A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle, #1)

by Libba Bray

book data

10,845 ratings, 3.78 average rating, 2,009 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		29%
4		33%
3		25%
2		8%
1		2%

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published

2005 (first published 2003) by Simon & Schuster Childrens Books

binding

Hardcover, 416 pages

characters

Gemma Doyle, Kartik, Ann Bradshaw, Felicity Worthington, ...more

setting

The United Kingdom

isbn

0689875347 (isbn13: 9780689875342)

description

A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble th...more

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10/14/07

honestly mem rated it:

bookshelves: books-you-should-never-read, fiction, speculative-fiction, young-adult

Read in August, 2006

A Great and Terrible Beauty is neither great nor beautiful, though it is indeed -- wait for it! -- terrible.

The characters are simple and one-dimensional, their actions both petty and selfish. I find it difficult to believe any one of the four girls at the heart of the story cared for one another, much less anyone else. The story meanders, often digressing into lengthy passages that do little if anything to advance the characters or the story. As the story progresses, drawing to its ...more A Great and Terrible Beauty is neither great nor beautiful, though it is indeed -- wait for it! -- terrible.

The characters are simple and one-dimensional, their actions both petty and selfish. I find it difficult to believe any one of the four girls at the heart of the story cared for one another, much less anyone else. The story meanders, often digressing into lengthy passages that do little if anything to advance the characters or the story. As the story progresses, drawing to its predictable and dissatisfying conclusion, it becomes clear that Ms Bray has mistaken style for subtance and that her prose is not stylish enough to support this belief.

Most offensive, however, is the racial and sexual content within the book. The male lead (a young man from India) is sexualized and fetishized for his "exotic" appearance and culture; other Indian characters are shown as either submissive or violent. The Romani people wandering the schoolgrounds suffer from even greater stereotyping: the men are portrayed as slovenly, ignorant, and sexually aggressive towards the white schoolgirls; the women are docile and suitably mystical.

Her treatment of the female characters is also questionable. Though these Victorian girls wander about with decidedly un-Victorian sensibilities and though Ms Bray makes a weak attempt to decry the injustices of a society so quick to condemn the expression of feminine sexuality, the story itself does not support this modern take on the Victorian era. The girls submit to their male counterparts or pine helplessly from a distance. Sexual and romantic relationships between men and women often contain obvious and disturbing power imbalances (or violent undertones). The relationship between the four girls is emotionally shallow and deeply petty, motivated by mutual dislike and composed of backstabbing and bullying tactics. And though Ms Bray is quick to condemn the indignities and horrors of an arranged marriage, she is also quick to condemn her protagonists when they dare to act instead of react. It's a confusing mix of self-righteous pulpit pounding and misogyny, with the end result being I wanted to put my fist through the admittedly lovely and eyecatching cover.

My one relief is that I had the sense to borrow this from the library instead of buying it outright. I do not recommend it.(less)

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4 comments

01/12/08

J rated it:

(review of isbn 0385732317)

bookshelves: young-adult

Read in January, 2008

recommends it for: teenage chicks; adult women who like escapist fare

This book is what it is: a young adult novel.

That said, it's a very good one. You can read the summary on the book's page, so I won't go into that here.

I loved the juxtaposition of Victorian England, colonial India, and the fairy world. The protagonist doesn't belong in any of them, and she recognizes that, which sets up the whole story: the outsider tries to find her niche.

I didn't care for any of the other main characters, mostly because I felt that the pr...more

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02/05/08

Marissa rated it:

(review of isbn 0385732317)

Read in January, 2008

I am not someone who can watch scary movies. Now, I like scary movies (not full of blood, but full of suspense) but I have a problem in that I don't stop being scared when they're over (Lady in White, What Lies Beneath). My dad is a big Dean Koontz fan and so I read a book when I was younger. It was so scary--the walls even attacked people! I couldn't walk down our narrow hallway without feeling scared. Irrational? Absolutely. Why am I mentioning this? Well, because this book had a touch of the ...more I am not someone who can watch scary movies. Now, I like scary movies (not full of blood, but full of suspense) but I have a problem in that I don't stop being scared when they're over (Lady in White, What Lies Beneath). My dad is a big Dean Koontz fan and so I read a book when I was younger. It was so scary--the walls even attacked people! I couldn't walk down our narrow hallway without feeling scared. Irrational? Absolutely. Why am I mentioning this? Well, because this book had a touch of the supernatural suspense that I don't handle well. I am undecided whether I'll go on to read the other books in the series or not (although I was intrigued so I might try it--I'll wait a few more days to see how many nightmares I have before deciding for sure).

The story follows Gemma Doyle from the death of her mother in India to her placmeent in a finishing school back in England. Gemma has a strange ability to transport into a different realm where she sees visions. She makes friends at the school and together they begin to adventure as they learn more about the realms and what Gemma's purpose might be.

Gemma is a great character, but her friends are not so easily likeable for me. Well, likeable, but they seem such superficial friends in many ways that some of what happens doesn't come as a surprise. I think it is nice that Bray makes the characters have flaws but I don't know that I particularly appreciated them. However, some of their foibles (self mutilation for example) is something that may bring stuffy victorian characters to life for teens nowadays.

That said, I sometimes question what the label "Young Adult" means. I didn't feel that this was inappropriate for young adults (except for a few things, Mary Dowd's sacrifice) but that might be because it was almost too much for me, so why should a teenager have to deal with it?

I recently went on a crusade to read the books my local high school was requiring it's students to read. I thought I would be exposed to authors I hadn't heard of, my understanding of young adult fiction was limited and I looked forward to exapnding it. I found most of the books horrible, offensive, and not well-written. I wonder what makes a novel a young adult book?

It seems that having a teenage character is the only requirement. Whether it is suitable for teens (or anyone else) doesn't matter.

Okay, back to the book... I enjoyed it but it didn't bowl me over (and I admit that I expected that after hearing some reviews and reading some Q&A sessions with Libby Bray). We'll see if I read the other ones...

(less)

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08/11/08

Chandra rated it:

bookshelves: 2009-reads, anglophilia, historical-fiction, kids-young-adult

This is the kind of book that makes me desperate for half star ratings! I'm typically a very positive reviewer and in most cases I’m usually just kind and round up to three stars, but I won’t do that here and let me explain why. But first the plot, this is the story of a Victorian era teenager named Gemma Doyle – she is raised in colonial India and after a family tragedy is shipped off to boarding school in London. I’m not giving much away to say that all is not as it seems at Spence ...more This is the kind of book that makes me desperate for half star ratings! I'm typically a very positive reviewer and in most cases I’m usually just kind and round up to three stars, but I won’t do that here and let me explain why. But first the plot, this is the story of a Victorian era teenager named Gemma Doyle – she is raised in colonial India and after a family tragedy is shipped off to boarding school in London. I’m not giving much away to say that all is not as it seems at Spence Academy and soon Gemma learns that she has magical powers and a secret family history to go along with it.

My first gripe with this novel is that, although the author uses many correct terms and expressions, the narrative is jarringly anachronistic. Gemma is sarcastic, pouty and self deprecating and she demonstrates very modern sensibilities that are incompatible with her setting and station in life. And although we are meant to understand that she is special and unique, believing she is a proper Victorian young lady is often a stretch. This won’t be much of a problem for the majority of the YA target audience who haven’t read any actual Victorian literature. The one redeeming quality here is that perhaps it could spark an interest in exploring that type of literature.

The plot and action of the book is fairly predictable and typical for something aimed at teen girls. Some will be able to escape into the fantasy and others will just be annoyed. I actually found the friendships to be reasonably realistically portrayed. The truth is that teen girls are often cruel, catty and vain and friendships can be very ‘surface’. What I found most bothersome about the story is that some of the characters do some startlingly horrific things and there is very little guilt expressed or justice doled out. This is particularly worrisome given the target audience.

The biggest issue with the book is actually one of the smaller aspects of the book, but that doesn’t make it any less appalling. The author portrays a band of gypsies in the woods near Spence Academy with truly shocking inaccuracy and racial stereotyping. I’m really disappointed in both the author and any editors, etc. And, again, it’s really bothersome to realize that her target audience likely just won’t know any better.

So, why with all this do I not give just one star? And how could I even consider rounding up to three. First, I think this book has some good things to say about women’s roles both past and present. It’s just HOW she chose to say it that is the problem. In the end there are much worse things that young teen girls could be reading and I wouldn't be horrified for my own daughter to read this....when she is MUCH older ;) (Fair warning - the girls in this book do remain chaste, but there are some rather steamy fantasy scenes and some underage drinking portrayed.) My edition had some reader’s circle questions at the end and these could be good starter discussion between mother and daughter who have both read the book.(less)

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13 comments

07/11/07

Cristin rated it:

(review of isbn 0385730284)

bookshelves: childrens-or-young-adult, fantasy

Read in July, 2008

recommends it for: young adult fans

Had I read Libba Bray’s A Great and Terrible Beauty when I was 12-14 years old, this probably would have been close to a favorite of mine. There’s something about the way it is written (Bray’s exploration of insecurity, the quest of finding oneself, budding sexuality and subsequent doubt, yearning and curiosity, conflicts with family, struggling with authority, self-image, etc) that is absolutely perfect for Bray’s young adult audience. Please keep the genre in mind while you read--perha...more Had I read Libba Bray’s A Great and Terrible Beauty when I was 12-14 years old, this probably would have been close to a favorite of mine. There’s something about the way it is written (Bray’s exploration of insecurity, the quest of finding oneself, budding sexuality and subsequent doubt, yearning and curiosity, conflicts with family, struggling with authority, self-image, etc) that is absolutely perfect for Bray’s young adult audience. Please keep the genre in mind while you read--perhaps then you won't feel too disappointed. This book deserves a chance, I think. It does seem misguided at times, but it's not complete tripe. I appreciate what the author is (and often succeeded in) doing here. Try not to turn your nose up at it.

*I must make an important note here, digress and ask: has anyone else noticed that using the word “gingerly” is practically a prerequisite for young adult authors to consider themselves thus? Seriously, I could (and if I ever have the time, will) make a list of young adult lit that employ that infamous word! Nowhere else have I seen that adjective/adverb so frequently used. It’s certainly never used in common speech. I’m going to test it out–just to see whether or not people look at me as though I have three heads if I actually say something like: “I gingerly took the antique mirror from its place, high upon the wall.” Seriously, who says it? Do publishers force young adult authors to throw the word in for good measure? Is it an ingredient, like paprika, that the potato salad of young adult lit just wouldn’t be the same without? For Libba Bray’s sake, I must note that she used it only once, if I’m not mistaken...and it wasn’t poorly used, by any means...It just makes me smile every time I come across it.

Back to the book–It was well done, although there were portions of the book that seemed a bit forced.

Great & Terrible Beauty is set (during the first 30 pages in India) in turn-of-the-century England, at an all girls preparatory school. Gemma, the main character, has experienced a mysterious tragedy, and enters the school with a sense of foreboding that she cannot shake, or seem to share with anyone. After a very short time, the reader is introduced to what will become an unlikely group of friends, consisting of the archetypal cruel, power-hungry beauty (Felicity), the fickle follower (Pippa), the spirited upstart (Gemma) and the dowdy outcast (Ann).

Certain aspects of the book annoyed me. One of the subplots consisted of Ann’s injuring herself, by scratching at her wrists. While I’m certain women of all eras have harmed themselves in order to remind themselves that they “can still feel”, I couldn’t help but feel as though Bray was taking an idea from a more modern story (about the more modern phenomenon of cutting, for example) and trying to push it into this novel...The lasting effect resulted in the proverbial round peg, square hole dilemma. It didn’t seem too necessary to force that type of character development on Ann, and again, seemed glaring only because it took me out of the time period that was intended for the story.

There are certain scenes that seemed to have been a bit too familiar. The most predictable scenes, however, were often followed by something pleasantly unexpected (I must be vague here, as I despise spoilers).

I have to give Bray credit for writing such a solid story with a main character who is clearly immature and flawed, yet still strong and likeable. I also appreciate the fact that Bray managed to tell an entertaining story, while trying to instill (in her primarily female audience) ideas of feminine power–a celebration of independence, strength and individuality.

As the reader continues on Gemma's journey, the existence of magical realms and an ancient, mystical Order takes over the bulk of the plot. The magic of the realms teeters on the edge of becoming a metaphor for drug use; at times I thought the narration of the story would break, and the reader would be told that the “magic” was really heroine, or something like it. My guess is that Bray was trying to find a venue for the exploration of Power, and what potential harm it can do to a person who thirsts for it without any thought of the consequences.

If you’re looking for a slightly creepy, entertaining novel, you’ll enjoy A Great & Terrible Beauty. I want to read the sequel, Rebel Angels, which I consider a good sign. (less)

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07/03/08

Kirsty rated it:

bookshelves: historical-fiction, young-adult

Read in August, 2008

recommended to Kirsty by: Emma

I picked this up after a friend kept talking about it in a GR group I belong to.

I'm really glad I did pick it up. I was sucked into the book from page 1. The author definitely has a way with words... She painted such a vivid image of the surroundings that I felt as though I was there with the characters in the book.

The plot moves very well, and there were a number of 'cliffhangers' which kept me turning the pages. There was a nice mixture of fantasy and realism, that mad...more

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05/26/08

Jenny rated it:

recommended to Jenny by: Nobody
recommends it for: Everyone, except maybe little kids.

I love this book. I love the entire series. I found them first in seventh grade, but the third one hadn't come out yet. I was scanning my middle school library's shelves, when I noticed an interesting cover near one of my favorite book series. I read the back and I thought the plot was interesting. So I decided to give it a chance and read it. I thought they were great. I mean, I really didn't consider them as some of my favorite books. Eventually, I went on with my life and sort of forgot abou...more

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02/20/08

Maura rated it:

(review of isbn 0689875355)

bookshelves: fantasy-or-sci-fi, fiction, kids--books

This is a young adult book, so I tried really hard to take that into consideration when judging it, but there are so many other, well-done kid/teen books out there that I feel OK about occasionally trashing one.

It basically follows the same overdone storyline we've all seen way too many times: boarding school kids whose parents don't want them discover they have magical powers, and they go through the whole 'magic for good versus magic for evil' struggle. This one didn't work becaus...more

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05/03/08

Ukrainer rated it:

Read in April, 2008

Libba Bray’s A Great and Terrible Beauty is a young-adult-novel-slash-Victorian-romance-slash-magical-fantasy; it wants to be many things, but I’m not convinced it succeeds in any.

Great and Terrible is the first in Bray’s Gemma Doyle trilogy. Gemma discovers she has magical powers on her sixteenth birthday. Tragedy strikes, though, and she finds herself shipped off to a finishing school. Defying all logic, Gemma does everything she can to ingratiate herself with the school’s ...more

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10/25/08

Emily rated it:

(review of isbn 0385732317)

bookshelves: mystery-general, mysteryhistoricalfiction19th-centur, scififantasy

Read in October, 2008

recommended to Emily by: good question
recommends it for: life-long readers of Burnett, fans of The Craft, Dead Poet's Society or anything along those lines

This is what I do when I'm stressed: find something that I would have read as a tween, devour, feel better, shop for more books. It's held me in good stead since, well, I was a tween.

Picture a Victorian finishing school . . . like out of Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess. Imagine that the school has forbidden areas closed off after a tragedy like in The Secret Garden. (I'm completely blanking on the plot for Little Lord Fauntleroy and never read Burnett's adult fiction, so...more This is what I do when I'm stressed: find something that I would have read as a tween, devour, feel better, shop for more books. It's held me in good stead since, well, I was a tween.

Picture a Victorian finishing school . . . like out of Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess. Imagine that the school has forbidden areas closed off after a tragedy like in The Secret Garden. (I'm completely blanking on the plot for Little Lord Fauntleroy and never read Burnett's adult fiction, so her other work might be referenced as well).

Now add our heroine, Gemma, raised in colonial India (like a Burnett heroine!) with penchant for sardonic commentary on the hypocrisies of her world (like a Jane Austen narrator).

Mix in some Dead Poet's Society and The Craft, as well as a nice dash of the spiritualism of Burnett.

Now, you have this book.

If the above description put you off, maybe it isn't for you. But for me, it was a nice, quick read and the quality surprised me. Granted, it falls into the category of the out-of-place protagonist being "special." But as much as I might mock it, I drawn just as much as anyone else by that "it's okay that I'm not popular because I'm just special and one day somebody will recognize this" cliche. I think my doctorate is in large degree due to that self-indulgent delusion.

The relationships between Gemma and her companions fits the ambiguous, dysfunctional, and volatile power struggles I remember from my teenage "friendships" with other girls. This is a book that embraces the flaws of its characters and let's them emerge as fully-realized women instead of stock characters.

I was looking for something to get a young cousin of mine that had strong female leads who did something other than obsess over boys (there's a little of that, but it's tied closely to ideas of sexual awakening and female power), and this fits the bill. The last few young adult books I read embraced the idea that if a twenty-something guy is interested in a sixteen (or younger)year-old girl, it shows how mature she is and how trustworthy he is (go ahead, spend the night, in his bed, twenty-something guys who hang out with high-school girls will never ever pressure them to have sex).

Um . . . that type of guy is a creepy loser who hangs out at Goth coffee houses looking for someone who will be flattered enough by any attention that they won't notice that said guy is a creepy loser. I don't want that type of guy in my Goth coffee house, and I don't want a young relatives bringing him over for dinner. It's not that books need to teach morality or that sex is immoral (because neither is the case), but it's the type of crap I would have believed at that age, and I don't feel comfortable buying books for a fourteen year-old that seem to promote self-delusion and stupidity. Instead, I read those books and then send them to my college-aged sister. She's almost a twenty-something anyway.(less)

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11/28/08

Beth(MN) rated it:

(review of isbn 0689875355)

bookshelves: 2009, fantasy, tnbbc-spring-challenge, victorian, young-adult

Read in March, 2009

I’ve had bad luck with highly touted YA lately (barfs on Twilight) but was unable to resist this one, probably on account of the cover because corsets and old-fashioned undies fascinate me (even my wedding dress had a corset back). And after the first chapter, I wanted to strangle the main character, Gemma, for being the worst kind of whiny, teenage bitch out there, so I kept thinking, "Oh God, here we go again." I was ready to chalk this one up as another disappointment but then t...more

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07/18/08

Tera rated it:

Read in July, 2008

recommends it for: Fans of fantasy/victorian. Might annoy history buffs.

First off, I have to say I don't think this necessarily belongs in the juvenile fiction category. It hovers in some nebulous region between juvie-fic and regular fiction. There were plenty of times when I shook my head wondering if some parent somewhere had just blythly given this to their kid because it was in the "safe category". Also, the cover art kinda turned me off to reading this at first.

Anyway, the story follows Gemma Doyle on her journey from being a sheltered...more First off, I have to say I don't think this necessarily belongs in the juvenile fiction category. It hovers in some nebulous region between juvie-fic and regular fiction. There were plenty of times when I shook my head wondering if some parent somewhere had just blythly given this to their kid because it was in the "safe category". Also, the cover art kinda turned me off to reading this at first.

Anyway, the story follows Gemma Doyle on her journey from being a sheltered (and somewhat annoying) girl in India to being a strangely naieve (and somewhat annoying) young lady in a British boarding school after witnessing her mother's death. But don't get me wrong, I did actually enjoy the book! I just wish the reviews I had read before purchasing it were a little more realistic. You'll hear there's magic, you'll hear there's fantasy, you'll hear there's four stalwart friends on an adventure. Well, two out of three isn't bad. Don't go into this book expecting to love the characters. Or expecting to see the same tired cliched characters. That's one thing I really enjoyed, was that the author made much more realistic characters (ie flawed) and did not seem to hesitate to let them do awful things.

The girls aren't nice. I still don't know why Gemma chose to consort with them other than out of sheer desire not to be alone. Even Anne, the supposed "nice" one isn't what I consider trustworthy. Each girl seems to be harboring her own agenda, and as a reader older than Gemma's age I found myself tsking over and over again at Gemma's obliviousness. Perhaps that's the author's intention, to give us characters that teach what NOT to do, instead of having us relate to them.

That being said, I think this book had strong enough writing to warrant being read more than once, and I think it could be read and appreciated on different levels depending on the age of the reader. If I were giving this to my niece, I would definately discuss it with her. There's some rah-rah, go team feminism and some more adult themes that I thought could have been handled better. Plus there's some pretty heavy themes about people's choices and how people we love can still do horrible things.

All in all, a good read, just don't think it's sterilized since it's in the juvenile section.(less)

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06/06/08

Lisa rated it:

(review of isbn 0385732317)

Read in September, 2008

recommended to Lisa by: Emma
recommends it for: Girl Power People

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Wow. Libba Bray Just Wow!

This is one of those books that when you've finished it you feel like you've found a kindred soul in the author. It was a great story, really. But there was more, it probably deserves a reread on my part. It kept me thinking of all of the books I have read that talk about women, our place in society, how we feel about ourselves, how we let ourselves be manipulated; and throughout history the struggle women have had to be taken seriously.

Pos...more

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04/26/08

Kerri rated it:

bookshelves: fantasy, girl-books

Read in January, 2007

I wasn’t so sure about this book when I heard about it, but it changed my mind pretty quickly. There is a supernatural tone to it, as well as an old-fashioned tone. The main character is being forced to be an obedient young lady of the 1800’s, but she acts and sounds more like a typical teenager of today. I love her rebellious side! And the mystery that she has to solve is really interesting too! By the way, there are two more in the series. This is just the first one.

Summa...more

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03/22/08

Starr rated it:

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in March, 2008

OK, so at first this was a really slow read, but it's the ending that lingers, making you think. Whether you make the physical decision or not, you are making a choice. We see that with Gemma, who must make major decisions about not only her life, but the life of her friends. And the biggest decision of all - will she accept who she is and forgive her mother, a woman she really didn't know at all?

As mentioned in previous reviews, this book takes place in victorian era London, when gi...more

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03/04/08

Kristy rated it:

(review of isbn 0385732317)

Read in June, 2008

I don't read much gothic literature, but this one is gold. It's set in the Victorian age and most of it takes place in England, but it starts off in India (when the Brits were still running things there). Gemma is a sixteen-year-old British girl living in India with her parents. When tragedy strikes and her mother dies, she's shipped off to England to a boarding school with explicit instructions to tell anyone who asks that her mother died of cholera. HINT: She didn't. :o

Gemma ...more I don't read much gothic literature, but this one is gold. It's set in the Victorian age and most of it takes place in England, but it starts off in India (when the Brits were still running things there). Gemma is a sixteen-year-old British girl living in India with her parents. When tragedy strikes and her mother dies, she's shipped off to England to a boarding school with explicit instructions to tell anyone who asks that her mother died of cholera. HINT: She didn't. :o

Gemma blames herself for her mother's death, and is haunted by a strange vision she had at the time - from blocks away, she went into a trance and witnessed what happened. But now that she's at Spence Academy, she thinks her only worry now is going to be fitting in and getting through her classes. WRONG! She's been followed to England by a young man from India, who tells her to close her mind to the visions. And this isn't a nice guy, "You shouldn't do that because supernatural stuff is dangerous" - this is cryptic notes left in her bed with daggers, abductions on the street to issue another warning, and creeping around the forest, always watching. Hence why I couldn't tell after 300 pages whether he's good or bad. He says he's from a group called the Rakshana, dedicated to keeping the shadowy powers of a group of women called the Order from coming back into the world. Gemma is left on her own to decide whether the Rakshana or the Order are right; or are they both bad?

But there's even more to this story. It's set in the Victorian age, when the only purpose for girls is to be groomed and trained to become demure wives for rich men. Gemma finds a group of friends, each of them victims of their gender in different ways. It's not that they aren't allowed to do what they want; it's that they aren't allowed to want at all. But what happens when girls who have been oppressed like this all their lives find a gateway to unimaginable power? Will it help them gain the lives they want? or is the Rakshana right, that power is best left untapped?(less)

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02/18/08

Sunny Rae rated it:

Read in January, 2006

recommends it for: femmenists, women, fantasy types

This book is absolutely amazing.
I am definatley in love... haha
Okay so this book is set in the victoran times,in london, where women were to be looked at, and they were like trophies. They were for appearences and breeding purposes in ways, lol.Which if you know me at all, i am outragiously against this. Like i think maybe femenist is the word. just not man bashing. lmao, anywho, a girl named Gemma, 17, lives in India with her mother. Until Her mother is murdered, and she sees it in ...more

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10/23/07

Shannon rated it:

(review of isbn 0385732317)

bookshelves: 2007, fantasy, ya

Read in October, 2007

Gemma Doyle has lived with her British parents in Bombay all her life. Every plea to go to London has been ignored, dismissed and rejected, even though here brother Tom has been there for 4 years now. On the day of her 16th birthday in 1895 Gemma's mother is killed. Or - and this is the truth she keeps to herself, for how can she explain what she saw in a vision? - her mother killed herself to prevent being devoured by a monster of shadow and death.

Gemma finally gets her wish to go t...more Gemma Doyle has lived with her British parents in Bombay all her life. Every plea to go to London has been ignored, dismissed and rejected, even though here brother Tom has been there for 4 years now. On the day of her 16th birthday in 1895 Gemma's mother is killed. Or - and this is the truth she keeps to herself, for how can she explain what she saw in a vision? - her mother killed herself to prevent being devoured by a monster of shadow and death.

Gemma finally gets her wish to go to London, though as with these kinds of desires, it's no longer what she wants. Packed off to a boarding school for young ladies, to learn dancing and deportment - the things that matter in Victorian England - she soon learns that not all the girls at Spence Academy are as subdued and docile as they are meant, and appear, to be.

The legacy of her mother's death isn't the only thing that has followed Gemma from India: a young man, Kartik, brother to her mother's protector who was also killed by the monster, is keeping watch, hoping to prevent Gemma from finding out what she really is lest the mistakes of the past are repeated.

I read this book in about 6 hours. Gemma is an engaging narrator, though her silences can be puzzling. She has backbone, though, and a sharp sense of humour. The dynamics between the two popular girls - Felicity and Pippa - and those who want to be like them is spot-on and certainly brings back memories. The world is well-realised, with only a few slips in language: my pet peeve, "gotten", is used frequently, though it's not a true word and certainly hasn't been around that long. Ah well.

It's not a scary book, but there is an element of fear and suspense woven through the mysteries Gemma unravels. Despite the quotes on the back cover, I wouldn't call it gothic: it's not depressing in the slightest. I would have liked more gargoyles, though :) The description of the Realm beyond the door of light reminded me of the quaint and unrealistic image of Heaven on the front of the pamphlets the Mormons used to show me when they came door-knocking. But it isn't meant to be Heaven, but the land of dreams, of opportunity, of wishes and hopes and possibilities. At heart the novel is about the abuse of power, and the tyranny of society when the most important lesson it wants you to learn is to keep up appearances.

Rebel Angels is next, and I think I'll start on that now. The three other books I'm reading at the moment keep slipping back a notch, but they'll just have to wait!(less)

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06/15/07

Becca rated it:

bookshelves: faves, genre

Read in January, 2003

recommends it for: ANYONE!

I will never be able to properly express my absolute love and devotion to this book, and to Libba Bray. The third installment will be out in December, and I plan to read this one again (for the third time!) and I will give it a proper review then, along with the second one, Rebel Angels. Just let it be known that this is probably my most favorite book ever of all time in the history of literature! (and I've read classics like Fitzgerald, Plath and Bronte all who are among my favorites) Libba is ...more

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12/04/08

Mo-Mo {morgan-duh} rated it:

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray is a story of a young woman named Gemma who is sent to Spence, a school for young ladies in London, after her mother dies. At Spence, she discovers a mystery covered up by the esteemed headmistress of a fire, a teacher's death, and two girls who delved into something far more dangerous than they can handle. As Gemma works to unravel the truth, she discovers her own ability, and the Rakashana, who will do anything to keep her from uncovering the horrifyin...more

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quotes from this book

"Shall I tell you a story? A new and terrible one? A ghost story? Are you ready? Shall I begin? Once upon a time there were four girls. One was pretty. One was clever. One charming, and one...one was mysterious. But they were all damaged, you see. Something not right about the lot of them. Bad blood. Big dreams. Oh, I left that part out. Sorry, that should have come before. They were all dreamers, these girls. One by one, night after night, the girls came together. And they sinned. Do you know what that sin was? No one? Pippa? Ann? Their sin was that they believed. Believed they could be different. Special. They believed they could change what they were--damaged, unloved. Cast-off things. They would be alive, adored, needed. Necessary. But it wasn't true. This is a ghost story remember? A tragedy. They were misled. Betrayed by their own stupid hopes. Things couldn't be different for them, because they weren't special after all. So life took them, led them, and they went along, you see? They faded before their own eyes, till they were nothing more than living ghosts, haunting each other with what could be. With what can't be. There, now. Isn't that the scariest story you've ever heard?" More quotes...