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401st out of 1,287 books
—
1,037 voters
Beautiful Monster
Written from the perspective of a teenager, this chilling psychological thriller follows Tessa as she copes with the blood-stained event that changed her life forever. Set in Perth, Western Australia, this grippingnovel demonstrates how Tessa clings to anorexia and toher sinister,imaginary friend, Ned—her greatest support and her staunchest ally who is privy to her deepest...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
April 1st 2011
by Fremantle Press
(first published September 1st 2010)
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Wow where do I start?
Always tackling the important topics for young adults such as cyber-bullying (Destroying Avalon) and drugs use (In Ecstasy), Kate McCaffrey has done it again with Beautiful Monster, focusing on a young girl struggling through her teenage years who has developed an eating disorder following the devastating death of her younger brother.
Beautiful Monster not only deals with the primary issue of body image and eating disorders but also the grief of losing a loved one. As her par...more
Always tackling the important topics for young adults such as cyber-bullying (Destroying Avalon) and drugs use (In Ecstasy), Kate McCaffrey has done it again with Beautiful Monster, focusing on a young girl struggling through her teenage years who has developed an eating disorder following the devastating death of her younger brother.
Beautiful Monster not only deals with the primary issue of body image and eating disorders but also the grief of losing a loved one. As her par...more
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There was a time when all Tess had to worry about was homework and her annoying little brother. But now with her brother gone Tess worries about everything and homework is just one more thing that causes her anxiety; slowly it feels like everything is slipping out of control.
After her brother Tess's life becomes dark, her home silent and happiness something that no longer exists within her family. Her parents are having trouble dealing with the aftermath of the incident, her mother especially is...more
After her brother Tess's life becomes dark, her home silent and happiness something that no longer exists within her family. Her parents are having trouble dealing with the aftermath of the incident, her mother especially is...more
I thought this was quite well written and an important topic to raise with teenage readers, but I didn't like the way McCaffrey used 'Ned'. Tess describes him as her best friend and the only person she can rely on, but he seems determined to tear her down and destroy her confidence so that she keeps starving herself. As the book develops it slowly becomes clear that Ned isn't real - that he's just Tess's mind, her desire for control. But this is never stated or made very explicit, and I think it...more
This is a truly amazing read. The way that McCaffrey gets inside the head of the main character and how mental illness can affect anyone and how one small comment can lead to deeper issues is one of the best books about mental illness that I have read. I work in mental illness and it is a compassionate read as well as informative. I can't wait to read McCaffrey's other books as she seems to tackle modern issues that we are trying to tackle including cyber bullying. Telling these stories from the...more
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This was definitely an issues novel – eating disorders and mental health being the issues – and though I haven’t read Kate McCaffrey’s previous novels, it seems as if they were issues-based too.
Tessa’s life changes when her little brother is killed in an awful accident – suddenly her mother isn’t her mother anymore, and Tessa increasingly feels pressured to be perfect, that she should have died instead of her brother. Tess decides that in order to be perfect, she has to lose weight – she starts...more
Tessa’s life changes when her little brother is killed in an awful accident – suddenly her mother isn’t her mother anymore, and Tessa increasingly feels pressured to be perfect, that she should have died instead of her brother. Tess decides that in order to be perfect, she has to lose weight – she starts...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Beautiful Monster is a story of an anorexic girl.
Honestly, the only reason this book got such a high rating from me was because I loved the author’s writing style and her amazing talent to make anything believable.
After reading the book, it dawned on me how unrealistic the whole plot was. Not the anorexic part, but mostly Nate and his obsession for turning people into weight-obsessed figurines. Throughout the entire book, however, I didn’t notice this. I just thought Nate was a horrible person...more
Honestly, the only reason this book got such a high rating from me was because I loved the author’s writing style and her amazing talent to make anything believable.
After reading the book, it dawned on me how unrealistic the whole plot was. Not the anorexic part, but mostly Nate and his obsession for turning people into weight-obsessed figurines. Throughout the entire book, however, I didn’t notice this. I just thought Nate was a horrible person...more
Kate McCaffery did an excellent job for the ending of this book, which I think sums up 'Anorexia' perfectly how anyone could have it. I found the epilogue chilling and it stayed in my head for a while. Ned who was very haunting and excellently portrayed. This is the only reason why I gave this book 4 stars. The rest of the story I found quite boring. But oh well.
Reading it I found myself falling into the same self conscious thinking patterns depicted in the book. I found it chilling and yet I found the book in a whole a little unsatisfying.
Ned was almost an illusion, a terrifying and destructive illusion.
The ending left me frustrated and confused and I felt that the character development was slightly lacking..
Ned was almost an illusion, a terrifying and destructive illusion.
The ending left me frustrated and confused and I felt that the character development was slightly lacking..
This has got to be one of the best books I've ever read.It was really sad, but still really good.
The book follows a teenage girl's battle with anorexia and her struggles to be happy after the death of her brother.
A simply amazing book that must be read!!!!
The book follows a teenage girl's battle with anorexia and her struggles to be happy after the death of her brother.
A simply amazing book that must be read!!!!
I didn't find it very interesting. I didn't finish the book. It is pretty much just about some anorexic chick who is trying to live up to her boyfriends expectations and is anorexic because she thinks she fat and does rowing so she wants to be lighter.
This new YA novel from Kate McCaffrey should be on the shelves of every young woman and girl. It tackles an important issue with sensitivity and compassion and in the context of a compelling story about Tess and the charismatic Ned.
Reading this book made me feel very self-conscious about my weight. I don't think this was the intention of the book, haha. Well written, but I feel McCaffrey's other books, 'Destroying Avalon' and 'In Ecstasy', are more poignant as they are written in first person.
This book is very dark and it addresses some of the biggest issues that teenagers face. Though I think the ending of this book let the whole story down.
A very sad story about a girl who feeld totally abandoned and develops an eating disorder. Kate Mccaffrey is so good at these 'issues' novels - her characters are so realistic and she's never preachy. Another great read.
Read for Year 12 English Communications text analysis. Interesting and a bit disturbing. Definitely not the type of book that I would buy!
Every time I read a YA book it makes me glad I'm not at school anymore. Beautiful Monster broke my heart about a hundred times over.
I prefer Kate McCaffrey's first person perspective much more and her other books destroying Avalon and in ecstasy were much better structured and the voices of adolescents much more believable. This didn't tie in everything well enough and it makes me feel as if many scenes were unnecessary. I quite liked the character of Ned but what was revealed at the end seemed obvious to me. I also didn't appreciate the swearing, I mean I've got no problem with it but it seemed unnecessary too. I didn't rea...more
sad story of teenage depression and eating disorders
Deals with anorexia. Good for year 9 & 10 girls.
Aug 05, 2011
Trisha
added it
why don't any reviews mention Ned??
I enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it for any female teen... only shame is about the occasional "F" word which means it will be excluded from our school library... what a pitty the author couldn't substitute this one which would leave it open to all audiences.
absolutely haunting
it wasn't what i expected it to be like... it was nice story. could have been a better ending.
This book truly is beautiful.
YA. I very much admired this story, found it bold, sensitive and credible, easy to read. It moved at a fast pace and covered a lot of territory and time. But because of the relentless sense of helplessness and hopelessness I felt for the characters of Tess, her mother and her father, I couldn't trust the final glimmers of light.
May 19, 2013
Charli Denae
marked it as to-read
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