A review by mcdavidson
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino

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

5.0

A quiet book where nothing happens but somehow everything happens. This follows Adina, an alien sent to earth to observe and send reports about humans to her home planet via a fax machine. From her childhood to middle age, we see her struggle through feelings of belonging, being “different,” multiple forms of love, and grief. This was so perfect for me. It was so relatable at times and I found myself laughing more than I usually do with books. The last quarter was so emotional and really added a nice, deeper layer to the book. I highly recommend if you’re into quieter books with a lot of feelings.  

Thanks to libro.fm and dreamscape media for the ALC.