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Beautiful cover art

Beautiful

By: Juliet Marillier
Narrated by: Gemma Dawson
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Publisher's Summary

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.

What listeners say about Beautiful

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
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    101
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Story
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A sweet little story, but the narrator killed it

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.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

easy to listen

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

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

4.5 stars and here’s why

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

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A wonderful tale of discovery!

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

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Another solid entry from Marillier

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.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Simply exquisite

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.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely enchanting

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

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Something a little different

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 😊

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Christine

I’m a long time fan of juliet marillier and once again was captivated by her tale I liked the narration as well
I’d listen again to this story of courage and heartrending honesty

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Liked the message

I loved how the story began and inner meaning of the story!! Although I felt the second part is a bit dragged compared to the first part otherwise if was fun to listen.

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1 person found this helpful

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