Beige

Title: Beige
Author: Cecil Castellucci
Published: 2007
Genre: Coming of Age, Contemporary
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Katy has to leave for LA from Montreal and live with The Rat, her rock star father when her mother has to work at an excavation site in remote Peru. She is a quiet teenager whose life doesn't revolve around music. During her stay in LA, Katy learns about Punk and punk music. She learns a little about love and a lot about friendship and family from a sensitive skater boy called Garth, a tough punk rocker chick named Lake and her ex-heroin addict father.

I liked Beige very, very much! The Californian setting which I normally read is much more glamorous. However in Beige, it's gritty and urban. Also, many people could relate to Katy, who is later nicknamed Beige, due to her 'nice-girl' attitude. The songs mentioned at the beginning of each chapter are also making the reader experience the book outside of reading, by listening to the songs. There were also plenty of laughs and scenes which made complete sense why Katy is acting in a certain way. The only thing which I didn't like was the French and Spanish used. For someone who doesn't know either one, or both of the languages, being bothered to continually translate what is being said is annoying.

Castellucci is a unique author with a real voice. Her writing didn't make you feel 'uncool' and Beige reminded me of the movie School of Rock, since the characters in both works develop and learn about a very lively genre of music.

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P.S: I'd like to welcome everyone who is new to the blog, and thank you for appreciating my love of books! :)