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A review by bookwoods
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
4.0
I required something to read during my holiday in Estonia and this cover called to me in the bookstore. I’ve also been wanting to pick up something from Silvia Moreno-Garcia for a while, and I can now say that The Beautiful Ones is not going to be the last book of hers that I’ll read! I’ve actually already reserved Mexican Gothic from the library.
The Beautiful Ones is a kind of period romance in the style of Austen, but set in an imaginary civilization where telekinesis exists. The title refers to the highest class of people, a class which our main character Nina is part of due to her heritage, but because of her looks and manners she doesn’t seem to truly belong. Her cousin’s wife on the other hand is a prime example of The Beautiful Ones, and in charge of preparing Nina for her debut in the Grand Season.
Nina has grown up in the countryside where she is known as the ‘Witch of the Oldhouse’ due to her telekinetic powers, being able to move things with her mind. However, Nina’s control of these powers remain weak. That’s until she meets Hector - a famous performer who has perfected the use of telekinesis. What follows is a highly entertaining and quite perfectly written drama, I just wish the magical element had played a bigger role than it did.
“Nina had never had much appreciation for talks of damnation and sins. She existed, and had always existed, in a rather untamed state, which was facilitated by her family, who confused her intellectual inclinations with a wholesome disposition. They saw her explosions, when they took place, as a child’s tantrums and could not imagine she was like the rivers and streams and forests she loved, riotous and luxuriant. “
The Beautiful Ones is a kind of period romance in the style of Austen, but set in an imaginary civilization where telekinesis exists. The title refers to the highest class of people, a class which our main character Nina is part of due to her heritage, but because of her looks and manners she doesn’t seem to truly belong. Her cousin’s wife on the other hand is a prime example of The Beautiful Ones, and in charge of preparing Nina for her debut in the Grand Season.
Nina has grown up in the countryside where she is known as the ‘Witch of the Oldhouse’ due to her telekinetic powers, being able to move things with her mind. However, Nina’s control of these powers remain weak. That’s until she meets Hector - a famous performer who has perfected the use of telekinesis. What follows is a highly entertaining and quite perfectly written drama, I just wish the magical element had played a bigger role than it did.
“Nina had never had much appreciation for talks of damnation and sins. She existed, and had always existed, in a rather untamed state, which was facilitated by her family, who confused her intellectual inclinations with a wholesome disposition. They saw her explosions, when they took place, as a child’s tantrums and could not imagine she was like the rivers and streams and forests she loved, riotous and luxuriant. “