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Up in Seth's Room
A fifteen-year-old's first love is bittersweet as she defies her parents and tries to assert her sexual values.
199 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
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144 people want to read
About the author
Norma Fox Mazer
59 books106 followersNorma Fox Mazer was an American author and teacher, best known for her books for children and young adults.
She was born in New York City but grew up in Glens Falls, New York, with parents Michael and Jean Garlan Fox. Mazer graduated from Glens Falls High School, then went to Antioch College, where she met Harry Mazer, whom she married in 1950; they have four children, one of whom, Anne Mazer, is also a writer. She also studied at Syracuse University.
New York Times Book Review contributor Ruth I. Gordon wrote that Mazer "has the skill to reveal the human qualities in both ordinary and extraordinary situations as young people mature....it would be a shame to limit their reading to young people, since they can show an adult reader much about the sometimes painful rite of adolescent passage into adulthood."
Among the honors Mazer earned for her writing were a National Book Award nomination in 1973, an American Library Association Notable Book citation in 1976, inclusion on the New York Times Outstanding Books of the Year list in 1976, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1978, an Edgar Award in 1982, German Children's Literature prizes in 1982 and 1989, and a Newbery Medal in 1988.
Mazer taught in the Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children & Young Adults Program at Vermont College.
For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/norma-fo...
She was born in New York City but grew up in Glens Falls, New York, with parents Michael and Jean Garlan Fox. Mazer graduated from Glens Falls High School, then went to Antioch College, where she met Harry Mazer, whom she married in 1950; they have four children, one of whom, Anne Mazer, is also a writer. She also studied at Syracuse University.
New York Times Book Review contributor Ruth I. Gordon wrote that Mazer "has the skill to reveal the human qualities in both ordinary and extraordinary situations as young people mature....it would be a shame to limit their reading to young people, since they can show an adult reader much about the sometimes painful rite of adolescent passage into adulthood."
Among the honors Mazer earned for her writing were a National Book Award nomination in 1973, an American Library Association Notable Book citation in 1976, inclusion on the New York Times Outstanding Books of the Year list in 1976, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1978, an Edgar Award in 1982, German Children's Literature prizes in 1982 and 1989, and a Newbery Medal in 1988.
Mazer taught in the Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children & Young Adults Program at Vermont College.
For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/norma-fo...
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 24, 2012
My grandma sent this to me in the same box as another book called "The Satanic Mill" (another great book). It was 1983, and I was 13, and I remember thinking, after reading both books in record time, that my grandmother had either lost her mind, or had surely stopped reading the book jackets of the books she was sending me. The mystery of that consumed me for days...I was convinced she was going to realize her error and call my mother in hysterics, demanding she rip those very bad books out of my hands immediately, before any damage was done. Both books were heady stuff for a precocious, but sheltered, 13 year old, and my parents would have flipped if they'd known what I was reading. Especially since they were still reeling from the infamous "Wifey by Judy Blume" incident of 1982, when my mother (for the first time, EVER...thanks again, God) decided to read a page from a book I had just bought, and subsequently lost her shit. I only narrowly escaped death for that infraction (though I got to relive it at every gathering of relatives for the next year...yayyyy), and I sometimes think Grandma must have known EXACTLY what she was sending me in the box a year later...as if it was her own little show of defiance in the face of Authority, by a fellow book lover.
Up In Seth's Room was different from anything I had read before. The characters seemed like real people, instead of just caricatures. The urgency and the drama that attends every new experience we have as teenagers was so well communicated in this story of first crush/love/sex/defiance of family/broken heart, etc. I must have read that book 20 times as a kid. I re-read it a couple of years ago, and it still holds up, despite the references being a little dated. Any teenage girl would love this book. Highly recommend.
Up In Seth's Room was different from anything I had read before. The characters seemed like real people, instead of just caricatures. The urgency and the drama that attends every new experience we have as teenagers was so well communicated in this story of first crush/love/sex/defiance of family/broken heart, etc. I must have read that book 20 times as a kid. I re-read it a couple of years ago, and it still holds up, despite the references being a little dated. Any teenage girl would love this book. Highly recommend.
March 10, 2011
UP IN SETH'S ROOM was really an outspoken book at the time. There weren't that many good YA books dealing with the issues of teens and the pressures of dating and sex. In this book: Finn is a 15 year old girl in high school (important to note that she is a virgin) and she meets Seth, a 19 year old high school dropout. She starts hanging out with him and then starts to like him. Her parents forbid her to see him and her friends are against the relationship. As we all know, that usually doesn't make you break up any faster! It's interesting here to note that her parents weren't speaking to her older sister as she was living "in sin" with her boyfriend.
As the story goes on, Seth starts to pressure Finn to have sex and she's not sure she's ready to do that. The story is mostly about her struggle to stay true to her belief that she should stay a virgin and her desire to do more and 'prove' her love to Seth.
The character of Seth starts out as very sweet, smart and nice and morphs into...a jerk. There is a point where it is said that "that's how boys are". I think that was a sign of the times and really, boys weren't held as responsible as girls were for their sexual conduct. It makes for an interesting read compared to the things we're all reading now. Give it a shot and tell me what you thought. As a teenager I really liked it, as an adult I'm appalled by it.
As the story goes on, Seth starts to pressure Finn to have sex and she's not sure she's ready to do that. The story is mostly about her struggle to stay true to her belief that she should stay a virgin and her desire to do more and 'prove' her love to Seth.
The character of Seth starts out as very sweet, smart and nice and morphs into...a jerk. There is a point where it is said that "that's how boys are". I think that was a sign of the times and really, boys weren't held as responsible as girls were for their sexual conduct. It makes for an interesting read compared to the things we're all reading now. Give it a shot and tell me what you thought. As a teenager I really liked it, as an adult I'm appalled by it.
June 17, 2008
This book is rather awful. I read this a bunch of times when I was a kid, and I just re-read it because I am reading a bunch of 70's YA books lately. It's about a 15 year old girl who starts dating a 19 year old high school drop out (Seth). Of course, her parents are against this, as are her sister and his brother. They think that he will pressure her for sex, even though from the beginning of the book we know she is committed to staying a virgin until she is older. Seth seems very sweet so at first you root for the couple. But then he becomes a total asshole, pressuring her for sex and being really mean about it. The other potential love interest, a 16 year old boy, is also a total sleaze. They are both given a pass by the characters because "that's how guys are". Give me a break!
Perhaps because I had just finished "Love is one of the Choices" by Norma Klein, where the male characters are nuanced and sympathetic, but these one-dimensional male characters really ruined the rest of the story.
The only thing I liked about the story was the girls working class parents. They rocked.
Perhaps because I had just finished "Love is one of the Choices" by Norma Klein, where the male characters are nuanced and sympathetic, but these one-dimensional male characters really ruined the rest of the story.
The only thing I liked about the story was the girls working class parents. They rocked.
February 2, 2013
I thought this would be a sexual awakening novel. Nope. Apparently, boys will be sexist boys, and girls just have to deal with it. Lame.
June 16, 2019
I first read this in middle school, which turned out to be exactly the right age to have it ruin bikinis for me forever when Seth tells his girlfriend that stripping down to her underwear is no big deal because it's just like wearing a bathing suit. It made me realize there is truly no difference at all, and so to this day I am still secretly mortified that people wear them in public.
That's the sole thing I remembered about this book besides its unforgettable title, until I encountered an essay about it in Lost Masterworks of Young Adult Literature, and was intrigued enough to refresh my memory. This spoils the ending, but:
"Huh," I thought after reading the essay. "Maybe this book is deeper than I remember. Maybe it IS an important part of 1970s teen lit canon."
And then I reread it, and I spent the whole time howling at the infuriating, short-sighted stupidity of everyone except the poor parents at all times.
The general fact of the matter is that I'm already uncomfortable with a 15-year-old dating someone 4 years older (the text makes it clear it is a full four years), and the possibility of that relationship being a naked one is precisely why. Given that she's immature for her age and that the entire book is about her pursuit of said relationship + wrestling with the decision of when to lose her virginity and how far to otherwise go -- mind you they've only been together 2-3 months and he's absolutely the one initiating the more intimate stuff...that's just not a plot I'm gonna declare Good.
Along the way, we get all kinds of fun temper tantrums when her mean old parents refuse to let her freely date the ADULT MAN (because They Know What's Up With That), her best friend is over here going "omg, why are you acting like sex is a big deal, it's kind of weird that you're still a virgin and wouldn't even consider doing it on a first date," and I was constantly on the verge of a stroke over how stupid these kids sounded and acted. Oh, also, let's talk about how the NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD ADULT apologizes for reacting to the reveal of her age like she's a kid -- a.k.a. APPROPRIATELY -- and goes "sorry, that was real rude of me, now that I think about it we could totally date after all."
Never mind the horrendously awful rape-culture attitudes surrounding how girls don't really mean it when they say no / have to be cajoled or pushed into it, possibly with some physical force until they understand how good it is, or the upsetting reference to how her friend once slept with her boyfriend when she didn't want to, because "you can't just say yes one day and no thank you the next," and felt "so depressed" afterward. It is like some kind of time machine to NIGHTMARELAND. I am so sorry for anyone who really had to come of age in this environment.
There is an attempt to make our Super Childish MC sound like she's grown very wise and thoughtful about the ways of love by the end, but I'm sorry, I cannot get over the fact that she is FIFTEEN!! and thinks running whichever way her hormones tell her to go at the slightest inclination is sound and rational as long as she feels good about the decision. Do you want a string of bad boyfriends? Because this is how you get a string of bad boyfriends.
To sum it up: it is everything awful about "edgy" YA with none of the character depth, and only a very thin amount of vintage charm in period details. I guess you could read it as a study of the times and cultural attitudes about sex, maybe a hands-on lesson in DUMB IDEAS ABOUT CONSENT NOT TO HAVE, and I will grudgingly give it an extra star for the historical context described in paragraph 2...but mostly I think we should just let this one rot in the graveyard of dead books.
That's the sole thing I remembered about this book besides its unforgettable title, until I encountered an essay about it in Lost Masterworks of Young Adult Literature, and was intrigued enough to refresh my memory. This spoils the ending, but:
"Huh," I thought after reading the essay. "Maybe this book is deeper than I remember. Maybe it IS an important part of 1970s teen lit canon."
And then I reread it, and I spent the whole time howling at the infuriating, short-sighted stupidity of everyone except the poor parents at all times.
The general fact of the matter is that I'm already uncomfortable with a 15-year-old dating someone 4 years older (the text makes it clear it is a full four years), and the possibility of that relationship being a naked one is precisely why. Given that she's immature for her age and that the entire book is about her pursuit of said relationship + wrestling with the decision of when to lose her virginity and how far to otherwise go -- mind you they've only been together 2-3 months and he's absolutely the one initiating the more intimate stuff...that's just not a plot I'm gonna declare Good.
Along the way, we get all kinds of fun temper tantrums when her mean old parents refuse to let her freely date the ADULT MAN (because They Know What's Up With That), her best friend is over here going "omg, why are you acting like sex is a big deal, it's kind of weird that you're still a virgin and wouldn't even consider doing it on a first date," and I was constantly on the verge of a stroke over how stupid these kids sounded and acted. Oh, also, let's talk about how the NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD ADULT apologizes for reacting to the reveal of her age like she's a kid -- a.k.a. APPROPRIATELY -- and goes "sorry, that was real rude of me, now that I think about it we could totally date after all."
Never mind the horrendously awful rape-culture attitudes surrounding how girls don't really mean it when they say no / have to be cajoled or pushed into it, possibly with some physical force until they understand how good it is, or the upsetting reference to how her friend once slept with her boyfriend when she didn't want to, because "you can't just say yes one day and no thank you the next," and felt "so depressed" afterward. It is like some kind of time machine to NIGHTMARELAND. I am so sorry for anyone who really had to come of age in this environment.
There is an attempt to make our Super Childish MC sound like she's grown very wise and thoughtful about the ways of love by the end, but I'm sorry, I cannot get over the fact that she is FIFTEEN!! and thinks running whichever way her hormones tell her to go at the slightest inclination is sound and rational as long as she feels good about the decision. Do you want a string of bad boyfriends? Because this is how you get a string of bad boyfriends.
To sum it up: it is everything awful about "edgy" YA with none of the character depth, and only a very thin amount of vintage charm in period details. I guess you could read it as a study of the times and cultural attitudes about sex, maybe a hands-on lesson in DUMB IDEAS ABOUT CONSENT NOT TO HAVE, and I will grudgingly give it an extra star for the historical context described in paragraph 2...but mostly I think we should just let this one rot in the graveyard of dead books.
December 26, 2010
Good to see I am not alone with my disdain for the book! I remember being shocked upon having been presented with this as "romantic" back when I was 16; rereading it recently left me even more mad. Fine, the book is almost two decades old, and maybe it didn't age well.
But in essence, the center scene presents us with what I would want my daughter to realize is a sexual assault. The boyfriend bullies her, verbally degrades her, and physically tries to restrain her when she refuses to have sex, simply because he happens to need it, she owes it to him, and girls always say no and never mean it, right? (Disclaimer: If you have to physically fight your way out from "Seth's Room" to get away from a scary situation, girls, don't go back to him!) He actually says a lot of things that could have been taken right out of the handbook for budding young rapists, and the way he is portrayed as well as this is handeled throughout the rest of the book, is offensive towards every male as well as a bad message to every female young reader. The other female characters of the book seem to think that is perfectly normal behaviour that you learn to deal with in order to not be alone (which is nonsense, 15 year old readers of this book, it isn't).
What happens next? Well, she is mad for about a week (wow!), and then -they apologize to each other. Because he feels bad, and is essentially a good guy, and he was pretty mad at her, too, you know, because she didn't stay around after having been scared out of her wits like that, to talk it through with him. Erm, yeah. The good message is, she gets to keep her virginity as long as she wishes - in reality, a girl would do well to stay away from a guy who puts her under pressure like that and takes a no not for a no, but for a personal insult. /rant
There are way better books out there where these issues are portrayed a lot more nuanced and realistic, and not all the characters -particularly the male ones- are bad stereotypes. Stay away from this one.
But in essence, the center scene presents us with what I would want my daughter to realize is a sexual assault. The boyfriend bullies her, verbally degrades her, and physically tries to restrain her when she refuses to have sex, simply because he happens to need it, she owes it to him, and girls always say no and never mean it, right? (Disclaimer: If you have to physically fight your way out from "Seth's Room" to get away from a scary situation, girls, don't go back to him!) He actually says a lot of things that could have been taken right out of the handbook for budding young rapists, and the way he is portrayed as well as this is handeled throughout the rest of the book, is offensive towards every male as well as a bad message to every female young reader. The other female characters of the book seem to think that is perfectly normal behaviour that you learn to deal with in order to not be alone (which is nonsense, 15 year old readers of this book, it isn't).
What happens next? Well, she is mad for about a week (wow!), and then -they apologize to each other. Because he feels bad, and is essentially a good guy, and he was pretty mad at her, too, you know, because she didn't stay around after having been scared out of her wits like that, to talk it through with him. Erm, yeah. The good message is, she gets to keep her virginity as long as she wishes - in reality, a girl would do well to stay away from a guy who puts her under pressure like that and takes a no not for a no, but for a personal insult. /rant
There are way better books out there where these issues are portrayed a lot more nuanced and realistic, and not all the characters -particularly the male ones- are bad stereotypes. Stay away from this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2014
My mom had this book on the shelf when I was a kid and one day I picked it up. I read it over and over for years. Such a great coming of age story. I wish they would have left the original cover. This is my first time seeing this updated cover.
October 6, 2008
Not one of NFM's best. It's a very blah and rather unflattering glimpse into a 15 year old's first love. I didn't care for it as a teen. In fact, I am not too keen on NFM in general.
July 25, 2021
A 15 year old dating a loser 19 year old had to be bad even for 1979. The moral of the story is irl stay out of Seth’s room. You’ll wind up heartbroken, and possibly pregnant.
December 29, 2018
I read this book at 14, and I always loved it. I reread it now; and it is a different book reading it as an adult with my own teenage daughter. It is well written, and for the time it was a frank discussion of deciding to be sexually active or not. I still like the gumption of the main character Finn who remains true to herself and demands respect from her friends, Seth ( the older boy), and her parents. I do understand why my 14 year old self cherished this book, and yet while my older self enjoyed rereading it and still I am glad that the genre of Young Adult has vastly expanded so my daughter has so many more choices of what to read. But, I do like this book.
January 4, 2020
I first read this book in 6th grade and it seemed really mature at the time. 15 year old Finn’s parents are wound up about her older sister living in sin with her boyfriend. Gasp! They also forbid Finn to see a 19 year old boy she likes. The topics are still relevant because people still have a pervy obsession with the virginity of teenage girls. I like when romances unfold without the convenience of text messages, and it was impressive that the characters talked about consent. I overall enjoyed it but it was a little too starry eyed and I was glad to be finished with it.
September 16, 2011
I requested this early YA book (1979) because it was mentioned in some article I was reading about teen sex in books. While I appreciate the questions the main character, Finn, was trying to answer - what is sex? am I ready for sex? who has the right to tell me what I can do with my body? - the characters were pretty shallow and the writing was quite dull. Appreciated looking into early YA realistic fiction, but definitely wouldn't recommend to any patrons.
November 1, 2018
Awesome YA literature novel. Set in the 1970's expect outdated references but I think its a highly overlooked novel that should be publicized more. I jusy didn't rate it a 5/5 because they were scenes that was fusterating but it's still an awesome read.
September 16, 2017
I read this 30+ years ago and while, as some are saying, if I read it now I might not like it as I remember liking it. That said, I have to give it a 5 star because it's stuck with me for 30+ years. In my opinion, any book that does that, in a positive way, is a 5 star book.
January 24, 2026
I read this again after many years. I had forgotten about this book. I remember relating to the main character and the angst of crushing on an older boy. Good story that is still relevant today.
August 28, 2008
Revisiting young adult novels from my youth this summer. It's been fun. Just finished "Sooner or Later" and "Waiting Games" by Bruce and Carole Hart.
The passage in "Up in Seth's Room" that I remember most clearly after not having read it for literally years (I found this copy on Amazon) was when the main character gets angry at Seth (because she won't have sex with him or something) and tells him he has ugly toes. I don't know why but that stayed with me. Go figure.
The passage in "Up in Seth's Room" that I remember most clearly after not having read it for literally years (I found this copy on Amazon) was when the main character gets angry at Seth (because she won't have sex with him or something) and tells him he has ugly toes. I don't know why but that stayed with me. Go figure.
February 23, 2011
Vintage teen novel showing the difficulty of a teen girl deciding just how far she wants to go and also the pressures on a teen boy to score. A bit dated for our times, but good nostalgia for the 80's generation.
July 1, 2011
read it as a teenager- thinking i should reread just to see the change in generations and society's view on the topics. Also, for the time that it was written it was rather progressive as far as the frankness and openness for a book about teen sex and relationships.
August 30, 2012
I have to give this book credit. It's the first romance I had ever read and that was well over 30 years ago. I remember the plot and characters to this day, as if I only read it yesterday, and that's after many, many, many novels. I can't say that for many other books I've read.
September 21, 2007
Fairly frank for the time it was written. A teen romance, where they spend time "up in Seth's room".
June 5, 2008
I loved Norma Fox Mazer when I was growing up. These stories helped me through my adolescence.
September 3, 2012
I loved this book growing up
August 4, 2013
It's a beautiful book. it's.. my favorite book! It's.. awesome book. I love it. Really love it.
Thanks Norma Fox Mazer by this book. Thank you so much.
Thanks Norma Fox Mazer by this book. Thank you so much.
September 7, 2016
Oh, the 1980s young adult section. Some of it was deeply traumatic.
October 3, 2024
Even as a kid in the '80s I was a bit creeped out by this one. But also loved it.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews