lazygal's review against another edition
2.0
Rather predictable story: Katy (an uptight Quebecois-American) is sent by her mother to live in LA with her father. Mom's off to Peru to work at an archaeological dig and Katy hasn't seen her father in eight years - sounds like the perfect solution, right? Dad's The Rat, a Tommy Lee clone for an infamous band named Suck (no umlauts!), lives like an absolute slob and has no idea how to relate to his daughter.
Turns out, Katy's repressed. So when Lake "befriends" her (because The Rat's paying her, not because she'd actually like someone like Katy), Lake decides to name her Beige, as in bland. Boring. Dull.
There are two boys, Leo and Garth. There's punk and near-punk and drums and "merch" and by the end, well, Katy's learned to not be afraid to let her inner emotions show, to sing, to like music, etc.. The Rat is actually a pretty good father, and Lake turns into a friend. As I said, predictable.
Not quite beige-predictable, more mauve.
Turns out, Katy's repressed. So when Lake "befriends" her (because The Rat's paying her, not because she'd actually like someone like Katy), Lake decides to name her Beige, as in bland. Boring. Dull.
There are two boys, Leo and Garth. There's punk and near-punk and drums and "merch" and by the end, well, Katy's learned to not be afraid to let her inner emotions show, to sing, to like music, etc.. The Rat is actually a pretty good father, and Lake turns into a friend. As I said, predictable.
Not quite beige-predictable, more mauve.
susanatwestofmars's review against another edition
3.0
I'd heard good things about Cecil Castellucci's Beige, so I attempted extra lengths to get my hands on it. A copy popped up at Paperbackswap.com before I could get to a bookstore and wouldn't you know, but it's the latest in a year-long epidemic of books showing up with water stains (despite my clear request that these sorts of books NOT be sent my way. Sigh).
Still, a little water will only prevent me from re-listing the book at PaperBackSwap. It won't prevent me from reading it... with a canister of albuterol handy. Water damage invites mold into a book, people!
It was hard to put Beige on the Read Soon pile (as opposed to the ToBeRead mountain range in my office). It didn't linger long, a scant two months. Maybe two and a half.
In the end, I have to say I was disappointed with Beige. It's not that it's not a good book. It is. It's not that you can't feel the music in these pages. You can.
It's that it reminds me so much of one of my all-time favorite books, Fat Kid Rules the Earth, that Beige seems like a derivative female version of the same story. Oh, there are differences: Katy comes to LA, expecting to spend two weeks with her father the legendary punk rocker. She meets a cast of characters who should have been vibrant and wonderful, but didn't live and breathe as much as I'd have liked them to. I left this book wanting to know more about Garth. More about Trixie, and her relationship to The Rat. And I left it hoping that Lake would become less of the cliche she is in these pages. Leo, too. Talk about the perfect jock who's into one-night stands before he loses his virginity.
Still, if you either can't draw the comparison with Fat Kid or if you don't want to, the way Castellucci draws the music for the reader is well done. As Katy begins to understand it, so do we. It's a slow surrender, a slow realization of what music is and how it operates. And why it's so important to so many of us.
I loved, too, the idea of the pool as the gathering place. In fact, I wish the final group scene had been set down at the pool. It became a strong metaphor for Katy's transformation. But not just Katy's. Her friends, such as they are, transform also, as the best characters in the best books do. Lake grows. Garth changes, although he's still too much an enigma. I want more Garth! (I can easily see him holding court in his own book, in fact.)
In a switch from most plots aimed at kids and teens, I honestly thought there was one adult who stole the show: The Rat. Man, the visual I drew of him was of Tommy Lee, all skinny arms and legs and tattoos. But he's also a man struggling with a past that continues to stalk him, a past that he built his legacy on. It can stalk him all it wants; he's going to continue to find ways to work it. His band wasn't a flash-in-the-pan. They're coming back.
And still, The Rat bangs his drums to deal with his addiction cravings. He bangs his drums because he doesn't get his own daughter. He wants, he needs, he can't wash his dishes.
Here is one point where Castellucci doesn't sink into the cliche: Katy doesn't clean up The Rat's apartment. She finds a way to dwell in the filth -- and eventually, it stops bothering her. Maybe she even grows comfortable in it.
Fat Kid definitely ruined this book for me. The two are very similar; there's no doubt about it. Overall, I think the themes of acceptance within an often ill-regarded subculture were better done by KL Going. But there's plenty going on within Beige to recommend it, also. This is one of those books that could spin off sequels and series entries -- although part of its magic is that it's complete as is. We close the cover and wonder what's ahead for these people. And we hope it's all good.
One last note: Yep, I recommend this book, despite finding it falls short. I've been talking about it since I finished it, I've been thinking about it. Above all else, that is what sets the great books apart.
Still, a little water will only prevent me from re-listing the book at PaperBackSwap. It won't prevent me from reading it... with a canister of albuterol handy. Water damage invites mold into a book, people!
It was hard to put Beige on the Read Soon pile (as opposed to the ToBeRead mountain range in my office). It didn't linger long, a scant two months. Maybe two and a half.
In the end, I have to say I was disappointed with Beige. It's not that it's not a good book. It is. It's not that you can't feel the music in these pages. You can.
It's that it reminds me so much of one of my all-time favorite books, Fat Kid Rules the Earth, that Beige seems like a derivative female version of the same story. Oh, there are differences: Katy comes to LA, expecting to spend two weeks with her father the legendary punk rocker. She meets a cast of characters who should have been vibrant and wonderful, but didn't live and breathe as much as I'd have liked them to. I left this book wanting to know more about Garth. More about Trixie, and her relationship to The Rat. And I left it hoping that Lake would become less of the cliche she is in these pages. Leo, too. Talk about the perfect jock who's into one-night stands before he loses his virginity.
Still, if you either can't draw the comparison with Fat Kid or if you don't want to, the way Castellucci draws the music for the reader is well done. As Katy begins to understand it, so do we. It's a slow surrender, a slow realization of what music is and how it operates. And why it's so important to so many of us.
I loved, too, the idea of the pool as the gathering place. In fact, I wish the final group scene had been set down at the pool. It became a strong metaphor for Katy's transformation. But not just Katy's. Her friends, such as they are, transform also, as the best characters in the best books do. Lake grows. Garth changes, although he's still too much an enigma. I want more Garth! (I can easily see him holding court in his own book, in fact.)
In a switch from most plots aimed at kids and teens, I honestly thought there was one adult who stole the show: The Rat. Man, the visual I drew of him was of Tommy Lee, all skinny arms and legs and tattoos. But he's also a man struggling with a past that continues to stalk him, a past that he built his legacy on. It can stalk him all it wants; he's going to continue to find ways to work it. His band wasn't a flash-in-the-pan. They're coming back.
And still, The Rat bangs his drums to deal with his addiction cravings. He bangs his drums because he doesn't get his own daughter. He wants, he needs, he can't wash his dishes.
Here is one point where Castellucci doesn't sink into the cliche: Katy doesn't clean up The Rat's apartment. She finds a way to dwell in the filth -- and eventually, it stops bothering her. Maybe she even grows comfortable in it.
Fat Kid definitely ruined this book for me. The two are very similar; there's no doubt about it. Overall, I think the themes of acceptance within an often ill-regarded subculture were better done by KL Going. But there's plenty going on within Beige to recommend it, also. This is one of those books that could spin off sequels and series entries -- although part of its magic is that it's complete as is. We close the cover and wonder what's ahead for these people. And we hope it's all good.
One last note: Yep, I recommend this book, despite finding it falls short. I've been talking about it since I finished it, I've been thinking about it. Above all else, that is what sets the great books apart.
librariann's review against another edition
3.0
Canadian Katy (dubbed "Beige" by punk girl Lake) goes to visit her estranged rocker Dad in L.A. when her PhD student mom goes off for a dig in Peru. A 2 1/2 week jaunt turns into the whole summer, and bland ol' Katy learns to appreciate music. Fun, except for the whole "parents are ex drug addicts" thing.
celestemarin's review
Meh. Everything that you expect to happen does. I'm hesitant to give it a rating because it's not terrible but it's just really... beige.
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.
abigailbat's review against another edition
4.0
Katy has been transplanted from Montreal to LA for the summer to stay with her ex-punk-rocker dad while her mom is out of the country doing research. Katy has only met her dad a handful of times and hasn't seen him since she was seven. She has no desire to make up for lost time. She's thrust into this greasy, sweaty, dark punk-rock world and she knows that she doesn't fit in. Compared to the people around her, she's so... beige. She tells herself that she'll hold her nose, power through, and pretend she's somewhere else. But things don't always turn out as planned and once Katy gives this world half a chance, it might be the very thing that will help her figure out who she really is.
I almost put this book down after about fifty pages. I hated Katy. HATED. She was such a bitch! She didn't give anything a chance before she decided that it was terrible and she hated it. She was terribly dishonest with everyone around her, preferring to be nice and bite her tongue instead of experiencing the world.
Luckily, I did not put it down because by the end of the book I loved Katy. So, pick this book up. And don't put it down until you've finished it. :)
I almost put this book down after about fifty pages. I hated Katy. HATED. She was such a bitch! She didn't give anything a chance before she decided that it was terrible and she hated it. She was terribly dishonest with everyone around her, preferring to be nice and bite her tongue instead of experiencing the world.
Luckily, I did not put it down because by the end of the book I loved Katy. So, pick this book up. And don't put it down until you've finished it. :)
sumayyah_t's review against another edition
4.0
I wanted to hate Katy. She came across as obnoxious and stuck up in the beginning. She harbored a strong dislike for everything that did not fit into her world back home in Canada, including her father, who was obviously trying very hard.
The book takes place over the summer. What was supposed to be a 2 week visit turned into a 2 month stay. During the course of the story, we see Katy begin to blossom. She goes from an "I hate everything about this place" to a "hey, this is kind of cool" young woman. When she leaves, she discovers that maybe, just maybe, she actually had fun.
Though I would love to see a sequel, I know that it would probably ruin the story. :)
The book takes place over the summer. What was supposed to be a 2 week visit turned into a 2 month stay. During the course of the story, we see Katy begin to blossom. She goes from an "I hate everything about this place" to a "hey, this is kind of cool" young woman. When she leaves, she discovers that maybe, just maybe, she actually had fun.
Though I would love to see a sequel, I know that it would probably ruin the story. :)
showlola's review against another edition
4.0
When her mother goes on a research trip to Peru, Katy spends some time with her estranged punk rock father in LA.
I was surprised by this book. I wasn't a particular fan of Boy Proof, but I really enjoyed this. Katy's outsider perspective and immersion in the world of LA felt natural and authentic. Character development and supporting characters were also really strong. Looking forward to reading Castellucci's next book.
I was surprised by this book. I wasn't a particular fan of Boy Proof, but I really enjoyed this. Katy's outsider perspective and immersion in the world of LA felt natural and authentic. Character development and supporting characters were also really strong. Looking forward to reading Castellucci's next book.
sparklesonmars's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
4.5
This is a book about what happens when you really get to know people who (you think) are very different from yourself, and the friendship that can bloom when we let our walls down and subvert our expectations. It is also the only book I have not only been able to read more than once, but at least three times. I first read it when I was in about 8th or 9th grade, and though it is not a work I would say holds significant artistic or literary merit, it is one that deeply resonated with me at that time in my life. I haven’t read it since I was a teen, so though I want to say it is a book I recommend everyone read, I cannot vouch that it would stand up to such claims under an adult’s scrutinizing view. If you are a person that enjoys reading YA, please give it a shot. It is full of heart, and full of (s)punk— pun intended.