 First edition | |
| Author | Kat Spears |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young adult fiction |
| Published | 2014, St. Martin's Griffin |
| Media type | Print, e-book, audiobook |
| Pages | 320 pages |
| ISBN | 1250051436 |
Sway is a 2014 young adult novel by American author Kat Spears and her debut novel. The work was first published on 16 September 2014 through St. Martin's Griffin and is a modern take on the story of Cyrano de Bergerac. [1]
Jesse "Sway" Alderman is a person who can get you whatever you want, like a date with that one person that seems to be completely unattainable. As a result, Jesse has developed a reputation for being calm, collected, and never letting anything deter him from successfully completing his transactions. This resolve is tested when Ken, the school's football captain, asks Jessie to help him win over Bridget, a good girl that has already rebuffed his advances. No one is more surprised than Jesse when he finds himself developing feelings for Bridget and he's even more shocked when he finds himself bonding with Bridget's brother Pete, as Jesse goes out of his way to avoid making any real friendships. Pete has cerebral palsy and as a result, has a limp, an asymmetrical face, a huge problem with low self-esteem, and a massive chip on his shoulder regarding what he sees as people (including his own sister) being nice to him only out of pity and his parents constantly comparing him to Bridget, who they view as practically perfect.
Pete immediately latches on to Jesse, who initially gives a lackadaisical response to Pete's attempts to hang out with him but finds himself somewhat enjoying their encounters even as Jesse manages to successfully unite Ken and Bridget. The only thing that bothers him is Pete's pessimistic attitude about himself and his negative behavior towards Bridget, which culminates in the two boys fighting. They make up soon after and Jesse even attends Pete's birthday party, only for Ken (who was also invited) to corner Jesse and begin berating him for attending and accuse Jesse of only befriending Pete in order to get Bridget to fall for him (Jesse). Irritated and knowing that Ken would not believe that he truly liked being around Pete and that the friendship was not intentional, Jesse sarcastically says that he only befriended the boy in order to hook Ken and Bridget up and that he found him to be unlikable- only for Pete to overhear the entire conversation. The following day Pete calls Jesse in an attempt to hear the whole story, but Jesse lies and says that everything Pete heard was correct, as Jesse believes that Pete and Bridget would both be better off without him. Some time later Jesse is urged by others to visit Pete in the hospital (as he has had surgery) and apologize, but after Jesse leaves the building he is severely beaten by an associate named Skinhead Rob, who is angry that Jesse had stopped doing business with him due to Jesse spending most of his time with Pete.
Afterwards Jesse manages to barely contact someone to pick him up before he blacks out. A day or two later Jesse attends the school's homecoming celebration, where he watches Ken and Theresa (an upbeat, overweight girl and friend of Bridget) get crowned king and queen—something that Jesse arranged to happen. He's approached by Bridget, who expresses concern over Jesse's appearance and upon some prodding, reluctantly states that Ken has been a good boyfriend so far. This exchange is witnessed by Ken, who tries to beat Jesse but is unsuccessful as he is caught by Bridget, who demands to know what is going on. At this point Pete steps forward and divulges that Ken had Jesse investigate her and set the two of them up, which causes Bridget to grow disgusted with both boys. Weeks later Jesse approaches Pete at the Special Olympics, where he finally admits to Pete that he has missed him terribly and that he views him as his best friend. The two boys make up and Jesse also later makes up with Bridget, with whom he finally shares a kiss.
Spears began writing Sway with the intent to focus on the friendship between two main characters, Jesse and Pete, and to use the book's romance as a secondary plot device to create tension between the two of them. [2] She drew upon elements from the story of Cyrano de Bergerac, but also from her own years as a teenager. [3] Spears also drew upon biblical history classes she took during college and has also described the book as "my imagining of what a friendship between Jesus and St. Peter would look like in a contemporary high school setting—with loads of artistic license, of course." [2] Prior to completing the book Spears wrote about 600 pages of plot details before finishing her final draft, which was at 300 pages. [2]
Critical reception for Sway has been predominantly positive, [4] [5] and the book has received praise from the Richmond Times Dispatch . [6] Publishers Weekly and the School Library Journal both gave favorable reviews, [7] and the School Library Journal wrote that the work was an "engaging story that will stay with readers long past the final page." [8] The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books stated that "Perspective is handled beautifully: Bridget clearly only appears perfect because she’s focalized through Jesse, while readers get glimpses of the real Jesse through the responses of other characters, particularly Bridget, keeping him wholly sympathetic even at his most jerkish moments. Readers will thus be torn between wanting a guy like him around to make things happen and wanting to fix him so he isn’t that guy anymore, and they’ll be heartened when he ends up a little of both." [9]
Edmond Eugène Alexis Rostand was a French poet and dramatist. He is associated with neo-romanticism and is known best for his 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac. Rostand's romantic plays contrasted with the naturalistic theatre popular during the late nineteenth century. Another of Rostand's works, Les Romanesques (1894), was adapted to the 1960 musical comedy The Fantasticks.
Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist.
Roxanne is a 1987 American romantic comedy film directed by Fred Schepisi and starring Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah. It is a modern retelling of Edmond Rostand's 1897 verse play Cyrano de Bergerac, adapted by Steve Martin. Rostand is mentioned in the opening credits.
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Cyrano de Bergerac is a play written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand. The play is a fictionalisation following the broad outlines of Cyrano de Bergerac's life.
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Cyrano de Bergerac is a 1990 French period comedy-drama film directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau and based on the 1897 play of the same name by Edmond Rostand, adapted by Jean-Claude Carrière and Rappeneau. It stars Gérard Depardieu, Anne Brochet and Vincent Perez. The film was a co-production between companies in France and Hungary.
Cyrano de Bergerac is a 1950 American adventure comedy film based on the 1897 French Alexandrin verse drama Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. It uses poet Brian Hooker's 1923 English blank verse translation as the basis for its screenplay. The film was the first motion picture version in English of Rostand's play, though there were several earlier adaptations in different languages.
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Jamie Lloyd is a British director, best known for his work with his eponymous theatre company. He is known for his modern minimalism and expressionist directorial style. He is a proponent of affordable theatre for young and diverse audiences, and has been praised as "redefining West End theatre". The Daily Telegraph critic Dominic Cavendish wrote of Lloyd, "Few directors have Lloyd’s ability to transport us to the upper echelons of theatrical pleasure."
Charles Coypeau was a French musician and burlesque poet. In the mid-1630s, he began using the nom de plumeD'Assouci or Dassoucy.
The Other World: Comical History of the States and Empires of the Moon was the first of three satirical novels written by Cyrano de Bergerac. It was published posthumously in 1657 and, along with its companion work The States and Empires of the Sun, is considered one of the earliest published science fiction stories. Arthur C. Clarke credited the book with the first description of rocket-powered spaceflight, and with the invention of the ramjet.
Oohalu Gusagusalade is a 2014 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Srinivas Avasarala in his directorial debut. The film is produced by Sai Korrapati and Rajani Korrapati on Vaaraahi Chalana Chitram banner. It stars Naga Shaurya, Raashi Khanna in her Telugu film debut and Avasarala. An adaption of the 1897 French play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, the plot revolves around a young girl Prabhavati (Khanna) and two men Venky (Shaurya) and Uday (Avasarala) who love her.
Drama is a graphic novel written by American cartoonist Raina Telgemeier which centers on the story of Callie, a middle school student and theater-lover who works in her school's drama production crew. While navigating seventh grade, Callie deals with tween hardship, including confusing crushes, budding friendships, and middle school drama. It is a coming-of-age story that explores themes of friendship, teamwork, inclusion, and determination through Callie and her relationship with the people around her.
Cyrano de Bergerac is a Franco-Italian silent romantic drama film directed by Augusto Genina in 1922 based on the 1897 play of the same name by Edmond Rostand. Genina began filming in 1922, at age 30, with the help of his cousin Mario Camerini, but its release was delayed by the colorization of the film.
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