Book Blog - BEAUTY QUEENS by Libba Bray

Continuing my quest to read at least one book from each of the keynoters at the upcoming SCBWI conference in LA, last week I picked up Libba Bray's BEAUTY QUEENS. To say it's funny is an understatement. It's layer upon layer of humor and satire. So much so, I found myself re-reading passages and chapters to savor the moment. Reading as a writer, I appreciated the myraid of multiple characters, multiple points of view, multiple story lines and multiple references to pop culture. It's awe-inspiring. Reading as a reader, it's just fun! Definitely add this one to your summer reading list!

From the author's website:

Synposis:"Teen beauty queens. A "Lost"-like island. Mysteries and dangers. No access to emall. And the spirit of fierce, feral competition that lives underground in girls, a savage brutality that can only be revealed by a journey into the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Oh, the horror, the horror! Only funnier. With evening gowns. And a body count"

Reviews:

"This is Libba Bray, a writer much more interested in subverting that paradigm—girl-on-girl psychological violence as spectator sport—than playing into it…Beauty Queens is a madcap surrealist satire of the world in which her readers have come of age—reality TV, corporate sponsorship, product placement, beauty obsession—but ultimately, it's a story of empowering self-discovery."
–New York Times Book Review

"{a} hilarious romp into an examination of femininity and feminism, sex and sexuality…sure to be popular."
–Booklist

"Out-there satire…Lord of the Flies with an evening gown competition, anyone?"
–Publishers Weekly