The Fortunes of Indigo Skye

by Deb Caletti

Book Overview

Eighteen-year-old waitress Indigo Skye's life is upended when a mysterious man leaves her a multi-million-dollar tip in this funny and moving novel by Printz Honor medal winner and National Book Award finalist Deb Caletti.

I suddenly see where I'm standing, and that's at the edge of change--really, really big change.

Eighteen-year-old Indigo Skye feels like she has it all--a waitress job she loves, an adorable refrigerator-delivery-guy...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416910085
• ISBN13: 9781416910084
• Release Date: April 2009
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.1"
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

Incredible

I admit that when I first heard about this one I gaffed at the premise. (And no, I am not entirely sure what the word GAFFE means. Go figure.) It seemed a bit fantastical. But I gave it a try, checked it out from the library, and instantly loved it. Indigo is a great character. Her voice is completely alive, it sparkles with wit and humor, and the story transitions very well. The plot is worked wonderfully. I would definitely reccomend it and Caletti's other books.

And Another Book Read Reviews

Indigo Skye is pretty pleased with her life. She has an amazing boyfriend, she loves being a waitress at the homey neighborhood restaurant Carrera's, and while her family may not be well off they sure are filled with love. While some situations may not be ideal, Indigo knows she will always be supported by those she loves. Whether it is her direct family or her family over at Carrera's (also known as the Irregulars) she knows she always has someone to turn to. All is good until a new man starts coming into Carrera's. Indigo finds him very strange because he only orders coffee and just stares out the window. One day Indigo finds a pack of cigarettes in his pocket and tells him off, as she cannot stand a smoker. She thinks she's scared him off until she gets a phone call from her boss telling her the mysterious man left her an envelope. Indigo is puzzled as to what lays inside, but is sure that it will be disappointing. The contents are anything but disappointing, actually they are stupendously unbelievable. Enclosed is a check for two and a half million dollars. Indigo is thrilled, but doesn't know much about having money. She is constantly warned that money changes people, but she doesn't think it could ever happen to her. This was a completely brilliant and amazing book. I fell in love with it from the very first sentence. Not only was the storyline amazing, but all the characters, not just Indigo, had great personalities. Even the characters that you only met once or twice felt so real and I could automatically tell whether I liked them or not. Indigo was definitely my favorite character though. She was extremely sarcastic and witty. There were many, many times that I found myself laughing out loud at comments that Indigo would make or even her actions. What was also so wonderful about the story was its originality. It wasn't your generic rags-to-riches everyone's rich and happy in the end story. It was so much more. While Indigo did receive lots of money she learned more how to deal with it and become a better person. I felt that Indigo really underwent a change from the beginning of the book to the end, which was really neat. Deb Caletti's writing was fresh and amazing. Having never read anything of hers before, but having heard good things, I expected a good read, maybe even a great read. Instead I got a stupendous, heartwarming, and hard to forget novel. I will definitely be reading many more of her books. I would highly recommend this book to everyone as it truly was unforgettable. Also I definitely think that Sarah Dessen fans will love Indigo's story as well.

Predictable plot, but interesting observations

Haven't read a book by Caletti before, but this one was definitely intriguing. First of all, the plot is pretty boring & predictable: girl gets a fortune, lets herself be sucked away from her values, learns a lesson, blah blah. But there were so many interesting observations about people and the way we interact--little things that I've noticed, but haven't been able to put in words... Those were so intriguing that this is the first book in a long time that I've wanted to re-read immediately upon finishing. So, if you're looking for an action-packed story with a gripping plot, this ain't the book for you. If you're looking for a few insights into human nature, give it a try...

An enjoyable, entertaining, and thought-provoking work

Eighteen-year-old Indigo Skye is quite happy with her life. Sure, her scattered single-parent mother struggles with money and her little sister, Bex, is almost too involved with the misfortunes of others. And it does bother Indigo that her father is in Maui with a new wife, although her parents' divorce happened long ago. But there's no doubt that the family she lives in is close-knit and loving. And then there's her darling boyfriend, Trevor, who is hunky yet sensitive. Trevor appreciates Indigo, fits in with her family, and has quirky ideas about how to rise above poverty. Last, but far from least, Indigo's job as a waitress at a diner called Carrera's is her dream job. She gets to feed people, enjoying the adrenaline high of taking multiple orders and delivering them, and loves the close friendships she makes with the diner's regulars. If anything is bothering Indigo it's that her mother pushes her to think about college when she is content with what she does. What more could she want in a life that's pretty close to perfect? An intriguing new customer begins coming into Carrera's, pulling up to the curb on his orange Vespa and looking rich in his elegant yet casual clothing. All "Vespa guy" ever orders is coffee. He makes no attempt to chat, inciting the regulars to fantasize about his mysterious life. Is he depressed? Addicted? Hiding out from the law? Although Indigo generally has no problem engaging customers in conversations, for some reason she just can't approach Vespa guy. Indigo's relationship with this quiet customer changes the day she discovers cigarettes in his pocket. Indigo can't help it. She must speak out against cancer sticks, and she does, much to Vespa guy's shock. He opens up to her, about his unsatisfying life and job (Indigo also finds out he has an actual name: Richard Howards). And then the craziest thing happens. He gives Indigo a token of his appreciation --- a check for two-and-a-half million dollars! Although Indigo believes that the money won't change her, or the people around her, the gift catapults her into an astonishing journey of self-discovery even as she contemplates her benefactor's challenge to use the money to make her life larger and not smaller. Readers are likely to find themselves in a predicament as they read THE FORTUNES OF INDIGO SKYE. They will simultaneously want to linger over every word and speed read through to find out how Indigo handles her largesse. Each character is a fully-realized person (I swear I've met some of Indigo's customers). Indigo herself is a funny, likable protagonist, and you can't help but care about her as she grows and changes. In addition to a compelling plot and realistic characters, author Deb Caletti sprinkles amazing insights throughout Indigo's story, such as her thoughts on being ready for something and then having to wait: "Ready is the reluctant guy on the dance floor. You ask him and he says no; you ask again, drag him by his wrists, and when he's finall

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Indigo Skye is pretty pleased with her life. She has an amazing boyfriend, she loves being a waitress at the homey neighborhood restaurant, Carrera's, and while her family may not be well off, they sure are filled with love. While some situations may not be ideal, Indigo knows she will always be supported by those she loves. Whether it is her direct family or her family over at Carrera's (also known as the Irregulars), she knows she always has someone to turn to. All is good until a new man starts coming into Carrera's. Indigo finds him very strange because he only orders coffee and just stares out the window. One day, Indigo finds a pack of cigarettes in his pocket and tells him off, as she cannot stand a smoker. She thinks she's scared him off until she gets a phone call from her boss telling her the mysterious man left her an envelope. Indigo is puzzled as to what lays inside, but is sure that it will be disappointing. The contents are anything but disappointing; actually, they are stupendously unbelievable. Enclosed is a check for two-and-a-half million dollars. Indigo is thrilled, but doesn't know much about having money. She is constantly warned that money changes people, but she doesn't think it could ever happen to her. This was a completely brilliant and amazing book. I fell in love with it from the very first sentence. Not only was the storyline amazing, but all of the characters, not just Indigo, had great personalities. Even the characters that you only met once or twice felt so real that I could automatically tell whether I liked them or not. Indigo was definitely my favorite character, though. She was extremely sarcastic and witty. There were many, many times that I found myself laughing out loud at comments that Indigo would make or even her actions. What was also so wonderful about the story was its originality. It wasn't your generic rags-to-riches "everyone's rich and happy in the end" story. It was so much more. While Indigo did receive lots of money, she learned more about how to deal with it and become a better person. I felt that Indigo really underwent a change from the beginning of the book to the end, which was really neat. Deb Caletti's writing was fresh and amazing. Having never read anything of hers before, but having heard good things, I expected a good read, maybe even a great read. Instead I got a stupendous, heartwarming, and hard-to-forget novel. I will definitely be reading many more of her books. I would highly recommend this book to everyone, as it truly was unforgettable. Also, I definitely think that Sarah Dessen fans will love Indigo's story, as well. Reviewed by: Tasha