Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Tif

A Great and Terrible Beauty is set in the late 19th century, beginning in colonial India but quickly moving on the main bulk of the story at the Spence Academy in London, England. The plot centres around 16-year-old Gemma, a rebellious girl who is looking to find herself, and three other girls she meets at the prestigious finishing school for young ladies, Felicity, Ann, and Pippa. They discover another world where all things are possible, so different from the controlled and shallow existences set out for them as females in Victorian society. But they find that these new powers are not as benign as they seem, and that there is a mystery they must unravel to lead them to the truth about the world of the Realms and about themselves.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The plot was intriguing and interesting, and kept my reading until late at night and into the morning hours. The plot twists were not really predictable, which it important to me. And the characters were refreshingly balanced and realistic. I didn't really love or hate any of them; they each had flaws and made mistakes. Sometimes I wondered why Gemma bothered with any of them. But the multidimentional quality of the characters was a nice change from other stories, where there are the "good" and "bad" characters, the "nice" vs. the "mean" girls, while life is rarely so black and white. And I think since this is only book 1 of 3, we will see more character development and my views and feelings toward the characters will change.

The language was delicious to read, with wonderful metaphors and beautiful descriptions of the realms. I loved the use of the Lady of Shalott poem. I also liked what I saw as one of the main messages or themes of the book, about wanting the freedom to choose your own path in life, but also wanting to be accepted and loved. Definately something all young women of any time period can relate to.