
A Great and Terrible Beauty
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Narrated by:
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Josephine Bailey
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By:
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Libba Bray
About this listen
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Critic reviews
A New York Times Bestseller
A Publishers Weekly Bestseller
A Book Sense Bestseller
A Reader's Digest Best Book for Teens of All Time!
ALA Best Books for Young Adults, 2004
Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award Nominee, 2005
Iowa High School Book Award
Garden State Teen Book Award
Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award
Texas TAYSHAS High School Reading List
“A delicious, elegant gothic.”—PW, Starred
“A true boarding-school drama, full of cattiness, Victorian repression, and steamy schoolgirl dreams of being ravished by virile gypsies.”—The Bulletin, Recommended
“A Gothic novel touched by modern conceptions of adolescence, shivery with both passion and terror.” —Kirkus Reviews
“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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Favorite
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A Great and Never Terrible Book!
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literally my favorite series
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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.
More Details, please!
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Perfectly voiced!
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slow to start,but worth it in th end
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:)
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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.
pros and cons
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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 haveWhat 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.One of my all time favorites
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lovely!
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