Today, we’re going to enjoy the first in a four-course dystopian meal provided by none other than Scott Westerfield. I’d heard a few things about this series, but it never quite piqued my attention. Luckily, I was able to check out the entire series at the same time from the library. Unluckily, I waited until 2 days before the first novel was due before I started reading it. Strangely enough, the book was a quick and gripping read, so I polished it off in no time. So. I’ll start at the beginning, and when I get to the end, I’ll stop. Because this is a dystopian novel, I’ll really try to keep the spoiling to a minimum. I did get about half way through the second installment, Pretties, but I didn't find it compelling enough to continue. I simply got bored with it and just didn't want to pick it back up again. More on that below.
Uglies
Scott Westerfield
406 pages, reading time: 2 days
Inside cover reads: Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can’t wait. In just a few weeks, she’ll have the operation that will turn her from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty. And as a pretty, she’ll be catapulted into a high-tech paradise where her only job is to have fun. But Tally’s new friend Shay isn’t sure she wants to become a pretty. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world- and it isn’t very pretty. The authorities offer Tally a choice: find her friend and hurn her in, or never turn pretty at all. Tally’s choice will change her world forever…Initial reaction: Wow. This is an incredible conglomeration of so many things: Hatchet, Stepford Wives, The Giver, and Brave New World. (I’ve never actually read the novel that is Stepford Wives, but I’ve seen the movie). Westerfield does an incredible job hooking the reader and keeping them engaged throughout the entire chilling adventure of what can happen to a society that is obsessed with beauty (and justifies the ordeal with the absence of war). We are left hanging at the end of this one hungry for more. I am a sucker for a great/shocking hook, and this one pretty much did me in: “The early summer sky was the color of cat vomit” (3). Hah! In fact, Westerfield likes to use “vomit” color descriptions elsewhere in the novel. It made me chortle, because it’s something that I typically do.
Promote virtue? In true dystopian form, wrong is right and right is wrong. Normal is bad, and terrifying excessiveness is the norm. Those who have unearthed the truth about the pretty operations are trying to find a cure for the victims.
Transcendentals? I love that Westerfield doesn’t confuse the society’s definition of “pretty” with authentic beauty. We can see authentic beauty in the descriptive language that he uses in regards to his characters and their surroundings. The reader, along with Tally, slowly uncovers the evil truth about the authorities and what they are doing to people. Free will is certainly under attack.
Attitude toward Catholicism? None. No Christianinty/Religion present.
Paganry? None
Swearing? Barely, and it’s mild.
Violence? Standard, run-of-the-mill adventure stuff. Chases, escapes, a bit of kidnapping. Surgeries against people’s will. You know, the whole dystopian thing.
Appropriate age? This one is definitely for high schoolers. I could see froshies and sophomores loving this book. I think 7th and 8th grade could also handle it. There are some implied inappropriate things, but nothing is actually described (His use of the term pleasure garden made me think of Brave New World). Also, the new pretties are allowed to engage in drinking (at 16).
Writing style? Westerfield’s description, character, themes, and vocabulary all do it for me. The book is a quick read because he does an excellent job keeping the reader engaged. He hides things well and challenges the reader to take their time unearthing them. He also leaves the reader hanging at the end, and I want more. I just hope that the remaining 3 novels are just as gripping.
Notable quotables?
This spectacular little schnibblet explains the transcendentals in so many words. Beauty doesn’t have to define itself. It just is.
“The physical beauty of the Smoke also cleared her mind of worries. Every day seemed to change the mountain, the sky, and the surrounding valleys, making them spectacular in a completely new way. Nature, at least, didn’t need an operation to be beautiful. It just was” (219).
Great words? Impervious, cacaphony (he used it twice in 2 pages(eye-roll), pugnacious. I also love how Westerfield does not use “pretty” and “beautiful” interchangeably. You know that one adjective is superficial while the other is authentic.
Approval? As far as the first novel goes, yes. Uglies wins the Word nerd seal of approval. It was a gripping dystopian novel- right up my alley. However, the second installment quickly lost its original luster. The elevated vocabulary was still there, but it just turned a really weird corner about half-way through. I lost interest and tried to keep reading, but remained bored. I can and will recommend the first one, but won't speak for the remaining 3.
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