

Rating:
Summary: A hilariously heartbreaking trip to HS, even for adults!
Review: Labeling "Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes" a Young Adult title does it a bit of a disservice, since it can also be a nostalgic (and safe) trip back to high school for adults who felt like misfits--in short, nearly everyone! "Moby" is viciously well-crafted, a character who manages to share the pain he feels for his friend (and alter ego?) Sarah with the reader through the sharp and often wicked humor of one who has to laugh to keep from completely falling apart. Although the adults tend to be broadly drawn, "Moby's" mom is a gem, albeit one who could use a bit more polish (a character trait, not the author's flaw). Although I'm hardly a conservative, I did find the portrayals of the Christian kids too broad, on the other hand, Moby would be apt to paint them with the same broad stroke as Crutcher (as would most HS'ers). I've often thought this would make a fantastic movie, especially for the likes of John Hughes. Anyway, I'm 38 (I read it for a class in adolescent literature) and it has become one of my all time favorites. If you have a misfit HS'er, or you were one yourself (really, who didn't think they were?) don't miss this hilariously heartbreaking trip back to the emotional Tilt-A-Whirl that was life in the high school years!

Rating:
Summary: Staying Detailed for Sarah Byrnes
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A powerful, sad, honest novel
Review: Chris Crutcher has tapped into the teenage psyche for this one. This is a most confusing time in any person's life: you are just starting to deal with certain issues (sex, fitting-in, questioning religion, et cetera), and you may be angry and don't know exactly why. I remember my teenage days quite vividly and have found that I can relate to this story on certain levels.
This is a story about Eric "Moby" Calhoune, a so-called fat kid, who bonds with Sarah Byrnes, an outcast burn victim. They form a friendship that is tested on many occasions by Sarah's inability to face her past and her relationship with her father (Mr. Byrnes is one of the most evil characters I have ever encountered in literature). Soon things get dangerous for both Sarah and Moby, but I won't divulge anymore details. You must read the book to find out what happens.
I will only say that while this book centers on abuse (in many forms), it also deals with a wider range of teenage problems. What is so profound about this story is that it could happen, it may have even happened to some of us or someone we know. It's truthful and realistic. Be careful. It may hit you hard when certain things are revealed. If you tend to cry while reading books or watching films, you might want to have a tissue handy when you sit down with this one.

Rating:
Summary: A Splendid Choice
Review: Chris Crutcher's, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, is truly one of the most inspiring novels that could be read by any age group. This piece of literature has an amazing quality of portraying the hardships and triumphs faced by adolescents these days. Not only does Crutcher write in a sympathetic and easily understood style, but also with a little added humor. Any person can sympathize with Sarah Byrnes and Eric Calhoune, the story's main characters. The mysteriously scarred face and the body size of Eric have made them outcasts their entire lives; however, it is these imperfections that have made them inseparable best friends. Eric must prove his devotion to Sarah when he suddenly discovers her in the psychiatric ward of Sacred Heart Hospital, completely withdrawn from human existence. Eric uncovers the horrific origin of Sarah's scars, and must decide between betraying the trust of his friend or granting her wish of keeping the secret. This story offers an unmistakable theme that everyone can relate to. The twists and turns presented by the author leave readers hungry for more and more. In fact, the only regrettable part of this novel is the undeniable fact that it has to come to an end. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is a must read for persons of any age.

Rating:
Summary: okay not great
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Incredibly Boring
Review: 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 family. Eric eventually starts to lose weight from joining the swim team in high school but Sarah Byrnes gets self conscious about herself and is afraid Eric wont talk to her anymore. To prove to Sarah Byrnes that he isn't one of the jocks, he eats extra helpings of food to stay fat for Sarah Byrnes.

I think the author could of talked about different stories throughout the book. He would drag on and on about one subject that would be absolutely boring if they didn't know or take interest in that topic. Most people wouldn't.

This novel is a little confusing at first because it goes from past to present all the time. I read this book with my literature circle and everyone agreed that the book wasn't interesting to read. In my opinion, it went real slow and was boring. It was hard to keep reading the book when I had too. If you were looking for real friendship romance and mystery books, I'd defiantly think you should try out a different book. The real interesting parts of the story were way at the very end. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. No offence to the rest of the people on the net that read the book and thought it was fabulous.

Rating:
Summary: Boring!
Review: 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 girl. Her best friend Eric does everything he can to help her. He even stays fat so she doesn't think he'll make new friends and leave her. When Eric finds out more secrets about Sarah's life he wants to help her with her problems.

The author just dragged on about stupid things that were just mainly thrown in there to fill pages. The beginning of the book drags on and talks about Eric and how he's involved in swimming, and how he gets interested in this girl, and conflicts start to happen. The book seems like its supposed to focus on Sarah and her family. When really the book focuses on Eric and his life.

I do not recommend this book. I think the book went really slow, and I found no interest in it at all. It was very boring. I think that the author could of did a better job maybe make the book a little more realistic and more exciting!