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kvroberts's review
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
swestlake's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
caseyundercovers's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
2.5 ⭐️
80% similes, 18% Ambien, 2% interesting story.
I really wanted to love this book, but sadly, it fell so short of a great story. All of the outline for a great story is there, but it never can quite pull it together. Instead, we are given an empty shell that follows a family through different periods of their life with little substance to string them together or keep any momentum going. Mostly, I just found it to be boring.
I didn't hate this book, but it lacked anything special or particularly interesting to make me like it.
80% similes, 18% Ambien, 2% interesting story.
I really wanted to love this book, but sadly, it fell so short of a great story. All of the outline for a great story is there, but it never can quite pull it together. Instead, we are given an empty shell that follows a family through different periods of their life with little substance to string them together or keep any momentum going. Mostly, I just found it to be boring.
I didn't hate this book, but it lacked anything special or particularly interesting to make me like it.
ehmannky's review
emotional
reflective
slow-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
4.25
Considering I hated the other Greeley book I read and that I rarely read historical fiction, I was really surprised how much I enjoyed this book. Marvelous is a slow, reflective look at the life of Pedro Gonzales, a man who had hypertrichosis in the 16th-early 17th century, and his family. I know some people have noted that the writing style wasn't for them, but I felt like the sort of distance created by the reflective nature of the story added to the bittersweet tone of the story. It's not a book with a big bad villain, it's a book where the conflict comes from the tension of a society that fundamentally doesn't see those who are different as human, and trying to carve out a life and happiness when you have no real agency because of that.
I also really appreciated that Greeley had them act like characters in the 16th century--Pedro is not somehow a feminist before his time (when he and Catherine first get married, neither of them really have the option to not have sex since the queen is trying to breed more "oddities" and while Catherine gives consent, it's not particularly enthusiastic), most people never really see Pedro as human, it takes Catherine years to get over her ingrained fears of difference. It's a disservice to this book that it's described as a Beauty and the Beast retelling because it is emphatically not. And if you go in wanting the whimsy and happily ever after of the fairy tale with clear villains, I think you're going to have a bad time.
I did find it weird she decided to just not include three of the children included in the historical record and it did take me a few chapters to get into the storytelling, but other than that I really enjoyed this.
I also really appreciated that Greeley had them act like characters in the 16th century--Pedro is not somehow a feminist before his time (when he and Catherine first get married, neither of them really have the option to not have sex since the queen is trying to breed more "oddities" and while Catherine gives consent, it's not particularly enthusiastic), most people never really see Pedro as human, it takes Catherine years to get over her ingrained fears of difference. It's a disservice to this book that it's described as a Beauty and the Beast retelling because it is emphatically not. And if you go in wanting the whimsy and happily ever after of the fairy tale with clear villains, I think you're going to have a bad time.
I did find it weird she decided to just not include three of the children included in the historical record and it did take me a few chapters to get into the storytelling, but other than that I really enjoyed this.
carmenelyse's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jilljac's review against another edition
Started as audiobook but didn't grip me. Beauty and the beast retelling/prequel
adnaram's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
stefgibmc's review
5.0
This is one of those reads that I completely fell into. I knew nothing of the context prior to getting my hands on it and I couldn’t be more pleased about what I found waiting for me. The Beauty & the Beast is a tale I hold as closely to my heart as your average millennial with a penchant for reading and a savior complex. It wasn’t until I was older that I learned of Pedro González and the cruelties he and his wife, Catherine, were subjected to entertain and appease their contemporaries. It was an honor to read Marvelous as a historical rendition, blended with Greeley’s own imaginative liberties. I was grateful for the pieces she kept true along the way, but charmed by her perspective.
Since wrapping this up, I’ve seen many reviews complaining about the writing style. I just have to say, I found it enchanting, rich, and parallel to the story telling of the 16th century. These are the things that lend an air of authenticity for me personally. More importantly, how she wrote of Catherine’s transformation as a mother truly hit home. This set my soul on fire:
“No one told her she would be unmade in those hours of birthing, torn to pieces and poorly sewn together again. But there is something fierce and elemental about being thrust into motherhood—into womanhood. She feels the teeth inside her head, the nails on her fingers; and feels as if she could use them, as they are tools given to her to protect this mewling mass of humanity she holds. It is a bestial sensation—she is become the animal others see in her husband and child—and she wonders whether all women feel this way, if her own mother felt this way, or if it is only the howling fear of others’ reactions to Madeleine’s appearance that has turned her, between birth pang and the release into the world of her child, into a wolf woman.”
Yes. One million times over. I wish I could read Marvelous for the first time again, to stumble into Catherine’s profound transformation as a mother again, and to weep when it all ends… again. Five stars are rarely so easy for me to tack on, this time it was a cinch.
Since wrapping this up, I’ve seen many reviews complaining about the writing style. I just have to say, I found it enchanting, rich, and parallel to the story telling of the 16th century. These are the things that lend an air of authenticity for me personally. More importantly, how she wrote of Catherine’s transformation as a mother truly hit home. This set my soul on fire:
“No one told her she would be unmade in those hours of birthing, torn to pieces and poorly sewn together again. But there is something fierce and elemental about being thrust into motherhood—into womanhood. She feels the teeth inside her head, the nails on her fingers; and feels as if she could use them, as they are tools given to her to protect this mewling mass of humanity she holds. It is a bestial sensation—she is become the animal others see in her husband and child—and she wonders whether all women feel this way, if her own mother felt this way, or if it is only the howling fear of others’ reactions to Madeleine’s appearance that has turned her, between birth pang and the release into the world of her child, into a wolf woman.”
Yes. One million times over. I wish I could read Marvelous for the first time again, to stumble into Catherine’s profound transformation as a mother again, and to weep when it all ends… again. Five stars are rarely so easy for me to tack on, this time it was a cinch.
eyan_birt's review against another edition
4.0
Outside my usual genre but perhaps the prose, writing style, or loose connections to fairy tale trope made me so engaged in the story I couldn't stop until I had finished. Historical Fiction more than anything.
ngreader's review
5.0
I ADORED this book - I love the story of Beauty and the Beast and learning about the real-life version of these adored figures was heartbreaking and beautiful. This book was MASTERFULLY done - highly recommend it.