Uglies (Uglies, #1)
by Scott Westerfeld
by Scott Westerfeld
Pages: 425
Uglies is the first in the Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld. It takes place in a dystopian society hundreds of years in the future. Tally, a 15 year-old “ugly” is anxiously awaiting her 16th birthday so that she can have the operation that will turn her “pretty” and allow her to join her friends in New Pretty Town.
Before her birthday, she meets Shay, a rebel girl who shares the same birthday as her. Shay and Tally find that they enjoy doing pranks with one another. Everything is well and good until Shay decides to pull the ultimate prank: running away so that she won’t be forced to become pretty. Tally is forced to make a decision. Does she stay and become pretty like she’s always dreamed, or does she join a friend in an effort to help her? The novel is about SO much more, but I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I’ll leave it at that.
This novel has been on my reading list for a while, but I hadn’t made it a priority. I picked it up from the library the other day, and I’m glad I did. From the very beginning, I was intrigued by the new innovations that Westerfeld had created in this futuristic society. His descriptions of the different locales were so vivid that I easily found myself in the middle of them, staring in awe. I could easily see this book being transformed into a movie.
For me, this book felt very reminiscent of The Giver by Lois Lowry. That’s a good thing. The Giver is an amazing and thought-provoking novel. This was also very thought-provoking. The author was making a commentary on our ideas of beauty, without pushing an agenda in your face. I appreciate that.
I really look forward to the rest of the series, and I hope that Westerfeld was able to maintain the magic that he put into this novel. I hope the newness of the futuristic society doesn’t wear off.