A Great and Terrible Beauty

By: Libba Bray

Narrated by: Josephine Bailey

Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

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?

©2003 Libba Bray (P)2004 Random House, Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

Critic reviews

"A delicious, elegant gothic." (Publishers Weekly)

Favorite

This series is one of my favorites as a young adult! So glad I can listen to it since I’ve read and re-read the hardbacks many times already.

A Great and Never Terrible Book!

Read this back in high school and wanted to see if it lived up to my memories. I was not disappointed. I loved the "about the author" tid bit at the end. It made me feel as though I now knew the author.

literally my favorite series

do yourself a favor and start the series its juicy af, beautiful story telling, hints of romance that dont overtake the entire plot with mushy shit and so much beautiful fictional world building :)

pros and cons

I am not a teen reader, I was recommended this book by a friend so i downloaded all the audible titles in the series. I would say that the pros and cons for thses books are about equal.

Pros:
Interesting story and good charcter depth
Good flow from the first book to the last while keeping each book enjoyable in themselves.

Cons:
Fairly predictable. Heroine not very likable. By the time you get to the end all you can think is "Surely she must know better by now!"

All in all I would suggest these books as an enjoyable listen good for a car trip. But you won't be blown away and asking for more.

One of my all time favorites

Would you consider the audio edition of A Great and Terrible Beauty to be better than the print version?

I have listened to and read this book multiple times and have enjoyed the text and audio experiences in different ways. It is always fun to hear how someone else voices characters as opposed to how you do in your head. I can't say it was better, though. Just different.

What did you like best about this story?

Everything. The themes, the strong female characters, the complex experiences they have

What about Josephine Bailey’s performance did you like?

The characters really felt unique. She did a great job giving them each their own feel.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Ooof. Too many!! Especially when it comes to the Pippa character.

Any additional comments?

Great read for teen girls and women looking for a story that isn't dominated by male characters. Truly excellent.

lovely!

I enjoyed this so much, well written, preformed extremely well! I'm excited to listen to the rest!

Not Harry Potter but..

Actually very enjoyable if you can get past the fact the heroine is far to normal to be completely likable, she gets better after the first few chapters. The plot is interesting enough and if some listeners found it boring I think that is most likely because the characters are written like everyday people, even though there is the fantasy of the "Realms". It's not as fast moving as other teenage magic books, nor are the characters as noble, but it has an air of reality in it that sets it apart.

More Details, please!

Libba Bray gives us a strong, determined heroine in this gothic fantasy/mystery. Gemma seldom shrinks from bullies, a challenge, or her own desires, and this is refreshing, especially so in a young woman in an 1895 setting. Quite a nice departure from most angst-ridden teens. Not all of Gemma's friends are likeable, but she does the best with what she has.

What I found lacking was a sense of place and flow. Characters drive this novel, but the settings deserved more detail, and action often takes leaps that leave gaps in the imagination, making it hard to follow, especially towards the end. Younger readers may appreciate the fast flow but it can be frustrating to an adult.

Josephine Bailey as narrator sparkles. If only all readers were so talented! Her voices are singular and easy to recognize, despite Felicity's voice slipping into a Gilligan's Island Mrs. Howell in the beginning. Overall she's a joy to listen to.

Ms. Bray's portrayal of Victorian society and its expectations on girls is both honest and rebellious and strikes a modern chord that in too many instances still plays today. This novel does much to underline this without detracting from the story whatsoever, showing the personal implications for each girl rather than preaching.

Four stars for being an easy listen, good historical depiction, strong characters, and appropriate for the intended audience.

Perfectly voiced!

One of my favorite books as a teenager and still over 10 years later. Narrator is AMAZINGLY PERFECT! Easily the best audio book I've ever listened to after already reading it myself! Bravo!

slow to start,but worth it in th end

this book will fool you, the start is a bit dull but it is just setting the stage for the end game. the last 50% of the book is very good.