I rated Marvelous a 2/5 but it's somewhere between 2 and 3 stars. I feel pretty meh about Marvelous overall. It was bad but it also didn’t capture my attention. The pacing is a bit slow, which makes it hard to get into. The premise is interesting but the writing didn't hold up for me. If you enjoy retellings and don't mind a slower pace, you may enjoy this book.

Molly Greeley’s latest novel title says it all. Marvelous is simply that. Marvelous.

Told in dual perspective of both Petrus and his wife, Catherine, Greeley explores the life and marriage of Petrus Gonsalvus in medieval France. Born with a genetic disorder that caused hirsutism, Petrus was sold as a young boy to the court of Catherine de Medici.

Some say that the Gonsalvus family is inspiration for Beauty and the Beast, but Greeley completely removes any notion of monster from Petrus and his hirsute family and shows that the real monsters were those who enslaved them as mere forms of entertainment and curiosity rather than intelligent and thoughtful human beings.

As a mother of a child born with a physical deformity (hydrocephalus), this book touched my heart on a visceral level.

Highly recommended for fans of Tracy Chevalier and historical fiction that focuses on lesser known individuals from history.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow and Company, and Molly Greeley for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Who has not loved the story of the Beauty and the Beast? In this richly imagined novel we learn of the Beast, alias Monsieur Sauvage, Petrus, Pierre, Pedro, the real historical man that inspired the Beast. Pedro Gonsalvus born in 1537, was a young boy living in Tenerife, one of the largest of the Canary Islands. However, he was born with what we now know today as a rare genetic disorder, hypertrichosis, which manifested as an extreme form of hirsutism. Stolen by pirates, he was gifted, boxed in a cage, to the French King Henry II upon his coronation, for his amusement. However, when his aptitude for languages and his polished behavior became apparent, he was appointed a court education and life far beyond his wildest dreams. Enter Catherine deMedici, King Henry's wife who thought that peculiar looking children of Pedro would make a lovely court "exhibit". She procured the daughter of a merchant who had fallen on his ways, by repaying his debt and marrying his daughter to Pedro. Eventually, the two of them fell deeply in love with a solid respect and friendship. Be that as it may, there were many instances of shame and bumps in the road before then.
Greeley's writing is smooth, luxurious and inundated with feeling and connection. There was a palpable tenderness that was endearing. However, in the latter half of the book, I found I was not as engaged as the writing became rather hypnotic and dulled my senses. Nonetheless, it is a marvelous fable;I will never be able to look at Beauty and the Beast again without feeling the extent of their lives spent in exhibition. The fact that their love grew only stronger the longer they were together in this glass house makes for a true love story for the ages. Bravo Ms. Greeley!

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for a chance at reading this book.

Honestly, the book looks so much better in summary. You are expecting a detailed, dialogue heavy plot. Unfortunately, it's told in passive narrative - little to no dialogue. No deep dives into character development, detail. Everything is told at you and it is BORING.

I tried my damndest to get through the book but made it 25% in to stop. I honestly don't see how the book ca go on any further story-wise. There is no conflict, villain.

Maybe this book is good for some but for me, I don't really feel the need to continue and to rate it highly.

I've been pondering this book for several days. Is it weird? Is it endearing? I still don't know but what I do know is that I had to know more. This book sent me to google and wikipedia more than any book I have read in a long time.

Marvelous is the story of Pedro and Catherine, real people in real life but with a fictionalized story. He is stolen from his family as a boy because of the unusual hair covering his whole body and face. The man who inspired "the Beast" was sent to France to live at court, married a beautiful woman and lived life. None of which were easy.

Their struggles and successes were compelling and page turning even when the pacing was slow. It's not a speed read. It's not a fast paced adventure. But what I found it to be is a story of humanity and love and family. I think this would make a great book club pick. I am totally itching to discuss with someone.

This reminded me of my love for Philippa Gregory's stories about the Plantegenets and Tudors. For historical readers who like the older stuff, this is for you.

2.75/5 stars! The cover of this book was so stunning I just had to read it. After reading the premise, I wasn't sure what to expect. This book found a way to blend the magic of Beauty and the Beast and history. The writing was lovely, but the pacing was extremely slow. Fans of historical tales will likely enjoy this story.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

I was surprised when I read Greeley’s previous book, The Heiress, for the unconventional route that it took. Marvelous is similarly unconventional, though this time around the focus of her story is a real life man and his family; a man presumed to be the origin behind the Beauty and the Beast story. It’s written with the same beautiful, heartbreaking prose about people that don’t fit into conventional society. This story is told both from the view of Pedro (also known as Petrus, Pierre, and Master Sauvage) and his wife Catherine, who is dowried into the marriage by the queen of France after her father goes into debt. Naturally, things do not go well at first, as Petrus does not want Catherine to think his manners match his appearance, and Catherine wondering just what exactly her father got her into. After the birth of their first child the two begin to find their way together and form their family, but ever present is the reminder that they live and serve at the whimsy of the court, as a part of their menagerie of oddities. It is hard not to feel for Petrus, Catherine and their children as they try to live their lives with any sense of normality and yet with the ever constant threat and cruelty from others. And yet, maybe the switching back and forth between two characters, while giving two different perspectives, makes it more difficult to fully inhabit either one of them. It feels like just as I get in the mind of one and how they feel about their circumstances, it switches again. I also don’t really like how periodically the story is told by Catherine after Petrus has died. I don’t think it adds anything to the story, as nothing significant happens afterwards, beyond the reader getting to observe Catherine in the absence of Petrus. This is not surprisingly an overly happy story, but is a powerful one, and a reminder that appearances are not everything, and can be deceiving. Maybe if I read this again in a different headspace I would enjoy it more. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Beauty and the Beast subgenre of fantasy is one of my favorites, but it wasn’t until this book that I found it originated from a real historical situation. Marvelous by Molly Greeley is a historical fiction account of this happening in the court of Catherine de Medici, in the 1500’s. It is the story of Pedro Gonzales, who was a child truly covered with hair and kidnapped from his home and family, sold to the kind of France. As he tries to create a new life and deal with no loved ones, he also must deal with being treated as a lesser human being because he is different in appearance. Pedro is eventually treated well on the surface, but we see via Greeley’s writing that comments and relationships show that he is constantly reminded that he is a pet. The king eventually “acquires” a bride for him though and his story begins to resemble beauty and the beast lore. Greeley does a wonderful job of writing the essence of the time period. She helps us understand that although all of the king’s subjects and courtiers are below him in society, Pedro and his family are even lower. The amount of subliminal humiliation is right up there with the obvious disregard for his pride and feelings. The truth is definitely stranger than fiction in this instance. It will change the way that I look at fantasy stories of the Beast in the future, always remembering that there was no charm or spell that could make Pedro’s life normal again. Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read this advance copy in return for an honest review.

- DNF
- Written In third person Present Tense
- Pet Peeve

This is an unfair review.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC of Marvelous by Molly Greeley

I cannot stand third person present-tense books. I am fully aware that this is a personal pet peeve and completely my own bias. My dislike for this writing style has NOTHING to do with the story or the ability of the author to communicate and write effectively, therefore I will not be posting this review on any other platform.

Book is set in the 1600s. A 10 year old boy Pedro suffering from extreme hirsutism is kidnapped and presented to the French king as a gift .He grows up in the French royal court and is married off to a young woman who is initially unhappy with the marriage.
However they eventually come to care for one another and raise children who are afflicted with the same condition .
It’s a moving tale about family and love , and looking beyond the surface

1547: Pedro is a young boy living on a small island. He’s different from all the other kids – he has hair all over his body. When he’s kidnapped, he finds himself in the hands of a slave broker. When he’s bought by a French aristocrat, he finds himself a member of France’s royal court.

Pedro is married to Catherine, a beautiful girl who’s father has fallen on hard times and offers his daughter in exchange for his debts to be wiped clean.

Catherine meets Pedro for the first time on their wedding day. Now she is shocked not only by her father’s betrayal, but by the man she is to wed.

The two learn to navigate the world together and what unfolds is a story that is both heartbreaking and hopeful.

Review:

I would classify this book as a coming of age novel for Pedro and not much more. There isn’t much plot besides his life. Which is fine, it was written beautifully, but I found it rather boring overall. I just couldn’t get into it. I felt it was rather slow, and I lost interest. I wish that it would have been a faster paced book as I think that would have helped me get into it more. The premise is very interesting, I just wish this would have been a better read for me.

I will not be featuring this book on my main social media. I will post the review here and on goodreads.

What a lovely story! Each point of view was riveting, heartbreaking, and yet so compelling. This story is fascinating from the first word to the last. I'd like to think Molly Greeley's masterfully wrought tale of the Gonsalvus family is true. There are villains here but triumphs too. Unforgettable as well as marvelous!

A magical, sweet, and sorrowful retelling of Beauty and the Beast, all the more magical for the lack of actual magic. The magic of this story is found in the tale of a boy with hypertrichosis and the young woman forced to marry him for economic reasons who find love and the ability to see beyond the surface of appearance to the heart.

The true "story" of Beauty and the Beast is fictionalized here. I put story in quotes because while this is the basis for Beauty and the Beast (according to many), the only similarity really is a man who is hairy. Pedro is born in Tenerife with a rare condition where he has hair all over his body. When he is young, he is whisked away to the royal palace of France. Later, he is married to Catherine, a beautiful young woman who is essentially being sold to pay her father's debts. At first their relationship is rocky, but after the birth of their first child, they grow to love each other.

I have mixed feelings about this book. Was the writing beautiful? Yes. Was there much plot besides their lives? No. It felt almost too biographical with no real denouement. I think if it was a bit shorter, then this would not have been a problem. I am also mixed on what historical fiction I like, so this could have just been a personal preference!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"A mesmerizing novel set in the French royal court of Catherine de' Medici during the Renaissance, which recreates the touching and surprising true story behind the Beauty and the Beast legend, from the acclaimed author of The Clergyman's Wife and The Heiress.

1547: Pedro Gonzales, a young boy living on the island of Tenerife, understands that he is different from the other children in his village. He is mercilessly ridiculed for the hair covering his body from head to toe. When he is kidnapped off the beach near his home, he finds himself delivered by a slave broker into the dangerous and glamorous world of France's royal court. There "Monsieur Sauvage," as he is known, learns French, literature, and sword fighting, becoming an attendant to the French King Henri II and a particular favorite of his queen, the formidable Catherine de' Medici. Queen Catherine considers herself a collector of unusual people and is fascinated by Pedro…and determined to find him a bride.

Catherine Raffelin is a beautiful seventeen-year-old girl whose merchant father has fallen on hard times and offers up his daughter to Queen Catherine. The queen will pay his debts, and his daughter will marry Monsieur Sauvage.

Catherine meets Pedro for the first time on their wedding day. Barely recovered from the shock of her father's betrayal, she soon finds herself christened "Madame Sauvage" by the royal courtiers, and must learn to navigate this strange new world, and the unusual man who is now her husband.

Gorgeously written, heartbreaking and hopeful, Marvelous is the portrait of a marriage, the story of a remarkable, resilient family, and an unforgettable reimaging of one of the world’s most beloved fairy tales."

Oh a Fairy Tale reimaging with Catherine de' Medici!?! You can't give me this book fast enough.

This lovely, bittersweet love story about an unusual arranged marriage in the sixteenth-century court of Catherine de' Medici. The story is true, attested to in historical sources from the time-- what is not known for sure is whether this true story served as the basis for the Beauty and the Beast legend. Molly Greeley draws out all the similarities in the two narratives, lending her novel a beautiful dreamlike quality; at the same time she does not shy away from depicting the sometimes harsh realities behind the fairy tale. An imaginative work of historical imagination and empathy.

I just reviewed Marvelous by Molly Greeley. #Marvelous #NetGalley

I really tried to like this book, but I just couldn't get into it. it was too slow for me.

What an incredible story. This was a fantastic choice for a historical novel. The characters are extraordinary, the settings thrilling, and the plot itself so incredible it's shocking to find out it’s true.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical, heartbreaking fiction as much as character- and world building.

This historical fiction story examines the family that many believe to be the origin of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. Pedro is kidnapped from his home in the Canary Islands and sold to the King of France as a curiosity. Seeing that he is intelligent, the King has him educated and allows him to live at court calling him Petrus. Catherine is the daughter of a merchant who has fallen on hard times when the Queen pays her dowry so that she can marry Petrus, it should be a dream come true to live at court. This is not the romance of a captive young woman and a beast, but instead focuses on their life and the family they make together.
A beautiful story, though it lags at points. I love Catherine's strength and the love that she shows for her family. The idea of living at the whim of a noble or royalty was very touching and at times startling. Pedro/Petrus's life is described as being very different but also quite similar to many of that era, and the strength and grace he must show is admirable.

I don't really know what to say about this one, except that I am sad I didn't enjoy it more. Whether this was the fault of the book itself or my possibly not being in the right frame of mind to read it at this point in time, I don't know. The premise was compelling (an historical fiction/'Beauty and the Beast' retelling, set within the opulent court of the French queen Catherine de' Medici), the descriptions of time and place rich and atmospheric, and there were several moments of strong character work that left me sighing.

Unfortunately, what this novel does well was overshadowed for me by the dragging pace of the action and the uncertain timeline; and in terms of the characters and the romance, there was an overworked quality to the writing that mostly held me at a remove from the story being told.