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

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A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle #1)

by Libba Bray (Goodreads Author)

3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 · rating details · 105,859 ratings · 6,058 reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
A British girl uncovers the mystery of her mother's death -- and discovers powers she never knew she possessed -- in this engrossing, imaginative Victorian-era novel by Libba Bray.

Two months after her mother's sudden and puzzling suicide, Gemma Doyle travels from India, where she was raised, to England for her new life at an all-girls preparato...more

Paperback, 416 pages

Published May 2nd 2006 by Simon & Schuster (first published December 9th 2003)

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Jan 27, 2008 Jennie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: teenage chicks; adult women who like escapist fare

Shelves: young-adult, fairy-tales, favorites

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 protagonist, Gemma, was treading on thin...more

111 likes · like · see review

Oct 16, 2007 honestly mem rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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...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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Feb 06, 2008 Marissa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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...

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Feb 23, 2009 Chandra rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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 s...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-summer-challange-2011, young-adult, not-mine-library, urban-fantasy

Mysterious Sexy Boy: “So Gemma, isn’t it exciting to be attending your first Grateful Dead concert?”

Gemma Doyle: “Yes, but… Jerry Garcia has been actually dead for years..”

MSB: “Not for the purpose of this review, he isn’t. Just go with it”

GD: *sniff* *sniff* “Hmmm… what’s that smell?” *giggle* “And why am I suddenly craving pizza with chocolate??” *giggle*

MSB: “Son of a bitch! Gemma, that is second hand marijuana smoke. If you inhale enough you will get super duper high and will enjoy this conc...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Emily May rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-na, historical-fiction, fantasy, romance, 2011

I don't know why for so long I just assumed I wouldn't like historical fiction, it's not as if I don't love history - I picked it for one of my A levels in college. But, I guess it's just one of those genres that sounds tedious and you imagine it to be all oppressed sexuality and prim and properness. Diana Gabaldon forever changed my mind with her oversexed and aggressive depiction of history and it was only a matter of time before I looked towards other works of historical fiction.

This book is both everything I expected and also everything I didn't expect. It's set for the most part in a boarding school for educating girls in the art of being 'ladies', or in other words: wives. The girls were expected to be reserved, polite and, most importantly, beautiful. This I was prepared for. I was also prepared for the customs, superstitions and blatant sexism of the times. However, it never occurred to me that this novel would be simply a 19th century take on a modern school. There's gossiping, bitchiness and bullying of those who are different (in this case, from a lower class).

It's a good dose of chick lit as well as a historical book. And that's before we've even gotten to the whole magic/fantasy aspect. This novel completely transcends genres and does it well. I didn't see the whole other-realm mysticality thing coming but I loved it. The gypsies are awesome as well, we have crazy gypsies, fake fortune-telling I-speak-with-dead-people gypsies, sexy gypsies (don't believe the rumours, 19th century girls didn't just lie back and think of England). And that's another thing I liked: the exploration of the girls' sexualities behind closed doors. It may not be the most reliable source, the book was written in modern times, but it's easy to imagine that beneath the surface of Victorian society's repressed sexuality, girls probably did talk about 'having' thousands of men: Earls, Dukes, Barons, Princes... Anyway, lost myself on a smutty tangent. I was saying that I liked the idea of weaving fantasy into history, I'm all for spicing up times gone by.

I didn't give it 5 stars because it wasn't quite up there with my other 5 star rated books. I liked it, I loved the many different elements that made the novel hard to categorise and I liked the characters. I always like it when things aren't just as simple as "she's a bitch" and "she's a freak" in any kind of genre. I liked how, even though Gemma lost her mother at the beginning, the relationship was still built up throughout. I liked that the protagonist wasn't a pushover, even more so because the novel setting was in a very sexist society. And I love anything with dreams and/or visions.

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Jul 20, 2008 Cristin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: young adult fans

Shelves: fantasy, childrens-or-young-adult

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...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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Sep 04, 2007 Jane rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: didnt-finish

Ugh, this is the worst book I have read recently. Maybe it's due to the expectation I have from reading the reviews here and the pretty, pretty covers (including Rebel Angels). I really, really wanted to like this.

For one, the characterization and language were too modern that it hardly seem believable (and I had been on a steady diet of Patrick O'Brian). The narrative writing was awkward and stilted, the characters were one-dimensional, and the plot build-up was too slow. After 1/3 of the book...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Tracey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 19th-century, england, school, gothic

Wherefore: it was on Mount TBR, and I was waiting for my new Kindle
What: trade paperback
What else: present tense and first person

3 1/2 stars ... and suddenly I'm beginning to feel generous...

It was there, I was there, I picked it up and started reading it. And almost didn't stop even when my eyelids were growing heavier and heavier in the wee hours. On the first page, I noted the use of present tense, flipped back a hundred pages or so (it's a real book) and saw that it wasn't just for that se...more

10 likes · like · see review

Aug 13, 2011 Rollie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Rollie by: Kwesi 章英狮

1895: after seeing her first vision of how her mother dies, Gemma Doyle goes back to Spence to enroll in a proper boarding school in England. Many have changed during the death of her mother, not just her school but also her father… and her frequent having of weird visions.

Gemma in Spence has a hard life at first but with her gladiatorial attitude she stands to turn her enemies to new friends. And as her new friends try to discover more what’s behind the group called The Order and the death of t...more 1895: after seeing her first vision of how her mother dies, Gemma Doyle goes back to Spence to enroll in a proper boarding school in England. Many have changed during the death of her mother, not just her school but also her father… and her frequent having of weird visions.

Gemma in Spence has a hard life at first but with her gladiatorial attitude she stands to turn her enemies to new friends. And as her new friends try to discover more what’s behind the group called The Order and the death of two mysterious girls who were burned in school, even it’s highly forbidden, they starting to unleash the secrets behind the curtain of mysteries.

A very much thanks to my ever book sponsor Kwesi for letting my hands get on this book. I wouldn’t have the chance to read this if it were not because of him. A credit to you, kid!

First strike for first ten pages: I could have considered this book (which is my first time to read a Bray’s book) as one of many that have been influenced by unworthy popularity of some dark novels. However, checking the publishing date, it opposed that understatement. Many have actually asked me: Why do you hate romances in a novel? But is it really the question to ask? Do I really hate romance in a story? Well, to end it up, I say it depends. There are books that, I called, have lost genre, especially the paranormal books. Why lost genre? Authors nowadays try to insert their stories with romances which, unfortunately, end up dominating the whole story over the showcased genre. However, it would be understandable if the target market of a certain book is girls. But exaggerated declaration of love? Such a vomiting crap! Before I end up discussing irrelevant ideas, let’s connect what I discussed above with this book. Libba Bray has proven one thing: Don’t generalize the paranormal books for having cheesy romances. And that fact pushes me forward to read the second book of this series. Or is it because dark books before the publishing date haven’t been influenced yet by sticky romances?

I don’t want to break the rating I gave in this book but it is quite normal for a book for having flaws. The first few chapters were really confusing. I was really sad at how the main character had the unexplainable power without any clue of whether she was a witch or a what. And imagine, the mystery lasted past halfway through. Quite slow, isn’t it? And one of the most disappointing things is that the main character showed no interest on knowing what she was or the origin of her power.

Let’s get back to the positive things about this book. The last half makes up for the loss of the first half. I, myself, had decided to give this book with only one star but take a look at how my rating ended. With its flaws? Quite impossible if I were to compare this book from the other books I’ve read before. I very much admit that I’m easily being fed up with eye-bulging twists. Oh yes, to confirm what you’re thinking this book has an extraordinary twist that indeed filled my hunger. The concept is original if I were to ask. I can’t compare it actually to anybody’s book. The ending isn’t exactly as perfect as an ideal book should be but it is enough for a reader to have a logical leap to read the next book.

I can’t promise that all of the reader will actually like this. But there’s always no harm on giving a try.
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Oct 25, 2008 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: life-long readers of Burnett, fans of The Craft, Dead Poet's Society or anything along those lines

Recommended to Emily by: good question

Shelves: mystery-general, mysteryhistoricalfiction19th-centur, scififantasy

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 w...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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Aug 10, 2008 Kirsty (Blatant Biblioholic) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Kirsty by: Emma

Shelves: young-adult, historical-fiction, paranormal-supernatural

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 made for a great read.

I lik...more

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Jun 07, 2012 Karla (Mossy Love Grotto) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Karla (Mossy Love Grotto) by: Sarah

Shelves: young-adult, gothic, eras-victorian, 4-stars, hocus-pocus

This had all the makings of a smash-up between Gossip Girl and Charmed - in other words, something I'd be bored with 30 pages in - but Bray cranked out a fast-moving and just-deep-enough story with interesting characters to keep me glued to the page.

I loved Gemma Doyle. Loved loved loved her. She had her immature, whiny side lumped in with a bunch of mommy issues, but she had a brittle and sardonic exterior and snarky humor she wields like a whip, both verbally and in interior monologues. It's n...more

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Oct 26, 2008 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own

Gemma isn’t your typical sixteen year old. Most girls her age have been brought up in London’s society of gossip and lavish balls, but not Gemma. She has had a most unconventional upbringing in India. Yet she yearns to be in London, and the topic is often the start of arguments between her and her mother.

Gemma’s wish becomes a reality when she has a vision of her mother’s death which comes true, and she is sent back to London and enrolled at Spence, an academy for girls. Gemma is uncertain of he...more

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Jul 22, 2008 Jenny rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone, except maybe little kids.

Recommended to Jenny by: Nobody

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 about...more

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Feb 23, 2008 Maura rated it 1 of 5 stars

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

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 because there was n...more

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Jan 31, 2010 Kaitlyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 50-book-challenge

Everyone ALWAYS recommends this book, so I just had to read it. I am so glad I did! It was very different from alot of the books I read. Libba Bray definitely captured the Victorian era just perfectly in my opinion. She made the main character Gemma very relatable, and just took you on a fantastic journey. I loved all of the characters, and the plot was awesome! I also loved the parts in the Realms because she made it seem so beautiful. I absolutely love this book and will be saving it in my to...more

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Dec 25, 2010 Joyzi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-books, fiction, fantasy, 5-stars-or-more, e-book, historical-romance, reviewed, historical-fiction, book-series, chick-lit, author-american, paranormal-romance

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 s...more

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Sep 25, 2008 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Girl Power People

Recommended to Lisa by: Emma

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.

Possible spoiler---
At the end of...more

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May 03, 2008 Leanna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 “mean girls.” She tr...more

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May 27, 2008 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, fantasy, 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 to London, th...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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Aug 16, 2011 Nikki rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, children-s-and-ya

I got most of the way through this, and then found that I just didn't care. I didn't care about the characters, the plot moved in fits and starts, the romance/tension/whatever it was supposed to be, with Kartik, just felt pasted on... In conclusion, I basically ran out of give-a-damn.

The writing is competent, in that it's all easy enough to read and understand, but given that the main character's voice wasn't convincing, even though she's the narrator, and the pacing felt jerky, the characters u...more

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Jan 27, 2011 Lowed rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: YA fans

Shelves: books-read-2011

Terrible beginning, Great Ending. It made me think of Patricia Mckillip's Solstice Wood.

That seemed like a very short review. Anyway, I guess that was just an answer to a previously-read-review. And it's true, the writing isn't that appealing, the characters are a hateful bunch of girls. Okay, I exagerate, they're not really hateful. Well, maybe a bit.! Ü

But all you have to do is you've got to stick with it. It gets better halfway.!

8 likes · like · see review

Feb 08, 2011 Kelly Leigh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: magic-abound, young-adult, fantasy-historical, witches-warlocks-druids-oh-my

So, I plucked this novel from one of the shelves in the adult fiction section of my local library. Adult fiction? Not the young adult section? Even though the main character is around 16? Curiouser and curiouser. Of late, I have shied away from YA fiction for a myriad of reasons: recycled story lines with epically boring plots told from the POV of whiny ass, weak submissive girls masquerading as strong heroines. Was Mrs. Bray’s A Great and Terrible Beauty shelved within the adult section becaus...more

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Feb 06, 2010 Khaya rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Khaya by: goodreads

Shelves: scifi-fantasy-magicrealism, historicalfiction, chicklit, maybe-it-s-me

It's telling when most of the popular goodreads reviews of this book, positive as well as negative, contain some sort of disclaimer about needing to cut this book slack because it's a YA book. But is a juvenile audience a legitimate excuse for juvenile writing?

The story is this: It's 1895, and 16-year-old Gemma Doyle's mother has just died a tragic and mysterious death in India. Gemma, as a result, is shipped off to an England boarding school where rich young ladies (and one scholarship student)...more It's telling when most of the popular goodreads reviews of this book, positive as well as negative, contain some sort of disclaimer about needing to cut this book slack because it's a YA book. But is a juvenile audience a legitimate excuse for juvenile writing?

The story is this: It's 1895, and 16-year-old Gemma Doyle's mother has just died a tragic and mysterious death in India. Gemma, as a result, is shipped off to an England boarding school where rich young ladies (and one scholarship student) learn the important skills of painting, waltzing, and French. Gemma's roommate, Ann, is the one scholarship student -- orphaned, plain-looking, lonely, deliberately cutting her skin as a means of relief. Gemma also meets a clique straight out of the movie "Mean Girls" -- Felicity (the dominant leader), Pippa (the beautiful and dumb sidekick), and a few other forgettable hangers-on. It's fierce enmity at first sight, with a variety of nasty pranks exchanged until Gemma discovers an incriminating secret about Felicity. Whereupon Gemma and Felicity immediately become the best of friends (nothing like blackmail to forge a deep friendship), forming a new foursome comprised of Felicity and Pippa, and Gemma and Ann. Gemma gradually discovers that she has magic powers which can take her to supernatural realms, and that she can even bring her new bosom buddies with her. But -- surprise, surprise -- there's a dark side to all this power, and it proves dangerous.

Where to begin? Well, first of all, the story is rather anachronistic or just plain artificial in a lot of ways. I guess I'm kind of a purist, but I can't help feeling that if you want to write about this era, do it right. When I read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, I actually felt like I was reading a Victorian novel even though it was written only a few years ago. Here, I alternated between feeling like Libba was superimposing modern-day sensibilities and feeling like she was grossly exaggerating the norms of the times. On the one hand, you've got these Victorian teenagers drinking and discussing sex graphically from a pretty well-informed perspective at a time when revealing an ankle was considered scandalous. On the other hand, you've got a singularly beautiful girl being completely forced by her parents (absolutely no veto power granted to her, even though Jane Austen's heroines seemed perfectly capable of rejecting unwanted marriage proposals) to marry a man 40 years older than she is (come on, with her beauty they couldn't at least find a younger guy?) because he has money. I can't claim to know enough about that era to know whether either, or both, of those things were completely inconsistent with the times but they sure didn't ring true to me.

Ditto for the boarding school where the girls seem to get away with murder because the headmistress (called Mrs. Nightwing even though she's apparently a spinster -- did I miss something?) drinks sherry at night and remains blissfully unaware of the girls sneaking out at all hours. And Gemma's cynicism and inner sarcasm also beg the question of anachronism; I'm not saying people didn't have negative thoughts back then, but I think that expressing them in that particular way, even inwardly, is distinctly contemporary. Someone I work with once told me that her teenage daughter says things to her that (and this is a direct quote), "I never even dared to think about my mother." I think there's something to that -- if you go back a few generations, there were certain thoughts that not only weren't expressed, but weren't indulged. You'll never find this kind of direct snarkiness in real Victorian books; if it's there at all, it's expressed in a far more subtle and classy way.

Little aside/disclaimer here: truthfully, I'm not sure how much to criticize Libba for what was arguably a legitimate artistic decision. As she says, "There's definitely an element of 'fusion cooking' at work here. I wanted to have all the trappings of that [Victorian:] era...But I wanted [the girls:] to have a universality to them, too; a sort of modernity of feeling." Is it wrong to try to set a book in Victorian times and, at the same time, try to give your heroine some thoughts and feelings that would make her more relatable for 21st century readers (especially teens)? When I think back on the Victorian books I've read, though, I found the heroines quite relatable within the confines of their being consistent with their context. I didn't need them to express 21st century cynicism in order for me to empathize with them.

Complaint #2 -- way too many coincidences/artificial contrivances. Kartik, an attractive (of course) young man who witnessed Gemma's mother's death, keeps popping up conveniently at the right places at the right times -- first in India, then camping outside of Gemma's British school with the gypsies -- and is somehow present to warn or protect Gemma at practically every critical plot turn. Didn't he have a life? Was it part of the magic angle that he always knew where to be and when? And when Pippa has her seizure while the girls were practicing waltzing under the headmistress's supervision, naturally it was Miss Moore, the avant-garde art teacher (think Julia Roberts' character in "Mona Lisa Smile" or Miss Jean Brodie) who was conveniently present (why? It wasn't art class) to help out and as a result, to be available for a significant heart-to-heart with Gemma. And when Pippa later tries to break off her engagement, why is the headmistress involved? And why does she call a meeting not only with Pippa, but with the other members of the clique, to discuss the whole thing? Wouldn't this be more appropriately dealt with between Pippa, her fiance, and her parents?

Finally, I have to try to articulate my irritation with the writing. Here's a phrase I got from goodreads reviews that I've been longing to use -- the prose was clunky. CLUNKY. CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK. I felt like I was watching a bad movie. Transitions were abrupt or nonexistent, not to mention flat characters and often stilted dialogue.

The one good thing I have to say is that it was a fast read, and for all my complaints, not quite awful enough to abandon. And here or there, there was actually an interesting insight embedded among all the tripe. Hence the two stars.(less)

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Jan 12, 2013 PurplyCookie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-series, young-adult, 1st-in-a-series

The year is 1895. Raised in colonial India, sixteen-year-old Gemma Doyle wants nothing more than to leave the hot, sticky atmosphere for the civilized world of England, with its temperate climate, good education and bustling social scene. To her surprise, Gemma gets her wish in a dramatic and tragic way, when her mother is killed in a mysterious, supernatural attack and her father, unable to cope with his grief, becomes addicted to opium. In a madcap tale of gypsies, magical powers, and deep dar...more

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Oct 10, 2012 Daniele rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: gothic, drama, fantasy, audiobook

I am fond of fantasy genre as well as of novels set in Victorian age. This novel though, made me regret the time spent reading it. Why? For starters it's not an original story. When it comes to fantasy elements one may think that the only limit is the writer's own fantasy and that there's plenty to explore, new narrative paths to follow, particularly bizarre ideas to unravel to an amazed reader. Well there aren't. This novel is just a new combination of past fantasy books stereotypes and lore: T...more I am fond of fantasy genre as well as of novels set in Victorian age. This novel though, made me regret the time spent reading it. Why? For starters it's not an original story. When it comes to fantasy elements one may think that the only limit is the writer's own fantasy and that there's plenty to explore, new narrative paths to follow, particularly bizarre ideas to unravel to an amazed reader. Well there aren't. This novel is just a new combination of past fantasy books stereotypes and lore: There's magic, but careful it hides a dark side! Oh look here's the villain, guess who it is? Had it been the boogie man, it'd have been more original than the usual good-though-greedy sorcerer gone bad! The mean enchantress even picks a cool nickname after she's gone bad, but after all Voldemort had started this new fashion, now every fashionable evil overlord just has to roll with it. Thereupon the villain is the typical nasty, hissing evil thing come back with plans of vendetta and the promise of more power! what? what? How original is all that?

Another weak point is that Gemma is fastidiously silly. Not in a girlie sort of way, which would have been forgivable, she's just dim-witted when it comes to drawing conclusions.
One would expect that a 21th century novel has a pretty sleek main character who knows almost all about what have been said on magic: "lo! there's sheer magic power in here! 21th-century-Wise-main-character: 'We'd better be careful then'". Even a 5 year old baby knows that, according to the lore, there's always a back side of the shiny magic coin, a dark side somehow. Silly Gemma Doyle is all "Oh this must be good indeed! Why on earth did we even doubt it?".

I can't even say I liked the emotional setting.
The school wasn't hard enough to put the main characters through any kind of real strain. The reader of Jane Eyre may easily stick with poor Jane when unjustified and harsh school timetables turn her into a famished obedient robot.
In this novel, what might have been a new Lowood School, as ole Jane Eyre would approve of, is actually an escapees playground! Why not just sending them to the Land of Toys instead? Slack rules, mild teachers and a headmistress who had all the right cards to be a stern and unjust character but eventually lacks wits and strength. At the very worst her punishing measures resort to closing all doors at night(???), and even this is easily overcome by some sly teenager trick.

Why don't we all write teenage-aimed, fantasy novels and become shamefully rich as J.K. Rowling? This one story proves not everyone may accomplish as much.

Skip it.(less)

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Mar 08, 2009 Beth F. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: victorian, young-adult, fantasy, 2009, tnbbc-spring-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 things changed...more

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Jul 18, 2008 Tera rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition 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 (and somewhat annoying)...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)

4 likes · like · see review

Apr 26, 2008 Kerri rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: girl-books, fantasy

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.

Summary: Mourning the tragi...more

2 likes · like · see review

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! YA Heroines !: A Great and Terrible Beauty	5	7	Apr 24, 2013 07:48pm
who loves (and hates) this book?	30	118	Apr 20, 2013 07:59am
Addicted to YA: Rebel Angels	7	90	Mar 10, 2013 07:33pm
Katrik.....	29	176	Mar 06, 2013 02:49am
Addicted to YA: Gemma, Kartik, and Simon	3	89	Feb 09, 2013 05:49pm
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About Libba Bray

What is it about writing an author bio that gives me that deer-in-headlights feeling? It's not exactly like I'm going to say "I was born in Alabama…" and somebody's going to jump up and snarl, "Oh yeah? Prove it!" At least I hope not.

I think what gets me feeling itchy is all that emphasis on the facts of a life, while all the juicy, relevant, human oddity stuff gets left on the cutting room floor....more

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“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?” — 546 people liked it

“There are no safe choices. Only other choices.” — 486 people liked it

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A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle #1)

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