Story of a Girl (2007) by Sara Zarr takes place in Pacifica, California at the high school of Tera Nova. The novel stays within this small town compressed of angst created by all the rumors of eighth grader, Deanna Lambert. After Deanna is caught by her father in the back seat of high school Junior, Tommy Webber’s car, tensions arise within the Lambert household. In addition, Stacy, Deanna’s brother Darren’s girlfriend, becomes pregnant with their daughter April. Once the three of them move into the Lambert house Darren and Deanna’s father becomes withdrawn from his children’s lives. As Darren, Stacy and April try to find their own house Deanna is faced with troubles of her own. When she introduces her best friends, Jason and Lee, too each other they start dating and Deanna grows to be jealous of what they have. Furthermore, when Deanna lands a job at Picasso’s Pizza she is in awe over who her coworker is. It is not until Deanna’s Junior year in high school does everything start to resolve and start to become normal once again.
Critically acclaimed and well known for her 4 major works
First novel, Story of a Girl(2007)
National Book Awar Finalist, American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults (2008)
Other Publications:
Sweethearts(2008)
Cybil Award FInalist
Once was Lost(2009)
Kirkus Best Book (2009), Utah Book Award Winner, INSPY winner
How to Save a Life(2011)
L.A. Public Library Best Book (2011), ALA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults (2012)
Next Book:
The Lucy Variations (2013)
Characters and Conflict
Deanna Lambert is a thirteen year-old girl when her life takes a complete 360 after getting caught by her father in the back seat of her brother, Darren’s best friend, Tommy Webber’s car. Deanna’s father refuses to acknowledge her until three years later when she enters her Junior year. When Darren’s high school girlfriend, Stacy becomes pregnant with April, the three of them move into the basement of the Lambert house. As Deanna’s mother tries to repair the severed relationships among the family tensions rise. Jason, Deanna’s best friend as well as the boy she has a crush on tries to protect Deanna from the rumors and Bruce Cowell’s jocks at Tera Nova high school. When Lee, Deanna’s only other best friend comes into the picture from out of town, Jason and Lee start dating which impairs Deanna’s relationship with both friends. When Deanna gets hired by Michael, the boss at Picasso’s Pizza, she finds out her Tommy works there as well. Relationships continue to get worse from then on before they start to get better.
My Review
"Sarah Zarr’s first novel, Story of a Girl examines the struggle of forgiveness and redemption through the teenage life of Deanna Lambert. Once her father finds thirteen year old Deanna in the back of seventeen year old Tommy Webber’s Buick the battle of self worth and relationships has just begun. This strikingly emotional novel grabs the reader’s mind as pity falls among the Lambert family. Deanna’s brother, Darren who used to be Tommy Webber’s friend in high school continues to live in the basement of his parents house with his girlfriend, Stacy and their newborn child April. As Deanna’s relationship continually grows astray from her father, she learns valuable life lessons of how one action can change your life forever, from kissing your best friend’s boyfriend to being the school’s rumor for what seems like eternity. This young adult novel is an insightful look at the teenage perception. Once picked up one would not want to be put this novel down. Zarr’s analysis of responsibility tied with independence is a unique flair that will stay with you long after you are done reading it."
-Megan Gangewere
Theme:
In Story of a Girl, Sara Zarr conveys the message that forgiveness in a family is essential to one's self worth.
Style Analysis
Sara Zarr's unique style is portrayed through her writing pace, as well as time sequencing and the first person point of view she wrote her novel in. She also uses expansive and collqouial diction, frequent dialogue and paragragh structure to create her sense of style. In addition, the character development, relations and evolution play a huge role in Zarr's style along with symbolic figures.
The expansive pace is clear with the tense change in Zarr's novel that goes from past to present.
"Zarr’s involving yet somewhat anti-climatic debut opens with a bang as Deanna Lambert recalls the moment that caused everything in her life to change” (Publishers Weekly).
“In her small town, the tag sticks, and continues to define Deanna’s life for the next three years” (Publishers Weeky).
The first person point of view is told through Deanna Lambert as she matures.
“The author credibly explores Deanna’s confusion about how good it feels to be with Tommy and her thoughts that she should be feeling something else” (Publishers Weekly).
There is a vast change in tone that goes from hostile to hopeful, which becomes apparent through the heavy description of the atmoshpere.
“I ran all the way back to the house, for once walking through the front door unafraid” (Zarr 188).
“Deanna’s extremely dysfunctional family is not much help... Zarr’s story ends on a hopeful but realistic note with everyone taking baby steps toward something approaching normalacy” (Kirkus Reviews).
"I stood outside the front door for my usual count of ten before walking inside" (Zarr 11).
"I know that having faith in your fmaily isn't the same as God or religion or whatever, but I could kind of get what Lee meant about believing in something when it made more sense not too" (Zarr 174).
Colloquial dicton is used, as well as frequent dialogue, to create an informal style of writing while setting the scene.
Zarr renaming the town Pacifica as “Pathetica”
“Deanna Lambert is a complete nympho.. Deanna Lambert is a complete physco… Deanna Lambert is beyond pathetic…” (Zarr 17).
“'It’s (Pacifica) got everything: the beach, a video store, Safeway, rent I can almost afford. It’s quiet, but I can be in San Fransisco in half an hour anytime I want'” (Zarr 81).
Character development plays an important role in Zarr's style as she creates character relations, stereotypical characters and even has Deanna's perspective evolve from negatvie to positive.
“The Lambert family is so realistically portrayed in their actions and interactions with one another, each of the characters seems truly alive” (Olson).
“Sophomore Deanna Lambert made just one mistake to turn herself into the ‘school slut’” (Kirkus Reviews).
"Bruce Cowell and his pack of jock-wannabes" (Zarr 4).
“Inspired by her idea to find her own place, Deanna gets a summer job to start having money” (Olson).
“She’ll (Deanna) finally address why she did what she did with Tommy and how she feels about it now” (Olson).
"He's laid-back. He's loyal. He gets it. In fact, the only thing wrong with Jason is that, at the time, he happened to be the boyfriend of my other best friend, Lee" (Zarr 8).
The paragragh structure varies with paragraghs as Deanna's journal entry. Within these multiple journal entries ,Deanna creates a symbolic figure of a 'surfer girl' that lives the life she only dreams about before diaster struck her family.
"Deanna began the story of 'the girl on the waves.' By doing this, she gave the girl 'personal feelings I didn’t want to feel.' The girl would think about her dad and the happy times they shared when she was a child. These were the times before the girl’s dad ignored her” (Olson).
"And if I ever met the girl on the waves, this is what she would tell me: Sometimes rescue comes to you. It just shows up, and you do nothing. Maybe you deserve it, maybe you don't. But be ready, when it comes, to decide if you will take the outstretched hand and let it pull you ashore" (Zarr 189).
About the Book
Story of a Girl (2007) by Sara Zarr takes place in Pacifica, California at the high school of Tera Nova. The novel stays within this small town compressed of angst created by all the rumors of eighth grader, Deanna Lambert. After Deanna is caught by her father in the back seat of high school Junior, Tommy Webber’s car, tensions arise within the Lambert household. In addition, Stacy, Deanna’s brother Darren’s girlfriend, becomes pregnant with their daughter April. Once the three of them move into the Lambert house Darren and Deanna’s father becomes withdrawn from his children’s lives. As Darren, Stacy and April try to find their own house Deanna is faced with troubles of her own. When she introduces her best friends, Jason and Lee, too each other they start dating and Deanna grows to be jealous of what they have. Furthermore, when Deanna lands a job at Picasso’s Pizza she is in awe over who her coworker is. It is not until Deanna’s Junior year in high school does everything start to resolve and start to become normal once again.
Get to Know Sara Zarr
Characters and Conflict
Deanna Lambert is a thirteen year-old girl when her life takes a complete 360 after getting caught by her father in the back seat of her brother, Darren’s best friend, Tommy Webber’s car. Deanna’s father refuses to acknowledge her until three years later when she enters her Junior year. When Darren’s high school girlfriend, Stacy becomes pregnant with April, the three of them move into the basement of the Lambert house. As Deanna’s mother tries to repair the severed relationships among the family tensions rise. Jason, Deanna’s best friend as well as the boy she has a crush on tries to protect Deanna from the rumors and Bruce Cowell’s jocks at Tera Nova high school. When Lee, Deanna’s only other best friend comes into the picture from out of town, Jason and Lee start dating which impairs Deanna’s relationship with both friends. When Deanna gets hired by Michael, the boss at Picasso’s Pizza, she finds out her Tommy works there as well. Relationships continue to get worse from then on before they start to get better.
My Review
"Sarah Zarr’s first novel, Story of a Girl examines the struggle of forgiveness and redemption through the teenage life of Deanna Lambert. Once her father finds thirteen year old Deanna in the back of seventeen year old Tommy Webber’s Buick the battle of self worth and relationships has just begun. This strikingly emotional novel grabs the reader’s mind as pity falls among the Lambert family. Deanna’s brother, Darren who used to be Tommy Webber’s friend in high school continues to live in the basement of
-Megan Gangewere
Theme:
In Story of a Girl, Sara Zarr conveys the message that forgiveness in a family is essential to one's self worth.Style
Analysis
Sara Zarr's unique style is portrayed through her writing pace, as well as time sequencing and the first person point of view she wrote her novel in. She also uses expansive and collqouial diction, frequent dialogue and paragragh structure to create her sense of style. In addition, the character development, relations and evolution play a huge role in Zarr's style along with symbolic figures.
The expansive pace is clear with the tense change in Zarr's novel that goes from past to present.
The first person point of view is told through Deanna Lambert as she matures.
There is a vast change in tone that goes from hostile to hopeful, which becomes apparent through the heavy description of the atmoshpere.
- “I ran all the way back to the house, for once walking through the front door unafraid” (Zarr 188).
- “Deanna’s extremely dysfunctional family is not much help... Zarr’s story ends on a hopeful but realistic note with everyone taking baby steps toward something approaching normalacy” (Kirkus Reviews).
- "I stood outside the front door for my usual count of ten before walking inside" (Zarr 11).
- "I know that having faith in your fmaily isn't the same as God or religion or whatever, but I could kind of get what Lee meant about believing in something when it made more sense not too" (Zarr 174).
Colloquial dicton is used, as well as frequent dialogue, to create an informal style of writing while setting the scene.Character development plays an important role in Zarr's style as she creates character relations, stereotypical characters and even has Deanna's perspective evolve from negatvie to positive.
The paragragh structure varies with paragraghs as Deanna's journal entry. Within these multiple journal entries ,Deanna creates a symbolic figure of a 'surfer girl' that lives the life she only dreams about before diaster struck her family.
Works Cited:
Olson, Kristi. “Story of a Girl.” Rev. of Story of a Girl, by Sara Zarr. Teen Reads. The Book Report,
10 Mar. 2007. Web. 17 May 2012. http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/story-of-a-girl.
“Story of a Girl.” Rev. of Story of a Girl, by Sara Zarr. Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus, 15 Dec. 2006. Web. 17
May 2012. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sara-zarr/story-of-a-girl/#review.
“Story of a Girl.” Rev. of Story of a Girl, by Sara Zarr. Publishers Weekly. PW.com. PWxyz, 2007.
Web. 17 May 2012. http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-316-01453-3.
Zarr, Sara. Story of a Girl. New York: Little, 2007. Print.