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Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

 

Beautiful UglyBeautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Review: Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney – A Study in Grief and the "Piquant" Twist
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

As an indie author, I often view established writers as frogs on their own well-earned lily pads in the massive pool of fiction. Alice Feeney certainly has her own pad, and her latest, Beautiful Ugly, is a book that demands a specific "taste" for the water around it.

The Grip of Reality
The book gripped me initially because it handles a theme I know intimately: Grief. Feeney captures the suffocating nature of loss and the way a "safe space" can suddenly become a prison. Having recently navigated my own loss of independence due to health challenges, I found the portrayal of the main character’s entrapment on the Isle of Amberleigh to be exceptionally resonant. She captures that "first-year plod" of survival perfectly—and the "sledgehammer" realization that follows.

The "Animal" Lens
A wise writer knows that if you introduce an animal, the reader’s focus shifts. The health and safety of the dog in this story became my primary anchor. Feeney understands that in a world of human chaos, the animal often becomes the soul of the book.

Atmosphere and World-Building
Feeney’s background as a journalist shines through in her meticulous descriptions of the island. I particularly enjoyed the naming of the lanes—it reminded me of the clever, thematic naming conventions seen in Midsomer Murders. (It even put me in mind of a quaint "Needless Alley" I recently discovered in Birmingham!)

The "Piquant" Disconnect
While the prose is strong, the "flavor" of the book ultimately wasn't my cup of tea. To me, it felt like adding milk to Earl Grey—a clash of profiles that didn't quite settle.

The Methodology: As a writer with a background in psychology, I found the "twists" and the methodology of the plot a bit muddled.

Confabulation vs. Truth: While the characters may have been "confabulating"—filling in memory gaps to make sense of frightful situations—the shifting truths between characters left me frustrated rather than intrigued.

The Conclusion: The "Amazonian," feminist-heavy lean of the ending didn't align with my personal taste. I prefer a story where the logic holds firm under forensic scrutiny, and some of the explanations here felt physically impossible.

Final Thoughts
Listening to a book is a different sensory experience than reading it, and perhaps the "audio" flavor skewed my perception. While I appreciate Feeney's skill in depicting the stages of denial and anger, the final destination was one I didn't care to visit. It is a piquant read, but one that left me standing on the shore, rather than joining her on that particular lily pad.

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