Gorgeous

by Paul Rudnick Narrated by Elizabeth Morton

Overview

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.

Editorial Reviews

The New York Times Book Review - Libba Bray

…gleefully wacky and irreverent…Once Becky becomes Rebecca the novel also transforms, and readers are treated to Rudnick's considerable talents as a satirist as he uproariously eviscerates our celebrity-mad, class-conscious, appearance-obsessed, reality-TV-vapid culture with puckish delight…[Gorgeous is] a wicked good time, with moments both outlandish and touching. And as a summer beach read? Well, it's perfect.

From the Publisher

Praise for Gorgeous

"I loved Paul Rudnick's Gorgeous, which I found impossible to put down. When I wasn't laughing out loud (which was often), I was wiping away a tiny tear." —Meg Cabot, author of Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls and The Princess Diaries

"Gleefully wacky and irreverent . . . a wicked good time, with moments both outlandish and touching." &mdashThe New York Times Book Review

*"With writing that's hilarious, profane, and profound (often within a single sentence), Rudnick casts a knowing eye on our obsession with fame, brand names, and royalty to create a feel-good story about getting what you want without letting beauty blind you to what's real." —Publishers Weekly

"Acute, wickedly funny observations on appearance and identity punctuate this sprawling, caustic fairy tale that cheerfully skewers the fashion and film worlds and their celebrity-culture spawn." —Kirkus

School Library Journal - Audio

Gr 9 Up—Rudnick brings his bawdy humor and keen eye for the human condition to young adult fiction. He tells the story of Becky Randle, a plain Jane whose life is turned upside down when a fashion designer promises to create three custom dresses for her and transform her into the most beautiful woman in the world. All of sudden Becky is the stunning Rebecca, appearing on the cover of Vogue and in a blockbuster movie and falling in love with the Prince of England. She wonders if the Prince could ever really love "Becky" without the Rebecca trappings, and things quickly begin to fall apart. Narrator Elizabeth Morton has no easy task here, creating two very different voices for one character. She uses a middle range with a soft edge tinged with a southern accent (Becky is from Missouri) to portray sweet, shy, and insecure Becky, and moves smoothly to Rebecca's deeper range, filling her with confidence and cockiness. Morton also does a laudable job with the host of other characters. Especially impressive is her voicing of Becky's over-the-top best friend, Rocher, a tough cookie with a potty mouth whose lines are uproariously funny, largely due to Morton's delivery. She does struggle from time to time with getting the right amount of base in her voice for the male characters, but usually does sound convincing. Prince Gregory is her strongest effort as she captures his insecurity and dry sense of humor. This is sheer escapist fun for listeners who can handle the rough language.—Shari Fesko, Southfield Public Library, MI

MAY 2013 - AudioFile

Becky Randle, a plain Missouri girl, receives a mysterious offer of a plane trip to New York City and the opportunity to become the most beautiful woman in the world: Rebecca Randle. Becky’s adventure takes her from Missouri to New York and then to London—where she nearly become a member of the royal family. Elizabeth Morton tackles the narration with aplomb, using accents to give a sense of place, especially in the aristocratic British accent of Prince Gregory and the Missouri drawl of Becky’s best friend. Morton capably reveals Becky’s uncertainty even while she imbues Rebecca’s words with bravado. The well-paced reading moves from emotional scenes to comical ones with ease, drawing the listener into Becky’s fairy-tale world. E.N. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

Acute, wickedly funny observations on appearance and identity punctuate this sprawling, caustic fairy tale that cheerfully skewers the fashion and film worlds and their celebrity-culture spawn. Something magical will soon befall checkout clerk Becky Randle, 18, her mother tells her, making Becky promise she'll say yes to it. After her mother's death, the mysterious yet ubiquitous designer Tom Kelly flies Becky to New York, proposing to create three dresses for her guaranteed to make her the most beautiful woman on the planet. With, at best, average looks, Becky's understandably skeptical, but Kelly delivers, and Rebecca is born. Though Rebecca's gorgeous, confident and smart, Becky stubbornly hangs onto her identity (she sees her glamorous alter ego in mirrors only when others are present). Supermodel Rebecca lands a movie role alongside the star Becky's crushed on since middle school (veteran screenwriter Rudnick's film scenes are hilarious). Soon, smitten with Rebecca, the heir to the English throne captures Becky's heart--but which of her is he in love with? While Becky's voice and cultural referents are far too sophisticated and mature for a teenager raised in a Missouri trailer park, her fears and hopes are universal. A Cinderella story with a difference, Becky's journey to reconcile her inner household drudge and outer princess starts where most fairy tales end. (Fantasy. 14 & up)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171261597
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	04/30/2013
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

Read an Excerpt

From Gorgeous:

"So here's my offer," he said, sitting up straight, as if he was about to conduct serious business. "I will make you three dresses: one red, one white and one black. And if you wear these dresses, and if you do everything I say, then you will become the most beautiful woman on earth. You will become, in fact, the most beautiful woman who has ever lived."

"What?"

"You heard me."

At first I couldn't even process this proposal, I couldn't begin to wrap my brain around what he'd just said. He was a rich and successful man and, in his way, a major force. He'd known my mother. But aside from all that, I didn't know what the hell he was talking about.

Or maybe I did know, maybe I'd understood him perfectly, and maybe that's why I felt like I was choking and drowning and like I had to get out of there, I had to run, even if it meant bashing myself against the marble walls and scratching to find the elevator or a hidden emergency exit and a staircase.

"I'm leaving," I said, standing. But once I was up, I couldn't move. I couldn't leave. And he knew it.

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