Reviews

Beige by Cecil Castellucci

bad_at_person's review

hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

theteenidol's review against another edition

3.0

The punk rock aesthetic really carried this book for me. I’m not sure I like Beige even after her “transformation”. The book really lost me when Lake and Beige go on stage and perform together and Beige just naturally knows what to do, despite “not really listening to music” or liking music that much in general. However, there were only 20 or so pages left after that and I powered through it. It’s was a relatively quick read though.

corncobwebs's review

4.0

My first book of 2009! I liked all the punk rock references in this book (each chapter begins with a song title and the band that performed it). I also liked how Castelucci didn't seem to soften things up for her audience - she doesn't dance around topics like drugs or addiction, and she doesn't clean up or censor her language. This is a great quality in teen novels, because if it's too squeaky clean teens are going to hate it. I don't know about the ending to this book, though - Katy's turnaround from hating the Rat and the idea of moving to Madrid was too abrupt. It was like Castelucci was rushing to wrap everything up in the allotted number of pages. I also didn't like how the chapters were so short - it made it feel like the different scenarios and interactions didn't have a chance to really go anywhere. Overall, I would recommend this one - good for kids who like the Weetzie Bat books.

lindalou's review

4.0

A moving story of finding your own beat and learning to live by it. I loved the slow reconciliation of Beige and the Rat accepting themselves and each other for who they are.

rovertoak's review

4.0

Katy's mom sends her to live with her father, The Rat, for a summer out in L.A. Rat was a drummer for a seminal punk band and during their touring years, met Katy's mom, resulting in, um, Katy. Anyway, this is her first real contact with her father and she's determined to hate every minute. Because she puts up this cold front and puts little of herself out there for others, the L.A. teens she meets label her "Beige" -- It's a good story of reconciliation, self-discovery, and tons of punk references. Castellucci is no poseur, and her writing is totally genuine throughout. This is for the punk-grrl counterparts to those metal guys who read Krovatin's Heavy Metal and You.

akmargie's review

5.0

Nailed the LA setting, nailed the character's voice, nailed the music references. Nailed. It.

foreveryoungadult's review

Graded By: Meghan
BFF Charm: Yay
Swoonworthy Scale: 2
Talky Talk: Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
Bonus Factors: Duckie, Iona
Relationship Status: Total Groupie

Read the full book report here.

ange555's review

2.0

At the start I really enjoyed this book but it went know where and nothing was really achieved at the end.

nutti72's review

4.0

This was a great book I really liked. Katy nicknamed "Beige" goes to spend the summer in LA from Montreal to visit her punk rocker hasbeen dad. As usually with Cecil her books involve lots of character growth and interesting people.

glitterandtwang's review

2.0

Would've adored this when I was a teenage girl, but the number of clichés in the writing are a little tough to stomach. I really like the graphic novels Castellucci has written since, so it seems that her writing has improved over time. Or perhaps it just lends itself more to graphic narratives.