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savsim's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria
Minor: Sexual content and Acephobia/Arophobia
imchelsi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Grief
just_one_more_paige's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Ok so after the first couple pages, I won't lie, I was skeptical. The writing has a rhythmic poetry style that kind of felt like it was trying hard too hard to be different/avant garde situation. I actually even noted "we’ll see if it finds a naturalness with the story or if it settles into feeling forced throughout." Very quickly, I decided that it settled quite nicely. I got into the flow and found the narrative voice to be the *perfect* fit for Adina's personality and development.
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, and Grief
Minor: Bullying
devynreadsnovels's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Grief
meemzala's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cancer
nautilus18's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Death, and Terminal illness
beckykphillips's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Beautyland follows a girl, Adina, who is born in 1977 who understands she is an alien and was sent to earth to observe people and life on Earth. The novel follows Adina through her entire life, although I would not consider this a coming of age novel, or maybe this is just the most unique version of such a story I've ever read. If I had to describe this book in one word, I think it would be perceptive.
Some of the incredible anecdote/lines from this book include:
- Referring to Star Wars as a civil war movie in space
- Adulthood seems like a years long equation to beat traffic
- She pretends to be one person, but she is actually six girls with J names in jean jackets
- Anyone questioning whether god exists need only consider the brevity of a dog’s lifespan
I am not a person who is easily affected by books, but this book made me absolutely sob in the last third or so. It is at times incredibly funny, but also the isolation that Adina experiences throughout her life is heart-rending.
I am still trying to process the ending, having just completed the book a few minutes ago. I hope to be able to talk about the ending below, but my thoughts are beneath the spoiler text.
That aside, I am uncomfortable because the suicide still feels really close to the Heaven's Gate cult, who committed suicide believing that after they died a UFO would take their souls to another level of existence above human. Specifically when Hale’s comet came closest and this was when omuamua came closest.
I heartily recommend this book, but do be prepared for the emotional roller coaster it will take you on. Adina's observations are incisive and she provides such an interesting point of view that I will be thinking about for a long time.
I listened to this on audio and also very much recommend it as a medium, the narrator did a wonderful job bringing life to this story.
I was provided the audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review from Dreamscape Media.
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Death, Suicide, and Terminal illness
Minor: Xenophobia and Vomit