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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Side-splitting, May 6, 2009
I was eager to get Swim the Fly by Don Calame. Because it is, in a word, hilarious. But being an English major, I can not be concise and therefore must use words to describe this novel: uproarious, rollicking, fun, and side-splitting come to mind.
Matt's about to spend the summer the way he and his friends, Coop and Sean, always do: competing against each other to be the first to reach a goal. This summer's goal? To be the first to see a real live naked girl. Soon Matt's got another goal to reach: swimming the 100 yard butterfly on his swim team to impress his crush Kelly and the new girl on the swim team. To accomplish this, Matt seeks the help of a eccentric and nearly-sadistic swim instructor, Ulf, who tortures Matt with his unorthodox training methods. Meanwhile, the race to reach the guys' goal continues with hilarious results.
Calame's background as a screenwriter (Employee of the Month and the Disney Channel original movie Hounded) shines throughout the novel, as each page is perfectly paced, beat by beat. Here the laughs really are a mile a minute. As each plan fails - some the fodder of popular teen shows, such as nude beaches, hiding in the locker room - they get more wild and ridiculous, but always hilarious. Whether it's the mishaps due to a powerful new laxative or an ill-fated trip to a nude beach, Matt and his friends never fail to bring the laughs. Although slightly crude, like films of the Jude Apatow ilk, Swim the Fly still packs a lot of heart. The rest of the novel is rounded out with great moments by his family, including a grandfather sweet on a widowed neighbor. Not just a boy book, it's a great summer read and one that'll be packed in my beach bag this summer!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hilarious... with a heart., June 30, 2009
Like all great comedies, Swim the Fly transcends "funniness."
In addition to the almost incontinence-causing hilarity, this book is true to life, capturing the awkward, sometimes mortifying experience of being an adolescent, while entertaining with brilliant characters, snappy dialogue and a gripping, redemptive story.
The novel is full of witticisms that stick in my memory, but are probably unprintable here (I haven't read Amazon's review policy). Calame has that rare gift of fiction writers -- a fresh, unique and memorable voice.
He has hit the ball out of the park here.
p.s. I had the same feeling of hearing an original voice that I did when watching Juno. I hope this, too, is made into a movie.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Read That Doesn't Talk Down to Teens, November 15, 2009
I spotted this for my 13 year old swimmer son and read large parts myself after he fell asleep. Reminded me of Carl Hiaason (his adult fiction, Skinny Dip), fast very well written and creative. My 15 year old picked it up and said, "I won't like this, I'm not on a swim team." I think he later read it twice. Laugh out loud funny and yes, the consensus in our household is that it would make a great movie. Buy this for your teen and enjoy it yourself.
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