Beauty...the book

Beauty by Nancy Butcher. This is the latest book I've read besides re-reading Beautiful Sun book 1 currently.

Beauty is a mix between a modern story of a girl trying to please her mother and a medieval (or earlier) story of a queen and the princess who didn't wanted to be royal. If this sounds interesting to you, you may enjoy Beauty. Ana finds out early in her life that her mother, Queen Veda, does not like any challengers to her beauty. So Ana decides to make herself ugly in order to stay on her mother's good side. Yet all of her hard work (not bathing, eating pastries and dressing less than average, let alone, less than royalty) comes to nothing. Queen Veda seems to have better things to do than spend any time with her daughter. Since her husband died, Veda has to run the kingdom herself. But the book says little to nothing about the run of the kingdom as it focuses on Veda's overwhelming desire to be the most beautiful in the kingdom. So much so she's willing to kill for it. As the story goes along we find the main character and lots of other young girls (beautiful young girls) sent off to an academy that turns out to be a lot different than Ana originally thought. Soon Ana is faced with a situation that pulls her not only out of her ugliness, but also reveals the true leadership that she's hoping will never fall on her, to become queen.

The story isn't too bad, for a YA fiction. It's not so much the story but the delivery that spoils this fic. It's so long an drawn out for probably half the book. Seriously, the book has lots of background, lots of what ifs, ands, and buts...but no real storyline until about halfway through. You know it's leading up to something but nothing is actually HAPPENING and that ticked me off for most of this read. When something does finally happen, well the moral of the story soon degrades. You think it's about how there is beauty more than skin deep or that it's ok not to center your life on makeup, clothes, etc. Yet at the end of the book you are left wondering what the author is trying to communicate about beauty. The main character seems to yearn and want that surface beauty so much, it really kills the initial thought that the book would display beauty as more than surface or not something to covet. There is also a mystery character; well he's a mystery to me at least. They don't explain much about the beauty consultant and well he's kind of creepy. There's another part that is creepy in the book but gives me my favorite line from the story, "But she was already dead." Trust me, it's cool in an eerie way.

There are a couple of other things I don't quite get with this story either, but I can bypass all of it and just say, it's a not too bad story if you just want to read something. But truly, if you just want to read something (and get hooked, fall in love and maybe find direction for your own life while being entertained) I really suggest you pick up Beautiful Sun: Boy Craze. Purchase it at http://lulu.com/4God

Rose's Story

WHY DO I WRITE?

When I was a teenager I started to go down the wrong road and became, what I call, hypnotized into the things of this world. My heart was focused more on friendships, boys, and getting people to like me. I believe all teenagers go through this on some level - the want for acceptance. But my continual failed attempts eventually sent me into depression, suicidal thoughts, and an anti-social attitude. I didn't hate myself or others, but I felt dark. I now realize it was because I was pulling away from God. In a sense it might have also been God pulling me to a place where I had nothing else BUT Him and if that hadn't been the case, I would have continued on grappling for acceptance.

The depression drove me to near hopelessness. I knew only God could help me, if He was really there, I mean if He was REALLY REAL and truly did love me as He said in the Bible. So I cried out to Him and begged for Him to change things, to save me if He cared. I'm not quite sure what happened, but soon, that same hour, I wasn't as sad anymore. Slowly I became preoccupied with knowing and hearing from Him and things I thought mattered, mattered less and less. Well nothings perfect, I bounced in my walk of faith many times after that, but God always took me back.

Sometime in college I began writing fiction stories, always wanting them to be a picture of God and how He works in our lives. My desire to write grew intensely for a while. Now the desire is like a river that sometimes ebbs but usually flows, displaying God's love, especially to youth.

WHAT'S ROSE'S BACKGROUND?

M. Rose Barnett currently lives in Missouri, USA with her husband, who is also a writer for the Lord.
She follows Christ, holding on to the truths presented in the Holy Bible. Rose writes a lot about those truths and how they impact us.
She began journaling regularly as a teen, having a need to express her thoughts, and also wanting to leave her mark in the world. Although she has a college degree in business, she feels driven to teach theology through counseling, mentoring, and writing.

WHAT'S ROSE'S WRITE-LINE?

• A successful online weblog (via Livejournal) for 4 years
• Published a fantasy, web-story called the "Sunshine Kingdom" 2002-2004
• Became a Columnist for AnimeAngels Mangazine and published the articles, "What is Christian Anime?" and "Do you want a Revolution: What is so Revolutionary about Utena?" 2004
• Became Managing Editor of AnimeAngels Mangazine 2004-2005
• Wrote other articles (mostly for Christian teens), short stories and wrote website content for 3 starter sites 2003-2005
  
• Published Beautiful Sun: Boy Craze (Christian modern fiction story) 2007

HOW DO I CONTACT ROSE?

Facebook
Lulu
Y! 360
Livejournal
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