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A Great and Terrible Beauty

Libba Bray
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A Great and Terrible Beauty

Libba Bray
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Overview

432 PAGESENGLISH
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Gemma Doyle
Gemma Doyle
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A Reader's Digest Best Book for Teens of All Time!

“A delicious, elegant gothic.”—PW, Starred

“A Gothic novel touched by modern conceptions of adolescence, shivery with both passion and terror.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A true boarding-school drama, full of cattiness, Victorian repression, and steamy schoolgirl dreams of being ravished by virile gypsies.”—The Bulletin, Recommended

"This classic boarding school drama with gothic tones deals with real issues . . . a compulsively readable story." --VOYA 

"[An] engrossing, imaginative Victorian-era novel . . . An unconventional book that entertains to the end and stays with you long after." --BN.com

“A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy . . . an impressive first book in what should prove to be a fascinating trilogy.”
—Amazon.com

“An interesting combination of fantasy, light horror, and historical fiction, with a dash of romance thrown in for good measure…Recommend this to fantasy fans who also like Sherlock Holmes or Mary Russell.”
—School Library Journal

“There’s no doubt the mystical elements, along with a touch of forbidden romance, will draw a large, enthusiastic audience.” —Booklist

*

A New York Times Bestseller
A Publishers Weekly Bestseller
A Book Sense Bestseller
BBYA (ALA/YALSA Best Book for Young Adults)
Iowa High School Book Award
Garden State Teen Book Award
Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award

Overall rating: 4.431818 / 5 from 44 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

A Great and Terrible Beauty, the first book in the Gemma Doyle trilogy, is praised for its captivating story and memorable characters. Readers find it a compelling read with a strong narrative and engaging characters.

Summary topics

  • Character Development: 23%
  • Book Quality: 63%

Review topics: ["book","read","characters","series","story","world","written","start","girl","relationship","writing","pictures","trilogy","gemma"].

Review highlights

  • "An easy read with a good story and a likeable character." — Hannah
  • "This book is an excellent introduction to period pieces for young readers." — Victoria
  • "I love all the characters and the spiritual world makes a nice addition to this common story line." — Taylor

Reviews

I still think about it.

"Okay, i haven't read this book in YEARS but I STILL think about how much i enjoyed it. Read this as a young teen and fell in love with the characters. There is some rebellion which i love and romance which i also adore. So i would recommend this 100% if youre in your early teens (as that is the time i enjoyed it). Might even try to read it again as a 25yr old haha."

— Angela (5/5)

Promising start

"This is the first novel in a series of three and I know they are usually well loved. I'm a fan of anything taking place in a historical setting so I picked this one up. The story is interesting, but the characters are predictable. Still good enough to want to continue onto the second novel."

— Ohdrey (3/5)

A teen read

"I remember enjoying this when I was younger, so much in fact that I ended up doing a project on it. While the 4 group of girls do seem to have cookie cutter personalities as first (which is a given considering they are roughly 16 at this time) I actually found their friendship throughout the series more interesting than the magic aspect of the novels."

— Katherine (4/5)

A great way to get young people engaged with history

"This book is an excellent introduction to period pieces for young readers."

— Victoria (4/5)

great

"I did not want this book to end. It was many years later that I realized it was a series!"

— Breanna (4/5)

good

"little slow at the beginning but it gets better if you continue reading"

— Kal0193 (3/5)

Years later still my favourite series!

"If you love historical fiction, England, magic and mythology then this is your book! The book is so different and so brilliant! The characters have a wonderful dynamic and the plot!! Each book only gets better and they have so many references to famous poems and myths from Ancient England, Greece and Indian and it's so perfect!"

— Jennifer (5/5)

A must-read if you like magic and boarding schools

"This book is so well-written from the first page to the last. Ilove the descriptions of India, then England, and of course the magic! Such a fun and beautiful read to get lost in."

— Ines (5/5)

Wonderful

"#PlumReview This book is set in India where the main character, Gemma, loses her mother. She is then sent to England to a finishing school while the rest of her family moves to the family home. There, she makes friends with Ann, Felicity and Pippa. Together the 4 girls travel through to another realm filled with magic that they can bring out into their own world through Gemma. Once they learn to use the magic they are able to use it for everyday things as well as many spectacular adventures within the realm. Their friendship is forged through Miss. Moore and the stories she tells of the caves surrounding the school. Their art teacher also becomes a fast friend for the girls and an ally throughout their schooling. This book is somewhat slow at the beginning of the book (first chapter), though after this initial halting start the book is wonderfully written and draws readers in completely. This is the first book in a trilogy of magic and adventures following the 4 girls through their years at the finishing school."

— S1Sharif (5/5)

Pretty good read for a younger audience

"I read this book years ago and recently bought it for a friend's daughter. I found myself rereading my copy of this novel and while I do still love it, I found it a tad juvenile. However, this book sparked my interest in the fantasy type genre and feel it could do the same for many young readers. It has a few really good shock moments too."

— Jordynn (4/5)

Q&A

  • Published date: Mar 22, 2005
  • Language: English
  • No. of Pages: 432
  • Publisher: Random House Children's Books
  • ISBN: 9780385732314
  • Dimensions: 5.5" W x 0.88" L x 8.31" H
Libba Bray is the New York Times bestselling author of The Gemma Doyle trilogy (A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, The Sweet Far Thing); the Michael L. Printz Award-winning Going Bovine; Beauty Queens, an L.A. Times Book Prize finalist; The Diviners series; and Under the Same Stars. She is originally from Texas but makes her home in New York City.

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