Academic Noir set in London and France
Beautiful People – Amanda Jennings
Remember your university days? Leaving home (probably for the first time), meeting new people, making new friends and wanting to fit in?
Well, in this book when Victoria meets the beautiful people, she sees that not that glitters is gold….
Map of literary locations in Beautiful People
BOARDING PASS INFORMATION
Destination : University in London
Author guide: Amanda Jennings
Genre: thriller
Food and drink to accompany: Student rations or student splurge?
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A novel to transport you to your university days
Map of literary locations in Beautiful People
You can see why Victoria would want to go to university. She has a father in prison and a mentally ill brother so it’s just her and her mum really. Family is not what she wants it to be or needs, so university must have felt like a blessing. Well, it’s a change at least!
She finds a nice boarding house close to the university and meets all manner of exciting shiny people. She is a bit of fish out of water as everyone else seems to be posh, from boarding school with rich parents etc but that’s the pull really. Maybe she can be one of them? Get into their clique and be shiny herself?
Fast forward many years and Victoria now living abroad, has been commissioned to paint someone famous, a film star, who is about to get married. Of course, the two timelines clash in the most spectacular of ways and then some!!
If you have been to uni or not, that sense of wanting to fit in, wanting somewhere to call home and have a ‘family’ of your own is compelling and understandable to many. I felt like a protective friend or mother reading about Victoria and wanted to shout out, warn her etc. All of the character’s seemed to have stepped straight from a Donna Tartt novel or Flatliners the film – what was going to happen? Like watching an impending car crash, you can’t help but watch through your fingers. I read this book pretty much like that.
A book club (or psychologist) would have a field day examining some of what goes on here. Why should you read it? Perfect scene setting of course, an academic Noir feel all around and some very thoughtful and meaningful issues too. It’s the sharp writing that hooks however.
If you were at university with someone called Amanda Jennings be worried haha I would be having Amix of feelings right now 😉
Map of literary locations in Beautiful People
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More books set in academic settings
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Beautiful People
Twitter: @MandaJJennings
