Marie-Helene Bertino

When I first saw the cover of this book, and knew nothing about this book at all, I gave a sigh of relief, as it was the rare book I could automatically give a pass to reading. Beautyland?Not for me. I thought it was about cosmetics and appearances -- and it IS a little bit. Beautyland is the name of a store that sells such things, but it's a very small part of the book. BUT THEN I read more about the book and it's about a girl who was born in 1977 thinking she is an extraterrestrial. So yup -- I then had to add it to the insanely large TBR. I really wish it had been given a different title, as I'm sure many people will gravitate to or away from this book just from the title alone. But "Beautyland" for me, after reading the book, also means Adina appreciating the little human things in the world, finding beauty in everything. The book is so pleasing, just whimsical enough, yet funny, so heartfelt. So HUMAN even if it's about an alien girl. I like that it is vague and unclear what Adina really is, which makes it perfect. But Adina learns what it means to be human, even through her grief. I loved the pop-culture of it all. However, in all of the alien pop-culture Adina mentions, I take issue with her forgetting about the all important alien film Mac & Me! Great book -- an instance when I'm excited to get around to reading an author's past books. (She also says she is working on a speculative fiction trilogy which I already can't wait for!) This is the second book this year that I might love even more, simply because I almost passed it over.… (meer)

I came to this.book because the author is a friend of a friend. I am not sure if I would have read it on my own.

I found some parts wonderful and others tremendously confusing. The whole book felt uncomfortably out of rhythm to me and I really have no idea at all what happened in the final chapter. It is late right now and I am tired so I hope to give the end a reread in the morning when the cobwebs have cleared.

There is much to like about Bertino's writing and I look forward to reading her short story collection but this novel left me mostly unsatisfied.

Update: It's morning and I can't stop thinking about this book. I still don't get the ending. I need to search the text to see if I missed an important early reference to "Charlie" or if that's just another unexpected curve ball. I'm so confused about the principal and whatever was going on with her at the club and the winter assembly.

I'm frustrated because I liked a good chunk of this book - probably 3/4 of it -- but the parts I don't like, I REALLY don't like.
… (meer)