Stunning and wonderful..., January 3, 2010
Wow. My first read of 2010 is a winner! This YA novel is a jewel, a treasure of a book that will resonate with females from 5 to 50. Yes, it's ostensibly the story of a teenaged girl with a port wine stain on her face, but it's so much deeper than that. The reader follows Terra on a journey of self-discovery that includes revelations about the nature and meaning of true beauty.

It's somewhat the story of a dysfunctional family with an abusive father, yes -- but also about a mother who's a compulsive eater, distant brothers, an inattentive boyfriend, a self-absorbed best girlfriend, and a self-loathing main character who spends her free time making up her face and creating collages in a local art studio. It's also about meeting that one special someone who "gets you".

Terra meets Jacob after almost running him down outside of a coffeehouse. Thus begins the transformation of a lonely, controlled but ambitious girl into "iron goddess". Using map-making terminology throughout, North of Beautiful is an amazingly complex novel loaded with many interesting details. Terra, Jacob and their mothers embark on a trip to China that exceeds all expectations and transforms each of the travelers into the person he/she was ultimately meant to be. Just as Terra builds her collages, layer upon layer, the experiences each has in that country reveal the hidden beauty that every person carries inside.

I loved this book. Stop reading this review right now and order it. Read it and love it as I did. Pass it on to everyone you know!

Denise

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Even though this is a young adult book I really enjoyed it. A wonderful story of what true beauty is.

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Reviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.com

Can a perfect body make up for an imperfect face?

Terra Cooper hopes so, though she knows that no matter how great her figure is, it won't stop people from staring at her port-wine stain. Her birthmark has always haunted her, a stubborn red splotch marring her face, that won't go away no matter how many expensive laser treatments she undergoes. The latest technology always loses the battle with Terra's face.

Terra's birthmark isn't her only problem, though. If only life were that simple.

Although Terra is accepted into Williams College, her first choice East Coast school, her father says it is out of the question. What he doesn't understand is that his overbearing presence is a big contributing factor to why Terra longs to flee from Washington. She would feel guilty for leaving her mom alone to fend for herself against her father's never-ending onslaught of insults. However, like her older brothers, Terra wants nothing more than to leave and start someplace fresh.

With a dysfunctional family and a boyfriend, Erik, that knows her body far better than he knows her, Terra has nothing to anchor her in Colville, Washington.

When Terra inadvertently (quite literally) runs into a Goth Chinese boy and his coffee bean mogul mother, her life takes an interesting turn. Jacob understands her in ways that Erik could never even aspire to. It's almost eerie how clearly he sees past her façades and can read her mind.

Is it cheating to visit China with a boy who is not your boyfriend? How about if your mother and his mother are along for the ride?

Justina Chen Headley seems to get better with each book she writes, and NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL is by far her strongest work thus far. Headley never oversimplifies emotions or situations, and even her periphery characters have impressive depth. With an eclectic mix of cartography, collage-making, and geocaching, she paints a tender story with hipster flair.

Headley celebrates Terra's successes and strengths as well as her struggles and vulnerability with a complexity rarely achieved in literature.

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Loved this book. Beautiful cover .. First book I've ever read that someone talked about geocaching. Love 2 go geocaching with my kids.

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