Marvelous

by Molly Greeley

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Marvelous is a historical retelling of the life of a 16th century man with hypertrichosis (excessive hair growth) which might (or might not) have been the inspiration for Beauty and the Beast, written and reimagined by Molly Greeley. Released 28th Feb 2023 by HarperCollins on their William Morrow imprint, it's 416 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format out in 1st quarter 2024 from the same publisher.

This is a compelling idea; how the real life of a person with a genetic condition could play out during a time period where the "best and brightest" simply didn't have the scientific knowledge to understand why people varied from the norm. As such, MC Pedro was kidnapped from his birthplace and sold as a curiosity to Catherine de’ Medici, and lived his life as a favored pet, more or less. She arranged a marriage for him and gifted some of his children to friends (this really happened). 

The author has taken a great deal of artistic license with the historical framework (she partially credits the pandemic with limited research opportunities). The book is written in a dispassionate third person present tense which feels artificial in places. It's also ornate and bombastic throughout. Overall, it's quite readable and tragic, and a worthwhile story, based on actual historical events. The execution was wanting. 

There is no deep character development, almost no dialogue, and a stuttery "highlight reel" type narrative describing the high points of Pedro's life along with his wife. 

Three stars. Worth a look for die-hard Beauty and the Beast fans. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.