Penelope

By Marilyn Kaye

Book Overview

A modern-day fairytale--a major motion picture starring Christina Ricci, Catherine O'Hara, James McAvoy, and Reese Witherspoon. Penelope Wilhern has everything a girl could want: A wealthy, socialite family, an enchanted bedroom and some of the coolest clothes around. There is only one problem: She was born into a cursed family and has the face of a pig. Hidden away from the world, Penelope now finds herself subjected to a string of snobby, blue-blooded bachelors in a desperate attempt to find her a husband in order to break the curse. Though she yearns for something greater, what's a girl to do when faced with a determined mother and her matchmaking sidekick? Hoping to snap a photo of the mysterious girl, mischievous tabloid reporter Lemon hires down-on-his-luck Max to pose as a prospective suitor and infiltrate the family. But when Max finds himself truly drawn to Penelope, he can't bring himself to expose and disappoint her, so he just disappears. Fed up with this latest betrayal and determined to live life on her own terms, Penelope decides to break free from her family and go out into the world in search of adventure. Hiding her true identity with a scarf, Penelope discovers a wondrous world where freedom opens her eyes to possibilities she never knew existed. Making new friends along the way, she discovers happiness in the most unexpected places.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031237559X
• ISBN13: 9780312375591
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 13 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

such a cute book!

Penelope is such a cute book! it was a fast read for me and i loved it alot. Penelope is a girl who was born with a pig noise and she needs to get married to a blue blooded man. but all the guys she meets are scared of her. Then she meets Max who is being paid to get a picture of her for a reporter... its worth the read.

Fantastic Read.

It's clear that the target age for this book is tweens/early teens, but I'm in my late teens and absolutely loved it. I read lots of really "deep" and detailed/intricate books, and this one was a welcome break from that. The story is very light hearted yet wonderful all the same. I LOVE this book! :D

Unusual and uplifting

Young girls seeking to define themselves should love reading this modern-day fairy tale. Penelope Wilhern is a wealthy 25-year-old with a curse: she was born with a pig's snout. The honker will magically turn into a normal nose when "someone of her own kind, a true blue blood, will accept her as she is." As her socialite mom attempts to find a willing beau, Penelope learns to love herself for reasons beyond beauty. My only qualm? The back story. Explaining why the curse exists, it describes Penelope's great-great-great grandfather Ralph's affair with a scullery maid, who engaged in "certain other activities that Ralph and Clara enjoyed immensely." Clara gets pregnant, with disastrous results. The book's target age range is 9 to 12 years old, and this seems a little mature for girls that age. In the introduction, actress Reese Witherspoon explains why she was inspired to develop the story into the new movie.

A fairytale for today

I absolutely loved this book! The characters are amazing and the story is like the perfect modern-day fairytale. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves fairytales and anyone else who loves a good read.