Outside Beauty Audiobook

" I liked this one. Four sisters, all by different fathers, adore their beautiful, eccentric mother. She's one of those people who is so striking that she's managed to get by her whole life by relying on her looks. She's constantly coming up with new boyfriends, using them for what they can give her, and then dumping them. Imagine her panic then, when she is in a serious car accident and her face is badly scarred. While she is recovering the hospital, her daughters are split up and sent to live with their fathers. They've never been apart before, and the adjustment is difficult, especially for the youngest sister whose father is somewhat of a tyrant. A good story about the importance of family. "

" This was a cute loss of innocence novel. The four sisters learn a little more about each other when they are forced to separate due to circumstances beyond their control, then when they all spent every moment together. "

" 265 pages Four sisters, Marilyn, Shelby, Lakey, and Maddie, adore their mother, Helen Kimura. Helen isn't your typical mother, she is always concerned with beauty and her latest boyfriend, and the girls all have different fathers. When Helen is in a car accident, the girls are forced to go live with their respective fathers, and no one is happy. The four are inseperable, and the youngest, Maddie, is being smothered by her father's strict ideas of child rearing. Shelby attempts to bring her sister to live with her and her father, Jiro, but her attempt to run away doesn't work. It isn't until a complication with their mother brings the four back together that they make a clean getaway. But running away isn't the answer, and the four will have to decide what family really is . . . "

" I was so embarrassed for this author. Her other two books that I read, Kira-kira and Weedflower were wonderful and this was just awful. A mother is obsessed with her looks and has four daughters with different men. She has no real job to speak of other than bewitching men and trying to (I assume) get them to pay for everything. In spite of this pathetic behavior the daughters all worship their mother and have an unhealthy attachment to each other. After the mother is in a car accident the girls have to go live with their respective fathers. This is when I felt like an editor should have stepped in and addressed these ethnic stereotypes: One sister's father is Italian, and he is portrayed as as a low-class but loveable criminal, (it's implied that his business dealings and associates are of a questionable nature), his sister is unattractive and has a bushy moustache-is this necessary? Another sister's father is Anglo/WASP and he is very cold and obsessed with discipline. Then this is interesting, the author went out of her way to break this stereotype (which I do applaud her for) of the Chinese father-he's a burly, cool, outdoorsy, guy who does physical labor. I'm not sure what to make of the Japanese father, a good man but terrible dresser? Whatever. This was awful. Oh yeah, also, the book is set in 1983 for no apparent reason because there is nothing 80s about it at all except that the sisters write letters to each other and they use a pay phone. "

" So far I really like this book. It's funny, and a definite good read. "

" Kadohata's writing does not disappoint, though the story, for me, lacked the impact of Kira Kira, an admittedly high standard. Delightful characters, which Kadohata does a wonderful job of keeping distinct. "

" I'll be ordering this book for my middle school library. My students who are looking for books about relationships will like this one. Anyone who like to read books that examine connections between people will be interested in this title. "

" It was a good book but not fabulous. The mother was hopelessly irresponsible. The ending was ok, but not great. I was really hoping for something better. "

" I'm not entirely sure where the idea came from, but I did like the overcoming-one's-parent's-insanity-power-to-the-children-discovering-beauty-exists-inside-too story. "

" A really easy read, but not that great for me personally. I guess it's aimed at a much younger audience. "

" Good read if you have nothing to do all day and feel like completing a book. The message is good but you kinda have to suspend reality, but otherwise fun read. "

" Shelby and her 3 sisters share a separate universe w/ their beautiful mother, but have different fathers. Then their mother is in an accident and they are each sent to their respective fathers: how can they get together again? Issues of love and beauty and happiness. "

" good read. expected nothing less from Ms. Kadohata. "

" Not a bad story, but I probably would have enjoyed this story more when I was younger. "

" A bit slow to start, but weaves itself into an intense story as it goes on. Little more mature tone than other stuff I've read from her, which is nice, yet somewhat odd given that the main character's still only 13. "

" I think the topic is valuable and unique. I loved the relationships of the the sisters. I loved how you came to care about the family. "

" At times I felt things happened too quickly or too easily, but overall I did like the story. I think the characters are ones you don't see too often, especially in books for young people. I like that a lot. "

" 4 sisters who all have different fathers and one beautiful Japanese mother who lives on her beauty, learn some lessons about being a family when the mother is seriously injured in a car accident and has to be in the hospital for months. Good story, quirky- mostly the 4 fathers angle. "

" What a strange book. I'm not even sure what the author was trying to say. I think it was something about beauty but the message was confused by the chaos of the character's lives. "

" It was an easy read. I read it as a "pre-read" for my teenage daughter. Overall, I thought it had a great message about sisterhood and beauty in the eyes of the sister telling the story. "

" It's not just on the outside that counts, most of your lives depend on what's inside. For real!!! "

" It was an easy read. I read it as a "pre-read" for my teenage daughter. Overall, I thought it had a great message about sisterhood and beauty in the eyes of the sister telling the story. "

" I Love this book Its probably one of the best books I ever read! "

" Cynthia Kadohata writes another brilliant novel that increases my interests in her book. XD "

" Great book... Up to Cynthia Kodohata's unusually high standards. A bit of a twist, but still great "

" At times I felt things happened too quickly or too easily, but overall I did like the story. I think the characters are ones you don't see too often, especially in books for young people. I like that a lot. "

" I'll be ordering this book for my middle school library. My students who are looking for books about relationships will like this one. Anyone who like to read books that examine connections between people will be interested in this title. "

" I enjoyed reading the characters of this book traveled to different places. It can expand readers' horizon. "

" 2.5 I read this 6 months ago and am having trouble recollecting much about it, so I guess that says something... "