Review: The Beautiful Ones

The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Thomas Dunne Books and Silvia Moreno-Garcia for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you are in the mood for a love story that takes its time to unfold, characters who dance before your eyes, the evil, the innocent and the lost souls, magicians and those with magical powers and ahhh the power of love, then read this book!

Imagine France, during the Belle Epoque. Grand balls, beautiful gowns, debutantes and their suitors set the stage for this love story. Antonina (Nina for short) is not your typical debutante dreaming of fancy dresses, jewels, gossiping with her girlfriends or waiting to fall in love with a handsome beau. She doesn’t care about learning how to needlepoint and rejects the rules of society that dictate how a young girl how she should behave. She loves to explore the outdoors, want to learn about science and oh yes, there is this small matter of her magical powers that she has not yet learned to control. In her small town, Nina’s reputation for being odd has already spread, damaging her chances for a good marriage. So, Nina is sent to Loisail to live with her cousin Gaetan and his wife Valerie, where she might have better luck.

Hector is a magician whose talents are unparalleled. His shows are sold out to packed houses, with audiences marvelling at his abilities. Hector and Nina meet and Nina convinces Hector to teach her how to control her telekinesis. Of course Nina falls for Hector but Hector is keeping a secret. The only reason he returned to Loisail was to see Valerie. Valerie was Hector’s first love and she broke his heart. Although Valerie’s beauty is unparalleled, the years haven’t been kind to her. She is a hard bitter woman whom no one or nothing can please. Valerie will do everything in her power to destroy the romance between Hector and NIna, refusing to let him go and love another. Can Hector move on from Valerie? Will Nina still love him after she learns the truth?

This is not a book that you race through, quickly turning page after page to see what happens next. This a novel to be savoured. The way Garcia writes you don’t want to rush, you want to experience it all including the setting and the complex characters. Valerie is deliciously evil and Nina is not a sickly-sweet, helpless character in contrast, but richly drawn in her own right. You feel for Hector because his love for Valerie is pure and he gave of himself fully but he was left broken for so many years.

I enjoyed this novel immensely and found myself wanting to go back in time to drop in and visit with these characters and spend more time in this world that Garcia created.

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