77th out of 564 books
—
751 voters
The Beginning (Glee #1)
Calling all Gleeks
Get more of your favorite characters in this official Glee prequel
All great performances deserve a warm-up Enroll early at McKinley High--before New Directions was even a glimmer in Mr. Schuester's eye. When did Rachel first decide Finn was more than just a jock? When did Puck and Quinn start their secret romance? And how did the fledgling Glee Club fun...more
Get more of your favorite characters in this official Glee prequel
All great performances deserve a warm-up Enroll early at McKinley High--before New Directions was even a glimmer in Mr. Schuester's eye. When did Rachel first decide Finn was more than just a jock? When did Puck and Quinn start their secret romance? And how did the fledgling Glee Club fun...more
Paperback, 216 pages
Published
August 3rd 2010
by Poppy
(first published August 1st 2010)
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For the record, this doesn't suck. As tie-in novels go, they're actually a rather pleasant experience, with a little more heart than usual. You just have to resign yourself to the fact that publishers of tie-in novels are afraid of writers who connect with character emotions like actors instead of script writers. I don't know how well it works as a canon-launching prequel, but if you try to think of it as a typical cotton candy/fluff YA novel, it succeeds in that respect. I am always casting YA...more
Review:
I'm just going to go ahead and say this to get it over with... I'm a Gleek. Thanks to my friend I'm addicted to Glee. I love the show and can't wait for season 3. Who's with me?!?
When I saw this book I thought: "This is going to be a more child friendly version of Glee that I'll most likely get bored with." I was wrong on the child friendly part. This is absolutely a young adult book no matter how childish it may seem! The boring part is another story. There were parts that were really go...more
I'm just going to go ahead and say this to get it over with... I'm a Gleek. Thanks to my friend I'm addicted to Glee. I love the show and can't wait for season 3. Who's with me?!?
When I saw this book I thought: "This is going to be a more child friendly version of Glee that I'll most likely get bored with." I was wrong on the child friendly part. This is absolutely a young adult book no matter how childish it may seem! The boring part is another story. There were parts that were really go...more
Let me first start by saying I am a total Gleek. I am in love with Glee and everything about it. Which is why I feel guilty about this review.
I just felt that was needed before I start writing this.
The book sucked. Why did I even read this in the first place? Oh, it was because my friend got this for me for Christmas and I felt guilty not reading it (it DOES cost a lot here in the Philippines). I knew because of people from Tumblr before hand that it was bad, but I didn't think it would be that...more
I just felt that was needed before I start writing this.
The book sucked. Why did I even read this in the first place? Oh, it was because my friend got this for me for Christmas and I felt guilty not reading it (it DOES cost a lot here in the Philippines). I knew because of people from Tumblr before hand that it was bad, but I didn't think it would be that...more
Jenny bought these for the kids series section and I offered to read it to see if it was appropriate for our fifth grade and under collection. I'm pretty iffy on that.
Reading for myself, I was really, really bugged when things didn't match up to the show. How hard would it have been to watch the first two or three episodes before writing this? It's not a huge time drain, okay? Here, the club was Kurt, Mercedes, Artie and Tina until Kurt invited Rachel. But we saw Sandy feeling up the one guy, a...more
Reading for myself, I was really, really bugged when things didn't match up to the show. How hard would it have been to watch the first two or three episodes before writing this? It's not a huge time drain, okay? Here, the club was Kurt, Mercedes, Artie and Tina until Kurt invited Rachel. But we saw Sandy feeling up the one guy, a...more
I have been a massive fan on Glee since it first started so I was both curious and excited to see how it would be transferred into a book and prequel. There was a lot of good reviews for it on Twitter so I was starting to think that it was done really well. I was unfortunately left not completely loving it though.
Glee: The Beginning really accentuates the personalities of the main characters and because of this, I could imagine them as they are on the TV show. I liked being able to picture each...more
Glee: The Beginning really accentuates the personalities of the main characters and because of this, I could imagine them as they are on the TV show. I liked being able to picture each...more
Glee: The Beginning is a short, fun read chronicling the events of McKinley High before Mr Schuester takes over Glee Club. The book starts off with Rachel Berry, resident over-achiever and know-it-all, being asked by Kurt to join Glee. After much deliberation, Rachel agrees to join, and the rest of the novel concentrates on the difficulties the members of the Glee Club have trying to avoid humiliation and gain acceptance from their peers and the “popular crowd”. Along the way, slushies are tosse...more
I'm really not expecting great literature when it comes to a novel based on the series Glee, but I at least expect it to fit in with the continuity of the show (although I guess it could be argued that this author is being as wildly inconsistent with plot and characterisation as the screenwriters). What you have here are blatant canonical facts being overlooked here such as Sandy Ryerson running the Glee club before Schue takes over - Ryerson is nowhere to be seen, and therefore the huge plot de...more
this book is about a bundle of kids from the school McKinley High. if you didnt already know, glee is a hit tv show on fox five. every tuesday night i think. its started about a year ago. currently its on the second season. and i must say, i am a huggggggggggeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee gleek. like seriously. its so good. watch it. back to the book. this book is based on the background of before season one started. the whole point of the book is the different situations these glee kids have. for exampl...more
When I received this book I wasn't really sure what to expect. I loved the TV series but I've never really been a big fan of tie-in books. This one luckily is a bit different. It's actually an original novel so what happens in it is separate to the content of the television shows. The book also takes place before the Glee series so you really get to know all of the characters well.
There are lots of things I liked about this book but in particular I liked the way Lowell presented the Glee kids we...more
There are lots of things I liked about this book but in particular I liked the way Lowell presented the Glee kids we...more
Before I begin I should point out that I love Glee (how it managed to pass by the rest of my family I have absolutley no idea), I loved the story and I especially loved the songs – many of them I preferred over the orignal (can I say that?) so approaching the book was interesting in that obviously one of the key parts of the show (the songs) was missing.
This aside I felt the book really captures the spirit of Glee, it may not be the TV series but it stood up well on it’s own ground, we start wit...more
This aside I felt the book really captures the spirit of Glee, it may not be the TV series but it stood up well on it’s own ground, we start wit...more
For fans of Glee, this prequel is a lot of fun. It is a bit of a bummer without the music, but I still really enjoyed it. There was enough drama and dialogue to keep my interest. Mr. Schu is not in the picture yet as Kurt, Mercedes, Artie and Tina enlist Rachel’s help to improve the Glee Club. They have a recital planned and are scared to death they will make fools of themselves. Rachel uses the morning announcements to give herself a higher profile, singing and bravely challenging the Cheerrios...more
Apr 05, 2011
John Egbert
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of Glee, those curious about Glee
Recommended to John by:
My sister.
Shelves:
why-did-i-read-this,
nothing-special
Honestly, this is a shallow fanfiction about a shallow tv show. I watch the show when I have nothing else to do, and I'm not disappointed. Sophia Lowell did what was expected. But in all honestly, the book itself is pretty mediocre. I don't know why I read it. I didn't laugh once, the Rachel/Finn was worse in the book than it was on the screen (nevermind, I take it back), and it was so boring at parts that I had to skip chapters and chapters at a time.
Not saying that I expected magical genius fr...more
Not saying that I expected magical genius fr...more
Kaydee Brain
1.29.12
Hunter
Book Review
Glee: The Beginning
Written by Sophia Lowell, this novel was published by Hachette Book Group in New York, New York in August of 2010. I think this book was very good and I would read the other two after. I would recommend this book to any “Gleek”.
The story of the Glee Club takes place at McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio. The entire plot is about a few talented “nerds” trying to make their mark on the school and make everyone else appreciate them. The mos...more
1.29.12
Hunter
Book Review
Glee: The Beginning
Written by Sophia Lowell, this novel was published by Hachette Book Group in New York, New York in August of 2010. I think this book was very good and I would read the other two after. I would recommend this book to any “Gleek”.
The story of the Glee Club takes place at McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio. The entire plot is about a few talented “nerds” trying to make their mark on the school and make everyone else appreciate them. The mos...more
First off i'm a huge glee fan which is why I found myself asking these 5 questions.
1. How does Finn even know Rachel is alive? cause they made it pretty clear he didn't until the first episode. So him already having feelings for her is just ridiculous
2. Why is Santana so out of character? Everytime she opened her mouth I wanted to pull my hair out! she doesn't talk like that ok!!!
3. Why is Mercedes already crushing on Kurt? correct me if im wrong but didn't she only start liking him after the c...more
1. How does Finn even know Rachel is alive? cause they made it pretty clear he didn't until the first episode. So him already having feelings for her is just ridiculous
2. Why is Santana so out of character? Everytime she opened her mouth I wanted to pull my hair out! she doesn't talk like that ok!!!
3. Why is Mercedes already crushing on Kurt? correct me if im wrong but didn't she only start liking him after the c...more
Oct 15, 2010
Josh
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of the tv show Glee and young adults
This young adult novel takes place before the television show began, basically covering the week or two before. All of the characters are present and accounted for and the author has done a fine job of capturing their personalities and styles. The story details how Rachel Berry was first brought into the glee club by Kurt and how her energy and drive pushed Tina, Artie, Mercedes, Kurt to take risks and put themselves out there even while the popular students make their lives a nightmare.
While f...more
While f...more
I am a total "Gleek," and I have been in love with the show since the very first episode. I'll spare you the details. But of course, I had to read the Glee book that answers my burning questions about what happened before the t.v. show kicked off, such as what grades the main characters are in, and how did Puck and Quinn wind up in bed together? I have a life, just not on Tuesdays.
Anyways, the book is true to form, right down to Sue Sylvester's hilariously-vile comments, Finn's adorable naivety,...more
Anyways, the book is true to form, right down to Sue Sylvester's hilariously-vile comments, Finn's adorable naivety,...more
Aug 25, 2010
Sophie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
for-review,
2010-debut
As a huge fan of the TV show Glee, I was very excited when I was given the chance to read and review Glee: The Beginning.
It was obvious reading Glee: The Beginning that Sophia Lowell really knows her Glee. Every element of the characters was spot on: voice, personality, dialogue and actions. It was so much fun to get into the heads of Puck, Kurt, Quinn, Rachel, Mercedes, Finn, Artie and Tina who I’ve grown to love over the series. I was a little disappointed that Mr Schu didn’t get much face ti...more
It was obvious reading Glee: The Beginning that Sophia Lowell really knows her Glee. Every element of the characters was spot on: voice, personality, dialogue and actions. It was so much fun to get into the heads of Puck, Kurt, Quinn, Rachel, Mercedes, Finn, Artie and Tina who I’ve grown to love over the series. I was a little disappointed that Mr Schu didn’t get much face ti...more
Glee ritten by:Sophia Lowell
Calling all Gleeks! Great book to read!
Get more of your favorite characters in this Glee book staring Rachel,Your vavouite school Mckinley High, And more
All great performances deserve a warm-up! Enroll early at McKinley High.The book was well written, but not as good as I had hoped. I found that the TV show hade more Action and alot more exsiting seen's! The author Sophia lowell, did a ok job on of the each character's personality,But they are pretty diffrent from the...more
Calling all Gleeks! Great book to read!
Get more of your favorite characters in this Glee book staring Rachel,Your vavouite school Mckinley High, And more
All great performances deserve a warm-up! Enroll early at McKinley High.The book was well written, but not as good as I had hoped. I found that the TV show hade more Action and alot more exsiting seen's! The author Sophia lowell, did a ok job on of the each character's personality,But they are pretty diffrent from the...more
Jul 16, 2011
Kelly-anne.♥.
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Gleeks!
Shelves:
tv-show-anime,
borrowed-library
1st - I am a total gleek! My favourite tv show ever!! So of course when I saw this at the library I snatched it up immediately. I have to say I am very disapointed. At first I gave this book 2 stars, because although I went through it pretty quick when I actually had time to read, I was bored pretty much the whole entire time. In the end, I gave it another star because I do still think it was a cool idea to write a book set before the show began, and I just love glee so much that 2 stars didn't...more
I can be very short about this one: it was awful. It doesn't often happen to me that I feel the urge to get myself a toy gun that looks awfully real and then fly over to the author and threaten her to take her hands off of the computer and keep them where I can see them. But now I really did, while I'm actually very anti-violent!
This book just completely missed its point to me. Obviously a tie-in book does not equal high quality literature, but this...?! I think there might be better fanfiction...more
This book just completely missed its point to me. Obviously a tie-in book does not equal high quality literature, but this...?! I think there might be better fanfiction...more
I'm still struggling on how to describe this venture from the screen to the page. There is some good stuff in this book and stuff really not so good stuff. But overall I'm glad I read it.
In this book we get more of everything from the characters, Rachel is more annoying, Finn is a little more dumb, Quinn is meaner. I sort of wish they hadn't been. But I think this comes from being inside of the characters head instead of being a spectator. I did like seeing how Quinn and Puck got together and ho...more
In this book we get more of everything from the characters, Rachel is more annoying, Finn is a little more dumb, Quinn is meaner. I sort of wish they hadn't been. But I think this comes from being inside of the characters head instead of being a spectator. I did like seeing how Quinn and Puck got together and ho...more
This was little more than poorly researched fanfiction, but at least it was pretty accurate when it came to the characters and their behaviour. It's easy to read and quite entertaining if you don't mind that it doesn't corespond with the show.
Some of the parts were a bit boring, but that was probably due to my own problem with certain characters (like Quinn).
In the end it wasn't that bad. I liked the whole story about Rachel, which was luckily the bigger part of the book. Even though I can't ima...more
Some of the parts were a bit boring, but that was probably due to my own problem with certain characters (like Quinn).
In the end it wasn't that bad. I liked the whole story about Rachel, which was luckily the bigger part of the book. Even though I can't ima...more
Aug 29, 2010
Jenny / Wondrous Reads
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
for-review
GLEEEEEEEEE!! Yep, if you can't already tell, I loved this book. It's the perfect antidote to pining away for the TV show, and is written so well that you feel like you're watching it rather than reading it. Sophia Lowell manages to capture each character's dialogue and personality perfectly, and offers an extra insight into their pre-Glee lives.
I'll be honest here: I'm quite surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I'm a big fan of the show so I knew I'd like it, but I was a bit concerned abo...more
I'll be honest here: I'm quite surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I'm a big fan of the show so I knew I'd like it, but I was a bit concerned abo...more
Basic writing and contained everything I hate about Glee then magnified it - I can't bloody stand Rachel, Quinn, or Finn and yet there they are with the book's focus firmly on them; as usual, the minority characters are more after thoughts - they don't even get to be on the front cover or on any of the giveaway posters! Plus, everything in the book contradicts how the Glee Club actually started as seen in the pilot - and last time I checked, the pilot was still bloody canon. Even the most hardco...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This book will be loved by all the Gleeks out there.
It revolves around Rachel, Glee club and the Finn/Quinn/Puck mystery.
Lowell's writing surely is not the best in the literary world but it definitely suits the book. I liked how she managed to keep the flow to the story. One second, she wrote about Quinn wearing a short skirt, the next she talked about how Puck found that excact skirt totally hot. I really liked it.
As a die-hard Finchel shipper, I was very delighted to see about the "beginning"...more
It revolves around Rachel, Glee club and the Finn/Quinn/Puck mystery.
Lowell's writing surely is not the best in the literary world but it definitely suits the book. I liked how she managed to keep the flow to the story. One second, she wrote about Quinn wearing a short skirt, the next she talked about how Puck found that excact skirt totally hot. I really liked it.
As a die-hard Finchel shipper, I was very delighted to see about the "beginning"...more
Best writing ever? High literature? Not really. But it's GLEE. That earned it a bit higher than it might have on its own. It assumes that you know about the characters, and have seen most of the first season, considering that it either states some obvious things or hints strongly at things to come.
What I'm not so sure about is that the kids really knew each other very well and were all in Glee Club before. But possibly, it pulls on some vague details.
A little too much Y for the young'uns, so I...more
What I'm not so sure about is that the kids really knew each other very well and were all in Glee Club before. But possibly, it pulls on some vague details.
A little too much Y for the young'uns, so I...more
Jun 16, 2012
Sophie
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
I wouldn't recommend this book
Shelves:
2000-onwards
Having enjoyed watching Glee from the first series I thought I'd give The Beginning a try.
I was left extremely disappointed. The characters retained their flaws but lost all of their redeeming qualities. I find the t.v versions of Rachel, Puck and co. endearing despite their idiosyncratic ways, their book counterparts however were just obnoxious and unlikable.
The book was scattered with references to Puck's dubious pool cleaning business, cougars, M.I.L.Fs and other subjects unsuitable for young...more
I was left extremely disappointed. The characters retained their flaws but lost all of their redeeming qualities. I find the t.v versions of Rachel, Puck and co. endearing despite their idiosyncratic ways, their book counterparts however were just obnoxious and unlikable.
The book was scattered with references to Puck's dubious pool cleaning business, cougars, M.I.L.Fs and other subjects unsuitable for young...more
More of my reviews at http://itisabookthing.blogspot.com/
OVERALL:
Plot-16/20
Characters-18/20
Creativity-17/20
Writing-16/20
Pace-9/10
Ending-8/10
=84/100 B
★★★★/5
REViEW:
When I bought this book, I didn't have many expectations. In all honesty, I expected much less then I actually got out of it. It was a really easy read and a good break from all the super depressing books that I read. I must admit, I am a BIG Glee fan. I watch the show all the time, have all the music, and sing the songs in the shower o...more
OVERALL:
Plot-16/20
Characters-18/20
Creativity-17/20
Writing-16/20
Pace-9/10
Ending-8/10
=84/100 B
★★★★/5
REViEW:
When I bought this book, I didn't have many expectations. In all honesty, I expected much less then I actually got out of it. It was a really easy read and a good break from all the super depressing books that I read. I must admit, I am a BIG Glee fan. I watch the show all the time, have all the music, and sing the songs in the shower o...more
Dec 28, 2012
Maud
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Glee fans who crave more Glee stuff
Shelves:
chicklit
All great performances deserve a warm-up, enroll early at McKinley High (before New Directions was even a glimmer in Mr. Schuester's eye). When did Rachel first decide Finn was more than just a jock? When did Puck and Quinn start their secret romance? And how did the fledgling Glee Club function without a fearless leader? Hint: It wasn't exactly a perfect melody.
Break out the gold stars and refill the slushies: It's time to find out what happened to all your favorite characters "before" the show...more
Break out the gold stars and refill the slushies: It's time to find out what happened to all your favorite characters "before" the show...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OMG! is GLEE ending this season? | 4 | 15 | Jul 09, 2012 06:45am | |
| gLee: Favorite Season 3 Episode | 1 | 6 | Feb 15, 2012 07:17pm |
Sophia Lowell is the pen name for a talented and seasoned YA novelist.
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Nov 05, 2012 05:39am