I enjoyed being insulted (My take on Colors Insulting ...)

Just finished Colors Insulting to Nature by Cintra Wilson

Colors Insulting to Nature is about one girl’s quirky quest for fame. The heroine, Liza Normal was weaned on a diet of Hollywood dreams and believes that if she just perseveres, her effort will pay off. This conviction leads Liza into many troublesome situations where she learns that real life does not follow a script.

The story begins by mocking the standard happy ending and repeatedly warns the reader that things are not going to occur like they would in a movie. Despite this self conscious boasting, the ending of the novel was a little too tidy for me. I could have used a little more ambiguity. One of the book’s strongest points was its characters and their relationships. The path that Liza takes to achieve her fame was unpredictable and yet maintains cohesiveness through her network of family and friends.

Since this book is about the gap between Hollywood ideals and real life there is ongoing dialogue throughout the book about what Liza is learning. In the end it seems that the lesson is that your dreams are within reach but in a way different than you might have imagined. Additionally the shallowness of fame is explored in a humorous and sometimes frightening manner.

Unpredictability 6
Character Development 8
Exploration of Themes 6