What you need to know about Stan Smith1.Stan Smith hates his name.2.Stan Smith has just graduated from high school.3.Although Stan Smith has a genius IQ, Stan Smith is not an outstanding student. In fact, Stan Smith is not going to college.4.Stan Smith works at Happy Video, which is not really happy at all. But, then again, neither is Stan Smith. 5.Stan Smith is working on a screen play. And by working on I mean he’s writing treatments, which he later reads and decides are stupid.6.Stan Smith is stuck. Stymied. Static.7.Stan Smith was threatened by fellow classmate Chad Chilton – who threatened to kill him for setting his locker on fire.8.Stan Smith is not so secretly terrified of Chad Chilton (who may or may not have already left town).9.Someone for sure is out to get Stan Smith – it might be Chad Chilton, or it might be someone totally unexpected. Whoever it is is making Stan Smith awfully paranoid.10.Stan Smith is required to see a therapist because of the locker incident.11.Stan Smith loves his little sister Olivia.12.Stan Smith’s best friend is kind of a jerk.13.Stan Smith has a huge crush on a girl. Who might like him back. And might not. But then his mother totally embarrasses him in front of her and she probably won’t ever speak to him again. It took about 100 pages, but I really started to feel for Stan Smith. He’s one of those awkward teen boys with way too many brains, but no idea of how to really put them to use. His parents are bizarre (dad’s an inventor, mom’s an organic farming giantess), and his little sister is cute and alarmingly brilliant. I love the individuality of all of the characters in this book – they’re definitely not cookie-cutter people. And it turns out that the object of Stan’s paranoia is effectively dealt with in the end, and he’s in no danger – physically, financially, or otherwise. In fact, he’s poised to take off on what may be the most exciting adventure of his life – a road trip to California. One can only hope that this provides the atmosphere and experience that he needs to figure out what he wants to do with his life. Amusing coming of age tale – PLUS! Lots and lots of stupid movie ideas and references!
Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.comI'll admit I picked this because of the title, GOING NOWHERE FASTER. Aren't there times when we all feel that way? Stan Smith has more problems than you can shake a stick at. One problem is his name - "Stan." Who names their kid Stan? But then his parents aren't exactly your normal, run-of-the-mill parents. They are another one of his problems. His dad is a crazy inventor and his mother is an over 6-foot-tall Amazon vegan who attempts to run an organic food market. Another sore spot in Stan's life is Prarash, his mother's smelly yoga and meditation partner, who practically lives with them. There's also Chopper, the family dog who produces more "gas" than the oil fields of Kuwait. The only normal one in the family is Stan's little sister, Olivia. She's the one bright spot in his existence. Stan should be thinking about college, but instead is working a dead-end job at Happy Video. It at least gives him the chance to watch endless videos in an attempt to prepare for what he hopes is a future in writing movie scripts. In the meantime, he is stuck riding his ten-speed, helping out in the family business, and hoping for a chance to date the girl of his dreams, Ellen. As if Stan doesn't have enough problems, he believes he has a stalker. The victim of high school taunting and bullying, he was threatened by Ellen's ex, Chad Chilton. Now the evidence is mounting and points to Chad as the probable driver of the speeding car that almost ran Stan off the road one dark night, as well as the twisted mind that left a mutilated Barbie doll on Stan's steps. These acts of terror, plus slashed bike tires and vandalism at the Happy Video store, are sending waves of fear through the frustrated Stan. Sean Beaudoin uses witty dialogue and hilarious descriptions to grab readers and get them cheering for poor Stan. The first person style helps readers understand Stan's above-average intelligence and his passion for movies and scriptwriting. This is definitely one I found difficult to put down once I started reading.
Do You like book Going Nowhere Faster (2008)?
Honestly? This book was terrible. Maybe not the worst book I've ever read...maybe. Contrived plot, dull, flat, unlikeable characters, cliche upon cliche, super quirkyrandomlol humor that was cringe-worthy to read. It's like Percy Jackson with every enjoyable aspect removed and the conversational narrative voice trope taken up to eleven. The first person narration was grating, the dialogue was hackneyed, the plot was unbelievable to a fault. Awful book, would not recommend to anyone, hopefully will never see again. The only reason I finished it is because a friend lent it to me years ago and I felt guilty that I was just leaving it to rot on my shelf.I can't wait to give this book back to her so that it can get out of my room.
—Laurel
Reading the summary off the back of the book, I thought it would be a very interesting read; humorous, filled with different characters, and unpredictable. ...and I was correct. For the most part.1. It was humorous: Stan's script, Stan's lists, and the plot in general (his "war2healthy4u" mother & crazy inventor father, his thinking that Chad Chilton might kill him, etc.)2. Filled with different characters? Yeah. Almost too much. a. Stan - math genius and chess champion but is not in college - is considered a "special ed." b. Chad Chilton - is "going to beat up Stan" c. Keith - store owner of "Happy Video" d. Miles - Stan's only friend e. Ellen - who Stan loves f. Cari - Mile's "girlfriend" g. Olivia - Stan's little sister h. Stan's mom - vegetarian maniac i. Stan's dad - inventor maniac j. Prarash - uh, idk really - a person who really stinks and calls Stan a "young bee" k. Mr. Felder - Stan's therapist l. Chopper - one old dog m. Roberto - Actually, uno, dos, and tres n. Daphne - helps Stan with her cheery attitude at one point3. Unpredictable? Definite. Who knew that (view spoiler)[ Ellen kissed Miles and was actually "pretending"? (hide spoiler)]
—Luka
Going Nowhere Faster by Sean Beaudoin is a young adult novel about a 17 year old boy, Stan Smith, who is searching for a direction in life. He lives in a small town and works at the local video rental store. Stan happens to be a gifted, highly intelligent guy, but he doesn’t yearn for the traditional educational experience of college. Instead, he’s thinking about writing a movie script. The problem is that he can’t seem to come up with a good idea because he has no relevant life experience. Stan’s life is rather dull for the most part, except that he thinks someone might be trying to kill him. Like most teen books, Going Nowhere Faster includes the mandatory “boy likes girl” element AND the oh so important “awkward parents” element. I found this novel funny, but the uncomfortable conversations and situations that Stan repeatedly found himself in ended up taking away from my enjoyment because they were so cringe-worthy. I actually felt embarrassed for this character. Having an awkward moment in a book isn’t a bad thing, but it is when it’s a constant stream of awkward and uncomfortable moments and the whole story starts feeling like one giant embarrassing moment. The protagonist was quite self depreciating and pessimistic which, when combined with the uncomfortable atmosphere, made me want to bash my head against the wall. Sean Beaudoin definitely deserves originality points. The characters, while often bordering on annoying, were unlike any other characters I can think of. This is particularly true for Stan’s parents.Perhaps I really missed the point of this book because I’m not the target audience (meaning I’m not a teenage boy.) Maybe a young male would appreciate this novel more than I did.
—Lady Ethereal Butterfly
