After the suspicious death of her mother in 1895, sixteen-year-old Gemma returns to England, after many years in India, to attend a finishing school where she becomes aware of her magical powers and ability to see into the spirit world. A Great and Terrible Beauty is a story about uneasy but necessary friendships and survival, aspiration versus duty, breaking away and falling apart, coming to terms with oneself and the past. It delves into morality where actions have consequences and power brings responsibility. The book also looks at dysfunctional families and the damage life inflicts, the terrible burden of carrying secrets, and how hope can live inside everyone.
-Amanda Rogde SFS grad '99 -
Guest Reviewer
