Modelland
by Tyra Banks
Blurb:
No one gets in without being asked. And with her untamable hair, large forehead, and gawky body, Tookie De La Crème isn’t expecting an invitation. Modelland—the exclusive, mysterious place on top of the mountain—never dares to make an appearance in her dreams.
But someone has plans for Tookie. Before she can blink her mismatched eyes, Tookie finds herself in the very place every girl in the world obsesses about. And three unlikely girls have joined her.
Only seven extraordinary young women become Intoxibellas each year. Famous. Worshipped. Magical. What happens to those who don’t make it? Well, no one really speaks of that. Some things are better left unsaid.
Thrown into a world where she doesn’t seem to belong, Tookie glimpses a future that could be hers—if she survives the beastly Catwalk Corridor and terrifying Thigh-High Boot Camp. Or could it? Dark rumors like silken threads swirl around the question of why Tookie and her new friends were selected . . . and the shadows around Modelland hide sinister secrets.
Are you ready? Modelland is waiting for you. . . .
My Reaction:
We read this along with the "372 Pages We'll Never Get Back" book-club podcast.
This is one of the most bizarre books I've ever read, even for 372-Pages! (It's not the worst thing we've read, though. Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff was literally unreadable, in my opinion, and Shadow Moon was the most awful, painful slog of anything we've read for the book-club.)
As I was saying, this novel is just one weird thing after another. There are times that you can see where she probably drew inspiration (from Harry Potter, for instance), but more often than not, I had no idea what would happen next, because it's just that kooky. (Kooky Tookie.)
While I didn't enjoy the book, per se, it was certainly interesting, in its way. I'm curious what the author had planned for the rest of the books in this series. It was meant to be a trilogy, I believe, but after this novel's lack of success, it seems unlikely the other books will ever be written, even though Tyra Banks is moving forward with other "Modelland"-related projects. I wouldn't really want to read another book set in this universe, but I'd be curious enough to skim a synopsis. (There were quite a few unanswered questions at the end of "Book 1".)
Modelland revealed some odd things about its creator. For instance, there's some real animosity toward actors here, which is a bit funny coming from a supermodel. Then there are the strange ideas about what's romantic or sexy in a brand-new relationship between teenagers. Jumping right to thumbs in mouths? Smoothing your beloved's eyebrows with saliva on your thumb? (Ugh, so disgusting! Please, don't rub your spit on someone's face as a sign of affection or desire!)
The very long section of "Acknowledgements" at the end was almost sad to read. It felt so optimistic about this novel's chances of success, referring to future books in the series... The way she documented exactly where different parts of the book were written (for posterity), because surely the legions of adoring fans would be agog to learn every little detail about the creation of this beloved work of fiction... Yeah, kind of sad, until I reminded myself that the author is extremely wealthy and is a famous model/TV personality/whatever else she does/has done. I'm sure she bounced right back from any disappointment over this book's reception!
This is one of the most bizarre books I've ever read, even for 372-Pages! (It's not the worst thing we've read, though. Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff was literally unreadable, in my opinion, and Shadow Moon was the most awful, painful slog of anything we've read for the book-club.)
As I was saying, this novel is just one weird thing after another. There are times that you can see where she probably drew inspiration (from Harry Potter, for instance), but more often than not, I had no idea what would happen next, because it's just that kooky. (Kooky Tookie.)
While I didn't enjoy the book, per se, it was certainly interesting, in its way. I'm curious what the author had planned for the rest of the books in this series. It was meant to be a trilogy, I believe, but after this novel's lack of success, it seems unlikely the other books will ever be written, even though Tyra Banks is moving forward with other "Modelland"-related projects. I wouldn't really want to read another book set in this universe, but I'd be curious enough to skim a synopsis. (There were quite a few unanswered questions at the end of "Book 1".)
Modelland revealed some odd things about its creator. For instance, there's some real animosity toward actors here, which is a bit funny coming from a supermodel. Then there are the strange ideas about what's romantic or sexy in a brand-new relationship between teenagers. Jumping right to thumbs in mouths? Smoothing your beloved's eyebrows with saliva on your thumb? (Ugh, so disgusting! Please, don't rub your spit on someone's face as a sign of affection or desire!)
The very long section of "Acknowledgements" at the end was almost sad to read. It felt so optimistic about this novel's chances of success, referring to future books in the series... The way she documented exactly where different parts of the book were written (for posterity), because surely the legions of adoring fans would be agog to learn every little detail about the creation of this beloved work of fiction... Yeah, kind of sad, until I reminded myself that the author is extremely wealthy and is a famous model/TV personality/whatever else she does/has done. I'm sure she bounced right back from any disappointment over this book's reception!
