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Uglies
(Uglies #1)
by
Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. In just a few weeks she'll have the operation that will turn her from a repellent ugly into a stunning pretty. And as a pretty, she'll be catapulted into a high-tech paradise where her only job is to have fun.
But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to become a pretty. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a who ...more
But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to become a pretty. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a who ...more
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Paperback, 425 pages
Published
February 8th 2005
by Simon Pulse
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I need to never run into Scott Westerfeld down a dark alley, or during a Civil War reenactment, or at Charlton Heston's house, or wherever. My deep desire not to be arrested for murder would have an epic battle with my need to reach for a weapon when I see his stupid face. In all fairness, as you see, I coughed up three stars for this book, so I will clarify that my empty threatening is really directed toward Pretties and Specials (books two and three in this series). I'm posting this review on
...more

So my wife and I occasionally swap books which may seem a little kooky. However, you have to keep things spicy when you’ve been married as long as we have and since nipple showers with hot candle wax make me break out into shouts of “FUCKARELLA THAT HURTS” we needed some alternative sizzle. So she hooks me up with this little philly of a novel while I matched her with The Lies of Locke Lamora.
Well…my wife loved the book I set her up with….as I knew she would because it is all over awesome. Of c ...more
Well…my wife loved the book I set her up with….as I knew she would because it is all over awesome. Of c ...more

In Tally Youngblood's society, everyone obtains absolute physical perfection - the perfect skin, hair, eyes, literally everything. At least, after you turn sixteen and undergo the right operations.![]()
“In a world of extreme beauty, anyone normal is ugly.”
Tally, at age 15, is an Ugly right now but after her birthday, she will get to become Pretty. She can then move out of the Ugly Dorms and into New Pretty Town. It's all she wants.
After all, who in their right mind would choose to remain Ugly?
A ...more

I’ve only seen one episode of The Twilight Zone. In this episode, a woman undergoes a battery of surgeries to look normal. At the end of the episode, viewers learn that this latest surgery has failed: the woman is still hideous. Except that to the audience she is beautiful. Online research led me to another episode where teenagers are surgically altered to live longer and conform to a unified standard of beauty (based on a limited number of acceptable “models”). “Uglies,” Scott Westerfeld’s dyst
...more

Nope, couldn’t finish it. Sigh. I thought I was going to like this one. It started off fine and all. And then everything fell apart. Yes, that dramatic.
Am I the only one who was deeply offended by this piece of crap ? This book is wrong, wrong, wrong.
The writing itself isn’t particularly… well, isn’t anything really. But this is supposed to be a book about beauty with a big B and the writing doesn’t do justice to the theme. I’d even call it Ugly. The characters are stereotyped. Tally is a brainw ...more
Am I the only one who was deeply offended by this piece of crap ? This book is wrong, wrong, wrong.
The writing itself isn’t particularly… well, isn’t anything really. But this is supposed to be a book about beauty with a big B and the writing doesn’t do justice to the theme. I’d even call it Ugly. The characters are stereotyped. Tally is a brainw ...more

Uglies (Uglies, #1), Scott Westerfeld
Uglies is a 2005 science fiction novel by American writer of young adult fiction, Scott Westerfeld.
It is set in a future post scarcity dystopian world in which everyone is considered an "ugly", but then turned "Pretty" by extreme cosmetic surgery when they reach the age 16. It tells the story of teenager Tally Young blood who rebels against society's enforced conformity, after her newfound friends Shay and David show her the downsides to becoming a "Pretty". ...more
Uglies is a 2005 science fiction novel by American writer of young adult fiction, Scott Westerfeld.
It is set in a future post scarcity dystopian world in which everyone is considered an "ugly", but then turned "Pretty" by extreme cosmetic surgery when they reach the age 16. It tells the story of teenager Tally Young blood who rebels against society's enforced conformity, after her newfound friends Shay and David show her the downsides to becoming a "Pretty". ...more

ive read this book/series a handful of times over the past decade or so and have somehow never written a review for it. time to fix that.
although some of my feelings have changed as ive gotten older, its impossible to get rid of the strong feeling of nostalgia this evokes each time i pick up the book.
what drew me to this story when i was a teenager still remains as an adult. i love how this personifies the notion that true beauty is who you are as a person, not what you look like. yes, this is ...more
although some of my feelings have changed as ive gotten older, its impossible to get rid of the strong feeling of nostalgia this evokes each time i pick up the book.
what drew me to this story when i was a teenager still remains as an adult. i love how this personifies the notion that true beauty is who you are as a person, not what you look like. yes, this is ...more

Do you know that feeling, when you really want to punch a character in the face? Well, Tally Youngblood, you must be grateful that I can't see your face.
Now I should stop the rant... the book itself was a quick read, but I don't get the hype. Enjoyable, yes. Good, not that much. I'm not really sure if I'll ever finish this series. Maybe one day if I'm actually bored. ...more

Now I should stop the rant... the book itself was a quick read, but I don't get the hype. Enjoyable, yes. Good, not that much. I'm not really sure if I'll ever finish this series. Maybe one day if I'm actually bored. ...more

I remember my initial disappointment when Scott Westerfeld switched from adult sf to YA fiction. How could he do this to me? I liked his books, but I don't wanna read a dopey YA novel!
I'd read in an interview that it was mostly a financial decision--the YA market has exploded, and that's where the money is right now. How can you fault a guy for trying to make a living?
As a junior high Language Arts teacher, it's impossible not to notice that Westerfeld's first YA series has done extremely well. ...more
I'd read in an interview that it was mostly a financial decision--the YA market has exploded, and that's where the money is right now. How can you fault a guy for trying to make a living?
As a junior high Language Arts teacher, it's impossible not to notice that Westerfeld's first YA series has done extremely well. ...more

Three hundred years after an apocalyptic-sized disaster that reshaped the world, Tally is about to turn 16 and pretty. In her contained, isolated, self-sufficient city - just like all the other contained, isolated, self-sufficient cities - the operation to make her pretty will be intensive, extreme and, as far as she and everyone else alive is concerned, absolutely worth it. Once she's pretty, she'll go to live across the river in New Pretty Town and party the nights away, loved by all.
It's a sh ...more
It's a sh ...more

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#1 Uglies - ★★★★★
#2 Pretties - ★★★★★
#3 Specials - Not read yet

A world where you are an ugly until your sixteenth birthday. And then, you undergo a surgery and you become pretty. And life is perfect. Except, maybe it isn’t.
This is one of those books where you visualise a world in so many details, and feel like you’ve lived there all your life. Also a book that captures society for what really is. A very pleasant and enjoyable read.
I received th ...more
#1 Uglies - ★★★★★
#2 Pretties - ★★★★★
#3 Specials - Not read yet

A world where you are an ugly until your sixteenth birthday. And then, you undergo a surgery and you become pretty. And life is perfect. Except, maybe it isn’t.
This is one of those books where you visualise a world in so many details, and feel like you’ve lived there all your life. Also a book that captures society for what really is. A very pleasant and enjoyable read.
I received th ...more

Jun 11, 2018
Kalyn Nicholson
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
dystopian
Parts of it I'm obsessed with, other parts I think I'm a little too old for.
That said, here I am picking up another teen-fiction. I am in denial. I'll be 60 and still reading teen fictions. ...more
That said, here I am picking up another teen-fiction. I am in denial. I'll be 60 and still reading teen fictions. ...more

I loved this book for what it is: a reminder of my childhood and a beautiful story about accepting yourself for who you are. RTC.
- - -
THIS JUST IN: SCOTT WESTERFELD IS WRITING FOUR NEW NOVELS IN THE UGLIES WORLD AND IT IS LIKE MY CHILDHOOD HAS BEEN BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE. IT IS GOING TO BE CALLED IMPOSTORS AND COMES OUT SEPTEMBER 11TH AND MY LITTLE HIGH SCHOOL HEART IS BEATING AGAIN I REPEAT BEATING AGAIN.
REREADING THIS NOW AND THEN I WILL TELL YOU GUYS HOW MUCH I STILL ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT.
SLDFJ ...more
- - -
THIS JUST IN: SCOTT WESTERFELD IS WRITING FOUR NEW NOVELS IN THE UGLIES WORLD AND IT IS LIKE MY CHILDHOOD HAS BEEN BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE. IT IS GOING TO BE CALLED IMPOSTORS AND COMES OUT SEPTEMBER 11TH AND MY LITTLE HIGH SCHOOL HEART IS BEATING AGAIN I REPEAT BEATING AGAIN.
REREADING THIS NOW AND THEN I WILL TELL YOU GUYS HOW MUCH I STILL ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT.
SLDFJ ...more

Things become quite one-sided (or one-dimensional) in this YA dystopian yarn that imagines stuff in a... half-assed kind of way (repressive governing scientists: too uninteresting an antagonist, a teenaged character with absolutely zero references to the parental unit, scant description/character development...) presenting tropes for the new young'uns (and hopeful lifelong readers) to gawk at but offering nothing much too pleasant for the reader that's more enthralled by the complexities of that
...more

May 11, 2009
Thomas
rated it
it was amazing
Recommended to Thomas by:
Read it in 2008; read it again in school
"Uglies" is about Tally Youngblood, who is about to turn sixteen, much to her liking. This is a futuristic novel, and when you turn sixteen you get an operation to make you "pretty". What being pretty means is that you have all your bones taken and ground, your skin re-sized and your whole entire body is basically re-done. Like a huge surgery. The thing is, during her wait to turn sixteen (Tally was the youngest in her group of friends) she meets a girl named Shay, who doesn't want to get the op
...more

Seeing this book always popping up every time I searched for best YA novels, I knew I just HAD to read this. I've been actually saving this trilogy for a special reading occasion because I am really into dystopians and discovering this series was written even before the Hunger Games, I expected that I will be more than impressed. Sad to say, the book did not meet my expectation. Sure, the concept is cute- every one at the age of 16 gets operated on to become pretty while every body else is consi ...more

Reviews can be found at: www.booknerdtan.wordpress.com
3.5
I absolutely love diving into dystopian worlds and this is a YA series I have been meaning to start for years just never got round to it - so happy I finally have!
Tally has grown up in a society where you are made to believe that you're ugly. As soon as you turn 16, however, you're given the rights to an operation to turn you from an 'ugly' to a 'pretty' and Tally cannot wait for this day. Things take a slight turn when Tally's friend Shay ...more
3.5
I absolutely love diving into dystopian worlds and this is a YA series I have been meaning to start for years just never got round to it - so happy I finally have!
Tally has grown up in a society where you are made to believe that you're ugly. As soon as you turn 16, however, you're given the rights to an operation to turn you from an 'ugly' to a 'pretty' and Tally cannot wait for this day. Things take a slight turn when Tally's friend Shay ...more

2.5/5 stars. Great idea, poor execution.
I was listening to the audiobook so I don’t know if the reading experience is any different but I found certain chapters in this fairly boring to get through. Story was creative, main character really annoying and the writing okay. Won’t be reading the next one anytime soon.
I was listening to the audiobook so I don’t know if the reading experience is any different but I found certain chapters in this fairly boring to get through. Story was creative, main character really annoying and the writing okay. Won’t be reading the next one anytime soon.

I go a little crazy if I read more than one Margaret Atwood novel a year. I hope I'm not alone in this. I get the feeling that Atwood's sharp, but her writing is filed to a finer edge. I realized a while ago that one book per year was enough.
I have a similar reaction to Stephen King, though I'm not sure why. I really loved The Stand, but when it was over I knew that I wasn't going to read another of his works for a while.
At first, I thought this meant that I didn't like Stephen King and Margaret ...more
I have a similar reaction to Stephen King, though I'm not sure why. I really loved The Stand, but when it was over I knew that I wasn't going to read another of his works for a while.
At first, I thought this meant that I didn't like Stephen King and Margaret ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

After finishing 425 pages that I couldn't put down, I'm finding myself needing to buy the next in the series as soon as possible. No wonder editors are getting copy-cat novels similar to this from aspiring writers.
Uglies tells the story of a post-apocalyptic dystopia where everyone gets a surgery at age 16 to make them "pretty" with a perfect body, perfect face, and diminished personality. This surgery is supposed to prevent people from having an unfair advantage in the workplace because of the ...more
Uglies tells the story of a post-apocalyptic dystopia where everyone gets a surgery at age 16 to make them "pretty" with a perfect body, perfect face, and diminished personality. This surgery is supposed to prevent people from having an unfair advantage in the workplace because of the ...more

WELL THAT WAS GREAT. WOW. WOW. 4.4 STARS. WOOOOO IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!
I got this book over a year ago, I received it for Christmas 2011, and had specifically asked for it because I had heard such great hype around it. I tried picking it up around the Christmas period and only got a few pages in and giving up because I was just not in the mood. A couple of days ago though, I have no idea why, I just felt it. Something from above said "You feel like reading Uglies!" And boy, was it just what I neede ...more
I got this book over a year ago, I received it for Christmas 2011, and had specifically asked for it because I had heard such great hype around it. I tried picking it up around the Christmas period and only got a few pages in and giving up because I was just not in the mood. A couple of days ago though, I have no idea why, I just felt it. Something from above said "You feel like reading Uglies!" And boy, was it just what I neede ...more

So it took me five days to read this book but it felt like I was reading it for about two weeks. It was so slow and so painful. This book is very overrated, I just don't understand how it's so popular. It never grabbed me and so I just wasn't interested. I'm giving it 2 stars because I'm feeling generous.
What I liked:
- The type of world Scott Westerfeld created. At first I thought it was a silly premise but as the story progressed and I found out more about the world Tally was living in, I und ...more
What I liked:
- The type of world Scott Westerfeld created. At first I thought it was a silly premise but as the story progressed and I found out more about the world Tally was living in, I und ...more

Dec 14, 2008
Amanda
rated it
liked it
Recommended to Amanda by:
From Coventry's "take my books" party
I'd heard of this book before, but I didn't realize it was futuristic. The story line is one you've all heard before--in the future, everyone is forced into some nutso plastic surgery which makes you gorgeous, and of course, the post ops spend all day living it up and having a grand ol' time because they're brainwashed and beautiful. It sounds kinda like an ok life, but there are some folks who are like, "Hellz no, you ain't cuttin' me, beyotch!" So these folks have to become renegades, and that
...more

This series used to be one of my favorites. I’ve been wondering for years whether it would hold up, whether I’d still love it as an adult the way I did as a teenager. I was fully expecting to be disappointed. But, to my surprise, I enjoyed Uglies just as much as the first time I read it.
Tally Youngblood is the perfect protagonist. I’m bored to tears by “Chosen One” protagonists, the ones with special abilities and a mysterious past who always felt like they were “different.” Tally is the antidot ...more
Tally Youngblood is the perfect protagonist. I’m bored to tears by “Chosen One” protagonists, the ones with special abilities and a mysterious past who always felt like they were “different.” Tally is the antidot ...more

Sep 07, 2016
Emily (Books with Emily Fox)
added it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
dnf,
2-star-y-am-i-doing-this-to-myself
DNF - No. Just no.

All in all, I was VERY impressed with Uglies. Westerfeld is now one of my favorite writers, not only for his immense creativity but also for his ability to blend the JUST RIGHT amount of action, description, and dialogue. This may sound like a weird comparison, but Scott Westerfeld reminds me of a gourmet chef: he knows how to measure out and mix together the right concoction of ingredients in order to make a delicious product!
It made reading Uglies a fun and smooth experience. Let's face it, it ...more
It made reading Uglies a fun and smooth experience. Let's face it, it ...more

Okay, so this book was really good! I want to finish Throne of Glass before I move on to Pretties, but I really liked this book! The first and last lines of this book were just.... interesting? My favorite character was Shay, she was so awesome! I hope everything ends up working out for her in the end. Maddy was also pretty awesome. For a woman who is like fifty, she is pretty athletic and awesome! David was a good character, especially when he explained the Rusties. Oh, the Rusties. Tally's vie
...more

“Perhaps the logical conclusion of everyone looking the same is everyone thinking the same.”
― Scott Westerfeld, Uglies
I read this whole trilogy. While I found some things to admire about it, particularly the theme of non conformity, I just could not get into it as much as I hoped.
This is a series where much of the focus is action oriented rather than dialogue driven and that was my first issue. I usually prefer it the other way around.
There was also much I did not understand. And it (the whole ...more
― Scott Westerfeld, Uglies
I read this whole trilogy. While I found some things to admire about it, particularly the theme of non conformity, I just could not get into it as much as I hoped.
This is a series where much of the focus is action oriented rather than dialogue driven and that was my first issue. I usually prefer it the other way around.
There was also much I did not understand. And it (the whole ...more

Mar 31, 2015
Norah Una Sumner
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
young adult readers
Shelves:
great-female-characters,
from-library,
4-star-read,
adventure,
loss,
young-adult,
fantasy,
read-in-serbian,
romance,
series
Real rating: 3.5
Well,this was fun.After reading a bazillion bad reviews I thought that this will be really,really bad.But it's not,it's quite amusing actually.The main character,Tally,is really cool.I liked her a lot and I completely understood all of her actions,which is a really rare thing for me.I liked the story line and the whole concept of separating ugly *cough*normal*cough* and pretty people.I also liked the new technology described and used in this book-I'd love to try those hoverboards ...more
Well,this was fun.After reading a bazillion bad reviews I thought that this will be really,really bad.But it's not,it's quite amusing actually.The main character,Tally,is really cool.I liked her a lot and I completely understood all of her actions,which is a really rare thing for me.I liked the story line and the whole concept of separating ugly *cough*normal*cough* and pretty people.I also liked the new technology described and used in this book-I'd love to try those hoverboards ...more
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Scott Westerfeld is a New York Times bestselling author of YA. He was born in the Texas and now lives in Sydney and New York City. In 2001, Westerfeld married fellow author Justine Larbalestier.
He is best known for the Uglies and Leviathan series. His next book, IMPOSTORS, returns to the world of Uglies. It comes out September 11, 2018.
He is best known for the Uglies and Leviathan series. His next book, IMPOSTORS, returns to the world of Uglies. It comes out September 11, 2018.
Other books in the series
Uglies
(4 books)
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