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    Story of a Girl: A Novel
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    Story of a Girl: A Novel
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    Story of a Girl: A Novel
    Audiobook4 hours

    Story of a Girl: A Novel

    Published by Penguin Random House Audio

    3.5/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    I was thirteen when my dad caught me with Tommy Webber in the back of Tommy's Buick, parked next to the old Chart House down in Montara at eleven o'clock on a Tuesday night. Tommy was seventeen and the supposed friend of my brother, Darren.

    I didn't love him.
    I'm not sure I even liked him.

    In a moment, Deanna Lambert's teenage life is changed forever. Struggling to overcome the lasting repercussions and the stifling role of "school slut," Deanna longs to escape a life defined by her past. With subtle grace, complicated wisdom, and striking emotion, Story of a Girl reminds us of our human capacity for resilience, epiphany, and redemption.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJun 10, 2008
    ISBN9780739371329
    Unavailable
    Story of a Girl: A Novel

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    Reviews for Story of a Girl

    3.5/5

    413 ratings50 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Brilliant!
    • 3/5
      This was a good story with a great voice. The author really captured teenage mentality and the tension between family members who are living paycheck to paycheck while dealing with the rest of life's problems.
    • 5/5
      Story of a Girl starts out with the main character, Deanna Lambert, being caught by her father having sex with a 17-year old boy when she is 13. The rest of the book takes place when Deanna is 16, during the summer between her sophomore and junior year in high school.While the book does deal with the decision of why Deanna decided to have sex so young and the consequences of that choice and being caught, it is about so much more. It also explores how she deals with the image others have constructed of her as a slut and what her own image of herself is. The book also looks at the repercussions of the choice in Deanna's family and her friendships. Although the book does go to some emotionally trying places, the journey is utterly worthwhile.I loved this book. It's realistic YA fiction at its best. The characters feel real and the plot is well-paced and believable. Moreover, despite her flaws and some of her poor decisions, Deanna is a wonderful character whom I just wanted to hug and tell that things would get better. Best of all, the book is a wonderful mixture of sweet, sad, and hopeful. If you enjoy YA, go out and read this book now. Also, read Sweethearts which is equally good.
    • 4/5
      One of the most empathetic stories about teens and family dynamics I've ever read.
    • 5/5
      Some books are written about lovable characters who you admire and root for. Some are written about flawed characters like Deanna, and the author's purpose in such cases is to make us, readers, not to love, but maybe understand them.I realize why Story of a Girl received such mixed reviews. Not every reader cares to get to know someone like Deanna. She is a loser, she is a bad friend, she is a slut, right? It is so much easier to call her all these names and be done with her. Too bad, girls like her are everywhere you look. Open any YA book and here she is - an incorrigible slut and a rotten person.The thing is, I have a problem with the notion that a 13-year girl caught having sex in a car with a 17-year old guy (or any girl for that matter) is a slut. I am sorry, but I am not willing to put this ugly label on a child who has no emotional or intellectual capacity to consent to sex. If nothing else, Sara Zarr highlights the psychological immaturity of girls like Deanna and that sex is not something that they want to do, but a means to satisfy their need for intimacy, companionship and attention that they don't get from their families and friends. Zarr addresses these issues with a lot of understanding, care and compassion.I can't be mad at or dismissive of Deannas of this world. Instead, I feel a lot of sadness towards them. Not only their reputations are ruined, but their years of childhood are lost and their innocence is tarnished forever. I hope they can get over their skewed views of what intimacy is and move on to be better, happier people. I want them to succeed.
    • 4/5
      A story of a 16 year old girl, who, when she was thirteen entered the world of maturity far to quickly, and she is forever shunned because of it. A touching story but definitely not something you want to read to the kids. This is more of a story for teens and young adults. An interesting read, but in my opinion the teen angst could have been lightened just a little bit. All in all a good book but not the best that I've ever read.
    • 3/5
      PLUS - * An interesting look at some difficult issues facing many teenagers .* Reputation: Now aged 16, Deanna's life is dominated by the fact that her dad discovered her having sex with a much older boy when she was just 13. Now she feels that this is all people in her small town are prepared to know about her. * Family: the portrayal of a dysfunctional family is really well written. Deanna's 18 year old brother lives in the basement with his girlfriend and baby, Dad is disappointed in everyone (Deanna, her brother and himself), and her mother loves them all but has no idea how to hold it all together. *Friendship: Deanna's two best friends are now a couple and she feels left on the outside*Coming of Age: now old enough to have a summer job, Deanna is trying to find her own way and plan for the future, which is difficult when her past is consistently coming back to haunt her. MINUS - * I liked the premise and the themes in this book better than I liked the actual writing. The story felt like it could have been fleshed out a little more, and apart from Deanna herself I didn't feel like the characters were really given any great depth.* The book ended really suddenly, and to my mind it felt as if a lot of issues were still unresolved. OVERALL - * A little disappointing. Worth a read, and has some interesting things to say, especially for teenage girls, but I felt that it could have been done better.
    • 4/5
      One mistake---hangs on this girl's life. Things on the outside do not show what is happening inside; hurt, betrayal, family, boys, what people think, what are they saying and what the real truth is. The author takes you inside the head of Deanna, who is doing the best she can to survive High School after being caught by her father with a boy, when she was 13. Deanna lives carefully by navigating the minefields of her small town so not to draw any further attention to herself. And, will she ever be forgiven by her father.
    • 4/5
      Deanna Lambert made a big mistake when she was 13 and started having sex with her brother's friend who was 17. Her dad caught them in a car and even though she's just finishing her sophomore year, she lives in a small working class town where everyone knows the story. She is still taunted by schoolmates, her father can barely look at her, and she has only two friends. Deanna is trying to figure out who she is, where she's going, who can she trust, how she can get beyond the pain.Deanna isn't the only one with problems. Her dad has been laid off from his job and seems angry and depressed, her mom is overworked and tired, but tries with platitudes to make things ok, her brother got his girlfriend pregnant and they along with their baby live in the basement of a worn out sounding house. People coming and going, but not connecting. Her friend Lee has a saying; "we all have stuff we wish we could change. Right?" None of Deanna's relationships is working, and she is struggling to find her way. It's a difficult journey for her and the reader, but ultimately, one very worth taking.
    • 3/5
      Bleak. That's the first word that comes to mind when thinking of this story. I hate bleak books. But this one was interesting. The heroine (whose name escapes me at the minute) covets her best female friend's boyfriend (her only female friend) who just happens to be her best male friend (and only male friend) while working a summer job at a less than thriving pizza joint, living with her depressed father and overly apologetic mother, older brother, his wife and their new baby. After 3 years she is still trying to recover her life after her father catches her having sex in a car with her brother's friend. She's 13 at the time of the incident, the boy is 17. The whole book was just depressing. Her brother and sister-in-law live in the basement, work at Safeway, have a baby and no way out of the life they've made (bad decisions with long lasting effects). Her father still can't look at her after catching her with the boy and makes scathing comments about how she's basically a slut (never said outright but continually implied). The house she's lived in has never been fixed or made into a home. It's just a bunch of people living under the same roof. And then to make it worse, she behaves awfully to her best friend. It's like there is nothing going for this girl at all. There doesn't seem to be any way out of her depressing, awful life. And yet the book wasn't all that bad. It was well-written and even though I read the ending first, I still kept reading the whole thing. Sometimes when I know the ending the writing isn't enough to compel me to read more than the beginnin and ending. But I think this one gets 3 stars because while it wasn't a book that I'll ever read again or even recommend, it was a compelling read.
    • 4/5
      This book was really touching. It's about a girl, Deanna, who's been sexually assulted, sort of, by her brother's old best friend, Tommy. Now she's the school slut, her dad won't even look at her, much less talk to her, and her brother Darren, his wife Stacy, and their kid April are broke, and living in their parents' basement. To add to all that, Deanna's friend Lee is now the girlfriend of Jason, who Deanna has known forever and might be having feelings towards. Eveerything's a mess, and Deanna just has to try to figure things out. This happens in real life for some people, and it's just really sad to think about.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. It is an honest portrayal about having sex the first time and being too young and the emotions that come with it. The novel also describes the effect of such experiences on a girl's reputation. It is not, however, a morality tale. We see how Deanna is seduced and we also see that the older boy is not as heartless as he first appears. The book also describes the effect of this experience on all aspects of Deanna's life--her family, her friendships, her perception of the future. Ultimately, she learns how others forgive her and how she can forgive herself. The ending is especially good because it is not neatly tied up. It's ambiguity, while hopeful, feels realistic.
    • 5/5
      Teenagers are my life (I'm a high school teacher) but they do not trust adults to understand the realities and pressure of teen life. Sara Zarr captures the teen voice with perfect accuracy in The Story of a Girl her first published novel. I recommend this novel to young ladies and gents that want to read a story that resonates with the reality of teen life today. The female lead, Deanna, becomes sexually active in 8th grade and when the boy she trusted and is intimate with blabs the details her reputation is ruined. The novel explores Deanna's world and her attempt to cope and move past a reputation she can't shake. Zarr has excellent prose and was very subtle when introducing intimate scenes. The novel is appropriate for some middle school and nearly all high school students.
    • 5/5
      Will Kanye West's reputation ever recover from his antics at the VMA's? Does he regret his behavior?Have you ever regretted something, wondering if your community will ever be able to forget it so you can move past it?In the 2009-10 California Young Reader Medal nominee Story of a Girl, Deanna is wondering the same thing. When she was 13, her father caught her having sex with 17-year-old Tommy. Rumors spread, and now, 3 years later, people are still gossiping about her. Wort of all, Deanna's father hasn't had a real conversation with her since that day. As her family life falls apart, she relies on her brother and her 2 best friends, who are a couple. Deanna feels lonely and is trying to figure out an escape. As I read this book, I found myself caring about her, rooting for her, and hoping she would figure it all out. She is a girl who made a mistake which took over her life. Will she (and the people she cares about) get past it?
    • 4/5
      Subtle, truthful treatment of a girl (Deanna Lambert) trying to get past her reputation as a "slut" -- earned as an 8th grader when she is caught inflagrante delicto with a high school senior (Tommy Webber) Deanna's father is distant, her mother hapless. She has a true girlfriend in Lee but drives her away. She has conflicted (i.e., sexual) feelings about her oldest friend, Jason. Summer finds her working in a run-down pizza joint with... you guessed it: Tommy Webber. No Hollywood ending, but Deanna copes... and evolves.
    • 4/5
      I really liked this book. Even though it was written at a low-level for its audience, I thought it was really well written. I could really feel for the protagonist and was reminded of how cruel high school kids can be. I thought that the actions and feelings of the young girl were realistic and because of that, so painful. I would recommend this book to a middle school or high school girl, and I think it would be a good book for boys to realize how easy it is to ruin a girl's reputation and what can happen because of it.
    • 4/5
      This book was pointed out to me by the teen librarian at my local branch through LAPL's Teen Web's Summer Reading Life Book List under "Easy To Read, Hard To Put Down." They weren't kidding. This touching, personal story of Deanna, whose father caught her with a senior in the back of his car when she was 13, is told from the vantage point of when she is 16 years old. Dealing with her past while she accepts her present and attempts to change her future, layers are revealed delicately as the reader finds out the reasons behind Deanna's actions then and now. One lives inside Deanna's skin, her desperation, her need to belong to someone, her need for love and affection, and her need for escape. More importantly, one feels the relief in her acceptance and coming to terms with her demons. You don't have to come from the kind of family Deanna does (blue-collar, stuck in low paying jobs with no hope) to understand the situation she feels herself trapped in. Impossible to put down.
    • 4/5
      I read about this book on a blog and I'm sorry to say I can't remember which one. I wish I could because I would go and thank the person who did the review because it made me want to read this book and I'm glad I did.The book's central question seems to be - can you change your life even though you have made mistakes in the past. As adults we know we can though it can be difficult. As a teenager, Deanna Lambert is struggling with this question. After being caught in an indescetion as a 13-year-old with her brother's best friend by her father, Deanna has had to live with being "that" girl. She's now in high school and even though she is not like "that" anymore, she still lives with it daily. As summer comes she starts to explore more of who she is and how what she has done affects everyone. There is her family - her brother who is her best friend, his girlfriend and their baby daughter. She longs to be a family with them. There is her mother who tries hard to keep the peace in the family but works so much she's hardly there and there is her father who has not really looked at Deanna since that fateful night. Deanna also has two good friends. As the summer progresses Deanna learns a lot of things - about her family, her friends and especially herself. It's a wonderful and quick story to read and I highly recommend it to all - from teenagers to adults.
    • 4/5
      Deceptively simple, but moving, story about a girl who accidentally gets herself into a lot of trouble. I liked that she was always regretting what she said, but couldn't really stop herself from doing it. There's something about writing an unsympathetic character or at least one whose actions kind of make you cringe that I think is admirable. I am kind of surprised it was a National Book Award finalist...I actually think that the Sarah Dessen book I read recently was more complex. But, who am I to judge?
    • 5/5
      Although this is slow-moving -- most character-driven novels are -- it is ultimately VERY realistic fiction. I could totally see this happening in someone's life. Deanna's working-class family, and the difficulties that result from her friction with her father, ring beautifully true. I was impressed.
    • 5/5
      I certainly made the right choice by putting this on the very top of my want list! I was apprehensive, as I really disliked the plot Sweethearts, but the writing was spectacular, so I knew I had something to look forward to. From the very beginning, I was glad to see that this was a story about Deanna and her father. There were other conflicts, and they all blended together very well, but it was refreshing to see another YA book that didn't deal with the standard 'he loves me, he loves me not', instead exploring the very powerful relationship between a father and his teenage daughter. In the relationship aspect though, there's nobody in the triangle to be hated. You don't want Lee and Jason to break up. Any way it happens, it works. The only important part between the three remained intact: their friendship. The only nitpicky comment I have to make is that Deanna's 'letting go' was all too fast and wholly unrealistic. That just isn't the way life works. Nevertheless, it all happened with an extremely happy ending, something critically lacking from Sweethearts, which ruined that book for me, and left me loving Story of a Girl.Rating: 5/5
    • 3/5
      Realistic fiction about a girl with a reputation she doesn't deserve.
    • 5/5
      Zarr's novel gives us the story of Deanna, who at 13, was caught having sex with Tommy (who's 4 years older) in his car. Her father is the one who found them; three years later, he still won't speak to her or give any sign of affection. Tommy spread the story around school, and it's followed Deanna ever since, impacting her self-esteem and any chance for a "real" relationship with someone her own age. Now, it's the summer before her junior year and Deanna finds a job in a pizza shop. One of her co-workers is none other than, yup, you guessed it--Tommy. Zarr builds realistic, likeable characters and gives us a compelling story. It felt like I was reading some girl's diary, in that the language used felt like I might actually hear it coming out a teen's mouth. I thoroughly enjoyed the book--I was supposed to be studying for a final exam, and instead I was reading this. The book touched on some very contemporary themes, and in doing so, portrayed family members trying to negotiate new roles for themselves in evolving circumstances. I really appreciated the fact that Zarr gave Deanna a chance to tell off Tommy, but also to forgive him, which to me seemed like a way to let go of what had happened those 3 years earlier. Recommended for purchase for all collections in both public and school libraries.
    • 4/5
      This story was incredibly affecting, the author did a wonderful job narrating.Three years ago, 13 year old Deanna's father found her in the backseat of a car having sex with Tommy. Nothing was ever the same again. Life in a small town can be stifling, but what if you'd already been labeled the town slut before you'd even reached high school? When even your own father can't see past that label? Deanna's relationships to her few friends, her parents, her bother and his teen wife, living in the basement, all are described with deft touches that let you feel the ache in silences, in the slight twitches of her mother's hand towards her face, things expressed as much by a lack of gesture as by words.The ending was a little weak, and I didn't really get a true sense of Lee or Jason, but most of the other characters were well drawn.
    • 5/5
      Ranks up there with The Absolutely True Diary... as one of the most memorable, resonant books I've read in the last year. Gorgeously written, painfully real, and finally hopeful.
    • 2/5
      Excellent book for teens, both girls and boys. A great cautionary tale that could save teens from making some very bad decisions.
    • 4/5
      Deanna was caught doing things she should not have been doing with Tommy when she was 13. He was 19, and though they could have prosecuted, they didn't. Since then, Deanna has lived with the stigma of being a slut. During the summer after her sophmore year of high school, she has very few friends, she feels estranged from her family, and seeks an escape. In her efforts to get a job to save up enough money to move out, she's forced to deal with issues she has buried for the past 3 years.
    • 4/5
      A true to life book with very well-developed characters and witty, bleakly funny dialogue. The book's themes - teenage sexuality, gender oppression, family dysfunctionality, forgiveness and redemption - are handled very well by the author in a realistic and unsentimental fashion. I also really liked the ending, which was hopeful while allowing for a very large degree of uncertainty regarding the intact but greatly strained friendships between the main characters. Strongly recommended for all female teen readers (and the guys too).
    • 5/5
      When Deanna Lambert is 13 years old her dad catches her having sex with Tommy Webber in the back of a Buick. After that, her life is changed forever because her dad can hardly stand to look at her, her friends and schoolmates all think she's easy, and even teachers seem to talk. The problem is... what does she do years later, when that moment just won't seem to go away? Deanna ends up working at the same pizza place as Tommy Webber, and everyone seems to have an opinion about that.
    • 4/5
      The whole reputation in high school theme really rang true. Looking for and finding forgiveness is a powerful theme.