A Great and Terrible Beauty

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray tells the life of a young woman in the 19th century. Even though she struggled through the lifestyle, her perseverance and her special abilities helped her change her life and the lives of young women like herself. Gemma Doyle acts through love when she saves those like herself; stuck in a society that won’t accept women for who they are. As Gemma is trained to be a prime, porcelain doll-like woman, she breaks through the barriers and explores another side of life; one that only she can enter. She can enter another world called the Realms. Her journey through the Realms changes her; she becomes strong and independent, something most young ladies aren’t in the 19th century. In terms of agreeing and disagreeing with the thesis, obviously I’m going to agree, because it’s not only Gemma finding how strong and independent she is, it’s finding how to help others. If Twilight didn’t exist, this would be my favorite book, absolutely.