"Uglies" by Scott Westerfield

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Read: 4/21/09

3/5 stars

Uglies is the first book in the much talked-about series by Scott Westerfield. It's set in a distant future where society is segregated according to how one looks. Once a child goes through puberty and the awkward physical changes it brings about, he/she is designated as an Ugly and gets to live in Ugly Town. At age 18, everyone goes through an operation that transforms them into a Pretty, after which they live in New Pretty Town, where life is one big party. Then, of course, there are the Middle Pretties and the Old Pretties, usually called the Crumblies.

My apologies to those who liked the book, but I could've gagged just because of the names. It seems as if the whole society was ruled by teenage airheads who decided to give places and groups in their society cute-sy nicknames. It was just hard for me to swallow that humanity degenerates into that kind vapidness, especially if it was supposedly ruled by highly intelligent individuals called Specials.

Granted, the book is a commentary on the value that our society places on beauty. The main character, Tally Youngblood, looking forward to her 18th birthday so she can finally become a pretty, discovers that there's more to her society than what people let on and that there might be a more desirable alternative lifestyle. She begins to question why everyone has to be pretty, helped, of course, by a band of free-thinking individuals who wish to bring down the ruling establishment. But who hasn't heard that commentary before?

I will say, though, that the book gets more interesting towards the end. Tally the character is made to face the consequences of her actions and turns into a mature individual who can make difficult choices. For that, I liked the book and I might even hazard to read the second one. But I really wish that this fictional society had names that would make me take it more seriously.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Wow! Your review is great. I would like to read this one.
May 1, 2009 at 5:08 AM
Peter S. said…
Hi Honey! I read this one, actually I read all 4 of the series (Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras). The books are quite uneven, but I think they're worth the read.
May 2, 2009 at 3:22 PM
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