I had to read this book, Waking Beauty for a women's lit class, and have yet to figure out the actual message that it's supposed to be conveying.
A woman who is supposedly very unpleasant looking and who happens to be the adopted daughter of two negligent and decidedly cruel, but wealthy, parents is unlucky in love and life. Everyone bullies her, takes advantage of her, what have you.
She wakes up one day to find that she has suddenly become incredibly beautiful. Now she's out romping with married men, being generally nasty (mostly to people who were already not very nice to her, but two wrongs don't make a right!), and getting her way everywhere with everyone because of her new appearance.
The trouble I have with the book is that the character is never likeable. Never. Not once. And when she's out there having fun with men who are already in committed relationships, I lose even more respect for her.
She ends up finding true love with an "ugly" guy, so I guess the idea behind the story is that women are just better all around people than men are and are capable of loving "ugly" people whereas men only want physically perfect specimens.
Horrid book.