Reviews

Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino

khiran's review

5.0

«She was american, in that she rarely traveled. Alien, in that she was remote. Human, in that she never admitted how remote she felt »

Glorioso coming of age con su muy peculiar punto de vista alienígena sobre lo cotidiano de ser humano, con sus muchas contradicciones y contrastes, sin duda ha sido de mis libros favoritos del año. Adina es una espléndida protagonista a la cual vamos acompañando en distintas etapas de su vida, sin que pierda nunca la ingenuidad y la curiosidad para destacar en su misión principal: informar en su planeta -vía fax -sobre la humanidad (las severas observaciones que comparte a lo largo de los capítulos son muy ingeniosas, incluso cómicas; lo mismo van sobre las sonrisas, los abrazos, la soledad, hasta la misoginia). Por cierto, que una alien se enamore de la música de Philip Glass y la pasión de Carl Sagan es muy _relatable_ y conmovedor

jirenehare's review

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

brittaneythayer's review

dark emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

meredithahobbs's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

laurenkraigco's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

skipstop's review

emotional funny hopeful reflective slow-paced

4.25

I love books about space, even ones that take place only on earth. I also love books about Philadelphia. Adina's observations make me want to be honest, a better human, just as she did to her readers in the book. I felt like I was trying to understand the other characters/humans along with Adina.

I was sad that the ending also made me like a reader in the book having to decide if Adina really was an alien

aralawrence's review

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

erincowgill's review

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted sad medium-paced

4.75

stefan_'s review

funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

j_long's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

One of those books where I just finished it and already want to read it again. I just adore a humanity story, and this one is perfectly bittersweet. It explores all of the facets of the human experience, including those where you feel like you’re the only one who’s felt that feeling. Just a lovely capsule of a book.