Fleeing her mother who won't agree to send Gemma to London, sixteen-year-old Gemma becomes lost in Bombay. Trapped in an alley, terrified, she is suddenly struck by a vision of her mother facing Death. Her mother chooses to die by her own hand instead of being murdered by the being who seeks her. Shocked and isolated, Gemma finally receives her original wish two months later when she is sent to London. She will attend The Spencer School, a private boarding school where girls are trained to be silent, obedient wives to the Victorian men of the time. Gemma's visions continue and in spite of warnings from a young Indian man, Katrik, to stop them; Gemma learns to control the visions and with her new friends, enters the "Realms" where she finds her mother waiting to direct her instruction in magic. But, the evil that once sought her mother now pursues Gemma in both worlds.
Definitely a boarding school drama, A Great and Terrible Beauty, reaches far beyond the stereotypical story. Characters such as proud and powerful Felicity, beautiful and empty-headed Pippa and scholarship ugly Ann all mature beyond the flat types they could be as they face critical choices brought on not only by their foray into the world of magic, but also by the manipulative and restrictive Victorian world. Beyond the beautifully developed characters is a powerful plot that engages the reader, indeed compelling them, as if by magic, to put everything else aside and be drawn into Gemma's world.
A Gothic fantasy with splashes of romance and drama, Bray's first novel in the trilogy is beautifully written. The story moves rapidly, but the novel draws on deeper themes such as self-determination and the traumatic consequences of choice, destiny and responsibility. The most fascinating novel I've read for some time.
No comments:
Post a Comment