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A review by deedireads
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? No
4.5
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Beautyland is one of those books that will sneak up on you and hit you right smack in the feels. My favorite kind of book. (The audiobook was also excellently performed, and the story was easy to follow in that format!)
This is a literary novel about an alien named Adina; her “superiors” put her on Earth at the time of birth to observe and teach them about humans. As she grows up, from early childhood with a single mother in Philly through adulthood in NYC, she reports back on what she learns via a fax machine in her bedroom.
This may sound a little absurd; it is. It may sound like sci-fi; it’s not. At its core, it’s nothing less than a deeply resonant and creative exploration of the otherness of growing up and then the simple alienation of existing alongside others while always seeking connection. Bertino gives us a look at how it’s possible to be lonely and surrounded by love at the same time, at humanity and the small things that make life both hard and beautiful.
You should definitely read it.
Beautyland is one of those books that will sneak up on you and hit you right smack in the feels. My favorite kind of book. (The audiobook was also excellently performed, and the story was easy to follow in that format!)
This is a literary novel about an alien named Adina; her “superiors” put her on Earth at the time of birth to observe and teach them about humans. As she grows up, from early childhood with a single mother in Philly through adulthood in NYC, she reports back on what she learns via a fax machine in her bedroom.
This may sound a little absurd; it is. It may sound like sci-fi; it’s not. At its core, it’s nothing less than a deeply resonant and creative exploration of the otherness of growing up and then the simple alienation of existing alongside others while always seeking connection. Bertino gives us a look at how it’s possible to be lonely and surrounded by love at the same time, at humanity and the small things that make life both hard and beautiful.
You should definitely read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Death, and Grief