Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
Uglies: Book 2
Audience: 13 and up (some mature content)
Rating: A
Synopsis:
This book is the second of the Uglies series, and begins with a post-surgery Tally enjoying her new life in Prettyville. She spends most of her time partying, or preparing to party; Tally has all but forgotten her life in Smoke and the promises made there. Then, a visitor arrives from the New Smoke with two pills – a possible cure. Tally struggles to remember what she thought before her surgery and faces the decision: is the ‘perfect’ life she’s always wanted enough?
Chatter:
(Spoiler Alerts! ) This was by far, my favorite book of the series. I love the struggles that Tally and Zane go through as they fight to stay “bubbly.” I think Westerfeld’s explanation of why it’s important to fight against the brain lesions is so insightful, (page 232 in my book):
“Why am I unhappy?” Tally repeated softly. “Because the city makes you the way they want you to be, Peris. And I want to be myself. That’s why.”
At first I was very angry that Tally forgot about David so quickly, but I quickly came to prefer Zane to David. Zane is much more of a tragic hero- he’s fighting so desperately to stay functional, even as his brain disintegrates. He’s also doing all of this without ever having seen Smoke and the other lifestyle Tally told him about.
David, on the other hand, isn’t all that different from Peris. Sure he lives at the New Smoke and believes in manual labor and all that, but he hasn’t made an informed choice. He does these things not because he experienced Prettyville and rejected its hedonistic lifestyle; he lives the ‘Smokey” life because he doesn’t know any different.
Meanwhile, I think Tally and Shay need to develop a functional friendship! Seriously, will these two ever learn to communicate?
Questions:
Is Tally truly interested in Zane, or is it only because he’s pretty?
What do you think of Peris’s decision to stay behind in Prettyville?
If you could trade places with any character in this book, who would it be? Why?
Who do you like better, Zane or David?
Keep reading!
-Paige
Tiff Says:
1. yes, she’s interested. i think. [read this a long time ago though!]
2. i think he took the easy way out.
3. of course i’d want to be Tally! she’s smart and adventurous.
4. david. he’s not shallow like zane.
Specials by Scott Westerfeld | Turning the Paige Says:
[...] of the reason that I think Zane is a better match for Tally is that she remembers him… In Pretties, after Tally had been re-wired, she forgot about David and had a hard time remembering her feelings [...]