As the plot might suggest, this is a science fiction novel. At times this leads to more explanation of, say, hoverboard mechanics in the novel than is strictly necessary to the plot but the rest of the book makes up for this small shortcoming. The novel is not pretentious or brash. Instead, Westerfeld creates a narrative voice that is really unique—especially for a sweeping sci-fi saga like the Uglies trilogy.
Yet Westerfeld moves from that observation seamlessly into the story. You can find this review and more on my blog Miss Print View all 29 comments. Oct 20, Kurukka rated it did not like it Shelves: never-finished , ya-novels , dystopia.
I thought I was going to like this one. It started off fine and all. And then everything fell apart. Yes, that dramatic. Am I the only one who was deeply offended by this piece of crap?
This book is wrong, wrong, wrong. The characters are stereotyped. Tally is a brainwashed moron. Okay, she was raised to believe the ideology of her country but she cannot think by herself. She wonders whether to betray the Smoke, the rebellious uglies, and you know what helps her make the right decision? A boy. Woohoo, thank God he was there, with his adorable crooked smile, his sweet kisses, and his handmade leather shoes, otherwise I really would have thought that she was an immoral bitch.
This also means that the fate of an entire city depends of the hormonal state of our young hero. The boy himself is… phew, of course he thinks Tally is beautiful, special, strong, smart, unlike anyone else when she is, in fact, so flat that I could surf on her back. He was raised to be a very careful, and independent thinker, but he falls for the first pair of boobs he encounters and turns out to be a spy.
Good job. Shay was the best character until Westerfeld reduced her to some stupid, vapid girl. The content has almost nothing to do with the premise. The book is full of ecologist propaganda. Westerfeld keeps telling us how bad, bad, BAD things we, humans, are. He calls our generation the Rusties. He criticizes everything we do. Oh, wait, no, he praises the invention of the Roller Coaster! Well apparently not, because there are a lot of forests and flowers despite our destructive frenzy.
Westerfeld lacks delicacy, neutrality. It just was. For Westerfeld, this is Nature versus Mankind. He takes us apart from it, he draws a line between the Earth and our species. Instead, look for what makes us part of the earth, what connects us to the rest of the world, the plants, the animals. We are a part of this planet, we are nature and culture. I believe that it is where lies the true beauty of our condition. I want to believe that some of us can see that, that we will realize how important nature is, not because it just feeds us or that flowers are pretty, but because we are one with it.
The plot itself is weak. Everything is very confusing. Also, I may not be an expert about economics but it seems to me that without a financial system, a country cannot work. In the Pretties society, no one pays for anything, and Tally is shocked when she learns that at the Smoke, people have to give to receive. So, yeah, it made me frown. View all 46 comments. Aug 13, Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it Shelves: romance , 21th-century , fiction , adventure , young-adult , science , fantasy , united-states.
Uglies Uglies, 1 , Scott Westerfeld Uglies is a science fiction novel by American writer of young adult fiction, Scott Westerfeld. It is set in a future post scarcity dystopian world in which everyone is considered an "ugly", but then turned "Pretty" by extreme cosmetic surgery when they reach the age It tells the story of teenager Tally Young blood who rebels against society's enforced conformity, after her newfound friends Shay and David show her the downsides to becoming a "Pretty".
View all 6 comments. Do you know that feeling, when you really want to punch a character in the face? Well, Tally Youngblood, you must be grateful that I can't see your face. Now I should stop the rant Enjoyable, yes.
Good, not that much. I'm not really sure if I'll ever finish this series. Maybe one day if I'm actually bored. View all 13 comments. Jul 01, Reed rated it really liked it.
I remember my initial disappointment when Scott Westerfeld switched from adult sf to YA fiction. How could he do this to me? I liked his books, but I don't wanna read a dopey YA novel!
I'd read in an interview that it was mostly a financial decision--the YA market has exploded, and that's where the money is right now. How can you fault a guy for trying to make a living? As a junior high Language Arts teacher, it's impossible not to notice that Westerfeld's first YA series has done extremely well. I guess it's time I checked it out for myself. Well, after the first section of the novel, I can understand why Uglies has been a hit with the YA crowd--it's a fun, easy read. While Westerfeld hasn't completely dumbed down his writing, it is certainly much more accessible than his adult novels.
Tally is a likeable teenager that the readers will identify with, and her plights are standard ones, considering the world she inhabits. Yes, it takes some suspension of disbelief to accept the premise that all people are given massive plastic surgery and made "pretty" at the age of But if you are willing to accept the premise, the rest of the world makes sense. Tally wants to be pretty, as do all teens in this world.
But she's a mischievous girl and loves to play pranks and pull tricks. When she meets up with Shay, a fellow prankster, her world is turned upside down. Shay introduces her to a world where people don't consider being pretty the ultimate goal, and when Shay runs away, choosing NOT to be made pretty, Tally is led down a road that will completely alter how she sees herself and the world around her.
Westerfeld has created a good old-fashioned coming of age tale in a sf world. Sure it's a YA novel, but that's ok. We need to create another generation of sf readers. It might be a bit of an easy read for a more sophisticated ie. The book is in fact the first of a trilogy, but it is possible to read the first novel by itself. Sure, the story continues, but Westerfeld does give the first book a sense of closure.
I think the YA market is lucky to have Westerfeld. I hope he continues to have great success. And maybe someday, he'll write adult novels for his growing legion of YA fans. View all 10 comments. Nov 02, Shannon rated it it was amazing Shelves: dystopian , , sci-fi , urban-fantasy , ya , apocalyptic-or-post-apocalyptic. Three hundred years after an apocalyptic-sized disaster that reshaped the world, Tally is about to turn 16 and pretty.
In her contained, isolated, self-sufficient city - just like all the other contained, isolated, self-sufficient cities - the operation to make her pretty will be intensive, extreme and, as far as she and everyone else alive is concerned, absolutely worth it. Once she's pretty, she'll go to live across the river in New Pretty Town and party the nights away, loved by all. It's a sh Three hundred years after an apocalyptic-sized disaster that reshaped the world, Tally is about to turn 16 and pretty.
It's a shock to her, then, to find that her friend Shay doesn't want to be pretty, and doesn't think she's ugly now. Of course she's ugly - everyone's ugly before the operation. But Shay runs away to the mysterious, secretive Smoke where her friend David awaits, leaving Tally a set of cryptic directions in case she changes her mind and decides to go too. But Tally has no intention of running away: turning pretty is all she wants, so she can be with her friend Peris again across the river, and be noticed and listened to because beautiful people cannot be ignored.
But on the day of her own operation, she is taken instead to Special Circumstances, where cruel pretties with lethal reflexes bring her to Dr. They want to know about Shay and the Smoke and where it is located, but Tally keeps her promise not to tell. Even when Dr. Cable tells her she won't get the operation and be turned pretty until she does what they ask, she does not yield. Not until Peris unexpectedly visits her in Uglyville, and reminds her of the promise she made him, that she would be with him again, a promise that predates the one she made Shay.
Latching onto this ray of hope - for she doesn't want to stay ugly the rest of her life - Tally is sent to spy for Special Circumstances and give them the location of the Smoke by sending a transmission via a heart pendant given her by Dr. When she arrives, though, it's not that simple. Yes, the people are all ugly, and that takes a while to get used to.
But there's something else about them, something sharp and clear at odds with the vacuousness of all the pretties she's ever known, including her own parents. And then there's David, who was born in the Smoke and is definitely not pretty I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me a lot of Isobelle Carmody's books, her heroines especially, and also Ellie from John Marsden's Tomorrow series, and a host of others.
She's a quick thinker, afraid yet brave, resourceful and caring, faced with a choice no one at sixteen would want to have to make.
The writing style is clear and descriptive without wasting a word, the characters deftly portrayed. While the themes and messages of the book may not be subtle - nor are they meant to be, since we're talking about the structure of their world here - there are depths to the concept, and nothing's black-and-white. There are also little digs about our own lifestyle we are the "Rusties" in the book - because what's left of our cities are just rusty ruins , about how we clear-fell forests and waste resources and genetically modify plants.
The entire concept could have fallen flat on its face for being too contrived and as superficial as the operation itself, but Westerfeld holds it all together with a great heroine in Tally, a dark sci-fi underworld beneath the glitter and party fun, and an examination into what price we really want to pay for the things we hold most dear.
View all 11 comments. Parts of it I'm obsessed with, other parts I think I'm a little too old for. That said, here I am picking up another teen-fiction. I am in denial. I'll be 60 and still reading teen fictions. View all 7 comments.
And then, you undergo a surgery and you become pretty. And life is perfect. Also a book that captures society for what really is. A very pleasant and enjoyable read. I received this book as a birthday gift. Have a look at my birthday book haul on my blog. Uglies is the first book from the series by Scott Westerfeld.
A world in which society is split between beauty. All her friends have already turned pretty before her, and she is excited to join them in this marvellous world. But just weeks before her birthday, she becomes friends with Shay, who is not so sure whether she wants to become a pretty.
When her friend runs away and escapes the operation, Tally has a choice: find Shay and bring her back, or never turn pretty at all. And when Tally goes after Shay, she discovers that the world she believed in, might not be the real one… I absolutely loved this book with all my heart. A beautiful world forming, an interesting scenario, great plot and interesting characters. I enjoyed reading about the world, how the author put the society together, and how it all worked out.
The characters were not as engaging as I would hope them to be. Just a little bit, enough to make you wonder what will happen next. It was enough for me to keep turning page after page in the middle of the night. The world the author created and the way the society works in this book is incredible. People love other people for who they are inside out, for the friendships, for the moments spent together, and for how they make them feel. Another thing I loved was the subject of protecting the nature.
I loved the little moments and theories of destroying a certain plant for a better tomorrow for all the rest of the plants. A dystopian society and a battle between brains and beauty.
I strongly recommend it to all of you, my friends! A question for you all — Would you do the pretty surgery or not? Jul 07, emma rated it liked it Shelves: 3-stars , ya , dystopian , reviewed , project-review-everything , sci-fi , eh.
Feb 10, Fabian rated it it was ok. Things become quite one-sided or one-dimensional in this YA dystopian yarn that imagines stuff in a Why can't pretty people also be good thanks for corrupting my brain, Disney! Its just too And it really doesn't quite pick up til the third act page or about. My exploration unto this terrain seems to be at its ultimate, most dissatisfied conclusion View 1 comment.
Feb 02, Wren fablesandwren rated it really liked it Shelves: stars , not-shelved. I loved this book for what it is: a reminder of my childhood and a beautiful story about accepting yourself for who you are. SLDFJ I loved this book for what it is: a reminder of my childhood and a beautiful story about accepting yourself for who you are.
View 2 comments. May 11, Thomas rated it it was amazing Recommended to Thomas by: Read it in ; read it again in school. Shelves: five-stars , romance , young-adult , science-fiction.
This is a futuristic novel, and when you turn sixteen you get an operation to make you "pretty". What being pretty means is that you have all your bones taken and ground, your skin re-sized and your whole entire body is basically re-done. Like a huge surgery. The thing is, during her wait to turn sixteen Tally was the youngest in her group of friends she meets a girl named Shay, who doesn't want to get the op "Uglies" is about Tally Youngblood, who is about to turn sixteen, much to her liking.
The thing is, during her wait to turn sixteen Tally was the youngest in her group of friends she meets a girl named Shay, who doesn't want to get the operation.
This doesn't make sense to Tally, because ever since she was little she has been told that she was ugly and she herself has accepted it. Shay leaves in the end to go to the Smoke, a place where runaway Uglies stay, and here's the initiating event in the book. Although Tally doesn't go with Shay, the city's Specials, who are like the police offers that keep thing in check, tell Tally that unless she brings Shay back to the city, then she won't get the operation.
I read this book last year and wanted to review it earlier, but was afraid I wouldn't remember everything and not get it done right. What a good thing that I got to read it in school. This was definitely one of the better books that school has provided me with, and reading it the second time was just as great as reading it the first time. Scott Westerfeld describes everything so vividly without going overboard, and the entire theme and message of the book really connected with me, especially in the society we live in today.
You must read this book! View all 19 comments. Aug 05, Aj the Ravenous Reader rated it it was ok Shelves: sci-fi , physically-owned-books , dystopia. I've been actually saving this trilogy for a special reading occasion because I am really into dystopians and discovering this series was written even before the Hunger Games, I expected that I will be more than impressed. Sad to say, the book did not meet my expectation.
Sure, the concept is cute- every one at the age of 16 gets operated on to become pretty while every body else is consi Seeing this book always popping up every time I searched for best YA novels, I knew I just HAD to read this. Sure, the concept is cute- every one at the age of 16 gets operated on to become pretty while every body else is considered ugly, that's something to look forward to.
Unfortunately, the plotting of the story is too linear with the introduction taking up most of content. My, I've already read pages and I still felt like I was still reading unnecessary backgrounds and introductions. The slight bumps of the story only take place when it's almost finished and I'm sure any dystopian novel written that way cannot be properly appreciated.
For me, any dystopian novel should start and end with an explosion- something captivating that will hook the readers up from beginning till finale. I'm afraid that even if I want to know what happens to Tally and David in the story, I think I'm going to just have to rely on online summaries of the succeeding books because I wouldn't want to go through another agony of reading so many pages mostly wasted on unnecessary details.
I think the hoverboards are cool. Feb 11, Tan Markovic rated it really liked it. Reviews can be found at: www.
Tally has grown up in a society where you are made to believe that you're ugly. As soon as you turn 16, however, you're given the rights to an operation to turn you from an 'ugly' to a 'pretty' and Tally cannot wait for this day. Things take a slight turn when Tally's friend Shay Reviews can be found at: www. Things take a slight turn when Tally's friend Shay doesn't want to become pretty and runs away to The Smoke. Tally is faced with a difficult decision which only becomes harder as she gets to know the people in The Smoke and her views about becoming pretty are questioned.
I got sucked into this world pretty quick and managed to finish it in no time. I loved the way Westerfeld described the world; descriptive and vivid, but not too descriptive that you get bored and I loved the parallels of our society that were incorporated in the story. The writing, and Tally, can get a bit tiresome during the first half of the book; there's only so much of her repeating that she can't wait to become 'pretty' without it starting to grate on you.
There's only so much you can read about a teenage girl wanting to become 'pretty' because that's when you have all the fun without wanting to slap her.
Having said that thought, despite Tally being the most suggestable character ever annoying at least towards the last half of the book you can see her character developing for the better which leaves me with hope for the rest of the series.
The only other thing that slightly let the story down for me was the romance that developed - it kind of left a bitter tast. I felt like it was the perfect opportunity for a strong female friendship to develop and Tally kinda throws in her friendship with her best friend extremely quickly. Overall though this book had me hooked and I wanna jump back into the world asap. I bought the following books in the series immediately after finishing and I can't wait to find how Tally and the story progess.
View all 4 comments. Great idea, poor execution. Story was creative, main character really annoying and the writing okay. Sep 29, Michael rated it really liked it Shelves: read-in , science-fiction. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. At an unspecificied time in the future everyone turning sixteen is given surgery to become "pretty.
She's waiting to be reunited with her best friend and enjoy the life of being pretty together. That is until she meets Shay. The two bond over having lost all their friends to the surgery and waiting to join them.
They sneak out of the city to the wasteland and Tally discovers that not only does Shay not consider herself "ugly" but she has no intention of having the surgerys. The complete New York Times bestselling Uglies series is available as a collectible boxed set.
She lives in a society created to function with perfect-looking people who never have a chance to think for themselves. First as an ugly, then a pretty, and finally a special, Tally takes down the social infrastructure. And then, a generation later, a world obsessed with fame and instant celebrity—and filled with extras—will reap the consequences.
This collectible boxed set contains the complete Ugles series: Uglies , Pretties , Specials , and Extras. Get a FREE ebook by joining our mailing list today! Plus, receive recommendations for your next Book Club read. Visit him at ScottWesterfeld.
Tell us what you like and we'll recommend books you'll love. Sign up and get a free ebook! By Scott Westerfeld. Cable : The head of Special Circumstances. Determined to destroy the Smoke, she blackmails Tally into following Shay to the Smoke as a spy, ordering her to activate a tracker once she's there that will lead Special Circumstances straight to it.
Uglies Wiki Explore. Leviathan Midnighters Youjo Senki Fanfiction. Explore Wikis Community Central. Register Don't have an account? Uglies book. Edit source History Talk 0. Characters [ ] Tally Youngblood : The main protagonist of the book and the main trilogy.
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