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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43172 in Books
• Published on: 2003-05-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

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

About the Author
Born in upstate New York in 1938, Joyce Carol Oates has twice been nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature. She has won the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, the Pen / Faulkner Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. She is the author of a number of distinguished books in several genres, all published within the past twenty-five years, and is the Roger S. Berlind Distinguished Professor of Humanities at Princeton University.

Customer Reviews

Just as good as her 'adult' novels, maybe even better
When I read this novel, I had already finished 'Blonde', the author's adult meditation on Marilyn Monroe, what made her tick, what made that ticking stop. I liked it, but came away feeling rather dazed from the density of the language and the sheer pain in the writing.

'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.

More than a story
Before reading this, I was unaware that Joyce Carol Oates is in fact a Pulitzer Prize winning author. I expected a provocative story of 'friendship and family, loyalty and betrayal', which it is. However it is also a moralistic fable and social critique exploring what is fundamentally responsible for the present messy state of the world. First published in the US last year - and set in a post-Columbine, pre-9/11 high school - Oates succinctly highlights valid issues within our lives, societies and selves which might culminate in certain tragedies.
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.

big mouth and ugly girl - the review
this is a great book about a friendship between 2 interesting teenagers who appear as complete opposites but prove to be quite similar and how it develops into more than a simple friendship. the book is written in a flowing, funny style and keeps you wanting more till the end. i recommend it to teenagers interested in friendship and romantic stories between the ages of 12 and 15.