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A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
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A Great and Terrible Beauty (2003)

by Libba Bray

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Gemma Doyle (1)

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English (262)  Italian (2)  Catalan (1)  Spanish (1)  Portuguese (Portugal) (1)  All languages (267)
Showing 1-5 of 262 (next | show all)
Just as good as the first time. :) ( )
  bonniemarjorie | May 7, 2013 |
God I LOVED this but I would never read it again because I have a strong suspicion I wouldn't like it nearly so much. High drama, big magicks, awesome girls, and scary evil. Recommended for the 10-15 crowd. ( )
  heterocephalusglaber | Apr 26, 2013 |
There was a feeling that two seperate stories were occuring with this book. There was the story of the young vicotrian women trapped in the world they were told was the proper one for them and the paranormal aspect that allowed the girls to hope for something beyond the barriers set by their society. ( )
  SparklePonies | Apr 23, 2013 |
I picked this up because a friend kept sending me snippets of the author's bio. After reading her full bio (and even though I swear I can never be her friend because she doesn't like doughnuts), I had to read at least one of Libba Bray's books.

YA is really hit or miss with me. It falls into a few categories:

A) terribly angsty (Twilight); and I never finish,
B) overblown emotions and; I want to put the book down, but can't,
C) perfect balance of angst, emotion, and humor; and I wonder why my adolescence was so dull or boring.

This book falls into C. I was afraid it would fall into A very early on in the book; but I stuck with the story and really loved the whole thing. There's a sense of realism (even in a fantasy novel) that made me mourn the book each time I left it ( )
  lesmel | Apr 18, 2013 |
16 year old Gemma Doyle has grown up in Bombay and is desperate to experience English society. One day, while visiting the markets, Gemma’s mother is killed in mysterious circumstances. Gemma gets her wish and is sent to Spence, a girl’s boarding school in England. Having grown up in India, Gemma initially struggles to fit in with the other young ladies, a situation not helped by the visions she has started to experience. Despite the warnings of Kartik, a young man sent to shadow her, Gemma starts to learn what she can of the visions and the other world they open up.

While I found A Great And Terrible Beauty an easy and mildly interesting read, unfortunately that’s about as effusive as I can be. Set in 1895, the historical scene is well set but I don’t think the characters are in keeping with this time period. If someone needed to be put in their place, well bred ladies would do it with a cold shoulder or chilly and exacting politeness. Felicity and Pippa are downright nasty and cruel and reflect a more modern high school clique attitude. Gemma initially is disgusted by them but as the story goes on she becomes part of their group which seems like tacit acceptance of their behaviour. I initially liked that Gemma stood up for what she believed as a character, but was disappointed by her new friendships as the story developed.

I not sure how much influence the romance aspect will have in this series, but what occurs in this book between Gemma and Kartik is superficial and one dimensional, it seems like a bit of an after thought.

While A Great And Terrible Beauty is the first of a trilogy, the world building around the fantasy elements was weak and after finishing the book I know very little about how the magic system works. I can only assume that as the plot develops Gemma, and therefore the readers, will learn more in the upcoming books. There were also issues with the pacing of the book, it takes too long for any real information to be given about the other world and the conflicts going on there, then all of sudden Gemma is thrown into a fight of apparent significance then it’s all over. I was left feeling like I didn't really know what had just happened, and certainly not what it all meant.

This is young adult fiction, and as such I imagine A Great And Terrible Beauty would be a good read for its target age group but ultimately there wasn’t enough depth in either the characters or the plot, and far too many questions not addressed to really engage me. I doubt if I will continue with this series. ( )
  SouthernKiwi | Apr 14, 2013 |
Showing 1-5 of 262 (next | show all)
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Libba Brayprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Bailey, JosephineNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colours gay.
She has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on her if she stay
To look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be,
And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott.

And moving through a mirror clear
That hangs before her all the year,
Shadows of the world appear.
There she sees the highway near
Winding down to Camelot...

...

But in her web she still delights
To weave the mirror's magic sights,
For often through the silent nights
A funeral, with plumes and lights
And music, went to Camelot;
Or when the Moon was overhead,
Came two young lovers lately wed.
"I am half sick of shadows," said
The Lady of Shalott.

...

And down the river's dim expanse
Like some bold seer in a trance,
Seeing all his own mischance--
With a glassy countenance
Did she look to Camelot.
And at the closing of the day
She loosed the chain, and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away,
The Lady of Shalott.

--from "The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Dedication
For Barry and Josh
First words
June 21, 1895
Bombay, India

"Please tell me that's not going to be part of my birthday dinner this evening."
Quotations
But forgiveness... I'll hold on to that fragile slice of hope and keep it close, remembering that in each of us lie good and bad, light and dark, art and pain, choice and regret, cruelty and sacrifice.
I'm sorry, Gemma. But we can't live in the light all of the time. You have to take whatever light you can hold into the dark with you.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
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Wikipedia in English (1)

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Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0385901615, Library Binding)

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

(retrieved from Amazon Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:40:29 -0400)

(see all 4 descriptions)

After the suspicious death of her mother in 1895, sixteen-year-old Gemma returns to England, after many years in India, to attend a finishing school where she becomes aware of her magical powers and ability to see into the spirit world.

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