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The Ugly One (2013)

by Leanne Statland Ellis(Favorite Author)

3.76 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0547640234 (ISBN13: 9780547640235)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Clarion Books

review 1: Lexile: 810Pages: 245Summary: At the height of the Incan empire, a girl called the Ugly One because of a disfiguring scar on her face, seeks to have the scar removed and instead finds a life path as a shaman.Comments: It was a much more interesting story than I had anticipated. It shows lots of emotions and doesn't soften the feelings that Micay has about her scar and how people treat her. It's uplifting that she finds a calling and comes to accept herself as she is. The story takes place during the Incan empire, which makes for a unique setting that isn't usually found in youth fiction.Rating: 3.5/5 starsReviewed by: Sarah
review 2: DNF at 71/244 pages (Chapter 7)I had to stop reading this book because I was about throw my Nook across the room. Unfortunately, ... morethis title has authentic voice and narrative issues that I just couldn't get past. I wanted to like a book that should appeal to middle grade readers and is multicultural in scope (Incas/Peru) but it has too many flaws to recommend.Authentic voice issues:-The author is a white woman that has no connection to the Incan culture beyond a trip to Machu Picchu and a one time "research" trip. Parts of the Incan past are given a white-wash that I cannot get past. And the author chose to write about a time period with little historical information to back up her ridiculous narrative choices - she doesn't infuse the setting with anything that feels authentic and natural. It's been done by other authors, but not this one.-While the city at Machu Picchu doesn't have a name/has been lost to history, rather than simply calling it the sacred city on MP, the author gives it a really generic name that she chose to make up. Surely there is a better way?Narrative issues:-As most tween & teen fiction these days feature an issue du jour, it wasn't unexpected to find the protagonist with self-esteem issues related to the scar on her face. However, the narrative line is one I cannot get behind: Micay bases her feelings of self-worth on taunts by 3 or 4 boys in her village. There is no other indication that ANYONE in the village doesn't like her otherwise. Also, she rejects her family completely when they clearly love her. I just couldn't take it. Even though I didn't finish it, I can predict that by the end, something amazing and/or miraculous will happen and Micay will learn to love herself, which given the clear self-loathing evident in the first 6 chapters is completely unrealistic.ARC supplied by publisher via NetGalley less

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