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Review
“The relationship between Ursula and Matt grows, credibly and compellingly, against a convincing high school backdrop. Readers will relate to the pressures these two experience, both at school and from their parents, and be gratified by their ability to emerge the wiser.”
Publisher’s Weekly
Praise for Joyce Carol Oates’ writing:
"Miss Oates is one of our most audaciously talented writers. Her gift is so large, her fluency in different genres – poems, short stories, novels, essays – so great, that at times she seems to challenge the ability of readers to keep up with her."
Erica Jong
“One of the greatest writers of our time."
John Gardner
Product Description
Hard-hitting, page-turning and celebratory of friendship in unlikely circumstances, Joyce Carol Oates' sure touch with small town life hits home in her first young adult novel.
Matt Donaghy is the class joker, and Ursula Riggs is the misfit loner. Neither knows the other. But when Matt is suddenly arrested on a charge of threatening to blow up the school and massacre the students, Ursula is the only one who sees through the hysteria and hypocrisy, and corroborates Matt's story.
The case is dropped, but Matt's old friends avoid him, and his teachers treat him with kid gloves. Even Ursula, apparently his only friend during the crisis, can't meet his eye. But Ursula can't remain aloof when she catches Matt contemplating suicide – and a strange friendship is born.
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Customer Reviews
'Big Mouth and Ugly Girl' is not like 'Blonde'. It's very easy to read. It starts off with one of the two protagonists toppled from his perch whilst the other contemplates whether she even wants a perch. The way Matt and Ursula meet, back away, then meet again is carefully detailed, and very enjoyable to read, although Oates is such a good writer that she makes you want to shove them together sometimes.
Matt and Ursula are part of what makes the story work, as they are so easy to understand. Matt is the joker, but underneath his carefree persona lies a deeply intelligent, sensitive boy. Ursula is a non-conformist female athlete, tall and muscular, an Amazon in every sense of the word, loving yet hating her isolation, yet refusing to compromise. It is Ursula's determination to stand up for justice that causes her path to collide with Matt's, and her determination to live life that saves him from suicide. She tells him the truth even when he doesn't want to hear it, as the lawsuit which Matt's parents file causes huge tension in the town.
However, the supporting characters are also great. Ursula's little sister Lisa, suffering the double pressures of ballet and the fashion world... Matt's dog Pumpkin, an innocent victim... the two sets of parents, both anxious to protect their children in their own ways from what is happening.
Like the previous reviewer, I would agree that 'Big Mouth and Ugly Girl' is not just a story about trust, friendship and justice but also a sharp critique of the times, of how people refuse to take responsibility, of what needs to be done in order to ensure the safety of young people all over the world, not just America.
I would recommend this to anyone.
This book's merit is accentuated by its strong character portraits, which are beautifully flawed and human; and the tone of Oates' writing, which forces the reader to admire/pity/suspect the integrity of each person simultaneously.
I think I've found a highly readable gem.
The protagonists of the book are Ursula Riggs, an unpopular girl who even in her family is pushed in the background by her sister who is an excellent ballerina. Ursula calls herself "Ugly Girl". The second protagonist is Matt Donaghy, a popular cool boy who always is in focus with his big mouth. But not much longer...
It all begins when two FBI-agents get Matt out of the classroom. He is accused of planning an attack of his school. Sure, he has shouted around in the cafeteria that he was probably blowing up the school, if his play won`t be performed. But which person believed that? All students know him well. He is a big mouth and he often makes some jokes. However, the next day the headline of the newspaper calls "Boy wanted to blow up the Rocky River Highschool". Nobody wants to involve with Matt any longer apart from, Ursula Riggs who had never speak with Matt before. She tries to defend Matt as a witness.
The rest of the book is about the consequences for Matt and how people want to destroy Matt`s life. A wonderful friendship develops between Matt and Ursula. They against the rest of the world! Besides the change in perspective of the narrator is interesting. The change of the chapters between Matt and Ursula is showed in different perspectives. When it relates to Matt it`s a third-person narrator and when it relates to Ursula it`s a first-person narrator. It seems to be as Ursula is the narrator of the story.
Unfortunately, I miss the suspense in this book. At some places it seems to will be exciting, but it had not really revited me. The message of the book should be that you only see in borderline situations who your real friends are.
But be warned: It`s a girls-book!
To put it in a nutshell, it's a nice book and I will give three out of five stars because I'm a friend of suspense and the suspense was missed in this book.
I would recommend this book just to girls who like lovestories and stories with an happy ending!
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