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4saradouglas's review against another edition
3.0
This isn't a bad book, it's just that I couldn't relate to the character... like at all. What kind of person doesn't like music?? It was just extremely hard to be comfortable in her head, if that makes any sense. The ending surprised me a bit as I expected her to decide to stay with her father instead of running off to Spain with her mother. Anyways though, the book was just okay.
yungokssss's review against another edition
3.0
I DID like it, but I couldn't really connect with the characters, probably because of the circumstances they were in. But still, a good book.
snarkywench's review against another edition
Beige had been sitting on my shelf for awhile when I read an entry over at Stephanie Kuehnert's where she was absolutely raving about it. That was enough for me...Stephanie can write like a dream and turns out, can recommend like a dream too.
Beige tells the story of conservative and restrained Katy who is sent to stay with her father in LA for the summer. Katy is a complete fish out of water in the grimy world of punk rock, the smell of it particularly permeates through the pages and it allows you to feel as though you are in the world with her. Katy is completely buttoned down, rigid and shut off and as such The Rat's world doesn't really mesh with her standards. Katy is a completely relatable protagonist, she's never been cool or ever been all that into music. This is most likely influenced by her desire and fear of becoming like her parents, both recovered drug addicts. Her need for order and control can be a little distancing at times but it is always justified.
Every character that appears in Castellucci's novel is extreme - whether extreme in their prickliness, obviousness, softness, rigidity or kitschiness - they are all well formed and have unique and sparky interactions with one another. Lake is a character that works as a great foil for Katy, she's the "expected offspring" of a punk rocker but has missed out on the maternal care that Katy has taken for granted. Lake's a cactus wrapped around a pillow with a piece of coal battling her heart for position in her chest cavity. These two rocker babies with diametrically opposed personalities force one another to really confront who they are and their motivations. It's a friendship that is fun, sparky and organic - there are no false notes to be found.
The Rat is a character that really grabs the reader. He's forever trying too hard to win his daughter over. The author takes the great path of not making him compromise himself at any point in his efforts to ingratiate himself into his daughter's affections. He's an immensely flawed man but one with a huge heart and perhaps too sensitive to the world.
Beige is a fast read. You find yourself whipping through the pages to the most satisfying conclusion. It is a conclusion that rejects the need to tie everything up in a cliche ridden, predictable, pretty package. Instead, this coming of age story, which details Katy's personal growth, settles on a complete realistic and satisfying conclusion.
A fantastic start to a (hopefully) long Castellucci reading journey!
Beige tells the story of conservative and restrained Katy who is sent to stay with her father in LA for the summer. Katy is a complete fish out of water in the grimy world of punk rock, the smell of it particularly permeates through the pages and it allows you to feel as though you are in the world with her. Katy is completely buttoned down, rigid and shut off and as such The Rat's world doesn't really mesh with her standards. Katy is a completely relatable protagonist, she's never been cool or ever been all that into music. This is most likely influenced by her desire and fear of becoming like her parents, both recovered drug addicts. Her need for order and control can be a little distancing at times but it is always justified.
Every character that appears in Castellucci's novel is extreme - whether extreme in their prickliness, obviousness, softness, rigidity or kitschiness - they are all well formed and have unique and sparky interactions with one another. Lake is a character that works as a great foil for Katy, she's the "expected offspring" of a punk rocker but has missed out on the maternal care that Katy has taken for granted. Lake's a cactus wrapped around a pillow with a piece of coal battling her heart for position in her chest cavity. These two rocker babies with diametrically opposed personalities force one another to really confront who they are and their motivations. It's a friendship that is fun, sparky and organic - there are no false notes to be found.
The Rat is a character that really grabs the reader. He's forever trying too hard to win his daughter over. The author takes the great path of not making him compromise himself at any point in his efforts to ingratiate himself into his daughter's affections. He's an immensely flawed man but one with a huge heart and perhaps too sensitive to the world.
Beige is a fast read. You find yourself whipping through the pages to the most satisfying conclusion. It is a conclusion that rejects the need to tie everything up in a cliche ridden, predictable, pretty package. Instead, this coming of age story, which details Katy's personal growth, settles on a complete realistic and satisfying conclusion.
A fantastic start to a (hopefully) long Castellucci reading journey!
chelseakamm's review against another edition
3.0
This book will never be considered amazing literature, but it served its purpose. I needed something to distract me and take my mind off of things while I'm sick, and wasn't too difficult to read because it's hard for me to concentrate. This book was perfect for that purpose.
belles_bookshelves's review against another edition
1.0
I picked this book up because the blurb sounded interesting, but the main character and the cussing annoyed me to no end. I don't understand why it was necessary to drop the f-bomb every two pages. The main character(Katy)was excessivly annoying and a bit on the naive side. I'm not saying that to be mean but she acted like a total brat through most of the book. I could get that she wasn't happy about hanging out in LA with her punk rocker dad(Rat) who she hasn't been close to. She's pretty much the opposite of everything her dad and the people he hangs out are, so obviously it would be hard. I think that she was too hard on the Rat considering he was trying so hard. She could've given him more of a chance at the beginning. Katy complains through almost the whole book, not until the end do you start to see her really lighten up. I have to give the author credit for not making Katy go through a huge transformation for the sake of the story. It kept me interested enough to finish the book and I kinda liked the resolution(I thought the manifesto thing was good, probably the best part of the book). I just didn't like almost all of the characters. I understand that I'm probably not this books main audience since I'm not into punk or the music scene so someone who is a fan of these will definitely get more out this books than me.
sonia_reppe's review against another edition
4.0
Katy has to stay with her rocker Dad in LA for the summer while her mother does research in Peru. A mature fifteen yr-old, she "prefers silence."
So often in YA books the parents are disappointingly bland, but not in this book. The dad is very well written as a cool musician trying to stay a recovering heroin addict.
Katy is also well-written. We know where she is coming from: as a reaction to her parent's extreme lives, she is not interested in partying or playing punk music. She really misses her Mom, and feels abandoned by her. A friendship with Lake, a daughter of her dad's band member, enables her to see the release and expression that can come through music.
Each chapter heading is a song from Katy's mix cD, if you're interested in a soundtrack.
So often in YA books the parents are disappointingly bland, but not in this book. The dad is very well written as a cool musician trying to stay a recovering heroin addict.
Katy is also well-written. We know where she is coming from: as a reaction to her parent's extreme lives, she is not interested in partying or playing punk music. She really misses her Mom, and feels abandoned by her. A friendship with Lake, a daughter of her dad's band member, enables her to see the release and expression that can come through music.
Each chapter heading is a song from Katy's mix cD, if you're interested in a soundtrack.
beanmom's review against another edition
4.0
Nice soundtrack, good message. A quick read, although I never really felt for the main character.
arthur_pendrgn's review against another edition
An excellent portrayal of a sullen, uncooperative teenager who has been dumped on the parent she barely knows. Can't say I blame her. The grunginess of the apartment and concert site is so well-done that I'm grossed out. I don't like Beige although I sympathize with her and I don't want to read about filthy homes that are so realistic I want to go shower. DNF
davidscrimshaw's review against another edition
4.0
I read this because the author wrote a sci-fi novel I enjoyed.
This is not sci-fi. It's about a girl from Montreal who gets sent to Los Angeles to stay with her punk rock dad for a while. She doesn't fit in and she hates it.
It was sort of predictable, but I enjoyed the trip. I'd actually like to know what happened in the next part of Katy's life.
This is not sci-fi. It's about a girl from Montreal who gets sent to Los Angeles to stay with her punk rock dad for a while. She doesn't fit in and she hates it.
It was sort of predictable, but I enjoyed the trip. I'd actually like to know what happened in the next part of Katy's life.