This is an Online Internet Book Club on A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy) by Libba Bray. Discuss this book, share your thoughts, make comments, ask questions, offer responses...
Description
A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel.
Gemma, 16, has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother’s death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls’ academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left wi! th the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order. A Great and Terrible Beauty is an impressive first book in what should prove to be a fascinating trilogy. (Ages 12 up) –Patty Campbell
Book Club Questions for A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy) (Fiction)
Suggested Book Club Questions for A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy) (Fiction)
The following book club questions provide a starting point for creating a reading group discussion on A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy):
- Did Libba Bray emphasize any specific themes throughout A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy)? What do you think Libba Bray is trying to explain with this theme?
- What was unique about the setting of A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy) and how did it affect the storyline?
- Could you relate to any of the characters? If so, which ones and why?
- How do characters change or learn throughout A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy)? What events caused these changes? Have you or someone you know experienced the same thing?
- How does A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy) reveal Libba Bray's own perspectives about people and the world? For a lively discussion, describe why you think Libba Bray is liberal or conservative.
- Did certain parts of A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy) affect you emotionally? Why did it evoke those emotions?
- Did Libba Bray's point of view on things lend new perspective to your own view of the world?
Book Club Questions for A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy) (for Non-Fiction)
Suggested Book Club Questions for A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy) (Non-fiction)
The following book club questions provide a starting point for creating a reading group discussion on A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy):
- Did Libba Bray make persuasive arguments in A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy)? Did A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy) change or reinforce your opinion on the subject?
- What did you learn from A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy)?
- How does Libba Bray present the information and did you enjoy it?
- How is Libba Bray biased within A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy)? Is there a political slant to what is being discussed and how does it impact the book?
- What, if anything, does A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy) make you want to read next? Why?
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