Name: Penelope's review of Beautiful Revolutionary by Laura Elizabeth Woollett
Item: Beautiful Revolutionary
Rating: 5
Author: Penelope

Laura Elizabeth Woollett

The thrilling new novel, inspired by the events at Jonestown in the 1970s. It's the summer of 1968, and Evelyn Lynden is a woman at war with herself. Minister's daughter. Atheist. Independent woman. Frustrated wife. Bitch with a bleeding heart. Following her conscientious-objector husband Lenny to the rural Eden of Evergreen Valley, California, Evelyn wants to be happy with their new life. Yet she finds herself disillusioned with Lenny's passive ways -- and anxious for a saviour. Enter the Reverend Jim Jones, the dynamic leader of a new revolutionary church ... Meticulously researched and masterfully written, Beautiful Revolutionaryexplores the allure of the real-life charismatic leader who would destroy so many. It follows Evelyn as she is pulled into Jones's orbit -- an orbit it would prove impossible for her to leave.

Beautiful Revolutionary

Penelope

It's the summer of 1968, and Evelyn Lynden is a woman at war with herself. Minister's daughter. Atheist. Independent woman. Frustrated wife. Bitch with a bleeding heart. Following her conscientious-objector husband Lenny to the rural Eden of Evergreen Valley, California, Evelyn wants to be happy with their new life. Yet as the world is rocked by warfare and political assassinations, by racial discrimination and social upheaval, she finds herself disillusioned with Lenny's passive ways - and anxious for a saviour. Enter the Reverend Jim Jones, the dynamic leader of a revolutionary church called Peoples Temple. As Evelyn grows closer to Jones, her marriage is just the first casualty of his rise to power. Meticulously researched, elegantly written, and utterly engrossing, Beautiful Revolutionaryexplores the allure of the real-life charismatic leader who would destroy so many. In masterful prose, Woollett painstakingly examines what happens when Evelyn is pulled into Jones's orbit - an orbit it would prove impossible for her to leave.

Dearna Mulvaney

Full review: https://wordsoftheroses.com/2018/11/0...

 “This life is the dawn of revolution and she is ready to meet it in a necklace of thorns, sprouting black feathers, adorned with the reddest roses.” 


I adore that Woollett decided to focus on the individual people whose lives were affected by cult leader Jim Jones rather than focus on Jones. Set in the last 1960s in California, we follow Evelyn Lynden. How she got wrapped up in The People’s Temple and Jim Jones.

The story has been carefully researched and beautifully crafted. Through Evelyn, Woollett continues to explore the theme of why women fall for ‘bad men’. The way the tension built until the final, inevitable conclusion was wonderfully done. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I still felt sick and was praying that the ending would be different. These people get into your heart and don’t let go even after you’ve closed the cover. It’s heartbreaking that you can see when things turn sour, which they seem oblivious too.

If you’re fascinated by cults, true crime or have an interest in Jonestown this one is definitely for you!

The thrilling new novel, inspired by Jim Jones’s Peoples Temple, from the author of The Love of a Bad Man. It’s the summer of 1968, and Evelyn Lynden is a woman at war with herself. Minister’s daughter. Atheist. Independent woman. Frustrated wife. Bitch with a bleeding heart. Following her conscientious-objector husband Lenny to the rural Eden of Evergreen Valley, California, Evelyn wants to be happy with their new life. Yet as the world is rocked by warfare and political assassinations, by racial discrimination and social upheaval, she finds herself disillusioned with Lenny’s passive ways — and anxious for a saviour. Enter the Reverend Jim Jones, the dynamic leader of a revolutionary church called Peoples Temple. As Evelyn grows closer to Jones, her marriage is just the first casualty of his rise to power. Meticulously researched, elegantly written, and utterly engrossing, Beautiful Revolutionary explores the allure of the real-life charismatic leader who would destroy so many. In masterful prose, Woollett painstakingly examines what happens when Evelyn is pulled into Jones’s orbit — an orbit it would prove impossible for her to leave.

Jessica 

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Review originally posted here at Booked J. 
  As always, a copy of this book was provided by the publisher or author in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way. 


This was such a good read. From the time I read the synopsis, I longed to read Beautiful Revolutionary. Based on said synopsis, I gathered that it might serve up some serious The Girls by Emma Cline vibes and that is one of my favourite novels of all time. Plus, I can never say no to any literary release that tackles cults--fictional and non-fictional, there's something about the psychological aspects that will forever intrigue me.

Beautiful Revolutionary captures both fiction and reality in a way that is stunning. Laura Elizabeth Woollett's prose is gorgeous and captivates us from the very start. It is the very definition of impossible to put down and will keep the wheels of your mind turning. I felt almost breathless by the time the story ends.

Because Beautiful Revolutionary tackles a very real subject matter, and a very real cult, it had a lot to live up to. There are many ways to write such a novel, and Laura Elizabeth Woollett is one of the few who can. To capture a cult from all angles is a difficult task, but Beautiful Revolutionary never holds back in its portrayal. Laura Elizabeth Woollett doesn't rely on sensationalizing things, instead fills in the blanks with accuracy.

I've always wondered what it is about cults, and cult leaders, that can completely compel and brainwash so many ordinary people. It's hard to imagine it happening to you. This is one of those cases that seems extraordinarily far-fetched to us on first glance. But, it's not. There's something so utterly terrifying that sometimes, something as simple as someone with a massive hero complex and skill of manipulation can completely consume others.

There are so many horrifying element to the story of Jim Jones and The Peoples Temple and there's really no way around it. This doesn't shy away from the story. So, it goes without saying that this novel will not be for everyone, but if you have even slightly touched base on this particular cult (and that massacre) this novel will surely interest you. 

If you've ever found yourself interested in the psychology of what attracts ordinary people into the inner workings of a cult, Beautiful Revolutionary is for you.

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Beautiful Revolutionary by Laura Elizabeth Woollett

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