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A review by makealongstorycourt
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
I have a lot of thoughts on this one.
The beginning started wonderfully. I was so invested and intrigued. I knew that this one would follow Adina throughout her lifetime, so the story arc was predictable, but I was excited to experience the journey.
However, the journey waned for me in her adulthood (the supernova/New York chapter). It felt drawn out, overwritten at times, and the progression of time was unclear. I lost interest here and just plodded through to get to the last phase of Adina’s life.
The last phase was a bit anticlimactic, tbh.
Overall the quips and reflections about humanity were sharp and reflective and I loved them. However, there seemed to be less and less as the novel moved forward and I lost a bit of interest by the end.
I think with a stronger ending that was as strong as the beginning, this easily would’ve been a 5 star read.
The beginning started wonderfully. I was so invested and intrigued. I knew that this one would follow Adina throughout her lifetime, so the story arc was predictable, but I was excited to experience the journey.
However, the journey waned for me in her adulthood (the supernova/New York chapter). It felt drawn out, overwritten at times, and the progression of time was unclear. I lost interest here and just plodded through to get to the last phase of Adina’s life.
The last phase was a bit anticlimactic, tbh.
Overall the quips and reflections about humanity were sharp and reflective and I loved them. However, there seemed to be less and less as the novel moved forward and I lost a bit of interest by the end.
I think with a stronger ending that was as strong as the beginning, this easily would’ve been a 5 star read.