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    Gorgeous
    Gorgeous
    Gorgeous
    Audiobook12 hours

    Gorgeous

    Written by Paul Rudnick

    Narrated by Elizabeth Morton

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Eighteen-year-old Becky Randle is an ordinary girl who receives an impossible offer. She meets Tom Kelly, the world's top designer, and he promises to create three dresses to transform her from a nothing-special girl into the Most Beautiful Woman Who Ever Lived.

    Becky thinks Tom is a lunatic, or that he's producing a hidden camera show called World's Most Gullible Poor People. But she accepts, and she's remade as Rebecca. When Becky looks in the mirror, she sees herself - an awkward mess of split ends and cankles. But when anyone else looks at Becky, they see pure five-alarm hotness.

    Soon Rebecca is on the cover of Vogue and the new Hollywood darling. She then meets Prince Gregory, heir to the British throne, and everything starts to crumble. Because Rebecca aside, Becky loves him. But to love her back, Gregory would have to look past the blinding Rebecca to see the real girl inside. And for that, there's not enough magic in the world.

    A screamingly defiant, hugely naughty, and impossibly fun free fall past catwalks, red carpets, and even the halls of Bucking-ham Palace, Gorgeous does the impossible: It makes you see yourself clearly for the first time.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherScholastic
    Release dateApr 30, 2013
    ISBN9780545595476
    Gorgeous
    Author

    Paul Rudnick

    Paul Rudnick is an author, playwright, and screenwriter. His plays have been produced on and off Broadway and include Jeffrey, I Hate Hamlet, Regrets Only, and The New Century. He is the author of seven books, and his writing has also appeared in The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Esquire, and more. His screenplays include Addams Family Values, Coastal Elites, In & Out, Sister Act, and the film adaptation of Jeffrey. Find out more at PaulRudnick.com.

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    Reviews for Gorgeous

    4/5

    118 ratings15 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I loved this book so much my hart hurt I'm going to re-listen to it again! It has everything you can ever want in a book; romance, suspense, plot twists (it has a lot of those), humour, and not to mention that I was jumping up and down almost the whole time. If you don't believe me ask my family! I would strongly recommend this to anyone who wants a laugh, to yell at something, and to be totally shocked at the end!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Enjoyed this book. I listened to the audio version and the narrator was excellent!
    • 4/5
      This was a very odd book but captivating nonetheless, it left me wanting to find out what would happen. I definitely enjoyed it!
    • 4/5
      Surprising. The book was really slow in the beginning, bizarre in the middle and heart-wrenching at the end. I promise you, the ending is worth the getting through the first half of the book. Wait, not the epilogue but the last actual chapter. Totally worth it. This book is not as predictable as you think. There were plenty twists and head scratching moments that forced me to keep going. All in all Gorgeous is a great book.
    • 5/5
      This book was hilarious. I loved how human and relatable the main character was. The voice actor also did an amazing job.
    • 4/5
      A modern reworking of the Cinderella story that skewers everything about the fashion and beauty industries hilariously. It was a lot of fun to read. My only apprehension about pushing it at school is the language (which sounds a lot like the language our students use on a daily basis--I don't want to appear to be condoning it.) Also, really seems like an adult-ya crossover title, so I'd recommend to staff and more mature students.
    • 4/5
      _Gorgeous_ marks Paul Rudnick's entrance into the YA fray with a campy, outsized fairy tale. Really, what else do you need to know to recommend this book? It's hilarious, and touching, and more than a little bit confusing, mostly in good ways.I love the way Rudnick weaves together elements from a range of literature here: this is first and foremost a Cinderella story, in which freshly orphaned Missouri trailer-park teen Becky Randle discovers that she has a fairy godfather like no other. He's Tom Kelly, the hugely famous fashion- and fragrance designer who hasn't been seen in 20 years. As in all Cinderella tales, though, the fairy godparent's gifts come with a catch: Tom promises to make Becky into the Most Beautiful Woman in the World, but only if she promises to marry her true love within a year.He also promises to design three magical dresses for her: one red, one white, and one black. Interestingly (to me, as a folklorist) , this ties in elements of the much rarer variant of Cinderella known as "Catskin," about a princess who deliberately disguises herself as a lowly servant, but whom the prince is able to identify when he spies her wearing her three dresses that are, respectively, gold like the sun, silver like the moon, and "dazzling like the stars." It's also a motif that shows up in Basile's Italian tale "Sun, Moon, and Talia." So kudos to Rudnick for not sticking with the standard Disney-fied version of Cinderella.But _Gorgeous_ also makes references to _Frankenstein_, _Pygmalion_, _The Portrait of Dorian Gray_, _Faust_, and the myth of Narcissus. Lest this make the book sound pedantic, here's an example of how these allusions get slipped in: "Tom Kelly is sort of like Henry Higgins, 'cause he's a real prick." So, you know, don't worry that you're missing something when these things come up. There are laugh-out-loud moments throughout; my favorite is perhaps Becky's description of one of her coworkers at the Valu-Brite drugstore, Vivian, a woman who's had a five-inch spike implanted in her forehead. Becky notes that this makes Vivian "look like either a heavy-metal unicorn or an Aryan Nation ringtoss game." But the novel also has some serious reflections on the question of whether being the Most Beautiful Woman in the World is all that great, after all. As "Rebecca," her gorgeous alterego, Becky has all kinds of power, but she's also isolated and lonely. She's also increasingly aware that she's living a lie, as she gets romantically entangled with the Prince of Wales (Rudnick does a nice job of crafting slightly altered versions of the Queen, Princess DIana, and Prince William here.)Most of the novel is completely and joyously over-the-top, campy silliness. And most of the time, _Gorgeous_ isn't even trying to have a sense of internal logic--which is why the serious turn the novel takes at the end, when we learn about what actually happened to Tom Kelly twenty years ago, doesn't have the kind of emotional impact that I think Rudnick wanted. For me, the questions it raised were more of a distraction than anything else. But perhaps thinking of it through the _Dorian Gray_ lens is the only way to understand it. [That suggestion could be a spoiler, but only if you've read Wilde.]In the end, though, _Gorgeous_ is all about the humor. Readers who love a comical fairy-tale retelling, and readers who appreciated the satirical insanity of Libba Bray's _Beauty Queens_ will adore this book.[Note: I received this book as a free e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
    • 3/5
      While I didn't love this book, I can say that it surprised me how much I ended up enjoying it. You might have seen me post how utterly baffled I was when I first started this. Paul Rudnick's story isn't something I've read before. It's completely out in left field, and yet that's what kept my attention. Even when I didn't love Becky. Even when I had no idea what was going on. I was intrigued enough to want to keep going. Gorgeous gets points for that.

      Here's the thing about Becky Randle: at first she was pretty tough for me to like. I had nothing in common with this quiet, introverted, mousy young girl from a trailer park. It grated on me that she was constantly putting herself down, and refused to come out of her shell simply because she didn't think she was worthy of it. I cringed as she simpered about the popular girls, and how the guy she liked didn't even know she existed. I wanted to scream, "Come on Becky! It's only HIGH SCHOOL!". Then, things took off and suddenly I wasn't so annoyed with her anymore. Only completely absorbed in her transformation.

      The Becky that comes out on the other side of this story, although I still never fully felt invested in her, was much different that the one I first met. Stronger, more sassy, and just that slight bit more comfortable in her own skin. What I did love about her journey was how she addressed all the madness that ensues in Hollywood. How we idol worship, how the very rich behave, and how beauty makes us do crazy things. Becky gets a piece of all of this, and it was engrossing to watch her battle between her old self and the person that fame was trying to turn her into.

      I suppose this is a fairy tale of sorts, when you get right down to it. Almost like a Cinderella story, but without all the overly sappy parts. Although there is a fair bit of adorable romance. The saving grace for me was Becky's best friend Rocher (pronounced like the fancy chocolate of the same name) and her spit-fire, completely-loyal-best-friend personality. I should also warn you that there are many instances of what we shall call "adult language" in this book. That, more than anything, stuck out to me while I was listening to the audio book. Rocher cusses a lot.

      That being said, the story ended up sweeping me up by the end. It still never made total sense, and I still had tons of unanswered questions that were eating at me, but I'll concede that it was an interesting ride. If nothing else, Gorgeous gets credit for being so original. It takes a story that we all think we've seen before, and puts a spin on it that is out of this world. So, I'd say give it a shot if it jumps out at you as something you'd enjoy! You might be pleasantly surprised.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed the reworking of Cinderella. Becky is an interesting character and manages to keep grounded through this adventure. No evil Step-mother or evil step sisters so no foot mutilation. Strangely absent father is truly strangely present!
    • 2/5
      Becky Randle goes from trailer trash to princess in this high-drama, fanciful tale. First-person tough voice ("I grew up in a trailer park... [so]. fuck you." ) will appeal to many teens looking for honest, real character. Alas, the plot is so over-the-top that it belies the emotional honesty. This reader didn't care about Becky after she is "discovered" and made-over into a model/high society/princess. Teen girls looking for escapism and a view into high fashion may enjoy it.
    • 3/5
      For more reviews, Cover Snark and more, visit A Reader of Fictions.Full disclosure: As I write this (December 4, 2013), I’m on the couch with my laptop on my stomach and trying to move as little as possible because that makes pain happen and also on some cold meds. This review may make no sense. Then again, this book also often didn’t make any damn sense. However, I thought you should be warned that my rambles may be ramblier and even more nonsensical than on a regular day.I really do not know how to feel about Gorgeous. Mostly I felt sort of meh about it, but sometimes it made me laugh and sometimes I wanted to punch it in the book-face, and then at the end I suddenly couldn’t stop listening to it. So it was something all right. There are some things that went really well and a lot of weirdness to the max and some jokes that immediately do the most awkward and yet somehow unfunny faceplant. I don’t know how the faceplant wasn’t funny either, but Gorgeous managed that several times.Gorgeous retells Cinderella, but plays pretty fast and loose with the source material. That’s not really a bad thing, considering that there are a million bajillion retellings of Cinderella. Reading Gorgeous definitely doesn’t cause flashbacks to every other retelling, so that’s a big plus. Rudnick did a mixed job with his adaptation, with some elements really cool twists and others a little bit off. For example, I thought having designer Tom Kelly as Becky’s “fairy godmother” was pretty funny, even if Tom remained a relatively flat character to the end. I also liked that the plot was structured around Becky’s three dresses, which hearkens back to the Grimm’s Cinderella. The Disney Cinderella is all mixed in with the godmother and the discussion about a glass slipper, which is not a thing in the original. A lot of the traditional trappings (helpful animals, evil stepmother and sisters, prince searching with a shoe) are gone, but it’s definitely identifiable as Cinderella.Paul Rudnick actually does a really marvelous job writing a female heroine. Becky is an entirely realistic girl, though not fitting the standard heroine mode at all, because then she wouldn’t have needed the magical makeover. I’m still not sure how much I actually like Becky though. She’s interesting and sometimes funny, but was also occasionally incredibly annoying or exasperating. I do like the addition of a best friend character to this Cinderella story, and the fact that Rocher (named for the chocolate) and Becky seem like true blue forever friends. Becky isn’t ashamed of Rocher or too good for her when she turns into Rebecca, the most beautiful woman in the world, and Becky’s never jealous. After so many backstabbing frenemies, it’s a really nice, healthy friendship. At the same time, I found Rocher pretty much consistently annoying, like Becky on amplifiers. I particularly hated when either of them would start swearing like sailors, even though I actually like cursing. Something about the way they put their swears together was seriously offputting.The messages seemed a bit mixed, with the broader message being one of tolerance and personality over appearance, but occasionally venturing into easy stereotype jokes I found rather offensive. The example that comes easily to my fuzzy brain is when Rebecca meets some other models, who are all vapid airheads. What clever satire! Stupid models. Hahahaha! I’ve never heard that super unique joke before! In fact, pretty people in general do not come through this book particularly well. Anyone who’s completely gorgeous, except for Rebecca, is shown to be rather idiotic, even Jate, Becky’s teen idol and Rebecca’s friend.However, I do love the larger message. For example, I’m really glad that Becky’s mother, who died weighing 400 pounds at the outset of the book was not made into a figure of mockery for her weight. Obviously, she wasn’t healthy, but she wasn’t judged off of just that. She’s still shown to be a really nice, interesting person, and it’s not all yo mama so fat jokes. Similarly, I like the way the romance between Prince Gregory and Rebecca/Becky is handled. Rudnick establishes this really convincingly, completely ridiculous scenario aside, showing the way that their personalities are compatible more than anything. Also, I liked that Gregory was a bit of a goober, and not the incredibly gorgeous swoony prince.The audiobook’s pretty good. I think the narrator does, minus one point, a good job with the voices and capturing the tone of the novel and the feel of Becky’s character. However, Morton gives Becky pretty close to the basic American accent, rather than the southern twang exhibited, in varying degrees, by her interpretations of Rocher and Becky’s mother, Roberta. While I’m grateful not to have had to listen to that accent for twelve hours, it doesn’t make sense for Becky to not have the accent everyone else in her town had, except maybe that she was reflecting back? Did her years in England turn her Missouri accent into a more generic American one? I sort of doubt it.Thus, I’m at a bit of a loss. It was good and frustrating and fascinating and not funny and hilarious and weird as all get out. I recommend this for readers who appreciate really outlandish humor.
    • 5/5
      Author (Last name first): Rudnick, PaulTitle of the Book: GorgeousPublisher: Scholastic Press Date of Publication:2013ISBN# 978-0-545-46426-0Price:$18.99Grade Level:SNumber of Pages: 327VOYA Rating: 4Q 4PHighly Recommended This book is a modern twist on a several fairy tales. Becky Randle lives in an old trailer in Missouri with her morbidly obese mom, who soon dies. Becky has always been plain and has sort of resigned herself to a life of being a grocery store cashier. As she is going through her mom’s things, she finds a ring box with a phone number in it. She calls it and is whisked away to New York by Tom Kelly, one of the world’s most famous designers. He promises to make Becky the most beautiful woman in the world. She has to promise to do as Tom says and wear the three custom dresses he’s going to make her. The first dress transforms her into a stunning woman. She becomes the face of Tom Kelly and lands the cover of Vogue. Her life is a whirlwind of fame, movies, famous people and getting pretty much whatever she wants. The catch is that she has to fall in love in one year. Rebecca meets Prince Gregory and falls in love. She begins to realize that the Prince doesn’t really know who she is. Just as quickly as everything happened, it all falls apart.I was skeptical about this book because the main character is an 18 year old girl and the author is a man coming from a completely different perspective. However, the book is very well written and will hook the reader from the very first page. The story has some laugh out loud funny parts and other parts are very sad. Emotions will be all over the place. I wasn’t expecting the magical elements in this story, but it’s woven in so flawlessly that it seems real. There are a lot of parallels to the last British royal wedding, the fashion world in New York and Hollywood, but all the characters and names are fictional. I would say this book is targeted at more mature audiences (more in the new adult than young adult genre) because of the language, effects of AIDS, sex and drugs. However nothing is really explicit. The ultimate message is about inner beauty. I think this book will really appeal to girls interested in the world of fashion and fairy tales. It’s got a good mix of romance, magic and mystery. It could be used in a literature classroom during a unit on fairy tales, with older students. I would also put it on display for anti-bullying weeks/themes. It think it will make a great addition to school and public libraries.
    • 3/5
      If one cannot decide between a 1-star and a 5-star review, is that a 3? On the one hand, there was a note of "magical realism" that rubbed me the wrong way but had a classic fairy tale element to it that was powerful so I bought it. On the other hand, there was some great, crisp writing that had me snorting unapologetically. There's a lot to love here but there's also a whole pallet of other stuff that comes along with it. I'll be interested to see if this book catches on or not.
    • 2/5
      ***There might be some spoilers.***I don't really need to talk about what Gorgeous is about because the Book Description says it all. A fairy tale come true when Becky becomes the most beautiful woman on Earth thanks to a magic dress, and meets her prince. "Magic comes with a price" is all I have to say.The book honestly started out fast, I mean everything was happening so fast that it was hard to connect to characters or the story itself. I really didn't like that. When the story is that fast it is really hard to concentrate on some main points. Also in my opinion it was not really good written. I didn't like the writing style at all. Not just that, I also found some grammar mistakes. Well this all sounds bad, but what about the characters?The characters...Becky, I really didn't get her, at all. The decisions she made were just unrealistic and plain stupid at times. I don't know what else to say..I didn't connect to her? I really didn't connect to any characters... I honestly only "kind of" liked Tom. Tom is a guy who turned Becky into Rebecca. He tried to teach Becky a lesson that what inside is really counts but I don't think it really come out like that. C'mon if she looked like her regular self fist time she met her Prince, well I don't think he would of wanted to meet her again...so let's face the truth he fell for her looks first, and then her character. So I don't really see the lesson in a story. I agree that whats in a persons heart/mind counts more than the looks, but people can't just all turn gorgeous for people to get to know them and than turn back. Just doesn't happen.Overall, it was a fast read but the book was not as good as I hoped. Okay I can just say: I didn't like it. I saw a lot of reviews in which people like it, and saw the lesson and everything, but it just didn't work for me. I'm giving two stars because of a good attempt to teach a good lesson.
    • 4/5
      The Good Stuff•Fabulous and not preachy messages about inner beauty, friendship, love•Plenty of laugh your ass off moments (which was a tad embarrassing as I read much of it on the flight to Toronto from Calgary)•Great friendship between Becky & Rocher – very realistic•Never really wanted to marry a prince (I am more of a court jester kinda girl) but would change my mind for Prince Gregory•Reminded me a little at times of Meg Cabot’s mixed with “Bridget Jones writer”•The Not So Good Stuff•Story jumps around a little – not horribly, but just an fyi•Sometimes the message of the story took over and the characters didn’t feel as real (again no big deal because the message is a fabulous one)Favourite Quotes/Passages“I sometimes wish that just like me, nobody had a face, just so we could all stop wasting so much time worrying about what we look like, and what other people look like, and how we measure up.”“Mirrors are more dangerous than guns or cars or crystal meth, because they’re cheap, readily available and everyone’s addicted.”“I decided that maybe everyone has at least a touch of dysmorphia; maybe it’s impossible for anyone to ever truly know what they look like.”Who Should/Shouldn’t Read•Any female over the age of 12 (Some strong language and sexuality)4.25 Dewey’sI received this from Scholastic in exchange for an honest review