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Beautiful

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Beautiful

By: Juliet Marillier
Narrated by: Gemma Dawson
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About this listen

With the Nordic fairy tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon as her inspiration, Juliet Marillier weaves a magical story of a young princess' search for her true self.

Hulde is a queen's daughter and lives in a palace. But her life is lonely. Growing up atop the glass mountain, she knows only her violent and autocratic mother and a household of terrified servants.

Then a white bear named Rune comes to visit, and Hulde learns what kindness is.

But the queen has a plan for Hulde. When she turns 16, she will wed the most beautiful man in all the world. Hulde has never met her intended husband, and her mother refuses to explain the arrangement. Hulde becomes desperate to find out more, and seeks the help of a magic mirror. Perhaps someone is coming to her rescue.

On her wedding day, Hulde's existence is turned upside down. For the first time she leaves the glass mountain behind, setting out to be as brave as the heroines in her beloved storybook.

The journey will test Hulde to the limit. Can she overcome her fears and take control of her own life?

©2019 Juliet Marillier (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC. Classics Fantasy
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A sweet little story, but the narrator killed it, not a good storyteller, very droll, she also spoke too fast and did not put pauses in where required.

A sweet little story, but the narrator killed it

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Gemma Dawson done a great job her vioce is easy and pleasant to listen to i did enjoy the story and the way it was read thank you

easy to listen

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For me to give a book 5 stars comes down to whether or not I would want to purchase a hard cover of the book and know I would re read it.

This book I found was lovely! I enjoyed following the character build up and enjoyed the theme that did follow through to the end (I enjoyed this, because consistency is KEY.)

Everything flowed and made sense and overall the story was enjoyable and I think almost cute, especially with the main character.

Having finished it I am still unsure however as to whether or not I would sit down and re read it for myself. I can see myself one day reading it to my kids at night for bedtime but I don’t think I would read it for myself.

I think I’m happy with giving it 4.5 stars

4.5 stars and here’s why

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A beautifully narrated tale that sweeps you along with twists and turns. Loved it! Thank you.

A wonderful tale of discovery!

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While the narration on this is a bit flat, and it lacks the scope of Marillier’s other works, this is still a deeply enjoyable listen.

Another solid entry from Marillier

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Inspired by the Norwegian fairytale East of the Sun and West of the Moon, Hulde's journey is an extraordinary and lyrically beautiful narrative, following the journey of a courageous and captivating young woman on a journey to discover the world.

Simply exquisite

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This has been my winter gymspiration and I've been looking forward to each workout so I can hear the next part. Find the full review on www.tintededges.com soon

Absolutely enchanting

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To begin with I couldn’t find the familiar feel of Juliet Marillier’s story telling and worried this would be too far from my comfort reads. I’m so glad I kept listening to this beautiful story of finding oneself, learning to ask for help and trusting your voice to lead you the right way.
Highly recommended 😊

Something a little different

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Beauty can be internal or external, true or faked, but however it comes, it alters our own perception of the world and the way people respond to us. It is the nature of beauty and how it influences us that is at the heart of Juliet Marillier’s fantasy fairy tale for adults.

Like all good fairy tales, Beautiful has a moral compass that takes us through an adventure filled with curses and trolls, good vs evil, and a quest for love and self-acceptance. The story evolves through the eyes of Hulda, a princess trapped in lonely life at the top of a mountain. As young as seven, Hulda already knows she is destined to many a prince she has never met. Her life is controlled completely by her autocratic mother, including her friendship with Rune, a kind-hearted bear that visits once every three years and teaches Hulda about the beauty hiding in front of her eyes.

When disaster strikes on her wedding day, a 16-year-old Hulda sets forth on a quest to save her groom with unexpected support from those she learns to trust and whose trust she earns. The quest leads Hulda to embrace herself and discover what truly makes someone beautiful.

Released exclusively as an audiobook through Audible Studios, Beautiful is an expanded reworking of a novella released last year. Author Juliet Marillier is a historical fantasy writer who has loosely based her fable on a Nordic fairy tale, East of the Sun and West of the Moon. Her story provides an alternative telling of the original fable which unravelled from the viewpoint of the bear and his girlfriend.

Beautiful is read by the marvellous Gemma Dawson, whose proper British accent is fitting of the central character. Dawson brings Princess Hulda to life with all the emotions and wonder of a sheltered young girl who finds herself on an unexpected and dangerous adventure. Fuelled by Marillier’s strong characterisations, Dawson’s narration is heartfelt and engaging.

While the plot is fairly straight-forward, there is a lot of depth to be found in both the characters and their journey, making Beautiful an easy but satisfying listen for ages 14 and above.

Add it to your recommended listening library.

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I enjoyed this from the start to the end. The story is written beautifully. In the beginning I thought it was going to be about a beautiful princess who has to deal with life at a much larger court than she was raised in, but plot twist - it's not. It's a lovely story, and very different to anything I have read before.

Lovely

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