Customer Reviews

Sara's Face (Puffin Teenage Books)

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Jonathon Heat was a famous rock star who had his own compound, surgeons, and assistants. All of the things a rich and famous celebrity would have--and then some. In fact, due to so much cosmetic surgery and experimental procedures, somehow Jonathon's face was destroyed to the point that he wore a mask at all times. With his high celebrity status, wearing a mask became a widespread thing to do. There were all sorts of masks--some with snouts, some with real hair, half-masks, full masks.

Sarah was once an unknown and sometimes self-destructive girl. She had big plans to be famous and was saving for several forms of cosmetic surgery: new [...], a better face, liposuction later on. It was part of her long-term plans. When Sarah's destructive behavior spiraled out of control, she burned her face with an iron and her mother had her placed in the hospital. Sarah claimed it was an accident, but not everyone was convinced. This is when she met Jonathon Heat. He came to visit children in the hospital, but somehow already knew a great deal about Sarah. He lured Sarah to his compound with the promise of free cosmetic surgery to fix the burn mark.

It was almost Michael Jacksonish the way Jonathon took Sarah in. Sarah moved into his mansion and was his constant companion. The two were constantly photographed together and speculation about their relationship was rampant. However, when readers were exposed to Sarah's video journals, we learn a completely different view of what was really going on. Secret rooms, security cameras covering every inch of the property, and maybe even ghosts. It's very difficult to tell what really happens, what Sarah might be imagining, and what she may even be making up. However, it is obvious there is more to Sarah being a guest at Jonathon Heat's compound than free cosmetic surgery.

The mood of the entire book is eerie. Creepy. There is always something going on that is just not right. It keeps readers wanting to read more because they have to know what is going on and what is going to happen. The whole world that the author, Melvin Burgess, has created will leave you wondering if this type of situation could actually happen in the not-too-distant future. If you want to read a book that will keep you wondering even after you have finished reading it, then you should definitely read SARA'S FACE.

Reviewed by: Dianna Geers

SARA'S FACE
MELVIN BURGESS
Contemporary YA
Simon Pulse

Rating: 2 Enchantments

Jonathon Heat has nearly everything--fame, millions of fans, success, and money. Unfortunately, he no longer has the one thing he craves most--beauty. Years of experimental cosmetic surgery, and all for fame, have caused his face to collapse, leaving disgusting strips of rotting flesh. Now, he hides behind a mask and waits, hoping his cosmetic surgeon Dr. Kaye will find a way to restore his beauty.

Sara is an elusive and mysterious girl, known by few and truly understood by no one, not ever herself. She is obsessed with beauty and convinced that she is never pretty enough, skinny enough--perfect enough. This fixation leads her to idolize the rock star Jonathon Heat. In him she sees a kindred spirit. Unfortunately, this can't be a good thing if Jonathon Heat is as cunning, imaginative, ambitious, and unreliable as Sara is.

Sara's big break comes when she meets Jonathon Heat after an "accident" scars her face and leaves her in the hospital. The aging rock star recognizes Sara as beautiful--and offers to pay for the cosmetic surgery she yearns for. Sara is ecstatic; fame is nearly at her fingertips. But the longer she stays with Jonathon, the more she begins to doubt his pure intentions. She, and the rest of the world it seems, begins to wonder, what really will become of Sara's face?

Don't let the intriguing summary fool you; I was incredibly disappointed in this book. I originally picked it up because it sounded like a unique psychological thriller, but I was less than impressed with the execution of the plot and Burgess' style of writing, which pretty mush ruined my experience with this novel. SARA'S FACE is written almost like an investigation (biography wouldn't be the correct word) of Sara, with interviews with primary sources, transcripts of Sara's video diary, and other published documents. Now, I'm all for innovative writing styles, but the problem was that Burgess didn't totally stick to his format. There were conversations that seemed made up, because it was unlikely a witness would remember it word for word, and accounts of events where only Sara was present, which would be impossible for the author to know because he made it clear that no one knew Sara. The plot was frankly boring most of the time; it felt like I was reading a monotonous textbook. Only at the very end does anything get truly interesting, but by then, I've lost my sympathy for Sara because the preceding events in the story were way too jumbled and confusing. I felt Burgess' message in SARA'S FACE was very weakly conveyed, and I'm sure most readers will miss it, if they even make it to the end. SARA's FACE does provide some food for thought about fame and vanity, but overall, it's just not interesting enough for me to recommend it to anybody.

Melvin Burgess has written many novels, including SMACK, DOING IT, BLOODTIDE, and BLOODSONG. His works have also been adapted for film and television.

Rachael Stein
Enchanting Reviews
November 2008

Burgess is at his spooky/creepy best with this great book. Sara is
determined to be famous and is taken under the wing of one of the most
famous people in the world. Unfortunately, he's addicted, so addicted to
plastic surgery, he's got no face left. Teens will revel in this warped
world of the rich and famous, alternately rooting for Sara and booing her, for after a while, you begin to wonder whether Sara meant for everything to happen.

A friend recommended this book and although it's not usually something I'd read, I decided to check it out. It was unsettling how you could totally relate to the characters sometimes. I read it right around the time Michael Jackson passed away and it really made me reflect on the demands made by fame in our culture. Great character development, and had me on the edge of my seat. This book is an awesome rainy day read, but won't likely last you long because you won't be able to put it down.

I am a big fan of Melvin Burgess. I think I would read anything by him. His novels always, no matter how strange and bizzare they might be, capture my imagination and take me on the ride of my life. For Sara's Face I had no idea of what really to expect because I did no research on it before buying it. I only knew it would be something different to what Ive read before. And I was right. I really enjoyed reading it. I really dont know where to begin in describing this story. All I can think of is to say imagine if Michael Jackson was the character Nickolas Cage played in Face/Off. Bizzare? I know but bare with me and Burgess and see for yourself.

Sara's Face (2006) is an intelligent, disturbing thriller from Melvin Burgess. Burgess is a popular (in the UK) author of young adult fiction, known for refusing to pull his punches. His books, despite their youth audience, deal honestly, openly and often graphically with drugs (Junk), sex (Doing It) and homelessness (Lady). Sara's Face is Burgess's assault on the fame culture of modern, youth society.

The book is constructed in a modern, self-reflective way. An author (alluded to being Burgess himself) is trying to reconstruct the tragic events involving Sara - a young wannabe - and Jonathan Heat - a disturbing and popular A-list musician (a sinister combination of all the Michael Jackson's creepiness with Madonna's business savvy).


The story is told through a series of interviews and transcripts - the latter largely from Sara's video diary. Sara and Jonathan, although they are the book's protagonists, are "not available for comment", so although they are quoted profusely, their throughts and motivations remain secret.

Sara's Face isn't Burgess's finest effort, but it is undeniably gripping - skillfully emulating the un-put-downable quality of the tabloid culture that he's lampooning. Sara is an alternately pathetic and loathesome creature - from her earliest years, she's a devious, driven, eerily adaptable sociopaths that will do anything to succeed. Jonathan Heat is even more horrific - a artist so desperate to prolong his time in the spotlight he's completely and literally sacrificed his own identity. The message isn't subtle - stardom doesn't just require a lack of self-awareness, it requires a complete lack of self. Jonathan and Sara are prepared to be stars, but by the time they get there, the 'Jonathan' and 'Sara' identities are completely lost.

Burgess mixes up the Sun-style biopic with a few additions of his own. Sara's Face is alternately social satire, ghost story and, for a few brief moments, young adult action-adventure. The latter are probably the weakest additions to the overall story, but probably necessary to keep the reader from contemplating suicide by the half-way point.

In Sara's Face, Burgess has created another deeply-unsettling modern thriller on the nature of celebrity. Although intended for a young adult audience, the themes are depressingly ageless and will resonate with an adult reader as well.

This is one odd book. I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting into with this book but it was an interesting premise and an interesting book. I can't even remember why I ordered this book; I think the idea of it intrigued me.

This book has a very slight sci-fi bent to it but mostly it is about what would you give for fame and fortune. Sara is a pretty girl who believes that she is going to be extraordinary one day. She sees beauty as art and is determined to make herself art. She is a disturbed girl who is constantly pretending that she is different people, she also loves hiding her beautiful face behind hideous masks. She often thinks of herself as ugly and feels like when she looks in the mirror that is not her face; it is someone elses. Sara also has bizarre accidents that many of her friends/family think are self-inflicted. It is while she is in the hospital recovering from one of these accidents that she meets Jonathan Heat. Jonathan Heat is a superstar; he had so much work done on his face that his face collapsed and he now wears a mask. In Sara, Jonathan sees a kindred spirit. He offers to take her under his wing to teach her everything he knows, and (the biggest thing to Sara) to pay for cosmetic surgery for Sara's whole body. Of course there will be a price, but could Sara ever guess the cost?

The story is done in an interesting way. The author is acting as a journalist who is trying to recreate the events that lead to the final stages of Heat's and Sarah's working relationship. Some of the chapters dictate a video journal that Sarah kept. Other chapters are interviews with the people surrounding Sarah. Some of the chapters are just chapters reporting the facts that the author has found.

It was an engaging read, and also very disturbing. The story was set up in such a way that you really wondered what was going to happen in the end. You both feel sorry for and despise the tragic figures of Jonathan Heat and Sara. There are a number of side characters that are both very caring, good people and very selfish, evil people. All in all I enjoyed the story and how it was put together. This book made me interested in reading more of Burgess's work.

The story is a mystery that is all about the price you put on being perfect. It is also about people who feel detached from their own bodies and how damaged they can be. There is a bit of sci-fi twist to some of the cosmetic procedures performed and there is a bit of supernatural twist to the story as Sara chases a faceless ghost throughout Heat's mansion. It was an intriguing story and I am glad I read it.