Outside Beauty

by Cynthia Kadohata

Book Overview

"My mother had four daughters by four different men."

There's only one way Shelby and her sisters can describe their mother: She's a sexpot. Helen Kimura collects men (and loans, spending money, and gifts of all kinds) from all over the country. Sure, she's not your typical role model, but she's also not just a pretty face and nail polish. She is confident and brave; she lives life on her own terms, and her four daughters simply adore...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689865759
• ISBN13: 9780689865756
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 13 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 8 to 12

Customer Reviews

Different and enjoyable

I enjoyed this book very much. It was a different kind of story - funny and thought provoking. I highly recommend reading this beautiful story. The mother was definitely not your ordinary mother and her four daughters were very special girls who learned much from her about life. The sisters loved each other so much and took their responsibility for caring for one another very seriously. After reading this book, I look forward to reading more of Cynthia Kadohata's books.

Fun and Different

This book was a fun romp from start to finish. Although not the typical type of book I normally read, I enjoyed it very much. This book is about Helen, a beautiful Japanese woman, and her four daughters: (In birth order, oldest to youngest) 1) Marilyn - half Japanese and half Italian; father: Mack. 2) Shelby - half Japanese and half Japanese (which would make her full Japanese); father: Jiro 3) Lakey - half Japanese and half Chinese; father: Larry 4) Maddie - half Japanese and half Anglo; father: Mr. Bronson Helen is an extremely beautiful woman who takes full advantages of her astonishing beauty. Because of this beauty, she does not have to work; she can take advantage of men and let them support her. She is so beautiful, she can afford to only deal with the rich, successful winners - not the junky losers. She goes through boyfriends like water. This seems unrealistic, but there are realistic parallels that make it seem more realistic. Such as, the men don't always wait around for her - they find other women; she isn't necessarily happy and might be lonely; men fight even beautiful women for custody; accidents and bad things can happen even to the beautiful. (The moral I see in it: 'Do not envy Helen or any other woman like her'.) Even though Helen is nontypical and off the beaten path, she is a wonderful mother and loves her four daughters. The four sisters love each other and would do anything for each other (which says a lot). Helen was doing something right as a mother, obviously. This lovely book, narrated by the second oldest daughter, Shelby, is a wonderful tale of the four sisters and their bond and their adventures. Even though Helen is a glamorous women living in Chicago, I enjoyed the "trip" to rural Arkansas, complete with lightning bugs, a goat, hills, and various vegetation. I also enjoyed the road trips. This book was very well written. Characterization was well developed and vivid. I felt as if I knew the four sisters and the fathers, even better than I knew Helen. The author did very well. This was a wonderful and fun book from start to finish. I enjoyed the loving bond between the sisters. I enjoyed the adventures. I also enjoyed the fathers. (The fathers each had different personalities. My favorite was Jiro.) I enjoyed the whole book. I would highly recommend this book.

Enjoyable Read!

I read this in one day. It is a wonderful story about four girls and their relationship with their mother and each of their very different fathers. The story is told from the point of view of Shelby, second oldest at 13 years old. There is also, Marilyn, Lakey and Maddie. They have been raised by their mother until now and she has taught them the importance of outward beauty and being perfect in every way. Well.....she taught the girls about make up and jewelry and relationships or how to get out of relationships. She doesn't work, her job is to get boyfriends and get as much out of them as possible. Then one day something happens and the girls are split up to stay with their respective fathers. They have never been apart and depend entirely one another. What transpires and what they learn is a very funny and engaging story. I really enjoyed this book.

So Beautiful!

Outside Beauty is a wonderful book about how consumed a woman can be by the external and the impact it can have on her children. The mother in this story truly believes that staying beautiful will lead her to a rich husband and happiness. She seems completely oblivious to the fact that she has given birth to four girls, for four men and is not currently married to any of them. What is particularly heartwarming about Outside Beauty is how much the girls love their mother, and how much she loves them in her cavalier, strange way. The girls basically have their own personalities, created in large part by how they are mothered. There is the emerging beauty, the caretaker, the outlier and the baby. When tragedy strikes the family, the reader is allowed to see how loving and savvy these young girls are and how a family who places family first can survive, almost anything. Outside Beauty is a wonderful, quirky story to be enjoyed by all ages. Kudos, Ms. Kadohata. Angelia Vernon Menchan, author; Is No Not Clear Enough For You

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

It's always been Shelby, her mom, and her three sisters. The story is told through Shelby's eyes. She is the second eldest of the four. They live in an untraditional family, to say the least. Each of the sisters has a different father. And they each have different ancestry, as well. One is half Japanese, half Italian. One is half Japanese and half Chinese. One is half Japanese and half Anglo. And Shelby is all Japanese. Their mom has always been on the quest for eternal beauty and the rich husband. None of the girls' fathers have satisfied her, even though Lakey's father, Larry, wants to marry her. It's only after learning of Larry's engagement to another woman that Helen realizes what she could've had. Even with the bizarre family ties, the girls and their mother are close. They do everything together. And though maybe unconventional, their mother has done a good job raising the girls. It's only after her mother is in a serious car accident that their world crumbles. Since none of the girls are legally adults, Helen must arrange homes for the girls while she recovers. It is decided that each of the girls will go to live with their respective fathers. Shelby has only seen her father a handful of times. Jiro is a reserved man, living a quiet life in Arkansas. Except for the fact that he dresses terribly uncool, as the summer unfolds, Shelby realizes he's not a bad man, just unknown to her. It's Maddie that has the worst situation. Her father, Mr. Bronson, has been legally trying to obtain custody of her, stating Helen is an unfit mother. He's a stern disciplinarian, and Maddie's personality starts to disappear, living in his oppressive home. When notified that their mother may die, all the girls are flown home to be with her. The girls take matters into their own hands when they fear that they could be permanently separated if the worst happens. They will do anything they can to keep their family unit together, and to save Maddie. Ms. Kadohata writes a powerfully moving novel of four girls struggling to keep the lives they've always known. Separated from each other, they can barely survive. Looking in from the outside, the reader knows what is going on, but feels powerless to stop the momentum that is driving their lives. After reading OUTSIDE BEAUTY, the reader will come away with a wonderful feeling of family, and of how love can pull you through anything. Reviewed by: Jaglvr