Author Biography | Interview | Books by this Author | Read-Alikes
Libba Bray is an author of young adult novels, including A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, The Sweet Far Thing and Going Bovine.
Her first novel, A Great and Terrible Beauty, was a New York Times bestseller. In November 2006, a video promoting the book was a part of The Book Standard's Teen Book Video Awards.
Libba Bray lives in New York City with her husband and son.
Libba Bray's website
This bio was last updated on 10/21/2016. In a perfect world, we would like to keep all of BookBrowse's biographies up to date, but with many thousands of lives to keep track of it's simply impossible to do. So, if the date of this bio is not recent, you may wish to do an internet search for a more current source, such as the author's website or social media presence. If you are the author or publisher and would like us to update this biography, send the complete text and we will replace the old with the new.
Q: From the beginning, you envisioned Gemma as a heroine who kicks butt and
takes names–all in a corset and crinoline. What changed about the character
after you began writing the book? What stayed the same?
A: It's hard to believe, but I actually envisioned Gemma and the book as
being much lighter and funnier. Yeah, right, because dealing with supernatural
visions, secret societies, and lots of not-quite-dead people is always a real
laugh riot, right? Okey-dokey. Moving on . . . I did always see Gemma as
sardonic, a social commentator in the vein of a Jane Austen character, and I
think that stayed the same. But as often happens in the course of the writing,
the character took over, and I discovered that Gemma was much more vulnerable
and conflicted and infuriating and all those yummy things that make people into
people. And for that, I am glad.
Q: Gemma is accepted into the most powerful and mean-spirited clique at
Spence only because of blackmail–she keeps a secret that could destroy
Felicity's future. But as her friendships with Felicity, Pippa, and Ann develop,
she begins to love and trust them. And she is offered, in turn, love and trust,
anger and mistrust. The only rule of the ...
Ann Brashares grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland with her three brothers and attended a Quaker school in the DC area called Sidwell Friends. She studied Philosophy at Barnard College, part of Columbia University in New ... (more)
If you enjoyed:
Rebel Angels
Try:
The Second Summer of The Sisterhood
by Ann Brashares
Ananda Braxton-Smith is a journalist and children's author. She has written several titles including a series for older readers, the Secrets of Carrick. The first two books in the series, Merrow and Tantony, were Children&#... (more)
If you enjoyed:
A Great and Terrible Beauty
Try:
Merrow
by Ananda Braxton-Smith
We recommend 14 similar authors
The Stone Home
by Crystal Hana Kim
A moving family drama and coming-of-age story revealing a dark corner of South Korean history.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
