A Great and Terrible Beauty

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 Book Review:



This is a hard review for me to write. Libba Bray’s “A Great and Terrible Beauty” (first book in the three-part “Gemma Doyle” series) gets decent reviews and was picked by the American Library Association as one of the best young adult books of 2004. Students I have talked to about it seem to like it too, so why am I so underwhelmed by this modern Gothic novel?

The story begins in India where teen protagonist Gemma Doyle witnesses strange paranormal terrors culminating in the murder of her mother. She is subsequently sent to a girl’s boarding school in London for a fresh start. Here she discovers friendship, belonging, and mysterious connections to her mother’s past which lead to otherworldly experiences of her own. Enough teenage angst, sexual yearning, and petty rivalry here to fill the river Thames.

The opening sequence of the book in India was pleasurably tense, featuring a heart pounding chase scene, some shadowy violence with supernatural undertones, a sprinkling of colorful and mysterious side characters, and an amulet which one immediately presumes to hold powerful significance. Gemma Doyle is set for a thrilling adventure, it seems. So far so good. I am completely hooked.

Then the story transitions to an uptight girl’s school in London, England. Here Gemma falls into a quagmire of petty bickering, social climbing, sexual frustration and almost nothing of interest to anyone outside of the story. Gemma Doyle’s adventure turns boring. I gut it out, hoping things in the story will get good again.

Then the tale takes a supernatural twist, but the otherworldly elements, both good and bad, leave me disappointed. Given the stellar opening of the story, I was primed for much, much more. Gemma Doyle’s boring adventure heats up to the temperature of a tepid bath. I read he final page with a sigh of relief – thank goodness that’s finally over.

For all those who loved this book, my apologies and I’m glad you enjoyed it. I guess this one was just not written for me.

 

Recommendation: 3.8 stars out of 5 on Goodreads, so it’s got to appeal to a lot of people. Maybe you’re one of them. Read it for yourself and tell me why I got this review wrong.

 

Mr. Wedel

 

Author – Libba Bray

Publishing – Ember/Random House Children’s Books, New York 2001

Genre – Gothic Novel

Pages - 403


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