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JT LeRoy

Sarah: A Novel Paperback – June 9, 2001

by J. T. LeRoy (Author)

392 ratings

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The national bestselling first novel by a virtuosic young talent.

Cherry Vanilla, twelve years old with a penchant for short leather skirts and make-up, has one dream: to become the most famous 'lot lizard', or truck stop whore, in the business. With his blond curls and his naked ambition he is determined to be more woman than most, and to match his idol, rival, and mother, Sarah. Adopting her name and sex, he heads off into the dangerous and fantastic worlds pocketed away in the West Virginian wilds. On his journey for fame he meets with sinister pimps, luck-restoring Jack-a-lopes, superstitious prostitutes who take him for a saint, and a host of bizarre and beautiful outcasts that make up his unusual, heartbreaking world.

Print length

160 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Bloomsbury USA
Publication date

June 9, 2001
Dimensions

5.56 x 0.47 x 8.24 inches
ISBN-10

158234146X
ISBN-13

978-1582341460
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Editorial Reviews

Review

'A deft and imaginative first novel.' -The New York Times Book Review -- The New York Times Book Review

'[LeRoy is] a hungry writer with the instincts of a person who fishes to eat. Once he hooks the reader he doesn't let go...quick, lively, and fascinating.' -- Bookforum

'[an] edgy but thoroughly engaging first novel...larger than life...comically Dickensian.' --San Francisco Chronicle

About the Author

J.T. LeRoy was born in 1980. First published at the age of sixteen, he has since published articles and stories in Spin, Nerve, NY Press, and several anthologies, under the pseudonym Terminator. He lives in San Francisco.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury USA (June 9, 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 158234146X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1582341460
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.56 x 0.47 x 8.24 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,199,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #24,052 in Coming of Age Fiction (Books)
- #40,696 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction
- #126,371 in American Literature (Books)

Customer Reviews:
392 ratings

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LAURA ALBERT (lauraalbert.org -- photo by Albert Sanchez) won international acclaim for her best-selling novels "Sarah," "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things," and "Harold's End," written as JT LeRoy. She is the subject of the acclaimed documentary feature "Author: The JT LeRoy Story" by Jeff Feuerzeig. Her speaking engagements include NPR's story-telling series The Moth, Radiolab, Foyles in London, and Brazil's international Book Bienal, where Laura and Alice Walker were the 2012 U.S. representatives. Laura was a writer for the HBO series "Deadwood" and wrote the original screenplay of Gus Van Sant's "Elephant," winner of the 2003 Palme d'Or at Cannes. She was also Associate Producer of both "Elephant" and Asia Argento's film of "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things." Laura has served as a juror for the Brasilia, Sapporo, and A SHADED VIEW ON FASHION FILM festivals. Writer of the films "We Vault" and "Dreams of Levitation" for Nowness, Laura has also written for The New York Times, the London Times, Spin, Film Comment, Filmmaker, Interview, and Vogue, and was a contributing editor to Black Book, I-D, SOMA, and 7x7. She is currently an editorial director for ContentMode, an editor for Diane Pernet's www.asvof.com, and a contributor to 429 magazine; she has also been an invited speaker at the annual conferences of dot429, the world's largest LGBTA professional network. Her breakthrough interview given to Nathaniel Rich was the cover feature of the Fall 2006 issue of The Paris Review. She also gave an extensive interview to Adam Langer for the August 2013 issue of Interview Magazine. Laura and JT have become the subjects of the hit Brazilian rock musical "JT, Um Conto de Fadas Punk" (JT, A Punk Fairy Tale).

Customer reviews

5 star		64%
4 star		17%
3 star		9%
2 star		7%
1 star		3%

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Colin Carr

Sarah (by JT LeRoy)

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 2, 2014

Verified Purchase

I havent read a book in a long time. In fact, haven't heard of author Laura Albert until recently viewing the film adaptation of The Heart Is Decietful Above All Things. Then decided to check out this JT Leroy fella (who really isn't a fella which caused a huge uproar from fans). Downloaded the kindle version of Sarah which I surprisingly finished. That's probably the biggest compliment, because I could never stick a book. It was that appealing to me.

Miss Albert deserves a lot of credit. She delves into a world that most are either unaware of or choose to ignore. She's just the person you'd want to represent that, being a victim of child abuse (physically, sexually, and emotionally). It's my belief that people tend to overlook those things because of how depressing they are. They don't want to know. From my understanding, Sarah is an easier book to digest than The Heart because it's more humorous. In fact, alot of the characters are more likeable. Even had quite a few laughs.

That's not to say there aren't any disturbing moments. It kind of comes with the territory. The second half of the novel is where it gets darker.

Its a quick read (166 pages), but doesnt feel rushed. The content is whats really important. If the content is good and story written well, sometimes you wont even realize. All the little details have charm and even put a smile on my face. This dark world can surprisingly feel welcoming. The book talks alot about the diner Cherry Vanilla goes to back home (even mentions the kind of meals served).

There are alot of similarities with The Heart. Jeremiah's relationship with Sarah mirrors Cherry Vanilla's relationship with Sarah. The scene where Jeremiah seduces his mother's boyfriend is another example. It seems to me Laura Albert has a thing for identity, and how it can be taken from you.

I really enjoyed Sarah, and despite its disturbing side can be quite fun. It's definitly not for kids, though I'd say could be fine for someone over sixteen. The Heart Is Decietful Above All Things is probably a different story.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

fala_la

bad pimp". I want to snuggle into its sentences

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 2, 2018

Verified Purchase

Ever look out the car window while passing through the Blue Ridge
Mountains and imagine an alternative life? SARAH paints a strange
nightmarish dreamscape far beyond what most could imagine. It has
spontaneity, deep empathy, and characters that you can smell, feel,
pinch – as well as a subject matter that balances between refreshingly
original and disturbingly taboo.

This book has powers, too. It can turn your judgment, a system that's
been curated for an entire life, upside down, transforming "All pimps
are evil" to "good pimp, bad pimp".

I want to snuggle into its sentences. They make the story flow like a
river, smooth at points, tumultuous at others. The prose is simple
where it needs to be, careful not to call attention to itself, but
rather used in the mission of telling a great American tale.

I am floored by some of the 1 star reviews that claim the characters
are one-dimensional. The narrator – aka Cherry Vanilla aka Sarah aka
She-rah aka Saint Sarah aka Sam – evolved before the first page was
even written. Ancillary people are lightly sketched, but the ones
closer in are so real, silky, bristly, damp, odoriferous, creepy.

I re-read SARAH after coming across the documentary "Author: The JT
LeRoy Story". I had read it many years before, and like so many people
was intrigued by this gender-fluid it-lit boy.

When the NY Times story broke that the author was probably a much
older woman, I was exuberant. Not knowing the backstory, I empathized
with the need to hide behind a male persona. After all, whenever I had
a dispute with a bill or bank or landlord, and I wasn't getting
anywhere, I'd have my elderly father call. Problems were solved in
minutes.

Regardless of how SARAH was created, it is a gem and one of the best
books I will ever read. I highly recommend it for voracious or
occasional readers, and especially for aspiring writers. I'm looking
forward to this author's future works, under any pen name or persona.

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kindle Customer

What’s the hype?

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 7, 2021

Verified Purchase

I, like many others, probably watched the documentary and wanted to read the books that caused the hype. I had high hopes and it carried through the first part of the book, then it just plain got weird. First of all, there are no “chapters”, rather, parsed by an extra line. Ok, not a big deal, I can look past that. But JT tends to just fly off into another world forgetting that you’re along for the ride.

I did like the quick read but didn’t like getting lost in the direction of the storyline. That’s why I gave it 3 stars.

Also, how anyone thought this was real, I’ll never know. Ok. Maybe if the author was truly 17, I might be more excited what comes out of them at 30 but this just fell flat to me. Seems a bit too far fetched…more like a fantasy.

I bought her other book at the same time. Had I read this first, I probably would’ve passed and maybe just watched the movie.

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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer

Underwhelming

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 31, 2018

Verified Purchase

Pretty underwhelming. How anyone believed this was based on a true story I don’t know. I could accept it as a fantasy written by someone who had some similar experiences, but it lacks any kind of depth. It is not all bad, this lack of depth does lend itself to the idea of a teenage novice writer and there are moments where the writer appears to relate at least to the emotions of the circumstances. However i feel if it were a teenage novice writer who had written this it would have a rawer rougher more authentic feel. It would most likely be good. This is not good, the writer is not skilled enough (in my opinion) to take on this character and convey them with anything other than superficial voyeuristic engagement. It reads like something that is neither experienced Nor more importantly researched by the author.

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

The reader will then be rewarded with a book which reads like a modern western

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 26, 2017

Verified Purchase

It’s fair to say that a subject matter of rent boys, pimps, parking lots and racoon penis bones SHOULD sit uncomfortably with the reader, but that should be your weakest reason for not giving this book a try.

I’m not going to give a run through of the characters or aspects of the story, as approaching this novel with a clear mind is perhaps more beneficial. The reader will then be rewarded with a book which reads like a modern western, as the characters are deep and broken, the locations dirty and unforgiving and the dialogue is honest and brief. People only say what needs to be said.

The moral I took from this book, is that regardless of how low a fellow human’s life appears to be, or actually is, the desire to prove ourselves or achieve something lies within us all.

Alexandra Moore

Really cool read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 14, 2019

Verified Purchase

A superb writer. Behind the Holywood facade of JT Leroy is a brilliant author...and with thanks to 'JT Leroy' her books are here with us today. Be sure to check out Laura Albert's other books too! They provide an unique reading experience with an interesting style of language use!
Also, watch the documentary with Laura Dern as Laura Albert, such an intriguing story.

One person found this helpful

Angharad Stephens

Controversial topic, but a great read!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 6, 2018

Verified Purchase

I was presented this book as part of a reading list for one of my modules that I am taking. Our lecturer allowed us to continue with it after reading the extract she gave us, if we do wished to due to the topic of the book.

I am so happy I did. The story manages to envoke so many different emotion throughout reading, whilst still engaging the audience with the wonderfully written characters! It is a real page turner, and I did not realise how the time flew whilst reading it, as I got so engrossed with the narrative and characters!

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who was to branch out into a different style and genre of reading. Although Sarah is shocking at times, it is well worth a read!

One person found this helpful

M. F. Tarrant

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 13, 2016

Verified Purchase

Purchased for a friend after reading it myself. They don't know what to make of it...! Top marks.

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