Review: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Purchase Price - $32.59 CDN on Amazon.ca
Uglies: Uglies; Pretties; Specials; Extras; [4 Paperback Box Set]


Genre: Young Adult, Post-Apocalyptic Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Action Adventure

**This Review Contains Some Spoilers**

I was drawn to this title, and in fact the whole series, by several reviews I had read online, but also because I have been on a bit of a Post-Apocalyptic bent of late. I am always on the lookout for good Young Adult titles that I can share with my 15 year old niece. I was intrigues by the tag line;

"A world where everyone's ugly. And then they're not."

So instead of buying the individual titles, this four volume set was actually less expensive, and more suitable for sharing with my young friends, I decided to get all four novels in one snap. I started off with no preconceived notions of the novel, and dove in eagerly.

The first thing I noted was that there is a lot of 'slang' in this novel, terminology that is unique to the time and place it is set in, and rather difficult to tease out the full meanings of at first. We are introduced to almost 16 year-old Tally Youngblood, our main protagonist, who is left behind in 'Uglyville' while all her friends have turned 16, and have moved across the river to 'New Pretty Town', where they have undergone extensive surgical procedures to be what is known as Pretty.  These include what those familiar with genetics will recognize as the hallmarks of beauty through evolution of man, starting with facial symmetry, and including the traits that make other humans want to take care of them, including many of the features of newborns, such as large eyes, full lips, rounded cheeks, and a sort of childlike innocence. I did happily note that there is a definite emphasis not just on facial beauty, but also healthy body weight as being the ideal, no one is allowed to be too skinny, as stories of old warned of crazy people who starved themselves until they were sick.

The entire society that Tally lives within is geared towards these Pretties, they are indulged in a life of idleness, allowed to party endlessly and drink to excess, participate in 'safe' monitored risk taking, and allowed to customize their wardrobes and even facial and body traits over and over again like living dolls.  This is prized as the ultimate ideal outcome for any 'Littlie', or child, and all the schooling they receive is geared towards seeing past human societies as wasteful, dangerous, and violent. It seems being Pretty is the solution to all the problems of mankind's past.

Tally is anxious to become Pretty, but is lonely and isolated without her former friends. This is where she meets 'Shay' another almost 16 year-old, who in fact shares her same birthday, and is similarly the last of her group awaiting the surgery. A friendship quickly evolves, and the girls spend their final weeks playing what are known as 'Tricks', basically finding ways to break the rules, play practical jokes, and leave the secure confines of Uglyville in search of adventures.  As their birthdays near, Shay suddenly drops a bomb in Tally, telling her she is not going to become Pretty, she will instead run away and look for a group of people living outside this well crafted futuristic society. Shay doesn't think being Pretty is what it is cracked up to be, and so she disappears, leaving scant directions to her new home with the bewildered and shocked Tally.

Tally is ready for her surgery, making it all the way to the hospital waiting room, when suddenly the tables are turned. A group of sharp featured and slick Pretties, known as 'Special Circumstances' or 'Specials', tell her she must lead them to her friend 'Shay' who is in danger.  If Tally refuses, she will be an Ugly forever. Tally is left having to decide between a life of social isolation, or going after her friend and trying to save them both.

I think the concept of the book is brilliant, and actually have to give Westerfeld proper credit, he has gone to the extreme with what we are seeing happening all too often, the pursuit of physical beauty over intellectual acumen or even kindness. Westerfeld has placed the reader in a future world that has managed to control the expectations of an entire society by using a single turning point, a surgery, to mark their acceptance into a larger community. I think that there are ample hints in the book that also point to the destruction of the environment, war, and bioengineering as certain evils that have brought about an almost total decimation of the human population, and the need to control those who are left by instituting new technology, new rules, and a system of protections.

On the other hand, the book is difficult to get into at first, as all the new made-up slang and technological terminology of this future world make reading it rather like climbing a steep cliff in the dark. There is no lexicon, no list of terminology, that could help us navigate, and often terms have more than one meaning, adding yet another layer to the confusion. There is also a fair bit of cultural frame of reference when looking at the basic language as well, Scott Westerfeld originates from the US, but also spends a lot of time in Australia, and there is a set of slang terminology that might be difficult to access for teens in the Canada in particular. I had never really heard the term 'SpagBol' before, but later discovered it is a common abbreviated term for Spaghetti Bolognese, used often in the UK as well.

While I myself found a number of good topics for discussion in the novel, my niece informed me that she just couldn't get into this book. Though I find Tally to be a strong lead character, who develops nicely over the arc of the book, she is at first is rather difficult to warm to.  I did enjoy the story, and looking back I can say that I am glad I persevered, but the payoff comes towards the end of the novel, The pace of the book varies greatly from beginning to end, and almost seems to stop short by the final pages, which of course makes it perfect for a 4 book series, although somewhat frustrating on it's own.

There is no sexually explicit content or language, and no cussing in this novel, so I would say it is suitable for younger teens, but you need to know your reader. As I have said, the unique slang in the novel makes it somewhat difficult to immerse oneself in satisfactorily.

Fired Up Rating: 2.5 / 5 Flames

Bottom Line: While this book is a satisfying start to the series, it is not a book that stands alone entirely well. I would not generally recommend this book for very young adults, it might lead to more frustration at first and they might not wish to continue with it, which would be a shame.  As it is a full priced stand-alone novel, it is a rather expensive gamble in my humble opinion.

Note: Future Review of Box Set Planned.

When Reading Is Your Favorite Escape

When I was a little girl, I was very lucky indeed to have a mother that was not only an excellent primary school teacher, but an excellent story teller. When my mother would read to us, as she did each and every night as far back as I can remember, she would weave magic with her voice, giving it character, clearly bringing wonderful images into my mind of new places, new faces, and wonderful adventures by the dozens. My mother had a talent for story telling, and I think each of us, her four children (now all adults), have inherited the same gift.

But it isn't just the way my mother read to us, or even the books she read that made the experience so special. What my mother really did, through reading to us, was inspire a lifelong love of books. I have often given her full credit for my success as a student. I went on from high-school to college (first studying Culinary Arts, and then Nursing), and then went further, getting my Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing, and then finding my way to a Master's Degree Program.

I don't consider myself a particularly fast reader, I am not someone who can flip pages at warp speeds and pull in words with only the merest flick of a glance, but I am a very comprehensive reader.  What I mean by that is that my reading comprehension is absolutely crystalline, I read something once, and not only do I understand exactly what I have read, but I see it in images in my mind.  Beyond that, I have a gift for memory of things read, I rarely forget something I have read, and even though I may read it again for the pleasure of it, often gleaning even more depth and meaning from the words on a second glance, I remember reading it, I can recall my initial impression of the information, and it comes fully to mind once again.

So as far back as I can remember, I have been reading to myself. What started with my three siblings and myself piled on a bed, hovering around my mother, trying to see the pages, has turned into a lifelong skill and passion.  Each night my mother would rotate "rooms", we each had our turn, on our own bed. With my siblings in tow, we would have our turn to select the one or two books to be read that night. We owned a lot of books, and got many more from the local library, many were read till they were almost threadbare, or the literary equivalent, and we all had our favorites.  We were all four of us born within a 5 year period, so the closeness in our ages meant even books intended for younger children were still wonderful to have read to us.  But as I got older, and my mother would move room to room, tucking us all in with a kiss goodnight, I started to bring my own pile of books back to my bedside table and begin to read to myself once all my siblings were in bed. I loved my Little Golden Books, award winning classic stories like Stone Soup, or culturally diverse classics like Strega Nona and Piggy Bank Gonzales [still a huge hit with everyone].

The first 'big girl' books I remember falling in love with included such classics as The Velveteen Rabbit and Charlotte's Web. There was a brilliant series called "The Value Of", which included the true life tales of some of the most famous people in history, such as Helen Keller, Harriet Tubman, and Louis Pasteur; with their stories of perseverance, curiosity, and kindness so inspiring. Classics like those by Roald Dahl and The Wind In The Willows were always stacked on my bedside table, ready to go. Once I felt I was too old to be read to, I graduated to reading the entire Judy Blume library, a series of rather silly teenage romance-type books, and then on to some Stephen King classics and Science Fiction greats. I read The Hobbit, The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, and moved on to find a love of Fantasy like the books of Anne McCaffrey.

The point of this revelation is to say that parents have perhaps the most important and most enduring effect on their children's perception of books and reading. A parent can actually impart a very important legacy of not only a love of reading, but the doors that reading can open up in a child's life in terms of education and future career prospects.  It isn't just a matter of entertaining your child, or settling them down to sleep at night, it is teaching them to think, to create images and whole worlds in their minds, to allow them to access anything that they are interested in, and to know the joy of understanding and belonging to a broader community of readers. Reading is a pleasure, it is a skill that never leaves you, and it can be something that you can share with others and connect to people through.

So why blog about books? Because I read, a lot, and I wanted to share my fabulous book finds with others, as well as help parents decide on the kinds of book they want to introduce to their children, their 'tweens and young adults, and the books that are going to change the way you can dialogue with your children or the children in your life.  For my part, I have 3 nieces and one nephew, aged from 7 years to 15 years old, and I want to make sure that they are exposed to reading and to good quality books that we can share and discuss together. I know that when I share my thoughts about many of the Young Adult books I have read with my eldest niece, we have really meaningful discussions about life issues that would never come up without the shared experience of reading books. I feel I know who she is better than I would have otherwise, and that we together have developed a new understanding of each other beyond just an aunt and niece relationship. We are kindred spirits, and we have our own little private book club where no answer is wrong, no observation is laughed at, and no question is forbidden. It is a glorious thing.

My blog will largely focus on eBooks, since my Kindle is my new best friend and constant companion, but will also focus on some hard copy books and any review copies I receive.  The best thing about the eBook boom, something I will be talking about in future posts, is that it has provided many Indie (Independent) Authors a near equal footing in the marketplace, alongside well publicized and widely published authors.  It is really exciting to see what is coming from the Indie scene, and it takes a bit of experience to know where quality Indie books can be found and how to select these books.  Books available on eReaders are also reviving many Classics, novels that have survived the years necessary to be available at a relatively minimal cost, and take up no room on your shelves. Going back to the classic books that have stood the test of time is a wonderful way to familiarize yourself with your e-reader and build a library of titles to read quickly. No matter what type of eReader you use, the books are common to almost all of them, and therefore the reviews and commentary here will be relevant to all forms.

Welcome to My Favorite Escape.