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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
funny
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:
Yes
challenging
emotional
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:
Complicated
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
sad
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
In the time it took me to read a little over three hundred pages, I felt as though I lived another life. As our protagonist, the alien Adina, loved and learned and lost, I was right beside her journey, experiencing what I think will end up as one of my favorite books I've read in recent memory.
Beautyland is certainly different in style and presentation. The present tense of everything was initially jarring, but I quickly adapted and was enthralled by the simplistic, yet still deep and reflective nature of Adina's story. I was left with many answers and several questions, and though I find ambiguous endings to sometimes be frustrating or deflating, I still adored the journey I took through the life of an Earth-born alien.
If I had an issue with this book, it's solely that I wish a clearer sense of time was present. Cultural references and technological upgrades to Adina's life sometimes present themselves earlier or later than I expected, and it took a moment to 'catch up' as to where we were in the timeline. This is an very minor and picky point, however. Beautyland is a marvel, a deeply personal and almost haunting look at the sensations of being human, the feeling of other-ness, and the wonderful and painful connections we make and break with one another.
Beautyland is certainly different in style and presentation. The present tense of everything was initially jarring, but I quickly adapted and was enthralled by the simplistic, yet still deep and reflective nature of Adina's story. I was left with many answers and several questions, and though I find ambiguous endings to sometimes be frustrating or deflating, I still adored the journey I took through the life of an Earth-born alien.
If I had an issue with this book, it's solely that I wish a clearer sense of time was present. Cultural references and technological upgrades to Adina's life sometimes present themselves earlier or later than I expected, and it took a moment to 'catch up' as to where we were in the timeline. This is an very minor and picky point, however. Beautyland is a marvel, a deeply personal and almost haunting look at the sensations of being human, the feeling of other-ness, and the wonderful and painful connections we make and break with one another.