Beauty Queens

By: Libba Bray

Narrated by: Libba Bray

Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

The 50 contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner. What’s a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program - or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan - or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up? Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness.

©2011 Libba Bray (P)2011 Scholastic Audio

So much fun!

A silly satire whose goofy twists and turns may bury the teeth of the commentary. Although intended for young adults, I am nearly 30 and still found it entertaining and thematically more mature than I had expected.

The plot is convoluted and a little predictable, but it's still female positive and very well performed.

ive read very few better books

it's amazing how a book can just hit you in the gut - usually it's with drama, but this time it's with comedy and poignant social criticism

Hidden morality tale

I don’t write reviews often. This book started out rough. A bunch of stereotypical girls who turn out to be resourceful. So I kept listening.

The author reads the book and I was impressed by her ability to handle the accents. I had to turn down the sound though.

I enjoyed the sarcasm and snarky bits that might go over the heads of teens. I did not like the commercial breaks but I get why they existed.

Would I listen again? Probably.

Incredible

I almost started crying at the diversity of the characters
Not only was there differences in races of the characters, but sexualities, genders, and personality. Ever character added to the plot of the book and everyone was useful in their succession on the island. Definitely will be reading this multiple times.

Not What I Expected...

This audiobook left me with some mixed feelings. But, in regards to the performance, the author herself reads the book aloud in a wonderful manner. She has a lovely and lively reading voice and the accents all sound quite convincing - not only in just keeping the Miss Teen Dream contestants apart, but also in the accents of Ladybird Hope, the Bodacious Babes British pirates and even a crazed dictator. On this level it is an entertaining and lively and well-performed listen with special effects at just the right parts to augment the fun. And this Audible edition concludes with a bonus interview of the author which offers insight into Bray’s motivations and inspirations for telling this story. Actually, the interview contains more emotional depth than the entire novel that precedes it.

It’s not that I disliked the book - it’s a campy, fun idea for a novel that works well in engaging readers from the very beginning. A plane, full of beauty pageant contestants, crashes and maroons the surviving girls on what at first appears to be a deserted island. Despite the storyline, the book is less Lord of the Flies and more Gilligan’s Island. Not all 50 contestants make it, but it’s a sizable enough crowd that there are still major and minor characters (poor Miss New Mexico runs around the whole novel with her only remarkable trait the airplane tray that is lodged in her forehead) but with the varying accents it is quite easy to keep them all straight.

The book is set in a vaguely dystopian future where all is run by The Corporation. This drives the entire plot and also provides ample fodder for the satire (Bray puts her past experience in advertising to hilarious use here). Unfortunately, the soapboxing that comes with all the satire goes beyond mocking The Corporation. As almost (sorry, Miss New Mexico) each girl begins to be developed each one deals with a different key issue - being Indian, black, gay, transgendered, intellectual, ditzy, deaf, slutty. It’s a lot to cram in one book - and ultimately, it leaves none of their struggles feeling particularly genuine. Plus, despite some references to diets, makeup, waxing, at the end of the day, they are all still beauty queens so body image - a topic that I fully expected to be beaten over the head with - isn’t really addressed at all. When mixed in with the hunky pirates, utterly ridiculous plot and by the tenth hour, I was just anxious for the book to be over. I wish that it had been more tightly edited, less politically motivated. It had some very fun moments, though, some genuinely funny moments, but it just wasn’t the book I had hoped for - especially considering the rather shallow “happily every after” epilogue that wraps up the novel.

Excellent Production

Fun and quirky story made all the better by the author's narration. Fast paced chick-lit/YA novel.

Great Summer Fun.

If you could sum up Beauty Queens in three words, what would they be?

Funny, Ironic, Cynical

What was one of the most memorable moments of Beauty Queens?

Miss Texas, loved her.

Have you listened to any of Libba Bray’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, first one, but I will read more.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Wanted to savor it.

Funny and insightful

Would you listen to Beauty Queens again? Why?

American culture at its finest. A story of nature vs nurture. Once the racism, elitism and beauty are taken out of the equation, the girls transformation is wonderful to watch.

Who was your favorite character and why?

No one character stood out, all had great little quirks and personalities.

What about Libba Bray’s performance did you like?

Excellent.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but not realistic.

Fantastic Narration!

What did you love best about Beauty Queens?

Beauty Queens makes you laugh out loud--any girl/woman who has ever watched television or perused a fashion magazine will be able to relate to this story!

Which character – as performed by Libba Bray – was your favorite?

The narration for this book was superb! The voices match the characters so perfectly that it is hard to pick a favorite. I would have to say that Miss Texas, Miss New Hampshire, and Miss Nebraska are great--but Miss Mississippi really takes the Gummi Bears!

WoW

What the hell did I just listen to? This book is absolutely confusing! I really don’t know how to feel about this...