I’d heard about this book for a while before I read it, and I have to admit that at first it sounded a little too girlie for me — which is saying a lot, since I love Jane Austen and a higher-than-average number of chick lit books, and I even own Princess Academy. “Uglies” and “pretties”? Sounds Barbie-ish. Definitely not my thing.
Then someone mentioned that it was sci-fi. That changed everything. Oh boy did it change everything. I checked Uglies out from my local public library and got sucked in almost immediately. Wow. That’s my review: wow. :) (In other words, go read this book. Right now. Seriously.)
I’m ordinarily not a huge fan of dystopian novels, but this one really, really worked for me. The whole concept (plastic surgery to make everyone pretty) is fascinating, especially because what seems like a good idea (getting rid of ugliness) might not be so great after all. Good science fiction does that: it makes you think about the consequences of all this technological advancement. (Which isn’t to say that technology is bad — we just have to be careful.)
I could talk about the great writing (which is mostly invisible, which is how it’s supposed to be), the awesome characters (Tally, Shay, David, etc.), the compelling plot, or the cool technology, but a single sentence will sum it up: this book rocks. It’s one of those books where you finish reading it and immediately go out and buy the whole trilogy (yes! sequels!), it’s that good. It’s right up there with Hunger Games and City of Bones.
Oh, and I so want a hoverboard. ;)
Comments
Heck yes! I loved that book, and I loved the next two. I liked Extras, but not as much. They’re definitely Westerfeld’s best. His others, though not as thought-provoking, are still worth a read. I just finished the Midnighters trilogy, which I liked just slightly less than Parasite Positive (Peeps in the US, but that title is retarded, and I read a UK edition because I needed something to read when I happened to be there – not for snooty reasons). That one has a sequel, too, but I’ve yet to read it.
And I’m totally with you on YA lit. You’ve mentioned in earlier posts your feelings about it, and I really agree. I could go on and on about why teenagers can be an extremely relatable group to write about (if done right), and I’m convinced that YA and children’s lit make crucial, meaningful contributions to society in ways “grown up” books just can’t.
By the way, (a) are we friends on Shelfari, or just Goodreads? Because I never look at Goodreads anymore, and (b) who wrote City of Bones?
I ordered the boxed set of the trilogy (not Extras, though, sadly) and hopefully it’ll come tomorrow or the next day. YA lit is awesome. Right now I’m reading Unwind (which is brilliant) and a few other books, and yeah, YA is where it’s at for me. Which isn’t to say that I don’t enjoy grownup books — far from it — but there’s something really, really special about YA lit that really hits home for me. (A) We’re friends on both, but I rarely use Shelfari anymore, and (B) Cassandra Clare (a pen name; I don’t know her real name, but she used to write Harry Potter fanfic).
Throw in your two cents