I just finished the book Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. I loved this book and would definitely recommend it! I still have some questions but I'm sure they will be answered in the rest of the books in this series. Through more mistakes and adventures, Tally ends up accidentally betraying the Smoke. She is forced to travel across rough terrain in order to rescue her friends. She learns about the history of the fallen civilization, the "Rusties", and what caused their destruction. Tally, David, Maddy (David's Mom) and Croy work together to make a new home in the rubble of the Smoke. Special Circumstances ensures that Shay falls victim to the operation and its mind-altering effects. Maddy, a former doctor for the city and passionate about her work, works to find a cure. The ending of the book is very suspenseful and very abrupt. Tally demonstrates massive amount of courage in order to protect her friends.
I noticed a significant character change in Tally throughout the book, making her a dynamic character. She went from a lonely Ugly, counting down the days until she could call herself a care-free Pretty, to a rebel, plotting against the morals of the operation and leading a new generation of Uglies to the Smoke. Staying true to my prediction, Tally's beliefs and values shifted by the end of the book. Tally's character change is similar to the change Cassia undergoes in Matched. Both characters go from feeling pride towards their society to feeling rebellious and experiencing the need to escape.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about futuristic dystopian societies and suspenseful books. As a warning, the poor decisions made by some characters, specifically Tally, will annoy you throughout the book. There are so many points where I wished she would've acted or spoken differently. But without mistakes and conflict, the book wouldn't contain the same incredible amount of suspense within the plot. I cannot wait to read Pretties, the sequel to Uglies and the second book in this series. I have many predictions and questions that I hope will be answered!
This is a link from to Good Reads with some of the best and most popular quotes from Uglies:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2895388-uglies
This book has significantly developed in the past week I've been reading it. Tally runs into trouble when she must decide whether to betray her friend in order to become Pretty or give up her future and keep her promise to Shay. She uses Shay's coded directions to embark on a journey to the Smoke, a secret civilization far away from the city and one with a very different lifestyle and set of values. But Shay doesn't know Tally's true intentions for fleeing the city. As Tally meets new people in the Smoke, like David and his family, she notices how different they are compared to most Pretties she'd ever known. Along the way, Tally makes some poor choices regarding her friendships and the safety of everyone she just met. With many secrets kept, feelings hurt and promises broken, Tally realizes she may have made some mistakes. The following quote shows her attitude towards the Smoke and how her hopes for her future have changed,
"Still, she wouldn't have traded anything for this moment, standing there and looking down at the plains spread out below. Tally had spent the last four years staring at the skyline of New Pretty Town, thinking it was the most beautiful sight in the world, but she didn't think so anymore" (Westerfeld 209).
One prominent text-to-text connection I've made is the similarity of this book to Matched by Ally Condie. Both books are set in futuristic dystopian societies where authoritative control and scientific advancement are major elements. The protagonists in each book explore the outside world after realizing the home they've known for so long isn't as perfect as they thought. In Uglies, the authorities use the operation to alter the way people view each other, physically and mentally. In Matched, the government uses tablets to manipulate the minds of its citizens and their views on society as well.
I only have about 140 more pages in this book but I cannot wait to find out what happens next. I still have many unanswered questions. Will Tally fight for Shay and stick with her in the Smoke? Or will she break her newly developed trust and countless more promises? Will Shay forgive Tally for what happened with David? Will "Special Circumstances" find out about the Smoke? Will Tally ever see Peris, an old friend who turned Pretty a few months prior to Tally's departure, again? Even though I haven't finished this book yet, I can already say that I would definitely recommend it!
The following picture and links relate to my connection between Uglies and Matched.
Uglies GoodReads Link:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24770.Uglies?from_search=true
Matched GoodReads Link:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7735333-matched?from_search=true
I recently started reading Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. Although I'm only on page 110, the plot has developed significantly. The protagonist, Tally Youngblood, is a 15 year old girl who lives in a society that prioritizes "biological correctness". According to authorities and most members of society, people are born ugly and must undergo an operation at the age of 16 in order to appeal to the natural human sense of beauty. Tally has been waiting her whole life to finally become "Pretty", to experience the lifelong joy of partying and being surrounded by beautiful people. The following quote from the book demonstrates Tally's longing to leave 'Uglyville' and begin her new life as a Pretty:
"She'd spent the last four years looking out at New Pretty Town, wanting nothing more than to cross the river and not coming back. That's probably what had tempted her through the window so many times, learning every trick she could to sneak closer to the new pretties, to spy on the life she would eventually have" (Westerfeld 85).
The setting of this book is very intriguing, a futuristic society that hides information about the past and the outside world, and tricks its members into thinking that a good life comes from external beauty. But as Tally begins to explore beyond the river and as she gains information from her new friend, Shay, she slowly starts to question the principles of the world she's known and admired her whole life.
I've really enjoyed this book so far. The rising action has begun to build up, with some major events taking place. For example, without giving too much away, Shay tells Tally about her bold, unexpected plan and Tally is brought to the "Special Circumstances" organization and given important information, right before she is about to have her Pretty operation. I predict that by the end of the series, if not the book, Tally will have a change of mind about the concept of Pretties and Uglies. I believe that she will become a dynamic character and will eventually rebel against society. I'm excited to continue reading this book and I can't wait to find out what happens to Tally and Shay.
This link contains book reviews, Q&A, discussion questions and more information about the book, Uglies:
http://scottwesterfeld.com/books/uglies/
I just finished reading Looking for Alaska by John Green. As mentioned in my last post, this book contained a lot of suspense. Many of the questions I encountered as I read the book were answered in some way. However, the author left the resolution open-ended in order to satisfy the reader's need for answers and leave some room for interpretation. The characterization increased throughout the book, with numerous additions to emotional, social, intellectual and physical descriptions to many of the characters. The book explored more of Alaska's past, Pudge's thoughts and beliefs, and Colonel's determination. I really enjoyed the deep analysis and various perspectives in the last half of the book, mainly the climax and falling action.
One of the underlying topics in the book is 'the labyrinth of suffering' in relation to religion and philosophy. In the beginning of the book, Alaska posed a question to Pudge about Simón Bolívar's last words and about 'escaping the labyrinth',
"'That's the mystery, isn't it? Is the labyrinth living or dying? Which is he trying to escape - the world or the end of it?'" (Green 19).
Throughout the book, Pudge reflects on these questions, relating them to his own experiences. Pudge writes,
"[We] had to forgive to survive in the labyrinth" (Green 218).
"We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations...But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail" (Green 220).
I would give Looking for Alaska 4.5 out of 5 stars. The conflict, emotion, suspense and characterization in this book were sensational! Once the rising action began building, the book was very exciting. It got off to a slow start but John Green did a great job making sure the reader was engaged and curious as to where the story was headed. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys emotional romance books that really make you think. This book has many strong themes and messages and I definitely enjoyed it!
This is a link from John Green's website about his book, Looking for Alaska:
http://johngreenbooks.com/looking-for-alaska/
