Crazy Beautiful

Title: Crazy Beautiful
Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Pub Date: 2009
Pages:193
Genre: Young Adult, Fairy Tale retelling
Challenges: YA, NTMA

Crazy Beautiful is dubbed as a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, one of my all time favorite fairy tales mainly because I have always had a thing for the underdog. I'm one of those people who, pushed into a philosophical conversation, will claim that there are very few truly awful people in humanity. And my addendum would clarify, that those truly awful people are only awful because they cannot be any other than that due to their own cerebral make-up (read DSM-IV personality disorders).

In this re-telling, Lucius is the "Crazy". He is a dual amputee after some chemical explosion that he caused blowing off not only his hands, but decimating a good portion of his family's house. His story is drawn out and prior to the "oh, so that's why you're crazy" realization, there is no implication from his behavior that he is a torn individual. In fact, he's pretty likable in that misunderstood way. Aurora is the "Beautiful". She's a tragically beautiful character, inside and out. Her mother recently died of Cancer and she lives with her father and has this amazing paternal relationship with him where they never argue, respect space, and interact how I have only recently grown to interact with my mother as an adult. Sorta over the top for me and not a convincing portrayal of a fifteen year old's relationship with daddy.

And that pretty much sums up the story. Maybe I was more disappointed because I had such high hopes for the story? The tempo was too fast, the characters too flat, and the internal dialogue too TOO.

EXAMPLE:

"It's an unnecessary addition because everyone knows this. I refuse to use the word loser when talking about another but I do know that in my old school it was only the friendship-challenged kids who ever spent time chatting with the men in the blue." (49)

Did you read that people? "Friendship-Challenged"??? What fifteen year old...hold that...what person refers to others as friendship-challenged??

I did have a chuckle because there's this scene (?) where Lucius and Aurora are trying out for the musical Grease and the author spends a good time summarizing the plot line. I am not knocking this. I imagine that there are plenty of my students who have not seen this Olivia Newton John meets John Travolta masterpiece. I only chuckle because I still feel quite young and it made me realize that I might just be getting to be OLD! *gasp*

I cannot knock the author too terribly. I mean, I imagine that most of my girls will squeal delightfully over this story. I only hope they don't ask me if i like it. I might just have to be a tad bit evasive.