A Great and Terrible Beauty

By: Libba Bray

Narrated by: Joanna Wyatt

The first book in the critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling Gemma Doyle trilogy, the exhilarating and haunting saga from the author of The Diviners series and Under the Same Stars.

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?

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

“Shivery with both passion and terror.”—Kirkus Reviews

"Compulsively readable." --VOYA

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

Critic reviews

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

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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

The Narrator Brings This Novel To Life

Although fantasy, this novel is an excellent introduction for girls to understand the strictures of female life and expectations in Victorian society.

It's a real shame that Jo Wyatt didn't narrate all three of the unabridged versions. She brings such distinction and vitality to all of the characters. I love her energetic voice and wish she would narrate more audiobooks. I recommend her rendition of Alice in Wonderland as well.

Amazing story and voice reading

I had read this in high school and still love it 16 years later. Great voice actress and great story of friends, family, and loyalty.

Abridged

It doesn't tell you that it's an abridged version. It leaves too much out. The narrator is great though,

I LLLOOOOOOVVVVED, LOVED,LOVED,IT!!!!!!!!!

I absolutely loved this book I listened to it in one day, I listened while I cleaned, and when I was showering lol! I totally recommend it to everyone hee hee.

Wish I knew it was abridged

I can’t make a judgement on the story because I had no intention of listening to an abridged story but apparently I just did! I was left feeling like it was rushed and jumped around too quickly and was disjointed - likely that’s the result of the abridgment. Please mark abridged stories more clearly, Audible. I feel jilted out of the experience of enjoying this book in full.