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A review by sam8834
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Truly so much going on in this novel. It's weird but not for the sake of it. The concept of an alien girl communicating the wonder of human life to her home planet through a fax machine doesn't overshadow the heart of the character herself and the emotional coming-of-age journey the book takes you on. Awe is such a brilliant actual character in the book, but again, not for the sake of conveying quirkiness. There is ACE REPRESENTATION, which is sooooo hard to find in literary novels, and even when you do, it's some side character that barely contributes to the plot.
No notes, except for the title not at all doing the book justice. Bertino has done something great here and managed to write a clever novel that doesn't jump up and down saying, "Hi, look at me! I'm trying to be clever!"
No notes, except for the title not at all doing the book justice. Bertino has done something great here and managed to write a clever novel that doesn't jump up and down saying, "Hi, look at me! I'm trying to be clever!"
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death