Status
Available
Call number
Call number
F Bra
Genres
Collection
Publication
Scholastic Press (2011), Edition: First Edition, 400 pages
Description
When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island's other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.
Original publication date
2011-05-24
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User reviews
LibraryThing member foggidawn
This may seem like a strange thing to say, but I wanted this book to be less than it was . . . less over-the-top, less message-y, less satirical. I think there was a good story there, but it got lost in the ridiculous details. I mean, a clandestine arms deal with an evil dictator is great. The fact
There were some interesting underlying themes: evils of consumerism, value of diversity, exploring sexuality, the interplay between feminism and femininity . . . but I felt like I was being bludgeoned over the head with them in several parts of the book.
I did find it a quick read, and wasn't put off so much by the sheer absurdity that I stopped reading, so perhaps you should take my criticisms with a grain of salt. Still, I'm having a hard time thinking of who I'd recommend this to, as it's just all too bizarre.
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that the evil dictator has a stupid-sounding name and an Elvis fetish makes it just silly. Also, the fact that the beauty pageant contestants either died in the crash or survived unscathed was a little convenient. Oh, wait. They weren't all unscathed -- one had a broken arm, and another had a tray embedded in her head, but they never suffered any ill effects (infection, pain, blood poisoning) from their injuries. I also think that the whole issue of survival was just too easy for them. (And I'm still trying to remember if they ever explained where the machete came from. Handy thing to have on a desert island, but not the sort of thing you'd expect pageant contestants to have in their luggage.)There were some interesting underlying themes: evils of consumerism, value of diversity, exploring sexuality, the interplay between feminism and femininity . . . but I felt like I was being bludgeoned over the head with them in several parts of the book.
I did find it a quick read, and wasn't put off so much by the sheer absurdity that I stopped reading, so perhaps you should take my criticisms with a grain of salt. Still, I'm having a hard time thinking of who I'd recommend this to, as it's just all too bizarre.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Warning, this book is at times very silly and the reader should be in the mood for something foolish, immature, and slightly cheesy. At other times, Beauty Queens by Libba Bray proved to be a well-blended mix of satire, humor and survival skills, keeping me engrossed and turning pages. I felt I was
A plane crash lands the Miss Teen Dream contestants on a seemingly deserted Caribbean island and at first they only seem to care about their manicures and hair extensions. To see a slow change come about as the girls develop their skills and become empowered by their survival was endearing. Although only a small island, we soon learn the girls aren’t alone, a group of apparent rogue mercenaries are lurking about. They are aware of the girls, but are more focused on their shady plots than in rescue. Eventually added to the mix are some reality TV pirates and a crazy South American dictator.
The story builds to an over-the-top finale which includes a piranha tank, a giant snake and a jungle beauty pageant. I was obviously in the right mood for this book as I totally enjoyed this different and original story which I am giving 4 stars for being so entertaining.
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reading a strange cross between Gilligans Island and Get Smart (only the castaways are all Gingers). A plane crash lands the Miss Teen Dream contestants on a seemingly deserted Caribbean island and at first they only seem to care about their manicures and hair extensions. To see a slow change come about as the girls develop their skills and become empowered by their survival was endearing. Although only a small island, we soon learn the girls aren’t alone, a group of apparent rogue mercenaries are lurking about. They are aware of the girls, but are more focused on their shady plots than in rescue. Eventually added to the mix are some reality TV pirates and a crazy South American dictator.
The story builds to an over-the-top finale which includes a piranha tank, a giant snake and a jungle beauty pageant. I was obviously in the right mood for this book as I totally enjoyed this different and original story which I am giving 4 stars for being so entertaining.
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LibraryThing member fyrefly98
Summary: When the plane carrying the fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream Pageant crashes into a remote tropical island, the outlook for the survivors is pretty grim. Sure, struggling for survival on the beach will give the girls the opportunity to work on their tan, but the sweat makes their
Review: For the first hundred pages of this book, I wasn't entirely sold. I liked the premise - Lost if Oceanic 815 was populated entirely with teenage pageant girls - but Bray's humor wasn't sitting particularly well with me. I was surprised, since I thought Going Bovine was hilarious, but in this case, the jokes just felt too on the nose to be really funny. Satire works best when it's pointing up something that should have been obvious but wasn't, but in Beauty Queens's case (particularly in the beginning), the jokes were centered on things that are already obvious - the corporate vacuousness of reality TV programming, the impossible body image of Barbie dolls, etc. - and therefore fell pretty flat.
Luckily, although the trying-too-hard humor never entirely went away, it did eventually fade to the background as the characters and the story took over. The book is really an ensemble piece, with most of the surviving girls getting a few chapters of POV, and it's really impressive to watch each girl grow from her initial archetype (life-long Texas pageant girl, snarky reporter who's only there to prove a point, ethnic minority, ditz, tomboy, etc.) into a whole person. Bray handles each girl's reasons for being there, and her subsequent growth, with empathy and grace, and deals with some sensitive and serious issues with aplomb. She also never lets herself get bogged down by the more serious aspects of the story - they're there, but they're always wrapped up in a zany adventure farce. As demonstrated by Going Bovine, Bray can write zany really, really well, and while I did like the character bits in the middle third of the book more than the action-adventure of the last third, I was having enough fun to go along for the ride.
This is absolutely a book with a Message, and while that has a big potential to annoy, I think Beauty Queens is saved by the fact that it is a really, really important message, and not one that I've seen much of in contemporary YA lit. This book's presented image, of girls freed from societal constraints becoming who they are, and who they want to be; of girls learning that liking guys does not mean that you need a guy to rescue you, is a potent one. It's also a very refreshing break from the Twilights and Hush, Hushs and all the rash of other YA books that involve a girl falling for her abuser or subsuming her desires and her personality to achieve the ultimate goal in life of getting a man. But even though there is a message, and that message is not always entirely subtle, the tone of the book is never lecturing, or even entirely serious. I mean, feminism, yay!, but also: Miss New Mexico spends the entire book with a seat-back tray table embedded in her forehead. How can you not go for a book that's got both? 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: The humor occasionally tries too hard, but it's a fun, fast read with a solid emotional core underneath. Definitely recommended for anyone who is, used to be, or is in contact with a teen girl.
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mascara run, and there's no place to plug in a blowdryer. While some girls are convinced that the pageant's sponsors, the Corporation, will be sending a rescue party shortly, and that they should therefore continue practicing their dance numbers and Q&A, other girls see the need for more practical measures. But can a group of girls who are used to being judged by what's on the outside manage to parlay their talents into survival? Can these former competitors learn to work together not only to stay alive, but also to uncover the dark secrets hidden in the heart of the island?Review: For the first hundred pages of this book, I wasn't entirely sold. I liked the premise - Lost if Oceanic 815 was populated entirely with teenage pageant girls - but Bray's humor wasn't sitting particularly well with me. I was surprised, since I thought Going Bovine was hilarious, but in this case, the jokes just felt too on the nose to be really funny. Satire works best when it's pointing up something that should have been obvious but wasn't, but in Beauty Queens's case (particularly in the beginning), the jokes were centered on things that are already obvious - the corporate vacuousness of reality TV programming, the impossible body image of Barbie dolls, etc. - and therefore fell pretty flat.
Luckily, although the trying-too-hard humor never entirely went away, it did eventually fade to the background as the characters and the story took over. The book is really an ensemble piece, with most of the surviving girls getting a few chapters of POV, and it's really impressive to watch each girl grow from her initial archetype (life-long Texas pageant girl, snarky reporter who's only there to prove a point, ethnic minority, ditz, tomboy, etc.) into a whole person. Bray handles each girl's reasons for being there, and her subsequent growth, with empathy and grace, and deals with some sensitive and serious issues with aplomb. She also never lets herself get bogged down by the more serious aspects of the story - they're there, but they're always wrapped up in a zany adventure farce. As demonstrated by Going Bovine, Bray can write zany really, really well, and while I did like the character bits in the middle third of the book more than the action-adventure of the last third, I was having enough fun to go along for the ride.
This is absolutely a book with a Message, and while that has a big potential to annoy, I think Beauty Queens is saved by the fact that it is a really, really important message, and not one that I've seen much of in contemporary YA lit. This book's presented image, of girls freed from societal constraints becoming who they are, and who they want to be; of girls learning that liking guys does not mean that you need a guy to rescue you, is a potent one. It's also a very refreshing break from the Twilights and Hush, Hushs and all the rash of other YA books that involve a girl falling for her abuser or subsuming her desires and her personality to achieve the ultimate goal in life of getting a man. But even though there is a message, and that message is not always entirely subtle, the tone of the book is never lecturing, or even entirely serious. I mean, feminism, yay!, but also: Miss New Mexico spends the entire book with a seat-back tray table embedded in her forehead. How can you not go for a book that's got both? 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: The humor occasionally tries too hard, but it's a fun, fast read with a solid emotional core underneath. Definitely recommended for anyone who is, used to be, or is in contact with a teen girl.
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LibraryThing member wsquared
On their way to compete in the Miss Teen Dream pageant, a plane full of teen beauty queens crashes on a desert island. The diverse group of survivors bands together despite their fierce competitiveness and makes do by pooling their skills and re-purposing evening gowns, hair dryers, and other
Libba Bray's latest takes a wacky plot set-up and somehow makes it even more ridiculous in the best possible way. A biting satire of our consumption-driven, beauty-obsessed, reality-show-infatuated culture, this is also a straight-up adventure story with strong female leads who realize that they have more to offer than pretty faces and perfectly groomed resumes, that they can be friends despite their differences, and that sexuality is not something to be ashamed of. Bray takes different female stereotypes, pushes them to their extremes, and then subverts them all while keeping the plot rolling along. This book is so over-the-top that it may alienate more close-minded readers, but there's enough entertainment here for girls (and boys) of all different reading tastes to like.
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beauty supplies into survival equipment. In the midst of some intense female bonding, the girls begin to suspect that they aren't alone on the island. Throw in an evil corporation, a Sarah Palin-esque pageant director-c*m-villain, a whack-a-doodle dictator, and a group of sexy, reality-show pirates, and you've got an island adventure like no other. Libba Bray's latest takes a wacky plot set-up and somehow makes it even more ridiculous in the best possible way. A biting satire of our consumption-driven, beauty-obsessed, reality-show-infatuated culture, this is also a straight-up adventure story with strong female leads who realize that they have more to offer than pretty faces and perfectly groomed resumes, that they can be friends despite their differences, and that sexuality is not something to be ashamed of. Bray takes different female stereotypes, pushes them to their extremes, and then subverts them all while keeping the plot rolling along. This book is so over-the-top that it may alienate more close-minded readers, but there's enough entertainment here for girls (and boys) of all different reading tastes to like.
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LibraryThing member andreablythe
A plane crashes on a deserted island, leaving over a dozen of the surviving beauty queens to fend for themselves. It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but what unfolds is a fun, charming story about girls coming together and discovering their own sense of self. It's also a satire on the
After the plane crashes, the first beauty queen we are introduced to is Adina, news reporter and feminist with an agenda. One might assume as I did that Adina was going to be a the voice of reason amid the group, the knowledgeable one who teaches the dumb, superficial beauties about how to be stronger more intelligent women. But Libba Bray doesn't fall into this trope, and instead gives each girl a heart and a bit of soul, and lets them discover that they have their own voice as they climb out of the box the world wants to put them in. It's shown that while Adina represents one form of female empowerment, it's not the only form.
There are some genuine and wonderful moments in this book and Libba balances the satire with the character development well. The most heavy handed moments are perhaps the "commercial breaks" and "footnote" and such that come for our loving sponsor, The Corporation, each of which sketches out TV commercials and reality shows movie plots and products, drawing out the normal to the extreme for humor. It's clear we're meant to see the real world reflected and to take note and question much of the media that many accept as normal. I wouldn't say this book is very deep. It's a bit too fluffy to be deep, sometimes satirizing what seems the obvious (though perhaps some of it might represent new realizations for a teenage girl).
But fluffy or deep, and whatever flaws, this was a fast and brilliantly fun read.
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corporate perception of women and body image that had me snort with laughter more than once. After the plane crashes, the first beauty queen we are introduced to is Adina, news reporter and feminist with an agenda. One might assume as I did that Adina was going to be a the voice of reason amid the group, the knowledgeable one who teaches the dumb, superficial beauties about how to be stronger more intelligent women. But Libba Bray doesn't fall into this trope, and instead gives each girl a heart and a bit of soul, and lets them discover that they have their own voice as they climb out of the box the world wants to put them in. It's shown that while Adina represents one form of female empowerment, it's not the only form.
There are some genuine and wonderful moments in this book and Libba balances the satire with the character development well. The most heavy handed moments are perhaps the "commercial breaks" and "footnote" and such that come for our loving sponsor, The Corporation, each of which sketches out TV commercials and reality shows movie plots and products, drawing out the normal to the extreme for humor. It's clear we're meant to see the real world reflected and to take note and question much of the media that many accept as normal. I wouldn't say this book is very deep. It's a bit too fluffy to be deep, sometimes satirizing what seems the obvious (though perhaps some of it might represent new realizations for a teenage girl).
But fluffy or deep, and whatever flaws, this was a fast and brilliantly fun read.
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LibraryThing member LibraryCin
4.25 stars
When a group of “Miss Teen Dreamers” (beauty pageant girls) are on a flight that goes down on a seemingly-deserted island, the survivors of the crash must learn to survive on their own.
This was a lot of fun! It's a humourous look at pageants and the girls, but the girls learn quickly
I'm giving 4 stars for the book, and an extra ¼ star for the audio, read by Libba Bray, herself. She did an amazing job of it – there were a ton of different accents, which she handled extremely well. There were footnotes and commercial breaks, also done extremely well for the audio with sound effects and music and the commercials (and tv shows) sounded like commercials and tv shows. There was also a brief interview at the end with Libba Bray, which was also very amusing, as were the acknowledgements. I really really enjoyed this, especially the audio!
When a group of “Miss Teen Dreamers” (beauty pageant girls) are on a flight that goes down on a seemingly-deserted island, the survivors of the crash must learn to survive on their own.
This was a lot of fun! It's a humourous look at pageants and the girls, but the girls learn quickly
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and it's a bit about “girl power,” as well. I'm giving 4 stars for the book, and an extra ¼ star for the audio, read by Libba Bray, herself. She did an amazing job of it – there were a ton of different accents, which she handled extremely well. There were footnotes and commercial breaks, also done extremely well for the audio with sound effects and music and the commercials (and tv shows) sounded like commercials and tv shows. There was also a brief interview at the end with Libba Bray, which was also very amusing, as were the acknowledgements. I really really enjoyed this, especially the audio!
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LibraryThing member AAM_mommy
I have mixed thoughts about this one. On one hand, it's very "young adult" which is a turn off for me. It's silly and imaginary and seemingly superficial. On the other, Bray's wry, witty writing style is like none I've ever read. She is clever and humorous and very creative. When I first finished
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the book, I was annoyed but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that there were indeed things in the book that were thought-provoking; the pressure on young girls to be perfect, thin, beautiful, smart, pure, and innocent. If you take the book seriously, you'll be very disappointed. If you read it during a tornado watch for 3 hours and finish it, you'll giggle and go pick up something heavier. :-) Show Less
LibraryThing member pacey1927
"Beauty Queens" has been on my wish list for quite awhile now. I loved the "Great and Terrible Beauty" trilogy so Libby Bray's name now catches my eye. I knew from reading the blurb that this book wasn't going to be anything like the trilogy and that was fine. A book that snarks on beauty pageants?
I was entertained by this book but I was also annoyed and dismayed by the over the top portrayal of the teen beauty queens. So much so that a quarter of the way through I almost decided not to finish this book. It is a very rare book that is so awful that I can't finish it. In this case I am glad I made the effort to read on. The basic idea is that a plane filled with teenage beauty queen contestants, their handlers, and two pilots crashes on a remote island. They must come together and learn that they are so much more than pretty things. Only about fourteen girls survive the crash. The first scenes after the impact of the crash should have been grisly and heartbreaking. Instead, not one of the girls seems to care about the dead. I mean they take care of the bodies but in a very flip manner. They mourn the loss of their clothes and beauty supplies but that is about it.
As time progresses they do come together and build shelters and find a way to eat on the island. They also get to know each other better. The reader is invited into the pasts of each of the girls and none of them seem to be from a normal upbringing. They all have hang ups or hurts in their past. Taylor, the leader, demands that they all still practice their routines and interviews so they can still do their best once they are off the island. Later we learn that her mother abandoned her as a young child. The memories she has of her mom center on the two of them watching pageants together. So yes, I came to like these girls quite a bit when all was said and done.
The book goes wrong due to the campiness of it all. Yes, there should be camp and there should be snark but this was just too much. A pirate ship eventually wrecks on the island carrying a bunch of hot teenage (convenient, huh) hunks who really only play pirates on TV. This is quite nice for the girls as it enables some hook ups. Also there is a deeply contrived plot about an evil ruler named MoMo B. ChaCha from the Republic of ChaCha. He walks around dressed like Elvis, including the wig, with a stuffed lemur he carries around and talks with. This is seriously too much.
Some other positives: I love that Bray tackles head on homosexual and multi racial beauty queens. I love that not everyone ended up where you thought they would be. I adored the little epilogue at the end. And again, I liked the girls and by the end of the book I was actively rooting for them. I just think this book could have been amazing and could have made the point even more poignant if we could have seen real emotions in the girls. Even shallow girls have emotion! I wavered between and 2 and a 3 rating but since I don't regret reading it I went with a three.
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Sign me up!I was entertained by this book but I was also annoyed and dismayed by the over the top portrayal of the teen beauty queens. So much so that a quarter of the way through I almost decided not to finish this book. It is a very rare book that is so awful that I can't finish it. In this case I am glad I made the effort to read on. The basic idea is that a plane filled with teenage beauty queen contestants, their handlers, and two pilots crashes on a remote island. They must come together and learn that they are so much more than pretty things. Only about fourteen girls survive the crash. The first scenes after the impact of the crash should have been grisly and heartbreaking. Instead, not one of the girls seems to care about the dead. I mean they take care of the bodies but in a very flip manner. They mourn the loss of their clothes and beauty supplies but that is about it.
As time progresses they do come together and build shelters and find a way to eat on the island. They also get to know each other better. The reader is invited into the pasts of each of the girls and none of them seem to be from a normal upbringing. They all have hang ups or hurts in their past. Taylor, the leader, demands that they all still practice their routines and interviews so they can still do their best once they are off the island. Later we learn that her mother abandoned her as a young child. The memories she has of her mom center on the two of them watching pageants together. So yes, I came to like these girls quite a bit when all was said and done.
The book goes wrong due to the campiness of it all. Yes, there should be camp and there should be snark but this was just too much. A pirate ship eventually wrecks on the island carrying a bunch of hot teenage (convenient, huh) hunks who really only play pirates on TV. This is quite nice for the girls as it enables some hook ups. Also there is a deeply contrived plot about an evil ruler named MoMo B. ChaCha from the Republic of ChaCha. He walks around dressed like Elvis, including the wig, with a stuffed lemur he carries around and talks with. This is seriously too much.
Some other positives: I love that Bray tackles head on homosexual and multi racial beauty queens. I love that not everyone ended up where you thought they would be. I adored the little epilogue at the end. And again, I liked the girls and by the end of the book I was actively rooting for them. I just think this book could have been amazing and could have made the point even more poignant if we could have seen real emotions in the girls. Even shallow girls have emotion! I wavered between and 2 and a 3 rating but since I don't regret reading it I went with a three.
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LibraryThing member TheLibraryhag
This book is a hoot. Take 13 overachieving (for the most part) beauty queens, place on a deserted (supposedly) island without any adults and few cosmetics and what do you get. Well, in this case you get (on one level) a serious case of Girl Power Gone Wild, and on another level some pretty fierce
For the first time in most of their lives, these girls get to think for themselves and put their priorities on order. So we find out that we have an ultra feminist determined to bring down the pageant, a lesbian, a transgender person in transition, well, pretty much everyone has something to hide. I love the way the characters find their own voices and forge friendships, how they overcome obstacles and survive. I also love the pure absurdity of whole book. This is definitely a book for older teens. There is language and sex. I also think it is a bit sophisticated for tweens. Overall, a barrel of fun.
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political and social satire. For the first time in most of their lives, these girls get to think for themselves and put their priorities on order. So we find out that we have an ultra feminist determined to bring down the pageant, a lesbian, a transgender person in transition, well, pretty much everyone has something to hide. I love the way the characters find their own voices and forge friendships, how they overcome obstacles and survive. I also love the pure absurdity of whole book. This is definitely a book for older teens. There is language and sex. I also think it is a bit sophisticated for tweens. Overall, a barrel of fun.
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LibraryThing member Lo5588
Behold: the best Crossover book of the summer! I know that's a bold claim to make, and it's still early in the season, but Beauty Queens is just that good. Told with Bray's trademark caustic wit, it is the tale of a planeful of beauty queens who get stranded on a desert island. Think "Lost" meets
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"Miss America". Add a healthy dose of reality tv and some sexy pirates, and you've got a hilariously snarky don't-miss read! Show Less
LibraryThing member spartyliblover
I loved this new book for Libba Bray! With the wide array of characters I found multiple ones I could identify with and root for as I read through. The side notes from the Corporation, and the added pageant information sheets made it a fun read. I was laughing out loud as I read. Great book for
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older teens that love a good adventure with a bit of drama and make up thrown in! Show Less
LibraryThing member ilikethesebooks
This book was outrageous, hilarious, ridiculous, satirical, surprisingly touching and completely one of a kind - I loved every second of it.
This novel had a basic plot that may have been done before. Plane crash on island, oh how will be survive? But wait, it was not like the others at all. It was
Also, the way the book setup was a stroke of genius. The book was filled with media that does not exist in today's world, so there would be footnotes filling you in with hilarious information. Periodically there would be "Commercial Breaks", or news casts that made me laugh out loud. It was just formatted so differently, yet so perfectly for this book. I really, really enjoyed that.
Just so you know, this book is definitely for the mid/older YA crowd, not for the youngsters... There was quite a bit mature subject matter, sexuality (of all kinds), hallucinogenics, violence, etc. I actually liked it in the plot, it didn't take away from it, I just thought I'd give you guys a heads up.
So, long story short, what I thought would be a fun read ended up being so much more. Beauty Queens was blow-milk-out-of-your-nose-funny, filled with witty satire of today's media influence, and surprisingly touching moments. This book is a must have item for your beach bag. I would recommend it over and over again. And then some.
This novel had a basic plot that may have been done before. Plane crash on island, oh how will be survive? But wait, it was not like the others at all. It was
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so much better. The cast of characters both fit together and irked each other perfectly. There were the superficial beauty queens, the high school undercover journalist, and the what??? (I'm not gonna spoil it, but yes, that will be your reaction). The interactions between the characters were ridiculous. By that I mean a few things; they were funny, they were outrageous, and they were completely irrelevant. I really don't know how to explain it, it was just fun.Also, the way the book setup was a stroke of genius. The book was filled with media that does not exist in today's world, so there would be footnotes filling you in with hilarious information. Periodically there would be "Commercial Breaks", or news casts that made me laugh out loud. It was just formatted so differently, yet so perfectly for this book. I really, really enjoyed that.
Just so you know, this book is definitely for the mid/older YA crowd, not for the youngsters... There was quite a bit mature subject matter, sexuality (of all kinds), hallucinogenics, violence, etc. I actually liked it in the plot, it didn't take away from it, I just thought I'd give you guys a heads up.
So, long story short, what I thought would be a fun read ended up being so much more. Beauty Queens was blow-milk-out-of-your-nose-funny, filled with witty satire of today's media influence, and surprisingly touching moments. This book is a must have item for your beach bag. I would recommend it over and over again. And then some.
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LibraryThing member titania86
The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream Pageant are supposed to be on a beach, preparing for the big day where one of them would get the crown. Instead, their plane crash landed onto a seemingly deserted island. Most of their possessions were lost and they have no way to keep up their beauty.
The descriptions I've read for Beauty Queens have all been misleading. I was expecting Lord of the Flies and Battle Royale rolled into one with pageant queens. So I expected them all to hunting and killing each other, which sounded awesome. This does not happen at all. The actual book is much better than that, so don't let the descriptions fool you. Beauty Queens is not only a dypstopian novel, but also a satire. Other novels have attempted to do this, but this is one of the few that have succeeded being both.
The dystopian world is not too much different from our's and the problems with our society are exaggerated to laughable proportions. I haven't laughed at a book this much in a long time. Through humor and exceptional writing, Bray exposed the stupidity and unattainability of the beauty standard, the way pop culture is used as propaganda for this beauty standard and assumptions about women, and the corruption of big corporations. The different sections of the novel really helped organize it and better expose these issues. In between the story The commercials were completely over the top and ridiculous in their attempts to shame women and impose social norms. The exaggeration is hilarious, but through the humor, the reader sees that commercials actually do those things through much more subtle ways. The media continues to perpetuate ideas about what women should be like and it isn't really how real women are.
This novel features a large cast of characters, most of them teenage girls. I thought it would be difficult to keep track of so many, but they all have defining characteristics and their own chance to shine. It was surprisingly easy to remember all of them. At first, the girls keep up their beauty queen facades, but as time goes by, their true selves start to shine through. They realize that they don't have to be the ideal woman: hairless, skinny, uninterested in sex yet must have a man to validate her life, and unintelligent. They have the right to assert their opinions, question their sexuality, be intelligent, decide what they want to do with their lives, enjoy sex and food, and above all, they are free to be themselves. Each of the girls has her own set of insecurities and fears, but together, they work to overcome them and embrace themselves, regardless of the view society has of them. You might think that beauty queens are fragile, meek, plastic creatures, but they are just young girls figuring things out like the rest of us. These characters are all surprisingly relatable, even though at the outset of the novel, I didn't think I had anything in common with them. When the girls shed their plastic exteriors, I argue that anybody can relate to them.
Beauty Queens was an unexpected and wonderful adventure. It has just about everything: evil corporations, beauty queens, pirates, a plane crash, and a deserted island full of possibilities. This is easily one of the best young adult novels I have ever read and I would recommend this to everyone.
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At first, they decide to keep practicing their pageant routines, but after a while, survival is more important. As time goes on, the practiced, fake facade of each girl falls, revealing someone imperfect, but real. Little do they know that on hidden parts of the island nefarious government dealings are happening and the girls are considered an inconvenience to be terminated. Can the girls be resourceful enough to not only survive the dangers of the island, but their own government?The descriptions I've read for Beauty Queens have all been misleading. I was expecting Lord of the Flies and Battle Royale rolled into one with pageant queens. So I expected them all to hunting and killing each other, which sounded awesome. This does not happen at all. The actual book is much better than that, so don't let the descriptions fool you. Beauty Queens is not only a dypstopian novel, but also a satire. Other novels have attempted to do this, but this is one of the few that have succeeded being both.
The dystopian world is not too much different from our's and the problems with our society are exaggerated to laughable proportions. I haven't laughed at a book this much in a long time. Through humor and exceptional writing, Bray exposed the stupidity and unattainability of the beauty standard, the way pop culture is used as propaganda for this beauty standard and assumptions about women, and the corruption of big corporations. The different sections of the novel really helped organize it and better expose these issues. In between the story The commercials were completely over the top and ridiculous in their attempts to shame women and impose social norms. The exaggeration is hilarious, but through the humor, the reader sees that commercials actually do those things through much more subtle ways. The media continues to perpetuate ideas about what women should be like and it isn't really how real women are.
This novel features a large cast of characters, most of them teenage girls. I thought it would be difficult to keep track of so many, but they all have defining characteristics and their own chance to shine. It was surprisingly easy to remember all of them. At first, the girls keep up their beauty queen facades, but as time goes by, their true selves start to shine through. They realize that they don't have to be the ideal woman: hairless, skinny, uninterested in sex yet must have a man to validate her life, and unintelligent. They have the right to assert their opinions, question their sexuality, be intelligent, decide what they want to do with their lives, enjoy sex and food, and above all, they are free to be themselves. Each of the girls has her own set of insecurities and fears, but together, they work to overcome them and embrace themselves, regardless of the view society has of them. You might think that beauty queens are fragile, meek, plastic creatures, but they are just young girls figuring things out like the rest of us. These characters are all surprisingly relatable, even though at the outset of the novel, I didn't think I had anything in common with them. When the girls shed their plastic exteriors, I argue that anybody can relate to them.
Beauty Queens was an unexpected and wonderful adventure. It has just about everything: evil corporations, beauty queens, pirates, a plane crash, and a deserted island full of possibilities. This is easily one of the best young adult novels I have ever read and I would recommend this to everyone.
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LibraryThing member Booklady123
I received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book through the Amazon Vine Program in exchange for a honest review.
Summary: The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream Pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and
What’s a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program – or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan – or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?
Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Your tour guide? None other than Libba Bray, the hilarious, sensational, Printz Award-winning author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Going Bovine. The result is a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you never see beauty the same way again.
There has been a lot of comparisons of this book to the TV show Lost. I can't really speak to that since I've never watched that show. It did remind me vaguely of Survivor and Lord of the Flies - only with with teen age girls and a great deal more humor.
What I liked: This is a funny, mindless read. Several times I found myself reading aloud humorous passages to my husband. But of course, being a guy he didn't always get the humor. It was action packed with perfect pacing. I also liked that it was a light read. Of course, it has plenty of depth, if you want to get serious and think of it as a commentary on feminism, commercialism and the shallowness of the cosmetics industry. Buty why spoil the fun?
What I didn't like? Even though I much prefer Bray's Rebel Angels series, I can't think of anything I didn't like about this book. It's an all around great summer read.
Summary: The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream Pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and
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complete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eye liner. What’s a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program – or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan – or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?
Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Your tour guide? None other than Libba Bray, the hilarious, sensational, Printz Award-winning author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Going Bovine. The result is a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you never see beauty the same way again.
There has been a lot of comparisons of this book to the TV show Lost. I can't really speak to that since I've never watched that show. It did remind me vaguely of Survivor and Lord of the Flies - only with with teen age girls and a great deal more humor.
What I liked: This is a funny, mindless read. Several times I found myself reading aloud humorous passages to my husband. But of course, being a guy he didn't always get the humor. It was action packed with perfect pacing. I also liked that it was a light read. Of course, it has plenty of depth, if you want to get serious and think of it as a commentary on feminism, commercialism and the shallowness of the cosmetics industry. Buty why spoil the fun?
What I didn't like? Even though I much prefer Bray's Rebel Angels series, I can't think of anything I didn't like about this book. It's an all around great summer read.
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LibraryThing member Litfan
I've been a fan of Libba Bray since her Gemma Doyle trilogy, so I was thrilled for the opportunity to read "Beauty Queens." The premise sounds a bit cheesy-- a downed plane full of Miss Teen Dreams on a deserted island-- but there is more to this smart little novel than meets the eye.
First, Libba
What I liked best about the novel was seeing the gradual change in the girls as their pageant-lifestyle was taken away from them. These girls went from obsessing about lip gloss to trying to survive in the wild, and discovered themselves along the way. During one touching scene, the girls make a rule that there is to be no apologizing on the island, after deciding that girls apologize too much for their opinions and feelings. It was impossible not to root for these unlikely heroines.
Aside from the deeper messages it conveys, the novel has a fast-moving plotline that kept me hanging on. Sometimes campy, sometimes with a few too many convenient coincidences, but always funny, suspenseful and quirkily touching, this novel surprised me with its unexpected depth. I was looking for a fun summer read, and ended up with a beach book with brains. It has romance, suspense, heroism (or, more accurately, heroine-ism), wit, and some great messages for teens (and adults) about accepting who you are and finding your own voice.
First, Libba
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Bray has a lot to say about conventional gender roles and the objectification of women, and she deftly uses the pageant world to make her point. She manages to say it with sharp, witty satire that doesn't fail to elicit chuckles. There are actually quite a few issues that are tackled in the story, including racism, commercialism, political corruption, and the intolerance faced by LGBT youth. I'm a firm believer in the power of fiction to provide a clear view of pressing issues, and I think that's part of why I like this particular author so much. I don't have teenagers, but if I did, I'd want them to read books like these to broaden their horizons and help them learn to challenge the status quo. What I liked best about the novel was seeing the gradual change in the girls as their pageant-lifestyle was taken away from them. These girls went from obsessing about lip gloss to trying to survive in the wild, and discovered themselves along the way. During one touching scene, the girls make a rule that there is to be no apologizing on the island, after deciding that girls apologize too much for their opinions and feelings. It was impossible not to root for these unlikely heroines.
Aside from the deeper messages it conveys, the novel has a fast-moving plotline that kept me hanging on. Sometimes campy, sometimes with a few too many convenient coincidences, but always funny, suspenseful and quirkily touching, this novel surprised me with its unexpected depth. I was looking for a fun summer read, and ended up with a beach book with brains. It has romance, suspense, heroism (or, more accurately, heroine-ism), wit, and some great messages for teens (and adults) about accepting who you are and finding your own voice.
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LibraryThing member BookAddictDiary
I wasn't too excited when I first saw this book. And it had nothing to do with the cover or the blurb (which I actually found to be fairly engaging), but the author. I had previous attempted to read Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty, and really couldn't get into it. I had so much trouble
Beauty Queens is about as absurd and awesome as it sounds. Basically, the story is a Lost-like parody that follows a group of Miss Teen Dream contestants after crashing landing on a deserted island (complete with secret facilities and illegal arms dealing). Not only that, but Beauty Queens that satirizes virtually everything about the world, ranging from modern pop culture to modern standards of beauty and modern views on women to international issues. Heck, there are even made-up "commercials" and product placement throughout the entire not, in addition to a sprinkling of absurd-sounding reality TV show plugs and other outrageous things.
Let's start with the epic level of hilarity and originality. I haven't laughed so hard at a book in...gosh, I don't know how long. I honestly can't remember ever laughing this hard at a book before. Then there's the originality -Beauty Queens is seriously on a new level here. It's rare that you see something so original in print -and so awesome.
While I'll admit that some of the characters are little more than stereotypes or had little personality beyond their state name, I was enjoying the story so much that it just didn't matter to me. Now, I'll warn that some younger readers should be careful when approaching this book, as there are some more adult themes -and some of the characters are dealing with some pretty heavy issues, plus some of the satire does go a little crazy, especially when dealing with how young women are portraying in the media.
I guess that it was a good thing that I picked up the Beauty Queens. It was absolutely worth every ridiculous, crazy page. Highly recommended.
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with it that book that I couldn't finish it (and I rarely leave books unfinished). So I wasn't really willing to check out a book by an author I hadn't really enjoyed. But after all the positive reviews I'd seen (not to mention the hilarious blurb), I just had to break down and try it. And I am so glad that I did.Beauty Queens is about as absurd and awesome as it sounds. Basically, the story is a Lost-like parody that follows a group of Miss Teen Dream contestants after crashing landing on a deserted island (complete with secret facilities and illegal arms dealing). Not only that, but Beauty Queens that satirizes virtually everything about the world, ranging from modern pop culture to modern standards of beauty and modern views on women to international issues. Heck, there are even made-up "commercials" and product placement throughout the entire not, in addition to a sprinkling of absurd-sounding reality TV show plugs and other outrageous things.
Let's start with the epic level of hilarity and originality. I haven't laughed so hard at a book in...gosh, I don't know how long. I honestly can't remember ever laughing this hard at a book before. Then there's the originality -Beauty Queens is seriously on a new level here. It's rare that you see something so original in print -and so awesome.
While I'll admit that some of the characters are little more than stereotypes or had little personality beyond their state name, I was enjoying the story so much that it just didn't matter to me. Now, I'll warn that some younger readers should be careful when approaching this book, as there are some more adult themes -and some of the characters are dealing with some pretty heavy issues, plus some of the satire does go a little crazy, especially when dealing with how young women are portraying in the media.
I guess that it was a good thing that I picked up the Beauty Queens. It was absolutely worth every ridiculous, crazy page. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member ethel55
This was a fun, quick read that shows Bray's inventiveness once again.
The ensemble cast is made up of Teen Dream contestants, as least the ones that survived the plane crash on a remote, tropical island. They plan how to organize themselves to make shelter, find food and still practice for the
The ensemble cast is made up of Teen Dream contestants, as least the ones that survived the plane crash on a remote, tropical island. They plan how to organize themselves to make shelter, find food and still practice for the
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pageant. Interspersed within are ads for Corporation beauty products and reality shows, one almost wonders if this will be the template for the next hot thing. I thought the latter part of the book petered out a bit, the first half was so strong. How Bray goes from Gemma, to Cameron, to Taylor Rene Krystal Hawkins, Miss Texas, shows the true depth of her imagination. Show Less
LibraryThing member mountie9
The Good Stuff
* One of the most unique, hilarious and truly unusual books I have ever read (and that my friends is a compliment)
* Sort of a modern retelling of Lord of the Flies but a hell of a lot more fun and interesting (and I totally didn't fall asleep like I did reading Lord of the Flies -
* Beautiful morals thrown in and done in such a fun way that kids will get it, but not feel like you are pulling something over their heads
* Quirky dialogue and characters
* Acceptance of non traditional sexual preferences by the girls which was impressively done
* Wonderful character development
* Cover is AWESOME
* A not very thinly veiled commentary on beauty, marketing and consumerism & done hilarious btw
* There are quite a few more things I would like to put in here but they would be seriousl spoilers, just do yourself a favor and grab the book (and don't let their mindless talk at the beginning throw you off)
The Not so Good Stuff
* slow in a few parts and the mindlessness of the girls at the beginning might stop someone from getting into the book, which would be a shame
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"Really, being a librarian is a much more dangerous job than you realize." (Jen's note: ain't that the truth!)
"I'm talking about my personal copilot, Jesus Christ."
"Someone should tell her personal copilot that his landings suck"
"Che Guevera, the Argentine Marxist revolutionary who later became a bestselling T-shirt icon."
"Let's not speak ill of the dead, no matter how hideous their fashion sense."
What I Learned
* Beauty queens not so lame after all and some of their skills work well in the jungle
Who should/shouldn't read
* I'm just saying this will probably not be loved by most serious beauty queen contestants
* Those who enjoy the unusual and quirky will really enjoy
4.5 Dewey's
I received this from Scholastic in exchange for an honest
* One of the most unique, hilarious and truly unusual books I have ever read (and that my friends is a compliment)
* Sort of a modern retelling of Lord of the Flies but a hell of a lot more fun and interesting (and I totally didn't fall asleep like I did reading Lord of the Flies -
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awful bloody book I tell ya)* Beautiful morals thrown in and done in such a fun way that kids will get it, but not feel like you are pulling something over their heads
* Quirky dialogue and characters
* Acceptance of non traditional sexual preferences by the girls which was impressively done
* Wonderful character development
* Cover is AWESOME
* A not very thinly veiled commentary on beauty, marketing and consumerism & done hilarious btw
* There are quite a few more things I would like to put in here but they would be seriousl spoilers, just do yourself a favor and grab the book (and don't let their mindless talk at the beginning throw you off)
The Not so Good Stuff
* slow in a few parts and the mindlessness of the girls at the beginning might stop someone from getting into the book, which would be a shame
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"Really, being a librarian is a much more dangerous job than you realize." (Jen's note: ain't that the truth!)
"I'm talking about my personal copilot, Jesus Christ."
"Someone should tell her personal copilot that his landings suck"
"Che Guevera, the Argentine Marxist revolutionary who later became a bestselling T-shirt icon."
"Let's not speak ill of the dead, no matter how hideous their fashion sense."
What I Learned
* Beauty queens not so lame after all and some of their skills work well in the jungle
Who should/shouldn't read
* I'm just saying this will probably not be loved by most serious beauty queen contestants
* Those who enjoy the unusual and quirky will really enjoy
4.5 Dewey's
I received this from Scholastic in exchange for an honest
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LibraryThing member jenreidreads
Such a funny book! It's a "madcap surrealist satire" of the world today - beauty obsessed and TV saturated. A group of beauty queens crash-lands on an island. Only some survive. At first, most of them appear vapid and stereotypical, but left to survive on their own, they discover they are stronger
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than society led them to believe. Libba Bray does a good job tempering serious issues with serious silliness; there were many parts where I laughed out loud. I also loved that Miss Nebraska was a major character - and the "wild one." :) Show Less
LibraryThing member stephxsu
When a plane full of The Corporations teenage beauty queen contestants crash on a deserted island, the surviving girls must bond together to survive and keep up their pageant training. But even as the girls struggle to understand one another and themselves, the island holds secrets that The
BEAUTY QUEENS cements Libba Bray as the spokesperson of the level of intelligence that can be accomplished in YA literature. Regardless if humor and satire are not your thing, you should read BEAUTY QUEENS, for it comments on just about everything that is troubling about our society.
BEAUTY QUEENS features an ensemble cast, so we end up learning about a dozen or so girls and rooting for even those whom we thought were initially annoying or dumb. Bray works with a lot of hot topics in her book: feminism, beauty pageants, advertising, LGBT, and female sexuality, just to name a few. She skillfully weaves all these dozens of issues into the personalities and worries of the girls, so that while many of them have hilariously over-the-top dumb lines, we know that there is more meant than what is being said.
Some books have trouble even fully exploring just one topic, let alone several dozen. Frankly, I don’t know how Libba does it, how she managed to keep track of all the characters and all the issues they deal with. Which is why BEAUTY QUEENS is clearly the work of a genius. While at times the ridiculousness of the girls’ predicament and what they encounter on the island (e.g., hallucinatory plants and an evil dictator whose talk reminded me of the Foosa leader from the movie Madagascar) made me shake my head in disbelief, I think everything works for the good of the main message: Libba Bray invites us to question what society tells us and what we typically blindly believe. Her over-the-top story forces us to confront our own passive acceptance of the way things are and encourages us to think for ourselves.
It’s hard to talk about the quality of characterization or pacing or world-building or any of those typical things one of my typical reviews would talk about. That’s because Libba has got those writing essentials in spades, and then she kind of throws them all aside and takes a giant risk. It’s succeeded: BEAUTY QUEENS has escaped the usual limitations of literature, particularly YA fiction, and broken new ground. With this as the new standard of intelligence to match, YA should never be the same again.
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Corporation might be willing to kill to keep them hidden…BEAUTY QUEENS cements Libba Bray as the spokesperson of the level of intelligence that can be accomplished in YA literature. Regardless if humor and satire are not your thing, you should read BEAUTY QUEENS, for it comments on just about everything that is troubling about our society.
BEAUTY QUEENS features an ensemble cast, so we end up learning about a dozen or so girls and rooting for even those whom we thought were initially annoying or dumb. Bray works with a lot of hot topics in her book: feminism, beauty pageants, advertising, LGBT, and female sexuality, just to name a few. She skillfully weaves all these dozens of issues into the personalities and worries of the girls, so that while many of them have hilariously over-the-top dumb lines, we know that there is more meant than what is being said.
Some books have trouble even fully exploring just one topic, let alone several dozen. Frankly, I don’t know how Libba does it, how she managed to keep track of all the characters and all the issues they deal with. Which is why BEAUTY QUEENS is clearly the work of a genius. While at times the ridiculousness of the girls’ predicament and what they encounter on the island (e.g., hallucinatory plants and an evil dictator whose talk reminded me of the Foosa leader from the movie Madagascar) made me shake my head in disbelief, I think everything works for the good of the main message: Libba Bray invites us to question what society tells us and what we typically blindly believe. Her over-the-top story forces us to confront our own passive acceptance of the way things are and encourages us to think for ourselves.
It’s hard to talk about the quality of characterization or pacing or world-building or any of those typical things one of my typical reviews would talk about. That’s because Libba has got those writing essentials in spades, and then she kind of throws them all aside and takes a giant risk. It’s succeeded: BEAUTY QUEENS has escaped the usual limitations of literature, particularly YA fiction, and broken new ground. With this as the new standard of intelligence to match, YA should never be the same again.
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LibraryThing member renkellym
Summary: A group of girls competing for the title of Miss Teen Dream are en route to an island paradise to rehearse for the final pageant, when suddenly their plane crashes! A handful of beauty queens survive the crash (which may or may not have happened on purpose) and must somehow figure out how
My thoughts: Beauty Queens is like Lord of the Flies with glitter and heels. It’s full of social commentary and satire (all of it biting and on-mark), but it’s still relatable and hilarious. The book is formatted like you’re watching a TV show—commercial breaks and all. This makes reading the book feel like you’re a spectator, part of the society from which the Miss Teen Dream contestants come. Because of the unique way in which it is written Beauty Queens is totally engrossing, and completely captivated me.
Beauty Queens has some surprising depths to its story. Between trying to survive and practicing their pageant routines, the seemingly shallow girls end up talking about some pretty deep stuff, like gender roles and what it means to truly be yourself. It’s these little discussions that make the characters really feel real. There are some girls who believe certain things, and others who disagree (just like in reality!).
There is a huge cast of characters in the story, but Libba Bray makes certain that you feel close to every single one. We’re let in on the little secrets each contestant holds, and none of them fail to astonish. I especially connected with Adina, who has a cynical view of the pageant system. While the other girls are bemoaning the loss of their manicures, Adina is trying to convince them that there are more important things at hand—like maybe finding food and water. Luckily, the prissier girls eventually lose their initial vapidity, and become endearing towards the latter half of the book.
Don’t let mentions of Sparkle Ponies and mascara deter you from reading Beauty Queens (yes, it goes there)—it’s a surprisingly deep story with very well developed characters. Libba Bray’s latest novel easily takes the crown in any YA Awesomeness Pageant—highly recommended!
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to live off the land while they wait to be rescued.My thoughts: Beauty Queens is like Lord of the Flies with glitter and heels. It’s full of social commentary and satire (all of it biting and on-mark), but it’s still relatable and hilarious. The book is formatted like you’re watching a TV show—commercial breaks and all. This makes reading the book feel like you’re a spectator, part of the society from which the Miss Teen Dream contestants come. Because of the unique way in which it is written Beauty Queens is totally engrossing, and completely captivated me.
Beauty Queens has some surprising depths to its story. Between trying to survive and practicing their pageant routines, the seemingly shallow girls end up talking about some pretty deep stuff, like gender roles and what it means to truly be yourself. It’s these little discussions that make the characters really feel real. There are some girls who believe certain things, and others who disagree (just like in reality!).
There is a huge cast of characters in the story, but Libba Bray makes certain that you feel close to every single one. We’re let in on the little secrets each contestant holds, and none of them fail to astonish. I especially connected with Adina, who has a cynical view of the pageant system. While the other girls are bemoaning the loss of their manicures, Adina is trying to convince them that there are more important things at hand—like maybe finding food and water. Luckily, the prissier girls eventually lose their initial vapidity, and become endearing towards the latter half of the book.
Don’t let mentions of Sparkle Ponies and mascara deter you from reading Beauty Queens (yes, it goes there)—it’s a surprisingly deep story with very well developed characters. Libba Bray’s latest novel easily takes the crown in any YA Awesomeness Pageant—highly recommended!
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LibraryThing member TheKinuk
This is a brilliant brilliant book! It could so easily have gotten lost in the sheer volume of issues and platforms and 'things' she is trying to say but Bray manages to control the crazy and she does it with such class. I laughed but most of all I tip my hat to this amazingly clever woman. What a
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book :) Read it people!!!!!!!!!!!! Show Less
LibraryThing member booknerdreviews
This book needs to be made into a movie. Immediately! I mean, Libba Bray has already written out the script with interjections from the Corporation advertisements all the way through – it is HILARIOUS!
This is the first book of Libba’s that I have read and definitely will not be the last. Her
The characters are hilarious, Miss Teen Dream New Mexico with half of an areoplane dinner tray stuck in her forehead the whole book, Shanti and Nicole fighting it out over which “minority” will make it to the top 10, Miss Nebraska who is a virgin and when not wearing her “purity ring” ends up being a bit of a wild child who can’t contain herself! There may be some girl love, as well as some other action going on!
There are SERIOUSLY so many sub-storylines going on in the background, but I promise you it was written in such a fluid way I was not once confused with who was who and what story belonged where… and this is something I was initially concerned about thinking about 12 girls on the island… I was like… “Am I going to need a pen and paper here to keep track?”. lol But seriously, gripping story – it’s all just in the name of fun, and it was probably the MOST fun book I remember reading in a long long time.
Definitely read it – especially you folks in the US where it’s nice and sunny right now. This is a PERFECT Summer read!
This is the first book of Libba’s that I have read and definitely will not be the last. Her
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sense of humour and sarcasm in this satire reigned supreme and just made me smile right the way through. And because it WAS so funny I actually was a bit disappointed when the story is over.The characters are hilarious, Miss Teen Dream New Mexico with half of an areoplane dinner tray stuck in her forehead the whole book, Shanti and Nicole fighting it out over which “minority” will make it to the top 10, Miss Nebraska who is a virgin and when not wearing her “purity ring” ends up being a bit of a wild child who can’t contain herself! There may be some girl love, as well as some other action going on!
There are SERIOUSLY so many sub-storylines going on in the background, but I promise you it was written in such a fluid way I was not once confused with who was who and what story belonged where… and this is something I was initially concerned about thinking about 12 girls on the island… I was like… “Am I going to need a pen and paper here to keep track?”. lol But seriously, gripping story – it’s all just in the name of fun, and it was probably the MOST fun book I remember reading in a long long time.
Definitely read it – especially you folks in the US where it’s nice and sunny right now. This is a PERFECT Summer read!
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LibraryThing member JRlibrary
Hilarious, but too sophisticated for my middle school readers. I think they'd miss the sarcasm. I'm passing it along to my high school.
LibraryThing member pocketmermaid
Disclaimer: I am an unapologetic Libba Bray fan. I will praise anything she does. Seriously, it's going to take a lot for her to disappoint me.
This is my most anticipated book of 2011, which I pre-ordered just as soon as it was available to be pre-ordered on Amazon about 6 months in advance. I
At the end of the book (it's not a spoiler, you can keep reading), Libba explains that she was challenged to write a story about a plane full of beauty pageant contestants crashing on a deserted island. The result was this satirical novel about female interpersonal relationships and personal self-image, with some heavy-handed liberal sentiments thrown in, mixed with mock-ups of commercialized products ranging from hair-removal products, reality television, and feminine supplies. I approve.
I've seen this book described as a cross between William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" and the 2004 movie "Mean Girls." Well, it's been a long time since my freshman year of high school, so I can't really comment on either comparison. But I think to compare it too closely to another piece of work is to do it a disservice. Which is the case with anything, I think, because if you look too hard for the similarities you will miss your own personal and unique response to the experience.
Mine was this: For several years I participated in an all-female group of actresses to put on a play every spring. It was a different batch of girls every year. The results were always surprising and moving. Even though everyone entered the experience trying their hardest to be the best and tentative about forming friendships, everyone managed to get along wonderfully and worked hard and ultimately creating something really special. After the final performance of one of the shows one year, one of the actresses summed up the entire experience with one sentence: "I always thought women were b*tch*s before this."
There's a misconception that women are competitive and want to hurt each other and bring each other down. For me, "Beauty Queens" brings this experience to life. A group of young women are forced to not only be with each other for an undetermined amount of time, but also to rely on each other for survival. Yes, women can be catty b*tch*s sometimes, but being catty b*tch*s isn't the only thing we are capable of. When it comes down to it, women are capable of producing some really amazing results and are so much more than lip gloss and tiaras.
Though if it hurts too much to recognize this, it's best not to take this book too seriously. It's good for that, too. This was a hilarious read which elicited many lulz from me on numerous occasions. I bet the audio, read by Bray herself, is even better.
This is my most anticipated book of 2011, which I pre-ordered just as soon as it was available to be pre-ordered on Amazon about 6 months in advance. I
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devoured every page. And now I'm sad it's over. At the end of the book (it's not a spoiler, you can keep reading), Libba explains that she was challenged to write a story about a plane full of beauty pageant contestants crashing on a deserted island. The result was this satirical novel about female interpersonal relationships and personal self-image, with some heavy-handed liberal sentiments thrown in, mixed with mock-ups of commercialized products ranging from hair-removal products, reality television, and feminine supplies. I approve.
I've seen this book described as a cross between William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" and the 2004 movie "Mean Girls." Well, it's been a long time since my freshman year of high school, so I can't really comment on either comparison. But I think to compare it too closely to another piece of work is to do it a disservice. Which is the case with anything, I think, because if you look too hard for the similarities you will miss your own personal and unique response to the experience.
Mine was this: For several years I participated in an all-female group of actresses to put on a play every spring. It was a different batch of girls every year. The results were always surprising and moving. Even though everyone entered the experience trying their hardest to be the best and tentative about forming friendships, everyone managed to get along wonderfully and worked hard and ultimately creating something really special. After the final performance of one of the shows one year, one of the actresses summed up the entire experience with one sentence: "I always thought women were b*tch*s before this."
There's a misconception that women are competitive and want to hurt each other and bring each other down. For me, "Beauty Queens" brings this experience to life. A group of young women are forced to not only be with each other for an undetermined amount of time, but also to rely on each other for survival. Yes, women can be catty b*tch*s sometimes, but being catty b*tch*s isn't the only thing we are capable of. When it comes down to it, women are capable of producing some really amazing results and are so much more than lip gloss and tiaras.
Though if it hurts too much to recognize this, it's best not to take this book too seriously. It's good for that, too. This was a hilarious read which elicited many lulz from me on numerous occasions. I bet the audio, read by Bray herself, is even better.
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Pages
400