A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Module 4 - Fantasy & Science Fiction

"Read three of the following selections:"

Plot Summary

On Gemma Doyle's sixteenth birthday in 1895, she and her mother are strolling through a marketplace in India. They argue and Gemma takes off running, just as the visions hit her and she watches her mother's death. Months later she is sent to school in London, just as she had wanted, but with dire circumstances surrounding her. At the school she must make new friends and find her place among a new crowd. With the guidance of her visions and an old diary, Gemma leads her entourage of girls, The Order, into the lands of the realms. Once there, however, the addiction of the magic overtakes them and their adolescent invincibility leads them to discover the evil side of this beautiful land and the true identity of Gemma's mother.

Critical Analysis

A Great and Terrible Beauty was a rather lengthy Victorian era fantasy. The title, cover, and description of this book had never caught my attention, but because I've enjoyed other books and stories by Libba Bray I wanted to go back to this one and give it a read. The narrative grabs you from the first few pages. Insolent Gemma and her inconsiderate, controlling mother create a situation that many teens can relate to, even if it is set in the distant past of 1895 and in a foreign land. This introductory scene is gripping in its mystery and its character interactions.

The historical setting of this novel is critical to its plot, as the role of young girls and women have changed significantly since then. During that time period, however, boarding schools for girls were common for those who could afford them. Preparation for a life of marriage and subservience was the primary goal of education for young girls. The oppression inherent in that system is also necessary for the girls, so that they can explore the realms where they have power and are free on their own terms. Without the contrasting background of oppression, the freedom of the realms would not be as remarkable.

I liked that the book never really gives much of a name to the forces at work in the book. The character of Kartik appears and disappears almost like a mythical vampire would, but no name is given to his mysteriousness. The magic which the girls are able to control also isn't named. The land they escape to is merely called "the realms" and the group merely called "The Order." The vagueness of names gives it further mystery. I kept hoping that the nature of things would be revealed in the next chapter, and yet it never was, but that suspense added inspiration to continue further into the story.

Several of the characters feel undeveloped and flat even as we learn more about them. The School Library Journal reviewer states:

"Bray's characters are types-Felicity, clever and powerful; Ann, plain and timid; Pippa, beautiful and occasionally thoughtless; Gemma, spirited and chafing under society's rules-but not offensively so, and they do change as the story progresses."

So there is some perceived change on the parts of each of the girls, but if one looks at their larger actions at the beginning and the end of the narrative, their fundamental natures and motivations remain the same except for Gemma's. When we first meet Ann she is quiet and demure and rather overlooked by the other girls. In the middle, Ann begins to find her confidence as she practices her singing and influence within the realms. But when we leave Ann at the end of the book, Ann has faded back into the background and hides modestly behind the assertive Felicity's decisions rather than making her own. Felicity enters the novel as a snooty back-stabbing girl. In the middle she seems to join forces with Gemma and the others, but by the end she is leading the mutiny to try to gain her own powers rather than relying on Gemma's. She is also the mastermind behind blaming the diary and other events on the art teacher Miss Moore. She has not changed fundamentally, but remains a vicious self-preserving harpy to the very end. Pippa, the stunning beauty of the group, makes her first appearances as Felicity's lackey. When she begins to show herself through their late night explorations and within the realm she is deeply romantic, wanting nothing more from life than true love. At the end she chooses not to leave the realms, and in a final act of defiance she eats the grapes and remains forever with her knight in shining armor rather than go back to her life as the wife of Mr. Bumble. Gemma, however, shows a great amount of personal growth between being the insolent brat in India, to becoming the leader of the girls' adventures, and finally as she owns up to her failures and makes great personal sacrifices. Gemma even forgives her mother the evils she has committed and therefore is able to defeat the evil welling up from the realms.

There are many themes to explore in this novel. Most obviously is the battle between good and evil within the same person. As the true identity of Gemma's mother is revealed, Gemma must come to terms with this aspect of her history. She concludes:

But forgiveness... I'll hold on to that fragile slice of hope and keep it close, remembering that in each of us lie good and bad, light and dark, art and pain, choice and regret, cruelty and sacrifice. We're each of us our own chiaroscuro, our own bit of illusion fighting to emerge into something solid, something real. We've got to forgive ourselves that. I must remember to forgive myself. Because there's an awful lot of gray to work with. No one can live in the light all the time.

However, the issue of a woman's place is also considered throughout the book as these girls struggle with their adolescence and society's expectations of them as young ladies. The final line of the novel gives voice to what Gemma and the others must be feeling:

"Because I want to see how far I can go before I have to stop."

Bibliography

Bray, Libba. A great and terrible beauty. New York: Delacorte Press, 2003. ISBN 0385730284.

---

---

Reviews

From Publishers Weekly:

Bray brilliantly depicts a caste system, in which girls are taught to abandon individuality in favor of their man's wishes, as a deeper and darker horror than most things that go bump in the night. While aimed at female readers, it will be just as delectable to boys brave enough to be seen carrying a book sporting a corset-clad girl on the cover. The pace is swift, the finale gripping. A delicious, elegant gothic.

From School Library Journal:

An interesting combination of fantasy, light horror, and historical fiction, with a dash of romance thrown in for good measure. ... The author also makes a point about the position of women in Victorian society. Bray's characters are types-Felicity, clever and powerful; Ann, plain and timid; Pippa, beautiful and occasionally thoughtless; Gemma, spirited and chafing under society's rules-but not offensively so, and they do change as the story progresses. The ending leaves open the likelihood of a sequel. Recommend this to fantasy fans who also like Sherlock Holmes or Mary Russell.-Lisa Prolman, Greenfield Public Library, MA

From Booklist:

The jacket, a photo of a young woman in a tightly laced corset and lacy camisole, bespeaks a steamy love story (Gemma does have some sexy dreams about a young gypsy), but the costume is really a metaphor for the strictures against women of the period, which Bray limns extremely well in her debut novel. The Realms and the mystery surrounding the diary are less well handled, yet there's no doubt the mystical elements, along with a touch of forbidden romance, will draw a large, enthusiastic audience, who will come away wanting more about stubborn, willful Gemma and the strange world whose doors she can open at will. --Stephanie Zvirin

From Kirkus:

A Gothic touched by modern conceptions of adolescence, shivery with both passion and terror.

From Voice of Youth Advocates:

This classic boarding school drama with gothic tones deals with real issues-a woman's place, the question of self-determinism, the impact on young lives of a lack of parental love and attention-within an excitingly supernatural framework. Plot, setting, and characterization are all strong. Questions of life, love, maturity, responsibility, and the harrowing nature of choices are seamlessly worked into a compulsively readable story, open ended enough to hint at the possibility of a sequel. Soundly researched and credible, this exhilarating and thought-provoking read is for the junior high level up, especially for girls who have enjoyed Mary Hoffman's Stravaganza series and are ready for something a bit more challenging and mature.-Ann Welton.