With evocative writing and a sensitive approach, Molly Greeley tells the story of Pedro Gonzalez, a man born with hypertrichosis. Marvelous is both a love story and an exploration of living with physical difference in the 16th century. I enjoyed this tremendously! My interview with the author be published by the Historical Novel Society near publication date. Anyone who loves Beauty and the Beast should not miss this one.

I mistakenly thought this book was going to be fantasy at first, but then I quickly realized that it is historical fiction and I was mistaken.

However, I enjoyed this book. I wish I was more familiar with the time period to really understand what was happening during the religious/political conflict. I had to do my own research to fill in the gaps with my own knowledge.

It saddens me to know that Pedro was truly treated this way in real life. I have so much empathy for him and such a soft spot for Catherine by the end of the book. I enjoyed reading about their love and life after marriage.

Overall, it was an intriguing read that got me out of my reading comfort zone and I will definitely be looking into more work by Molly Greeley

Based on actual people, and possibly the origin of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, this is the story of Pedro Gonzales, a young boy covered in hair from head to foot, kidnapped from the island of Tenerife and sold to the French King in the 1540s. Once at the Royal Court and discovered to be able to speak, he is removed from his cage and made a member of the Court, learning the same subjects as the other young men. He soon becomes a favorite of the Queen, Catherine de Medici, who likes to collect "unusual" people, and she decides to find him a wife. Catherine Raffelin is chosen, a beautiful young woman, and her father's debts are paid and her dowry provided by the Queen, and yes, Catherine does agree in order to save her father. And this is where their lives together begin. The story begins at the end, and then flashes back, which oft times is annoying, but does work in this case. It does this time shift repeatedly throughout the book. The point of view also moves between Catherine and Pedro/Petrus which is absolutely necessary. I actually didn't realize the characters were real until I read the afterward. The research is splendid and inserted into the story effortlessly. You simply walk into the time period and all is as it should be. The characters are deep and rich. The chaos and trauma of Pedro's early life is overwhelming, and the constant sense of imprisonment throughout his life, of always being Monsieur Sauvage, is heartbreaking. And the fact that their children were not their own, that no matter how luxurious their surroundings, they were still essentially animals or slaves.... The inclusion of the other unusuals in the Court was equally fascinating, an aspect of history almost completely overlooked. Stunning writing. Highly recommended.

Have you ever wondered the history behind "Beauty and the Beast?" Look no further, Marvelous tells the story of the relationship that inspired the tale.

This was such an interesting story, full of heartache and hope and everything in-between, I was absolutely captivated from the very beginning.

Marvelous is a perfect read for fans of historical fiction, fairytale retellings, romantic fantasy and court intrigue. If this sounds like you, you should add it to your list now!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Once in a while, a novel comes along that is both different and special. “Marvelous” is such a book. Retellings of fairy tales are not unusual, and some of them are quite good. But here Molly Greeley explores the real-life story that gave rise to one of the best-loved tales, “Beauty and the Beast.” In doing so, she raises issues of inclusion, trust, acceptance, the effects of trauma, and basic humanity—all in a gentle, non-preachy way.

Pedro Gonzales, later known as Petrus Gonsalvus or Pierre Sauvage (Pierre the Savage, which itself says a great deal about other people’s views of him), was born on Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, around 1537. We know from early on that he was abandoned by his mother as an infant, presumably because he was born covered in hair—a rare genetic condition that was seen at the time as evidence that a child was the spawn of a devil. His adoptive mother, Isabel, belongs to the indigenous people of Tenerife, the Guanche, whose culture and religion have been all but obliterated by the conquering Spaniards. So she and her son, Manuel, are also, in a sense, outcasts.

When Pedro is around nine, pirates kidnap him, and he winds up at the court of the French King Henri II and Henri’s wife, Catherine de’ Medici. Henri, charmed by Pedro’s combination of strangeness and acumen, takes the child under his wing and gives him a royal education, as well as financial support. But the effects of Pedro’s abandonment, early mistreatment, and capture—heightened by the suspicion and disrespect of his fellow nobles, most of whom see him as little better than a trained monkey—leave him feeling perennially unsure of himself.

When Catherine de’ Medici arranges his marriage to her namesake, the beautiful sixteen-year-old daughter of a merchant who has fallen on hard times, Pedro has no idea how to talk to this girl who is half his age. Her discomfort—how many teenage girls want to marry, sight unseen, a taciturn man in his mid-thirties who looks like a Wookie?—plays into Petrus’s fears, and the newlywed couple struggles to find a connection. But when fate deals Catherine a hand she has both anticipated and feared, she rises to the challenge, and Pedro begins to realize that she is nothing like the mother he lost.

Greeley does a great job in conveying the sensory experience of her two leads and, by alternating Pedro’s view with Catherine’s, charting their individual growth, which in turn creates a credible portrayal of their developing relationship. If you love books focused on family and identity, as well as stories set just a little off the beaten path, this is definitely a novel for you.

I will be interviewing this author for the New Books Network (link below) in March 2023.

A great fantasy novel! Molly Greeley writes fantasy in such a specific way that really scratches a certain itch. I really enjoyed Marvelous, and look forward to its publication and wider release!

I want to begin by saying that this story did end up growing on me the longer I stuck it out. So it does have its moments.

But the first thing you will notice when picking up this book is how sterile the writing is. There just isn't any personality to it. The narrative is also set up like a highlight reel of the two characters lives over the course of seven decades. There are a lot of time jumps and only key moments are explored. Because of that, it was difficult to really believe the relationship between Catherine and Pedro.

That being said, I did feel invested in them by the end. I think it helps that they were real people, so I was interested in reading about things they experienced, feelings they probably felt, and how they handled French and Italian society. I actually really enjoyed how they grew their family and handled raising their children.

So while the writing style isn't for me, the story actually is an interesting one, especially if you want to learn about the origins of the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ fairytale.

France and Italy - Mid Sixteenth Century

Pedro Gonsalvus lives on the island of Tenerife with Isabel and her grown son. He has no idea who his real parents are as he was left on the steps of the local church where he was found and brought to Isabel. Pedro is well aware of why he was abandoned for he is what others consider an abomination. With his entire body covered in hair, it is difficult for him to go unnoticed. One day, as he gathers mussels by the shoreline for Isabel, he is captured by pirates. Terrified, the boy is kept captive on the ship until he is sold to a tradesman in Paris. Pedro ends up being a gift to King Henri II of France for his coronation. The king educates the boy, making him a part of the court, his name changed to Petrus Gonsalvus, he is, however, nicknamed Monsieur Sauvage. Petrus is the particular favorite of Queen Catherine de Medici, who is determined to find a beautiful wife for him.

Catherine D'Aubray has been the adored daughter of her merchant father, particularly after the untimely death of her mother. But falling upon hard times, her father is offered a way out of his financial difficulties by allowing Queen Catherine to pay his debts if he agrees to let his daughter marry a man chosen by her majesty. To Catherine's shock and horror, the man who she is wed to is the courtier known as Monsieur Sauvage. Having to deal with the confusion of the French court as well as a marriage to a man who barely communicates with her, Catherine also has to come to terms of being labeled Madame Sauvage.

Most readers will recognize this amazing tale by its fictional name of Beauty and the Beast. The fact that MARVELOUS is based on historical fact in many ways makes this heartbreaking, yet uplifting story a page turner. How Petrus and Catherine deal with, and survive in the turmoil of the French court, particularly after the death of King Henri, is told in detail, relating both historical fact, and creative fictional accounts.It takes the couple a while to be honest with each other, and their lives are in continuous threat by the animosity between Catholics and Huguenots.

MARVELOUS will tear at your heart, especially knowing how historically accurate it is in many instances. Petrus and Catherine were real people with real issues, and the author does a beautiful job presenting this to her readers. MARVELOUS is an amazing book.

I absolutely loved this book. From the beginning, I was fully engaged into Pedro's story. His honest naivete and good heart won me over just like it did his wife.
I actually spent a lot of time looking up the actual man and was glad to see that the author filled in many of the historical voids with plausible scenarios. I would highly recommend this book!

I love reading about the Medici family. They had so much drama, it makes for good stories. This was a great historical fiction novel. Fans of Beauty & the Beast may be interested in this one!

Marvelous recreates the true story behind the Beauty and the Beast legend.

In 1547, on the island of Tenerife, a young boy named Pedro Gonsalvus notices that he is treated differently by other children. They don’t play with him as they play together, and they call him La Bestia as his body and face are covered in hair. Then suddenly, he is snatched from the island.
King Henri of France is given a gift for his coronation. It is a hairy boy delivered in a cage. The king is fond of children, and he teaches the boy French. The boy learns the language quickly, and loves the smiles the king dots on him.

When Catherine D’Aubray’s father’s ship sinks, his fortune and her dowry are gone. A marriage is arranged for her to Monsieur Savage as he is known at the French court.

The characters of Pedro and Catherine are gorgeously developed in the first half of the story. His emotions are very raw and touching, his hunger for experiencing friendship, craving company, to be needed, wanted, trusted, to be useful and respected, not looked upon as merely hairy. When Catherine finds her new name as Madame Savage, she quickly learns resilience.

In the second half my interest in the story started waning, the characters weren’t as strong and there was not much to drive the plot, to make me engaged in the story.

Nevertheless, it is a fascinating story written with beautiful prose.

Pedro knows he’s different, due to the layer of hair that covers him from head to toe. When he is kidnapped from his village and brought to the French Court, he is taught French and becomes an attendant to the king. Catherine’s father has fallen on hard times and the Queen will fix will help on the condition that Catherine marries Pedro. Catherine meets Pedro for the first time on their wedding day. Barely recovered from the shock of her father’s betrayal, she soon finds herself christened “Madame Sauvage” by the royal courtiers, and must learn to navigate this strange new world, and the unusual man who is now her husband.
This historical fiction book was based on true events and yet feels like a beauty and the beast retelling (this might have even been the inspiration for the beauty and the beast fairytale). This book is told between the point of views of Pedro and Catherine. I loved the cover for this one, unique and interestingly colored with the black, red, and gold. I did struggle to get into this one at first, but half way through it really picked up.

Thanks to NetGalley and William and Morrow for the opportunity to read and review this advance copy of Marvelous by Molly Greeley.
For fans of fairytales, and the historical fiction lovers who like to learn the events and people behind the old fables, comes a novel that shares the background of Beauty and the Beast and is set during the Renaissance and the court of Catherine de Medici. How fascinating!
This may be a 'tale as old as time', the story of a beautiful woman who tames a beast of a man, but in this instance Pedro is no 'savauge', but a man with a bruised and beaten sense of self worth being sold into his position in court. The beautiful woman, his wife Catherine, is essentially sold into her position as well and is not eager to learn if Pedro is truly a man or beast. What happens is a love story over time of discovery and growth.
The book is written in lovely language and it is very interesting to see the growth of the characters. Greeley wishes that you Be Our Guest and decide for yourself how deeply you will fall for the characters (and how often you Google to see how much of it is fact or fairytale).

Marvelous
by Molly Greeley
Pub Date: 28 Feb 2023

"Enchanting. Molly Greeley has pulled off a piece of magic to tell a dazzling love story about the outcast's ache to be cared for and belong. This book broke my heart and put it back together again."--Allison Epstein, author of A Tip for the Hangman

A mesmerizing novel set in the French royal court of Catherine de’ Medici during the Renaissance, which recreates the touching and surprising true story behind the Beauty and the Beast legend, from the acclaimed author of The Clergyman’s Wife and The Heiress.

1547: Pedro Gonzales, a young boy living on the island of Tenerife, understands that he is different from the other children in his village. He is mercilessly ridiculed for the hair covering his body from head to toe. When he is kidnapped off the beach near his home, he finds himself delivered by a slave broker into the dangerous and glamorous world of France’s royal court. There “Monsieur Sauvage,” as he is known, learns French, literature, and sword fighting, becoming an attendant to the French King Henri II and a particular favorite of his queen, the formidable Catherine de’ Medici. Queen Catherine considers herself a collector of unusual people and is fascinated by Pedro…and determined to find him a bride.

Catherine Raffelin is a beautiful seventeen-year-old girl whose merchant father has fallen on hard times and offers up his daughter to Queen Catherine. The queen will pay his debts, and his daughter will marry Monsieur Sauvage.

Catherine meets Pedro for the first time on their wedding day. Barely recovered from the shock of her father’s betrayal, she soon finds herself christened “Madame Sauvage” by the royal courtiers, and must learn to navigate this strange new world, and the unusual man who is now her husband.

Gorgeously written, heartbreaking and hopeful, Marvelous is the portrait of a marriage, the story of a remarkable, resilient family, and an unforgettable reimaging of one of the world’s most beloved fairy tales

The description as a historical fiction meets fairytale retelling is spot on. I loved all of it. I found myself looking up images of the individuals mentioned to see their real life inspiration. Had it been in paperback I would have liked to have seen maps and maybe a few photos in the back.

This was a really interesting historical fiction. I had no idea that the story of Beauty and the Beast was possibly inspired by real people, Pedro Gonzalez and his wife Catherine. This book alternates POV between Pedro/Petrus and Catherine.

Take my stars with a grain of salt, because I could not finish Marvelous. It was very overwritten, which I noticed on page one, and the descriptions often grated on me and seemed awkward. I was waiting for a Beauty and the Beast story and got tired of waiting. A sudden time leap convinced me that the romance I had been patiently waiting for either would not transpire or would take place after some very irritating time leaps back and forth, and I could not continue. It's a pity that the novel had so many weaknesses because I felt for the characters and the story was quite compelling at times despite the mediocre writing. The next book I picked up convinced me that I was correct about the writing because the author of this book was also a debut author and the flow of the novel was instantaneous and carried me away in a nice prose rhythm.

The cover is gorgeous. The premise is solid. The characterization is compelling. The writing, pacing, and confusing time leaps ruin it.