Red - Alison Cherry
Published: 02/01/14
Publisher: Quercus
Pages: 320
Thank you to the wonderful Lauren at Quercus for sending me a copy of this really fantastic YA novel to review! I was a little dubious at first because it sounded a little odd but I started reading and couldn’t put this book down; it was incredible on so many different levels.
Red tells the story of Felicity: she has it ALL. The good looking boyfriend, the popularity, she’s in line to be crowned the winner in the local beauty pageant but this isn’t all. Felicity lives in Scarletville, a recluse for all natural redheads where they reign supreme and are at the top of the pecking order. If you are not a redhead then you are regarded as unimportant but the worst thing you can be is an ‘artie’, an artificial redhead. And, nobody knows but Felicity is just that: she dyes her hair, she’s a natural blonde. If anybody discovers her secret then her life will be ruined; she will be disqualified from the pageant, her boyfriend will leave her and she’ll be the least unpopular girl around.
Can Felicity keep up the façade long enough to please her mum and win the pageant?
On one level this book tells the simple story of a girl who wants to live up to her mother’s expectations, keep her life running smoothly and please those around her, whilst secretly wondering whether this is the kind of life she really wants. On a deeper level, this is a book full of satire, using Felicity and her story as a clever way to write a very relevant and accurate social commentary. This novel explores the notion of minority groups and how they feel in relation to the rest of society. I really got a kick out of this aspect of the novel and was constantly seeing this book for more than what it seemed to be on the surface.
I read a lot of critical reviews suggesting that Cherry does little to actually address these issues and others suggesting the protagonist was awful and had very few redeeming qualities. Now, Felicity certainly was a flawed character and her behaviour was often self-centred and questionable but, in my head, this was right: this is the way she should have been portrayed; a girl who has become part of this system which gives redheads the most power. She shouldn’t be criticised for practicing behaviour she’s been brought up to understand as right…should she?
Perhaps I took more from this novel than most, I relished scratching beneath the surface and piecing together the message Cherry was trying to convey. Maybe I saw this message for more than it was, maybe others didn’t see enough of it? In whichever case, I cannot dispute the fact I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it. Even if you read it as a YA coming of age story about a girl with a group of friends, some potential love interests and a pushy mother then I think you will enjoy it immensely. You can speed through the pages before you realise you’ve nearly finished the whole book! I read in two sittings and cannot wait to see what comes from Alison next.
A fantastic, witty and clever novel about the notion of ‘difference’ and ‘minority’ that will deliver on more than one level.
Publisher: Quercus
Pages: 320
Thank you to the wonderful Lauren at Quercus for sending me a copy of this really fantastic YA novel to review! I was a little dubious at first because it sounded a little odd but I started reading and couldn’t put this book down; it was incredible on so many different levels.
Red tells the story of Felicity: she has it ALL. The good looking boyfriend, the popularity, she’s in line to be crowned the winner in the local beauty pageant but this isn’t all. Felicity lives in Scarletville, a recluse for all natural redheads where they reign supreme and are at the top of the pecking order. If you are not a redhead then you are regarded as unimportant but the worst thing you can be is an ‘artie’, an artificial redhead. And, nobody knows but Felicity is just that: she dyes her hair, she’s a natural blonde. If anybody discovers her secret then her life will be ruined; she will be disqualified from the pageant, her boyfriend will leave her and she’ll be the least unpopular girl around.
Can Felicity keep up the façade long enough to please her mum and win the pageant?
On one level this book tells the simple story of a girl who wants to live up to her mother’s expectations, keep her life running smoothly and please those around her, whilst secretly wondering whether this is the kind of life she really wants. On a deeper level, this is a book full of satire, using Felicity and her story as a clever way to write a very relevant and accurate social commentary. This novel explores the notion of minority groups and how they feel in relation to the rest of society. I really got a kick out of this aspect of the novel and was constantly seeing this book for more than what it seemed to be on the surface.
I read a lot of critical reviews suggesting that Cherry does little to actually address these issues and others suggesting the protagonist was awful and had very few redeeming qualities. Now, Felicity certainly was a flawed character and her behaviour was often self-centred and questionable but, in my head, this was right: this is the way she should have been portrayed; a girl who has become part of this system which gives redheads the most power. She shouldn’t be criticised for practicing behaviour she’s been brought up to understand as right…should she?
Perhaps I took more from this novel than most, I relished scratching beneath the surface and piecing together the message Cherry was trying to convey. Maybe I saw this message for more than it was, maybe others didn’t see enough of it? In whichever case, I cannot dispute the fact I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it. Even if you read it as a YA coming of age story about a girl with a group of friends, some potential love interests and a pushy mother then I think you will enjoy it immensely. You can speed through the pages before you realise you’ve nearly finished the whole book! I read in two sittings and cannot wait to see what comes from Alison next.
A fantastic, witty and clever novel about the notion of ‘difference’ and ‘minority’ that will deliver on more than one level.
Laura