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Margaux with an X
Margaux with an X
Author: Ron Koertge
Despite being popular, gorgeous, and witty, Margaux's life isn't as picture-perfect as it would appear as she struggles to cope with a disturbing home, her gambling father, and her shopping-addict mother, but a surprising friendship with a quiet boy named Danny gives Margaux an improved attitude and a more hopeful outlook for her future.
ISBN-13: 9780763626792
ISBN-10: 0763626791
Pages: 176
Edition: Reprint
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating:
  • Currently 5/5 Stars.
 2

5 stars, based on 2 ratings
Publisher: Candlewick
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

GeniusJen avatar reviewed Margaux with an X on + 5322 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Reviewed by Mark Frye, author and reviewer for TeensReadToo.com

If STONER AND SPAZ pushed the envelope, then MARGAUX WITH AN X set the envelope on fire and tossed it from a window. This engaging and fun read by Ron Koertge presents two more likeable, quirky, and sardonic main characters who don't fit in and stop trying to.

But it's not an edgy or controversial book full of salacious and scandalous details about Margaux and Danny, two teen misfits. This book is impossible to put down due to Koertge's omniscient narrator, who guides the reader through the lives of two teens who are scarred by their parents. The narrator's voice is snarky and intelligent (Dictionary, anyone? What DOES persiflage mean, anyway?) and it's blended with Margaux's and Danny's, lending the novel a feeling of wholeness. Koertge clearly knows what it's like to be an outsider. In less capable hands, the blending of voices used in MARGAUX WITH AN X would fall flat and appear amateurish. But Koertge succeeds masterfully; the impression left on the reader is that Danny and Margaux are two parts of the same puzzle, and the narrator knows how to fit them in place because he's worked the puzzle before.

The main characters do not "complete" each other. There is no romantic sizzle. Instead, theirs is a relationship necessary to start their lives over again, without the shallow expectations of their peers in their SoCal high school environment. Danny's friendly but his awkwardness or disinterest in Margaux sexually makes him appealing to her. Although he may seem contrived to some oversexed readers, it is an unstated fact that his father's abusive nurturing has affected him in a variety of ways, both good and bad. Margaux's good looks draw men to her, a fact she resents due to her own sad past. By keeping these two on a platonic but loving level, Koertge lays the groundwork for a believable, happy ending to a compelling novel.

Highly recommended.
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