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Terminally Beautiful
Diana isn’t pretty like you.
She isn’t smart like you, or interesting like you.
No one loves her like we all love you.
You don’t need plastic surgery on your body or therapy for your brain.
But Diana does.
Diana has to go to a rehab for ugly girls while you are too beautiful for this book.
We hope you never die.
She isn’t smart like you, or interesting like you.
No one loves her like we all love you.
You don’t need plastic surgery on your body or therapy for your brain.
But Diana does.
Diana has to go to a rehab for ugly girls while you are too beautiful for this book.
We hope you never die.
88 pages, Paperback
First published March 14, 2011
2 people are currently reading
809 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 13, 2012
This book has infested me.
Please, let me explain:
There is something uniquely human about Stewart’s prose. It’s both honest and unnerving, but not in the usual “cheap” way. It doesn’t use hackneyed tricks to get you to feel a certain way, like you’re a complacent member of some nameless studio audience and there’s a big neon sign above your head that reads FEEL SAD. FEEL SYMPATHETIC. FEEL VINDICATED. NOW APPLAUDE, MINIONS! It’s not that kind of story. Even if the situations encountered in here are somewhat fantastical, the emotional weight they carry is very REAL.
The main character is a female. The story definitely comes from a female perspective. And although I’m a man – a man with facial hair and ugly toes and a huge, gigantic, massive, enormous, impossibly long penis – it still speaks to me. And that’s because this book was written in such a way that you’re not just reading about this girl Diana. You are Diana. I AM DIANA! It’s uncomfortable, looking in the mirror through Diana’s eyes, because the reflection that shines back looks suspiciously familiar. Sort of like my own. And that’s what makes this story so good. This book digs its meat hooks into your heart, yanks out your empathy and rapes it in the face. This book is now living in my blood like a parasite or a worm. It’s fucking my brain. It’s having sex IN me. By the time I finished the very last page, I had given birth to myself.
Hello, Danger.
You’re a person now.
Congratulations.
Please, let me explain:
There is something uniquely human about Stewart’s prose. It’s both honest and unnerving, but not in the usual “cheap” way. It doesn’t use hackneyed tricks to get you to feel a certain way, like you’re a complacent member of some nameless studio audience and there’s a big neon sign above your head that reads FEEL SAD. FEEL SYMPATHETIC. FEEL VINDICATED. NOW APPLAUDE, MINIONS! It’s not that kind of story. Even if the situations encountered in here are somewhat fantastical, the emotional weight they carry is very REAL.
The main character is a female. The story definitely comes from a female perspective. And although I’m a man – a man with facial hair and ugly toes and a huge, gigantic, massive, enormous, impossibly long penis – it still speaks to me. And that’s because this book was written in such a way that you’re not just reading about this girl Diana. You are Diana. I AM DIANA! It’s uncomfortable, looking in the mirror through Diana’s eyes, because the reflection that shines back looks suspiciously familiar. Sort of like my own. And that’s what makes this story so good. This book digs its meat hooks into your heart, yanks out your empathy and rapes it in the face. This book is now living in my blood like a parasite or a worm. It’s fucking my brain. It’s having sex IN me. By the time I finished the very last page, I had given birth to myself.
Hello, Danger.
You’re a person now.
Congratulations.
April 27, 2013
This doesn't totally suck.
February 10, 2011
I love Christy Leigh Stewart’s work. Terminally Beautiful was everything I appreciate about this author’s uncanny and unique style. Unique is a word that is often overused, but not as it describes this author and her work.
Diana is a patient at rehab for ugly girls. Told in the first person, Diana’s thoughts are as edgy and twisty as the concept of this book itself. Stewart’s prose is often a combination of dark reality, science fiction, and a brilliantly fertile imagination. The author takes her readers to an altered universe where they may laugh, cringe, or gasp, as they eagerly turn the page to see what bizarre delights await.
I don't think Christy Leigh Stewart will leave this world and enter the next without a lot of people taking notice of her talent. Also, I hope she leaves her brain to science.
Diana is a patient at rehab for ugly girls. Told in the first person, Diana’s thoughts are as edgy and twisty as the concept of this book itself. Stewart’s prose is often a combination of dark reality, science fiction, and a brilliantly fertile imagination. The author takes her readers to an altered universe where they may laugh, cringe, or gasp, as they eagerly turn the page to see what bizarre delights await.
I don't think Christy Leigh Stewart will leave this world and enter the next without a lot of people taking notice of her talent. Also, I hope she leaves her brain to science.
February 6, 2011
Very, very funny book! The characters were amazing and immediately relatable. I love Stewart’s writing style, so full wit and sarcasm, yet she can still pull off those really sad or horrifying moments. This book will crawl into your brain and make you think, make you laugh and make you cringe, it’s wonderful!
September 6, 2011
As a journalist and advocate for people with serious mental heath issues, I do a lot of research. Okay, I confess. I have a serious mental illness myself: bipolar disorder. In twenty five years I have been hospitalized over 50 times, have had 45 electroshock treatments, seen hundreds of so-called mental health professionals, and have taken various psychopharmachological cocktails, all to no avail. I am what they call "treatment resistant." I have been bound in leather restraints, forced to take medications against my will, and even kicked out of hospitals because I was too ill to be treated effectively (read: too difficult to handle). I KNOW psychiatric hospitals.
I was asked to review Christy Leigh Stewart's story, "Terminally Beautiful." Without compunction, I can attest that it is one of the most accurate portrayals of what it is like to be hospitalized with mental issues. In beautiful prose, Christy wonderfully describes how broken our mental health system really is. I have met individuals who so closely resemble her characters, this could be mistaken for a work of non-fiction. In fact, she describes some of the tricks I used when I was 'on the ward.'
Tragically, this story is about adolescents. I could tell you tales about how much worse it is in adult settings. The fact that our children must endure these conditions is abhorrent. The unhelpful, unhealthy, even unethical treatment of our society's teens should shock even the most jaded reader. To think that this treatment could aid in an individual's recovery process is absurd.
I won't spoil the ending of the story; you must read it for yourself. FEEL it for yourself. And be glad as hell it is not you. This story should be required reading for anyone who is interested in working in the mental health field. Perhaps, if we are lucky, it will be.
I was asked to review Christy Leigh Stewart's story, "Terminally Beautiful." Without compunction, I can attest that it is one of the most accurate portrayals of what it is like to be hospitalized with mental issues. In beautiful prose, Christy wonderfully describes how broken our mental health system really is. I have met individuals who so closely resemble her characters, this could be mistaken for a work of non-fiction. In fact, she describes some of the tricks I used when I was 'on the ward.'
Tragically, this story is about adolescents. I could tell you tales about how much worse it is in adult settings. The fact that our children must endure these conditions is abhorrent. The unhelpful, unhealthy, even unethical treatment of our society's teens should shock even the most jaded reader. To think that this treatment could aid in an individual's recovery process is absurd.
I won't spoil the ending of the story; you must read it for yourself. FEEL it for yourself. And be glad as hell it is not you. This story should be required reading for anyone who is interested in working in the mental health field. Perhaps, if we are lucky, it will be.
March 7, 2011
I read the book today, the same day I received it in the mail! Diana is a very ugly girl, she really just wants someone to care about her. She is in a facility and makes a trans-gender friend and loses another friend to suicide. She decides she hated the girl who killed herself anyway and then finally stands up and has enough. Her and her trans gender friend leave the facility together and then roofie a guy Diana used to check out on a regular basis at a gas station, however instead of taking advantage of him and her now found voice... the hole she has inside is suddenly filled in way that was unexpected as I was reading this book. There were quite a few surprises! This was a great and fast read, a good pick me up, gross out, wonder about book. My only complaint is the length of the it, it could have been "fluffed" a bit more, however the storyline and characters were very unique, I enjoyed reading this book.
September 11, 2011
When I finished reading
Terminally Beautiful
I was speechless. Then as I tried to think of something to say my mind fired off: Mindfuck. Disturbing. Bizarre. Oddly touching and sincere.
The characters in Terminally Beautiful are like living embodiments of deep-seated insecurities, neuroses, and psychoses (that most people have to some extent, but try to bury and/or ignore) magnified to the extreme and laid bare for all to see.
As always, the wit and dark humor often associated with Christy's writing are present, but seem more sparse and subtle than in previous works. The result is a book far more thought provoking than humorous, which isn't a bad thing. I feel like this book shows a more serious and mature side to Christy's writing, a facet that we haven't seen explored very much in her previous works (which were just as enjoyable, but in a different way).
The characters in Terminally Beautiful are like living embodiments of deep-seated insecurities, neuroses, and psychoses (that most people have to some extent, but try to bury and/or ignore) magnified to the extreme and laid bare for all to see.
As always, the wit and dark humor often associated with Christy's writing are present, but seem more sparse and subtle than in previous works. The result is a book far more thought provoking than humorous, which isn't a bad thing. I feel like this book shows a more serious and mature side to Christy's writing, a facet that we haven't seen explored very much in her previous works (which were just as enjoyable, but in a different way).
May 8, 2011
rarely do you come acrossed a book that says so much with so few words. this author should have more readers!
April 5, 2011
I really like Christy Leigh Stewart's writing and this was no exception to the rule, since it was a very enjoyable and interesting read that moves at break neck speed, careening you off the cliff of comfortability when you least expect it.
My only comment is that I want more!
My only comment is that I want more!
March 15, 2011
I thought the idea behind this novella was promising. Having a rehab for someone who is ugly seems like a good setup for a dystopian novel. However, I don't think that was the intent in this storyline. The world the characters inhabit is dysfuctional, but not unrealistic. Perhaps that was the most frightening part. Some of the scenes within the facility were extremely disturbing and could fall under the dystopian view, but it just wasn't consistent enough. I do think that Anna's character was far more intriguing than Diana's and I wish the story had come from his/her point of view instead. All in all, I think it could turn into a dark peek into body image and social gender roles if fleshed out a little more.
August 14, 2013
A very interesting book from a very good writer. Realistic, dark, funny. An enjoyable work from a writer who I discovered by reading her short stories, which I highly suggest.
November 29, 2017
A puzzle of a book. It's somewhat fragmented—impressionistic in places, minimalist in others. Rehab for the ugly: Is it dystopian? Symbolic? Social commentary? All of the above? I didn't really know what to make of this going in and I don't really know what to make of it coming out, and I'm kind of okay with that. It exists somewhere that is not quite this world, and I'm definitely okay with that. Maybe one that is worth a re-read at some point down the line.
August 11, 2020
This book is super transphobic. I could go into further detail but it’s not worth making myself (a trans person) more upset over to write a mean review nobody is gonna read.
I am confused on whether the author is a TERF or just someone with decent intentions who didn’t think about what she was writing at all. This book claims to be philosophical, but on the issue of trans-ness is pretty unclear — and trans people are talked about A LOT
I am confused on whether the author is a TERF or just someone with decent intentions who didn’t think about what she was writing at all. This book claims to be philosophical, but on the issue of trans-ness is pretty unclear — and trans people are talked about A LOT
November 27, 2011
Its one of those books where you spend more time trying to figure out what you just read than it took to read it. I don't get the cover or the title for that matter. Description, although not actually describing the book, made me curious. I figured the book would be about a woman going through life being ugly and showing us what she deals with. Nope, shes in a looney bin (sorry can't spell the professional word for it) and she tells us her day. Not too exciting. Some funny things here and there though, but nothing too humorous. I deal with crazy people all day every day. I don't need to read one who lacks a personality
No chapter numbers, no chapter titles, heck no chapters period. Some of the events could have been written more dramatically to make it more entertaining. It's not a terrible book, could just be the authors style, but as others have mentioned, there is no real plot to the story.
No chapter numbers, no chapter titles, heck no chapters period. Some of the events could have been written more dramatically to make it more entertaining. It's not a terrible book, could just be the authors style, but as others have mentioned, there is no real plot to the story.
February 20, 2016
The author's writing style came across as childish and curt; not something that I could grapple with. The book was quite short which made it difficult for me to relate to the characters. I wish more time was spent on the development of Diana's character. Overall, really lacklustre although it was a good insight into the minds of "ugly" people. The ending for me was opportunistic and hopeful, whilst paradoxically "dead". Seems as though Anna and Diana, with the scene of her vagina touching a penis, are becoming intimate and helping each other to grow out of their childhood traumas; the book was merely a build up to freedom - how the mind is captivated in an "asylum" with dark thoughts driven by other people's perspectives and how one can eventually break-free and be themselves again, the real genuine self.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2016
The kind of book that shocks you. It shocks not because the rotten feelings described in the books just hit with a blow of disgust, It shocks you because on some level the narrator is you; her terminal thoughts are yours, her sick feelings are ones you feel. This is the kind of book that revolutionize writing to me. It takes you to the dark side of the human nature and tells you: "Yea. Your darkness exist. You are sick on some level. And you know what? It is okay. You can feel your bad feelings. You can voice them, too. Doesn't mean you are bad. Doesn't mean you're rotten all the way through."
July 14, 2012
I really enjoyed the premise and it was a thought-provoking read. My only critique would be that with this concept and these characters, I wished it was longer and we got to see the characters develop more...though I think this reflection is symbolic to the book, that I'm not satisfied enough with the material I was given. What a vain and selfish reader I must be, wanting to change things to fit my image of beauty. Check me into rehab!? As a perfectionist, I may never check out.
August 31, 2014
I really enjoyed reading this. It is unique in many ways, all of them adding to the appeal for me. The writing style was refreshing. It was powerful in the way it made me think and feel, enough for me to re-examine my own ideas or perceptions at certain points. It is written in a way that makes it hard for the reader not to become the main character. All of this is done in a way that is genuine, and never preachy. Well done.
November 15, 2013
Really did not like this book. The fact that it only has 74 pages, and the don't is fairly big, already disappointed me. The story itself doesn't seem such a bad idea, but is not told very well. It doesn't go into enough detail and I was not able to really get to know the character. I ready it in an hour, and just wanted to get it over and done with. :(
October 25, 2014
What do I think? I don't know what to think. I am trying to get some understanding of these issues.
The author's style is very direct, very honest. I love her writing. I hope she writes a lot more.
Did I get some insight? I don't know. It's all very hard.
The author's style is very direct, very honest. I love her writing. I hope she writes a lot more.
Did I get some insight? I don't know. It's all very hard.
October 1, 2014
I am a sucker for a cryptic synopsis, so I had to pick this up. It's an interesting novella, which reminds me of a mix between The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Scott Westerfeld's Uglies.
February 18, 2014
I devoured this in less than an hour. I especially loved how the characters were totally unconventional and raw. This book has slices of dark humor, is strangely sad and will make you think.
March 12, 2017
Really messed up and disturbing.
January 27, 2017
My eyes looked at the words and took them into my brain. But they refused to be passively read. They have burrowed in and become part of my essence.
April 28, 2013
Beautiful. Sad. Makes you think.
August 22, 2014
I can't do this book any justice by trying to review it but read it. You will never forget it!!!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews