A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy)
by Libba Bray
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Book Summary Information
Author: Libba BrayBrand: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-03-22
ISBN: 0385732317
Number of pages: 432
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Book Reviews of A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy)
Book Review: A Great Beauty, Indeed
Summary: 5 Stars
This was one of the books my school's book club chose to read, meaning I probably wouldn't have picked it up on my own accord. The cover, title, and premise immediately grabbed my attention and I dove into the text eagerly, hoping to become immersed in a well-written, gothic, historically accurate story. I wasn't disappointed. A Great and Terrible beauty is, by far, one of the best YA books I've read yet. Spoilers follow.
The story begins in India, where sixteen-year-old Gemma Doyle desperately desires to go to a finishing school in England. When she has a terrible vision of her mother's death that comes true, she gets her wish and is sent to a boarding school for ladies in England. She discovers that it isn't as grand as she thought it would be and immediately stands out from the other girls. Gemma soon makes friends with three other "misfits": timid Anne, beautiful Pippa, and fierce Felicity. She also makes the acquaintance of the mysterious and protective Kartik, who followed her from India and wants her to stop having visions. She manages to find the journal of a girl who had similar visions and faced great problems, all linking to the school's past tragedy. With her three friends, she forms the Order and soon discovers that she can unlock the gateway to the Realms, a world where all their dreams (or nightmares) can come true. The plot is full of twists and the ending is very climactic, making it impossible to put the book down, even for a second.
What really attracted me to the book from page one was the character of Gemma herself. She's not a typical girl of her time and she's not just a generic personality. She has spunk! She's rebellious, outspoken, selfish, and opinionated. In a sense, she's very easy to relate to because of her negative traits (her selfishness, for example). I found her to be a fresh sort of character in that she wasn't instantly likeable. Also, Gemma showed a great amount of character development throughout the book, something that occasionally seems to be lacking in YA books.
In fact, all of the characters were very well developed. We care about them and what happens to them; we know their desires; we know their fears; we know them much like we would know a person. Bray obviously put a lot of time and thought into each and every one of her characters; her efforts paid off and made the book very enjoyable.
Bray puts a lot of focus on the setting. In fact, much of the book is devoted to describing the various settings in which the girls find themselves. This also really adds to the affect of the novel. The reader can practically feel the cool wind of being outside, the dampness of the cave, the eerie quality of the school, the thick sense of mystery that hangs in the air. The gothic/horror feel of the surroundings really added to the story. It's possible to become fully immersed in the well-described settings and the tightly woven plot.
I did notice that this particular book was missing something that most YA books nowadays contain: a romance between the main female character and an attractive guy. This ended up being a major plus for me, as it leaves the plot open for more development of other aspects. There is definitely a certain amount of tension between Gemma and Kartik, but it works well for the characters of the story and ends up feeling natural and believable, not forced or contrived. As a person who doesn't like force romance subplots, the lack of a strong romance was very refreshing. Though, I'm sure the tension introduced here will develop into something greater in the next two books.
One thing I didn't really care for was how the novel tied together. The ending, while exciting, was very confusing. It almost felt as if Bray had come up with too many ideas and wasn't really sure how she wanted to tie them off. It just didn't provide the closure the novel needed.
I also found the use of first person present tense to be a bit distracting. I personally do not like this tense, and therefore have a problem staying focused when it is used. However, once one begins getting into the story, the prose flows so well that the tense of the story becomes lost in the wonderful plot.
Overall, I was very, very pleased with this book. It had fantastic prose, intriguing characters, and a tight, exciting plot. The ending was lacking a little, but not enough to lower my opinion on the book as a whole. There are many "wow!" moments in this novel, as much of it is quite unexpected. I highly recommend this novel to anyone. Five stars.
Summary of A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy)
It?s 1895, and after the suicide of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma?s reception there is a chilly one. To make things worse, she?s been followed by a mysterious young Indian man, a man sent to watch her. But why? What is her destiny? And what will her entanglement with Spence?s most powerful girls?and their foray into the spiritual world?lead to?From the Hardcover edition.
A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel.
Gemma, 16, has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother?s death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls? academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left wi! th the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order. A Great and Terrible Beauty is an impressive first book in what should prove to be a fascinating trilogy. (Ages 12 up) ?Patty Campbell
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