A Great and Terrible Beauty (by Libba Bray)
common sense media says
Engaging start to bestselling Gemma Doyle trilogy.
parents & educators say
- 100% say violence is an issue
- 67% say sexual content is an issue
What parents need to know
Parents need to know this Victorian Era-set novel involves the supernatural, including girls who visit with the dead and help spirits cross over into the afterlife. It has a few sexual moments and a fair amount of violence, including a suicide and sacrificial killing of a child.
Positive role models:
The book includes both negative and positive role models. On the one hand, Felicity and Pippa are mean to Ann, playing pranks, putting her down, and falsely accusing her of stealing. They break rules, try to manipulate adults, and exclude other students from their group. They prefer to live in a fantasy world and ignore warnings about using their power in real life. They make mischief with this power rather than changing anything for good. Pippa is insensitive. The girls blame their teacher for corrupting them, to deflect getting in trouble. Felicity seeks her own power, accusing Gemma of wanting the realms all to herself. On the positive side, the girls chafe against the restricted gender roles and societal expectations in the late 1800s. Pippa worries they'll become "living ghosts, haunting each other with what could be." Gemma insists her unpopular friend be included in the clique. Gemma comes to accept her mother's death and take control of her own destiny.
Violence:
A dark shape devours a man. To avoid being devoured as well, Gemma's mother commits suicide by stabbing herself with a knife. When Gemma sees her mother's body, "a deep red pool of blood widens and flows beneath her lifeless body." A decaying creature with a skeletal face and snake hair chases Gemma. Pippa would rather die than face an arranged marriage with a 50-year-old. Ann cuts herself. Felicity slaps Pippa in the face. Two girls are killed in a mysterious fire. Mary and Sarah sacrifice a child, with Mary smothering her with her bare hands. The girls (except Gemma) get naked, chase, and kill a deer, hitting it in the head until it's pulpy. Felicity scrapes Kartik in the chest with a sharp stick. The creature tries to control Gemma.
Sex:
Gemma's brother asks if she's "still chaste." Felicity has a secret relationship with a Gypsy. Felicity kisses Gemma full on the lips. The girls discuss "carnal" acts and Felicity says, "I'm going to have many men." Reading a diary, Felicity says she thinks Mary and Sarah are "Sapphists," who "prefer the love of women to men." Gemma dreams about almost having sex (with some detail), where he touches "a place I haven't let myself explore." A satyr peeks under the hem of a girl's dress.
Language:
"Bastard," "hell."
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Gemma's father is addicted to laudanum, an opiate. He also smoked a hookah while in India. The girls drink liquor together and pressure Ann even when she doesn't want to: "Drink or you're out of the club." Gemma is hung over the next morning and says she will only drink sherry, not whiskey, from then on.
More on A Great and Terrible Beauty
Review It
Based on 3 parent & educator reviews:
- 100% say violence is an issue
- 67% say sexual content is an issue
- 33% say there are positive role models
- 33% say there are positive messages
- 33% say it's educational
Most useful reviews by all members
FantasyFiend12
teen, 18 years old
teen, 18 years old
:)
I crazy enjoyed this book. It's fast, enjoyable, creepy, dark, and lovely. (And the front cover is just beautiful!) The only thing that annoyed me was the friendship, the reason why I put 'messages aren't positive' for my concerns. It's the classic clique thing with all the rude, snobby girls...except, instead of the main character straying away from them and being unique, it's about her actually becoming their friend. That was strange. I still don't understand how they are all friends even though they turn a little better near the end.
The romance is beautiful, and there is only a teeny bit of sex. Nothing to really worry about. There's just a short, one paragraph thing with that she dreams about. Nothing graphic.
All in all, a really good book and I would recomend it to anyone who enjoys creepy fantasy with romantic twists!
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nb4ever
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
perfect for teenage girls but not for tweens
as with any fantasy novel there is bound to be violence,but this is an amazing book especially for teenage girls. after reading the first book i couldnt wait to read the second and third books which i currently own. this book is unique because of the victorian era it is set in so i learned a little history too. the characters have so much life in them and the story is very engaging.
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Frenchhorn21
teen, 17 years old
teen, 17 years old
Amazing book
I loved this book, because it combines my favorite genres- fantasy and historical fiction. I am obsessed with the the Victorian Era, so it was perfect to have a group of independent girls who are each rebelling in their own ways, but also had other problems to deal with- they're fighting the evil Circe, but are also fighting the confines of Victorian England
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the cool cat ...
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
***** 5 stars
best book ever, its romantic, suspenseful, and just lovely!
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tobys_sister
adult
adult
Good for the mature teenager.
Though this book can be a little intense at times, if your teenager is mature enough to understand the good messages underneath the drama and such, it is actually a very good book. It deals a lot with reality, which is a good wake up call for some. It sends a message that real life isn't always going to be easy, and it's how you deal with the hardships that matters in the end.
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KatherineLovesJake
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
shop till i drop...omg.HOW CAN YOU NOT LOvE THIS?? its amazing! i would recomend it for anyone! its great!
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shop till i drop
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
BORING
NO ONE SHOULD READ THIS!!!!!!
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earthgurl
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
Love this!
LOVE THIS! The beginning is a little sad, but then you get over it in seconds! Read Book 2: Rebel Angels and Book 3: The Sweet Far Thing too!
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Kiki Long.
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
Just Becareful.
I LOVE THIS BOOK.
You just have to be careful with it, the whole series talks about child molestation (felicity's father), Ann self harms, Pippa talks about death in a romantic way (she stays in the realms knowing that she will die at home just so she can find love) and Gemma sticks her nose where people shouldn't and is disrespectful to her elder brother and grandmother also causing a scene at a school open day.
It sounds cheap but it's written superbly, I read this when I was 10 after an operation and it's pretty awesome.
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bookkeeper
teen, 17 years old
teen, 17 years old
Many things to think about
The entire Gemma Doyle trilogy is an interesting coming of age story with a twist. It has many themes that YA normally doesn't address, like power and caste; Gemma often wonders where women belong in her society, and difficulties arise for an Indian character due to his position in the world. The one thing about the series I would watch out for, aside from its overall darkness, is that almost any taboo you can think of is mentioned, including drugs, rape, self-mutilation, and the like. There is graphic imagery, and though all the loose ends in the series are tied up reasonably well, it's not a happy ending by most standards.
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dude23
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
on for ages 12 and up
I liked it because the author hade a lot of style in her writing and it kept my interest throughout the whole book.
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catwiz97
teen, 16 years old
teen, 16 years old
It's really really really good! :) I thought this book was Grreat because of the awesome imagery. There's a lot of thrill to it.
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ClaireGuthrie
parent of and 6 , 9 , 11 , 18 , 19 year old
parent of and 6 , 9 , 11 , 18 , 19 year old
Adults Only.
I personally enjoyed this book.....but you will find as the series progresses, that it becomes darker, more violent and more sexual....including lesbianism between 2 of the main characters.
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XxLadyluckxX
teen, 16 years old
teen, 16 years old
Thumbs up!
I love this series, would definately recomend. Story line can be weak and confusing in parts but characters have faults and are very human. Some are dislikable despite their key parts in the story. I love this book!
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shiznit
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
Perfect for older kids, but not for tweens
I really like the book.
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Ree ree
teen, 17 years old
teen, 17 years old
I absolutely loved this book. It was insightful, clever, and charming. If you are over 14 years of age, you can understand the good messages from some seemingly negative aspects of the book. I would recommend this book to anyone that is emotionally mature enough to appreciate and respect the poweful moments of the novel. Bray dares to push the boundaries, and she does so very effectively. Two thumbs up.
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Katy0
teen, 17 years old
teen, 17 years old
Four Stars
Though it is convoluted at times and simplistic at others, this was an enjoyable book.
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readresponsibly
parent of 3 and 4 year old
parent of 3 and 4 year old
Not a tasteful book for anyone
I don't recommend this book to anyone, adult or teen. I came away feeling worse than when I started. It is a beautiful idea executed poorly. I forged through the book hoping it would redeem itself in the end. Very poor role models. Too sum it up-not tasteful at all.
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fitzygrl10
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
An amazing teen novel
I read this book when i was 13, then reread when i was 15. I definitley understood it better the second time around. This is one of my favorites, a very intense plot and character development. Definitely not for kids under 13 b/c of drug references, sex dreams, violence and inaproritate language.
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