#45 Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
What would happened if an airplane filled with teen beauty queens crash landed on a deserted island? This is the basic premise behind
Libba Bray's newest novel, Beauty Queens, which opens up right after the crash itself. The surviving contestants must pull themselves to safety, and figure out the best way to survive until they are rescued. At least that's the plan. Personalities clash, discoveries are made, and there's a strange feeling that the island may not be as deserted as everyone thinks.
Beauty Queens is a unique novel by Libba Bray, which combines screwball comedy with feminist themes. The first thing that really struck me about the novel was how funny it was. The comedy here can be really broad, but sharp as well (I particularly enjoyed the “commercial breaks”). I was also impressed as how much material that Bray managed to fit in one book. Yes, this is a story about Beauty Queens, but also teenage sexuality, gender identity, politics, race, reality TV, advertisements, and the expectations that we place on young women. This gives the novel the unique state of almost being a snapshot of the issues that matter most to us in the early 21st century. It's the type of book that you could pick up in twenty or so years and really understand what was going on in the year 2011.
I enjoyed the book pretty thoroughly for the first half or so, but as it continued, the nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right began to build in the back of my mind. It's true that the girth of information covered here makes the book really interesting, but it also almost ends up being it's undoing. One slowly gets the feeling that the characters often don't have a purpose beyond making us laugh, and proving a point about a particular issue. And as the book becomes less comedy focused, and more about the issues itself, the book becomes less enjoyable. Beauty Queens is first and foremost, a message novel. It softens the blow somewhat in that I actually agree with many of the messages here (example: how little sense it makes that sex can be used as a tool to sell beer and other products, but one seventeen year old girl enjoying sex when she's ready is labeled a slut and a nympho), but it doesn't completely take away the sting. Fortunately, the book gains some of it's fun back during the exciting ending.
Beauty Queens is an ambitious novel, and although it doesn't quite achieve the greatness that it has the potential for, I admire Bray for attempting something so daring. Even though I felt that this book was too message heavy, I have to admit that they were concepts that I wish more young adult literature would embrace, albeit in a less heavy handed way. Ultimately, I did end up liking Beauty Queens, even if I did have some serious issues with it.
Rating: three and a half stars
Length: 396 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Other books I've read by this author: A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, The Sweet Far Thing, Going Bovine.
Next I will be reviewing The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
Xposted to temporaryworlds , bookish , and goodreads
Libba Bray's newest novel, Beauty Queens, which opens up right after the crash itself. The surviving contestants must pull themselves to safety, and figure out the best way to survive until they are rescued. At least that's the plan. Personalities clash, discoveries are made, and there's a strange feeling that the island may not be as deserted as everyone thinks.
Beauty Queens is a unique novel by Libba Bray, which combines screwball comedy with feminist themes. The first thing that really struck me about the novel was how funny it was. The comedy here can be really broad, but sharp as well (I particularly enjoyed the “commercial breaks”). I was also impressed as how much material that Bray managed to fit in one book. Yes, this is a story about Beauty Queens, but also teenage sexuality, gender identity, politics, race, reality TV, advertisements, and the expectations that we place on young women. This gives the novel the unique state of almost being a snapshot of the issues that matter most to us in the early 21st century. It's the type of book that you could pick up in twenty or so years and really understand what was going on in the year 2011.
I enjoyed the book pretty thoroughly for the first half or so, but as it continued, the nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right began to build in the back of my mind. It's true that the girth of information covered here makes the book really interesting, but it also almost ends up being it's undoing. One slowly gets the feeling that the characters often don't have a purpose beyond making us laugh, and proving a point about a particular issue. And as the book becomes less comedy focused, and more about the issues itself, the book becomes less enjoyable. Beauty Queens is first and foremost, a message novel. It softens the blow somewhat in that I actually agree with many of the messages here (example: how little sense it makes that sex can be used as a tool to sell beer and other products, but one seventeen year old girl enjoying sex when she's ready is labeled a slut and a nympho), but it doesn't completely take away the sting. Fortunately, the book gains some of it's fun back during the exciting ending.
Beauty Queens is an ambitious novel, and although it doesn't quite achieve the greatness that it has the potential for, I admire Bray for attempting something so daring. Even though I felt that this book was too message heavy, I have to admit that they were concepts that I wish more young adult literature would embrace, albeit in a less heavy handed way. Ultimately, I did end up liking Beauty Queens, even if I did have some serious issues with it.
Rating: three and a half stars
Length: 396 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Other books I've read by this author: A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, The Sweet Far Thing, Going Bovine.
Next I will be reviewing The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
Xposted to temporaryworlds , bookish , and goodreads