A Great and Terrible Beauty

Libba Bray gives us a strong, determined heroine in this gothic fantasy/mystery. Gemma seldom shrinks from bullies, a challenge, or her own desires, and this is refreshing, especially so in a young woman in an 1895 setting. Quite a nice departure from most angst-ridden teens. Not all of Gemma\’s friends are likeable, but she does the best with what she has. What I found lacking was a sense of place and flow. Characters drive this novel, but the settings deserved more detail, and action often takes leaps that leave gaps in the imagination, making it hard to follow, especially towards the end. Younger readers may appreciate the fast flow but it can be frustrating to an adult. Josephine Bailey as narrator sparkles. If only all readers were so talented! Her voices are singular and easy to recognize, despite Felicity\’s voice slipping into a Gilligan\’s Island Mrs. Howell in the beginning. Overall she\’s a joy to listen to. Ms. Bray\’s portrayal of Victorian society and its expectations on girls is both honest and rebellious and strikes a modern chord that in too many instances still plays today. This novel does much to underline this without detracting from the story whatsoever, showing the personal implications for each girl rather than preaching. Four stars for being an easy listen, good historical depiction, strong characters, and appropriate for the intended audience.

A somewhat predictable gothic/fantasy book. Gemma receives her wish to leave India for England when her mother is mysteriously killed on Gemma\’s 16th birthday. Gemma is shipped off to boarding school in England. There she must gain the acceptance of her schoolmates, solve the mystery of mother\’s death, and learn to deal with her \”powers\”. An interesting look into social mores of the Victorian era. Certainly not the best written book I have listened to, but the narrator was what made this such an enjoyable listen. She did a delightful job of capturing the personality of the characters, and managed to make each sound distinctly different. She kept my attention more than the story line did!

Libba Bray\’s first in the Jemma Doyle series, A Great and Terrible Beauty is a journey well worth taking. I would never recommend this book to a guy, but for the rest of us, we\’ve all felt like Jemma sometimes. That\’s the beauty of the book- yes, it\’s set in Victorian England and, yes, part of it takes place in a magical otherworld called the Realms, but still, Jemma and all her struggles and friends and enemies and frienemies feel real. This book concludes its narrative, but still leaves open a number of questions so that the sequel is very desirable. Even if it hadn\’t left open the major snare that gets you into the next book, you\’d still want to go on. The world created, the characters introduced, and the relationships just starting to burgen in this book are developed more in the following ones. Well worth the read even if you aren\’t going on to the next, but with such a great author brilliant narrator, and compelling story, why wouldn\’t you. I\’m still hoping for a fourth book.

I read this series out of order in high school on accident. That was over 10 yrs ago! I’m reading it I. Order this time lol and I love it all the same. I found new details that I missed the first time around. I love Libby Bray’s writing style. It’s easy to follow, but detailed enough to take you there. I would recommend this to young adults or teens.

One of my favorite books as a teenager and still over 10 years later. Narrator is AMAZINGLY PERFECT! Easily the best audio book I\’ve ever listened to after already reading it myself! Bravo!

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