Margaux has been
exploited her entire life because of her staggering beauty.  Her gift of beauty
has caused her to be the grand prize, won by the likes of her father since she
was a young girl.  Her hatred towards him and an indifferent mother is what
fuels her day to day life.  She has one close friend but it is evident to the
reader that even this relationship is superficial and convenient to both.

            Margaux’s chance
encounter with one of the school’s less fortunate sets off a chain of events
that will drastically effect both of their lives.  Danny Riley is considered
everything that you don’t want to be in high school: awkward, bizarre, passionate
about the well-being of animals and a bad dresser.  The beauty of Danny is that
he doesn’t seem to care.  He does his own thing and seems quite happy about his
lot in life.  Margaux becomes intrigued by his attitude and the two become the
talk of the school. She disregards his outward appearance and finds someone
that she can open up to.  They have both endured cruelties brought on by their
fathers and are able to gather strength from one another.  Danny is the only
person Margaux can truly be herself around since he has never acknowledged her
beauty.

            These two misfits
endure a situation that many people would not be willing to work through or
overlook but they manage to in an adult way.  The author has tremendous insight
with both of these characters.  It is interesting to hear a man’s perspective
of a young female. While his focus on her beauty may be a bit much to conjure
up any real sympathy from the reader, his insight into her emotional
abandonment by her  parents is touching.  He is able to let the reader
experience parental abuse through the eyes of both a male and female in a
realistic and honest way.  Both characters have very different ways of dealing
with the abuse while having experienced the same feelings.  It was also
interesting to see that one was saved from this abuse by a family member while
the other was not as fortunate and the effect that has on one of the
characters.

            It is evident
that Margaux may be as smart as she is beautiful but the author’s overwhelming
use of unfamiliar words can be distracting to the reader.  The words seem to be
there to reinforce to the reader how well-read Margaux is.  The meanings may be
obvious to some but it is hard to imagine that the intended audience would be
able to read this book without a dictionary handy or have the intended IQ of Margaux.

© 2005 Amy Ridley

Amy
Ridley received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Boston University.

Categories: Children