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MY REVIEW
I have thought long and hard on how to express my reaction to Marvelous by Molly Greeley. First, I am in awe of how she managed to spin such incredible fiction from the skeleton of facts on the real Pedro Gonzales, as there is not a huge amount of information on him. Of course, as a weaver of tales, a fiction author can and does fill in the missing pieces with the golden threads of their imagination but this is no easy task. Yet Molly’s skill is apparent in her story’s fine construction and its impeccable delivery for the 1500s time period is not an easy one to navigate and in many ways is quite far removed from today’s world. Phrases, customs, scenes and places like the French Royal Court — all would have been heavily researched to make it appear authentic and I believe Molly has achieved this.
Since this story is inspired by a real couple, it is an original interpretation. The characters are brilliantly cast and it is easy to follow them around and view the world through their eyes. I was transported to the 1500s and could easily imagine what it would have been like to have lived during that time. I was so completely inside the story’s framework, I never once found myself comparing Marvelous with the popular telling of this tale. Many will automatically think of the age old Beauty and the Beast— but while reading Marvelous— I remained focused on the real setting rather than that of the imagined fairy-tale one. Aside from magic and spells, the real story is quite different from the various versions, especially the Disney classic.
Which brings me to the next point: Molly’s Marvelous starts with an Author’s Note that is a stunning piece of writing. I have read and reread her beautiful descriptions, over and over and been captivated by them. She spreads her words before us like the Cathedral train of a wedding gown— its exquisite lace and form fluid and enchanting. Her writing here is lyrical, magical and mesmerising as she gives us an account of a painting that started it all. A portrait of a girl, ‘forever eight years old and crowned in flowers’ hangs in the Chateau de Blois. She is no ordinary looking child as her face is covered in hair. And because of this, the author continues to tell us how the young girl’s story has changed over time and become legend.
But it does not end there. Beyond the fairy-tale that was born from the ‘marvelous’ in nature, there is a real history, a real girl with parents who truly lived and experienced both horrific and magnificent things. And we are about to learn what those events are.
The title gets its name from Aristotle’s ‘In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.' And it is an apt one as we see when the plot unfolds. Not only do we learn who Pedro is as a person and his unique physical attributes but also the wondrous surprise of love that comes to him in the most unexpected way. As I watched him and his wife Catherine, I kept thinking their love did not begin as a blazing fire but rather as a gentle whisper, a tip toe into the present. Through their trials, though, they drew closer and a bond developed that became impenetrable and lasting. The difficult court life, the loneliness, the sadness of being an object of others’ fascination, would have been extremely painful. They dealt with it in the best way they knew how.
But before they must make that journey together, Catherine first meets Pedro on their wedding day. It would have been a shock. Molly portrays her awkwardness and his, and we can easily sympathise and understand their difficulties. Even the way they were put together: through Catherine’s father’s financial loss and Catherine de Medici’s experiment. It was on so many levels a sad, intrusive, manipulative act. Catherine felt betrayed by her father and Pedro felt beholden to his Queen. But regardless of the intentions of their matchmakers, with little time, Catherine grew to see her husband in a new way, beyond the hair—his physical attributes, that he was not a beast. His heart was good. Was pure. Was faithful. Even to his captor. And he was even devoted to his male friend who was somewhat of questionable character: a man of contradictions. And even though he plays an important part in Pedro’s story, do we trust him during the battles?
I felt such anguish reading about Pedro Gonzales when he was kidnapped and brought to the French royal court as a boy from the island of Tenerife. The ridicule he suffered for being different (having a genetic condition known as hypertrichosis where there is an abnormal amount of hair growth on the body). And felt sad, too, that beautiful Catherine is traded by her merchant father. She is handed over to the Queen in an exchange for paying off his debts. Part of the bargain is that she must marry Pedro. Ironically, in the end, these two unlikely persons thrown together, eventually find love and understanding in each other. This is the beauty of the tale. And the beastly acts that fall around them, are not by their own hands but those who plot and plunder outside of them. These horrible activities are part of the world in which they are forced to live in. Yes, their lives are affected by the wars and treachery that abound, but this couple are not personally tainted by them.
This is a highly detailed account of the life and times of the couple that possibly inspired the fairy-tale of Beauty and the Beast. But Marvelous is based on real people and has been spun into a magnificent story filled with heart, wisdom, compassion and wonder. And this golden tale is worth reading. I highly recommend this extraordinary portrait of a remarkable couple. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Many thanks to the author, Molly Greeley, and her publisher for a review copy.
