Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
First Published: 2005
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages:406
Rating: 4*
This book has caught my eye for a couple of years,
especially when I have seen it on shelves at Libraries. For some reason this
book always stood out to me, but I never picked it up. However in my quest to find
books of a similar nature to the Hunger Games to satisfy my need for the same
sense of adventure, I came across this quartet. And so, for my 21st Birthday, I
got these books off my wish list from my parents. I can surely say that I
didn't receive your average 21st birthday present. It was much better!
My Birthday was in April, so as you can tell,
sometimes it takes a while to get around to certain books. Not only do you
prioritize others, but sometimes you just have to be 'in the mood' as I like to
say.
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| My 21st Birthday Books 2015 |
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First published in 2005, this book is
available from Amazon.co.uk at £3.85 in Paperback or £4.99 in Kindle Edition.
Alternatively you can buy the complete quartet at £27.50 in Paperback or
£11.96 in Kindle Edition. (True as of January 2016)
|
Firstly, I love the cover of the Simon & Schuster (Simon Pulse 2011)
edition. The cover is mainly white with a hint of metallic on the nails and scalpel.
This satisfies my obsessive compulsive
nature, and the books (I own the quartet) look amazing on my book shelf
dedicated to white books. I feel, perhaps these covers target more the female
readers, in comparison to the earlier dark cover (2006) editions, which may be
more attractive to male readers. The cover is also thought provoking and leads the reader wondering what is concealed behind the white sheet - encouraging them to open the pages.
Initially, I felt the story-line and setting was unrealistic, naive and
unimaginative. I thought the setting was too simplistic and over-estimated,
that is until Tally Youngblood (The main character) meets another 'ugly' called
Shay. From this moment in the book onward, the adventure unravels at a rapid
pace and it become much harder for me to put the book down for long. The initial outline of the setting quickly becomes overwritten with themes such as appearance, friendship, identity, freedom, society and class, rebellion and modernization to name a few.
'Uglies' is a Young Adult, coming of age, science fiction novel set in
the future in a dystopian, post-scarcity world. Phew, take a breath. The thing is, this book packs in a lot of genres and themes. This novel deals with the western obsession to
look physically perfect and be intrinsically happy. I believe children and
teenagers transitioning between primary to High School, and High School to
college would appreciate the plot the most, and will understand the pressures of society strongly. The main characters in the book
realise that their perfect world isn't actually perfect at all. This mirrors
the experience of children growing into young adults and finding their feet and
making their own opinions and decisions. Similar to the venture from the
relative safety of childhood into the harsher realities of adulthood. I also feel this book is appropriate for those moving away from their childhood home in search to make their own home for themselves.
I believe that Westerfeld has taken full responsibility for leading his
readers in the right direction as the characters in this novel don't make
decisions lightly. Tally especially is fully aware of the consequences of her
actions. Characters understand how they affect the people around them and I
feel this is a great message to younger and older readers alike.
Westerfeld also highlights mindless consumerism and our disattachment
with nature which connects strongly to the concerns in our current culture
today. Raising topics such as Economy and Environment is very clever as he does
it set in the future. It brings home what the future could possibly be like and
in an effective way, he shows how civilisation had to live off the land before
the industrial revolution. It is very intelligent of him to demonstrate this in
a futuristic world complete with water purifiers and hover boards.
I have to say that my favourite element of Westerfeld's Uglies is the strong manner in which female characters are portrayed. It is easy to depict girls as vulnerable and scared, weak and fickle, however Westerfeld has written 'with the times' and it is evident that he has taken sexism into full consideration. Within his book, the male and female characters are equally as strong and equally vulnerable. the only differences are those of individuality to distinguish characters.
I believe this is a great book for teens and young adults as it really raises popular and familiar issues that can be discussed in depth at that age. This book makes you think about the world around you and for me personally, it encouraged me to get outside and appreciate some fresh air. When was the last time you stood outside and just looked at the stars and appreciated the beauty of nature? All I'm saying is, there is more to like than iphones and TVs.
Finally, I enjoyed the first book in the Uglies series so much, that despite my next planned book being 'I'll give you the Sun' by Jandy Nelson. I had to carry on to the next book 'Pretties'. I am getting through it quickly and the adventure and tricks are only getting bigger. Check the blog again over the weekend for my next review.
Love Charlie, Xx
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