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A review by bookishmillennial
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
Adina (an alien) goes to Earth to report on humans, and we basically follow her entire faux-human life. She gets a dog, a boyfriend, makes friends, learns about human emotion and universal themes of loneliness, heartache, mistakes, grief, corruption, and more. Adina is longing to go home basically the entire book too, but her return continues to be delayed, as her connections on Earth deepen and become more complex.
Adina’s reports are the most “snackable,” and quotable, like her ruminations on relationships, human behavior, and mortality. I think most people will find some of these reflections to be universally relatable, and while it’s a bittersweet story, it was an accessible read to reflect on what it means to be human. Nothing particularly novel or riveting, but somber, poignant reminders regardless.
Adina (an alien) goes to Earth to report on humans, and we basically follow her entire faux-human life. She gets a dog, a boyfriend, makes friends, learns about human emotion and universal themes of loneliness, heartache, mistakes, grief, corruption, and more. Adina is longing to go home basically the entire book too, but her return continues to be delayed, as her connections on Earth deepen and become more complex.
Adina’s reports are the most “snackable,” and quotable, like her ruminations on relationships, human behavior, and mortality. I think most people will find some of these reflections to be universally relatable, and while it’s a bittersweet story, it was an accessible read to reflect on what it means to be human. Nothing particularly novel or riveting, but somber, poignant reminders regardless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Animal death and Death