A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy) | 
 enlarge | Author: Libba Bray
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Category: Book
List Price: $9.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  294 reviews
Sales Rank: 2171
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 432
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 0385732317
EAN: 9780385732314
ASIN: 0385732317
Publication Date: March 22, 2005
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Amazon.com
A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel. Gemma, 16, has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls' academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left wi! th the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order. A Great and Terrible Beauty is an impressive first book in what should prove to be a fascinating trilogy. (Ages 12 up) -Patty Campbell
Product Description
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?
From the Hardcover edition.
Download Description
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?
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| Customer Reviews: Read 45 more reviews...
 Funny and Smart August 8, 2008
This was a very, very enjoyable book and I look forward to the sequels. Though this is set in the Victorian era (nice change for once) the subject of finding one's place in life, finding happiness, finding good qualities in those around us and compassion was refreshing. The characters were funny, smart and brave and they didn't compromise themselves during the process. Highly recommend!
Unable to Put Book Down August 7, 2008
A Great and Terrible Beauty is an exceptionally well-crafted novel that will leave its mark upon its young adult readers. It follows the story of Gemma Doyle, a young girl in nineteenth-century England. After the unexpected loss of her mother, Gemma is sent away to school. She struggles to adjust to her new finishing school, Spence Academy for Young Girls, while also coping with the loss of her mother. At the same time, she begans to have strange visions. These visions of are people, places, and events that she is unable to identify. Are they from the future, the past, or perhaps simply meaningless random thoughts that are the result of the stress she is under. She is confused and has nobody to turn to for help.
When Gemma finds her mother's diary, she reads about strange places her mother called the realms, a parallel world where both good and evil exist. Gemma finds the clues within the diary for entering the realms and soon she and her friends journey there and are able to experience life as they desire. The friends travel back and forth between the realms and the real world, but it isn't long before Gemma realizes that Kartik, a mysterious young man, has been following her. He warns her not to enter the realms and to refrain from having visions. Gemma must decide whether to heed his warnings or continue indulging in the magic of the realms.
There is a reason why Libba Bray is one of the hot new authors of the high school crowd. She knows what type of story will draw teens away from their computers and into a fascinating world of gothic thrills. Her wonderfully descriptive words create a visual world full of action and adventure. Within a few pages, the reader is enthralled with the lives of Gemma and her friends. Because of Bray's descriptive skills, the reader is also easily able to visualize the gothic world the characters live in.
The story is both a Victorian-style mystery and an exquisite fantasy. The characters are easy to relate to and their problems are ones that young readers could easily imagine in their own lives. As Gemma narrates the story, readers will find themselves laughing along with her quirky remarks while also concerned about her safety as she travels to the realms.
Quill says: This excellent story will have readers unable to put the book down.
 A Great and Terrible Beauty August 4, 2008
When I first started reading this book, I wasn't sure if I would like it very much. All the writing is in the present tense... but the story was very good. I absolutely loved the characters (Kartik *cough cough*) and the plot was great, too. Like almost every other book, it takes a while to start getting interesting, but once I understood the background, I could barely put the book down. Not my favorite of the series, but it's still great! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance, magic, and the Victorian era.
I would give this book 10 stars if possible! July 22, 2008
At first I wasn't expecting much, I thought this book was going to be one of those books about the proper boring girls...but I was sadly mistaken. From India to London to the realms and back; not only is sixteen year old Gemma far from boring, she's not perfect, and she does whatever it takes to fix things, thats what I think makes her so interesting. And not to mention the ability to see the future.
One of my favorite things of the book is that it's realistic fiction with a magical flare! You can feel eerie, suspenseful, mysterious part of the book but then turn the page and feel engulfed in the beauty of Gemma's magic.
After I finished "A Great and Terrible Beauty" I was so excited to hear that there is a sequel...and then a third book too!!
Happy Reading.
Can't wait to get the next book... July 18, 2008
Libba Bray has captured my attention! I began this book on the front porch with my coffee and found I couldn't put it down. A Great and Terrible Beauty is not what I expected at all...the supernatural element and the twists and turns of the story kept me reading. Gemma is a young boarding school student who stumbles quite by accident into a mystery that will change the course of her life. She learns truths about her mother and the mysterious existence of the Order. Her descriptions of the other "realms" she "travels" to, create this beautiful visual in your head. Things do and become what you least expect. All this excitement is encapsulated by the stifling Victorian pressure on girls by society as well as their corsets. I highly recommend this book for high school students and anyone interested in this time period sprinkled with mysticism--it's a great read, quickly paced and easy to settle into...best part? No test!
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