THE BEAUTIFUL EVIL [Kindle Edition]

Robbi Bryant (Author)

Book Description

REVIEWS:
"The arc of the story hooks the reader with Bryant masterfully building suspense by gradually parsing out information,pulling the reader along...this is a well-crafted story and a fascinating modern spin on ancient Greek folklore, blended with family drama.." ~ The Kindle Book Review

"Koontz, King & Twin Peaks. Talk about chill to the bone, downright creepy - yet thrilling - scenes and dialogue. Ms. Bryant's style set its unrelenting claws into me until I finished her book. --Seastorm Press, Leigh Anne Lindsey, Publisher

"Demons dream too..they dream about us. This fantastic read by Robbi Bryant will make you think twice about owning something no matter the cost. This horror/thriller has all of the ingredients to make make you stay up all night reading while at the same time checking what or who is behind you." ~ D.J. Humphrey, Author

ABOUT THE BEAUTIFUL EVIL:

LOVE THE BEAUTIFUL EVIL OR HATE IT--THE REACTIONS ARE STRONG.

Constance Sartone Jacobson never recovered the
sudden death of her father when she was only five. Devastated by her husband's
death and the scandal that ensues, Constance's mother, Madeline, does little to
comfort her scared and lonely daughter. With nowhere to turn, Constance
protects herself by closing off her emotions. 

Through vivid dreams and
daytime visions Constance's father calls to her from a horse-drawn stagecoach.
These visions help Constance cope with her humdrum life and failing
marriage. But things are about to change. On a business trip with her
husband, she purchases an antique Greek vase. Upon opening it, a stream of
purple light hisses from the vase and a tribe of wasp-like creatures pour out.
One of the creatures shape-shifts into a ravishing fairy and offers
Constance a way out. Desperate to feel anything, Constance listens to the
fairy's advice. 

But as her confidence grows, she begins to make all the wrong
decisions, catapulting her into a web of lies and deceit. As her life spins
further and further out of control, Constance finds herself starting into the
abyss forced to make one final heart-wrenching decision. A roller coaster ride
into chaos of a personal hell, The Beautiful Evil is a captivating
psychological thriller that will keep you questioning reality until the
ultimate final act.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Haunted by the death of her father, whom she lost at only five years of age, and ever since then feeling unloved and unappreciated by her secretive and domineering mother, Constance Jacobson has grown up to be an emotionally distraught woman with little sense of self or self-esteem. Rebelling against the husband she believes no longer cares for her and determined to be master of her own destiny, she gets her wish in a frightfully fateful way when she becomes obsessed with a Grecian vase she sees in a curio shop window and decides she must have it at any cost. But once this Pandora's Box is opened and Constance's inner demons are set free, her terrible choices lead her into a darkness that may be even worse than insanity.

One of the most hypnotically disturbing novels I've read in years, The Beautiful Evil brings a depth and horror to the story of Pandora's Box (jar) that I never felt to read the original Greek myth. Mixing a modernized story of Pandora with some further Greek mythology, as well as with other subtle spiritual symbolism and philosophy/theodicy, this is a powerful and frightening novel that will not only keep you guessing as you read, but probably contemplating it long after.

From the Author

LOVE THE BEAUTIFUL EVIL OR HATE IT--THE REACTIONS ARE STRONG

Say what you will, THE BEAUTIFUL EVIL, has created quite the buzz. Whether you believe it's a "stunning psychological thriller" or "the worst book you ever read," you will definitely have a strong reaction. And apparently, no matter what, will be compelled to finish it.

It seems that some get "confused," "don't understand the character," "hated the end," or "want to slap the author." Others call The Beautiful Evil "brilliant," "unique" and "like no other book they've ever read." Good. I wanted strong reactions and that's what I got.

The motivation behind the story is: What are the consequences of shutting down and refusing to look at who we all, as an entire being. Many of us go through life ignoring our "Dark Truth," only to find out that by turning our back, it can eventually consume us. Many have trouble with the concept of a shadow self. For me, the mind is a kind slave but a cruel master. The study of our darkness brings with it the opportunity to take it out, shed light on it and assimilate it into our being.

I've taken the journey into the dark night of the soul. It can be a rough ride albeit the most significant journey I've taken so far (second only to the death of my son.) 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 473 KB
• Print Length: 335 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1460998243
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005FNGCO0
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #302,148 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Beautiful Evil August 9, 2011

By John Moser

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

First off, Robbi Sommers Bryant is a master storyteller. This was the first fiction book I have read in over 12 years--I loved it.

With brevity I want to make some key points for readers contemplating buying this book:

1. Easy to read, but not light on anecdote, symbolism, and intrigue--sucks you in like the vortex of a tornado.

2. Vivid word pictures! Robbi paints a mosaic of images from the prose that captivate the imagination.

3. It's a "stealth" thriller. No heavy blood and gore, but more of what happens in our minds. Those silent thoughts we think nobody will ever know about.

4. Pacing is superb, she keeps the story moving with just enough "back story" to make you go, "Uh Huh...get it". I read it in three sittings.

5. Character development is well done, bravo there! I am a man and could see the world through the central character, Constance (a woman).

6. Unlikely twists and turns, it's not predictable!

7. Last comment, invoking spiritual component on every page.

In short, I'm a reader and writer of Non-Fiction business books and I loved "The Beautiful Evil" and you will too!

John

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ben Martin August 5, 2011

By Moe Jones

Format:Paperback

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Robbi S Bryant weaves classical myth into a modern woman's life, creating a story that is both elegant and haunting. Basically you're given a window to a lady's voyage into madness. At times disturbing, always entertaining, I would recommend this book to anyone in search of a great read. (without giving too much away, I will never look at a Greek urn the same way ever again)

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hooked until the end! August 25, 2011

By Jeane Slone

Format:Paperback

I generally do not like fantasy/thrillers. Robbi Sommers Bryant's, The Beautiful Evil, with an oxymoron for a title and a startling cover, begged me to buy this book!
Ms. Bryant's writing style is excellent, with realistic dialogue and characters. I reluctantly read the first few pages then I was hooked until the end!
Jeane Slone, author, She Flew Bombers and She Built Ships During WWII.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars not bad April 10, 2012

By Matthew Schiariti

Format:Paperback

This book reminds me very much of Sara Gran's 'Come Closer'. It's similar in that a character who's life is pretty structured, pretty consistent slowly but unarguably starts to slip away as they descend into madness...In Beautiful Evil the catalyst for the descent is a vase that Constance buys in a curio shop. Once she buys the vase nothing for her is ever the same again. She begins to walk on the dark side and begins to walk away from everything she's known for years..or everything she's thought she's known.

I had a few issues with the book that kept it from getting a higher rating.

First off, the main character. There really wasn't much about her that I actually liked. I didn't actively dislike her either. I guess I should say I was luke warm to her. To sum her up, she comes from money. She loves her father. Her mother, formerly poor who came into money by marrying Constance's father, was overbearing. Always belittling Constance and acting as if she were some kind of burden growing up. Constance seems to be able to do nothing but watch cartoons all day, even though it's never described what her husband does for a living. Also, Constance seems to complain a lot about people and how they treat and hide things from her when she's done some pretty awful things herself. I can't say much more without spoiling everything.

Secondly, I thought the book tended to be overly verbose at times. There are really only a handful of 'scenes' in the book and the author takes a while to tell them. In the end it seems like it's rambling. It's not that the writing is bad. The writing is good. Sometimes it's as if Bryant decided to take the long way around on the trip.

As far as the ending, I feel as if nothing is ever resolved.... There are a few lines of dialogue that confuse things even further and keep the book from being resolved a little more neatly.

I liked being in the character's head--I always think first person narrative is best for that sort of storytelling. It can get really dark and creepy rather quickly which is good. I liked the take on the whole pandora's box mythos.

Overall not a bad book. It just had a few issues that kept it from being really good. Just my humble opinion. Read more ›

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars an alright read February 29, 2012

By sam

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This was interesting enough to keep me entertained till the end and Constance was a good character to try to catch hold of. Her trip away from the world she lives in to the "darker" side was an interesting road. But all in all, I was never sure if the fairies were supposed to be real or in her head and for some reason that bothered me. I felt I was reading sci fi for awhile and then back to madness and I didn't like the switch. I found myself hoping for the end much sooner than I would have liked. Not bad, overall, but not great.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars I tried to get into it... February 27, 2012

By bcwilley

Format:Kindle Edition

But I just couldn't seem to. Yes Bryant does a great job of allowing you to see the characters, maybe that is my issue. I got maybe 1/4 through and could not stand the main character. I rarely quit on a book but I had to toss this aside. If I pick it up later and feel better about the book I will update. Good writng, it was the story I wasn't into if that helps.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Hypnotic and Terrifying Box to Open March 2, 2012

By Krisi Keley

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Haunted by the death of her father, whom she lost at only five years of age, and ever since then feeling unloved and unappreciated by her secretive and domineering mother, Constance Jacobson has grown up to be an emotionally distraught woman with little sense of self or self-esteem. Rebelling against the husband she believes no longer cares for her and determined to be master of her own destiny, she gets her wish in a frightfully fateful way when she becomes obsessed with a Grecian vase she sees in a curio shop window and decides she must have it at any cost. But once this Pandora's Box is opened and Constance's inner demons are set free, her terrible choices lead her into a darkness that may be even worse than insanity.

One of the most hypnotically disturbing novels I've read in years, The Beautiful Evil brings a depth and horror to the story of Pandora's Box (jar) that I never felt to read the original Greek myth. Mixing a modernized story of Pandora with some further Greek mythology, as well as with other subtle spiritual symbolism and philosophy/theodicy, this is a powerful and frightening novel that will not only keep you guessing as you read, but probably contemplating it long after.

**Possible spoilers**
As the story begins, the main character, Constance, seems to be a paradoxical personality, both self-hating and prideful - arguably not as an unusual and impossible contradiction as it sounds (and some might suggest, the very defect behind the fall of Lucifer and of man - but I won't get too theological because the novel is more subtly sinister and not overtly religious at all).... It first appears this personality disorder was caused by her inability to recover from the loss of the father she saw as perfect and her mother's reactionary behavior in response to her daughter's childhood blindness to the imperfections which led to his death. Even before her obsession with the Grecian vase that will bring terrible sorrow, however, Constance's thoughts and behavior already make the reader wonder if her perceptions can be trusted or whether her mental illness started distorting them long before that day. Before her demons are even let loose to wreak havoc, she shows signs of being as selfish, entitled and superior as she is depressed, unfulfilled and mistreated, suggesting the possibility that the vase isn't really to blame. The reader is left to speculate - because of this early sense of her personality and because of the novel's reference to the Greek myths which make Pandora the archetypal "beautiful evil" (read: female) who brings torment to man - whether Constance's personality is really the result of emotional abuse and an over-controlling mother or whether she is somehow inherently prone to evil, due to her femininity or her genes is up in the air. This is a sometimes hard to decipher mix of a nature vs. nurture argument and hints of a radical feminism vs. an understandable response to misogyny/chauvinism argument, neither of which seem to be definitively settled by the story's conclusion. But I'm not certain they were meant to be or even whether any conclusion can be reached on what the story says about choice and free will - and it is partly these unanswered questions which make the novel so disturbing. It also may be that the book simply needs multiple readings to pick up on all the symbolism and requires time spent reflecting on what it says about these subjects, but the painful and often seedy and violent situations Constance becomes involved in after she opens the vase and the fact that she is, at times, not likable at all might make this difficult for a lot of readers. I thought the novel was extremely well-written and fascinating but, at the same time, I'm not sure it's a darkness I'd want to visit again and again.

Overall, I think the novel is an impressive work, making the ancient myth even more interesting and approachable for modern readers, as it brings to the tale present-day views on mental illness and emotional neglect and/or abuse and reflection on whether certain ideas of personal freedom and happiness are really only a dangerous illusion. The author did an amazing job of creating her main character's voice and inner world and the story is told in a unique style. The short, staccato thoughts and impressions, mixed into the longer, more complex prose and the flashes from present to past to dream (and the tense changes from present tense for past and dreams to past tense for present action) are a little challenging at first, but the voice is so original and real, it soon makes Constance a living, breathing personality all her own and punctuates her fast downward spiral.

For those who like the more thoughtful, literary thriller or horror story, this is definitely a creepy, dark and nightmarish tale not to be missed, though be warned you might be left with the feeling you didn't just take a journey with someone descending into madness, but were brought along on a descent into hell. (Note: some descriptions of sex and violence may not be for every reader.) Read more ›

More About the Author

Robbi Sommers Bryant was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and attended Ohio State University, school of dental hygiene. After graduating in the top ten of her class, Robbi went on to practice dental hygiene for over 30 years. Besides her dental hygiene career, Robbi is a certified massage therapist, licensed esthetician and a Creative Writing Coach--allowing her to teach artists to tap into their deeper creativity. Robbi now offers editing services--including TEMPO EDITING.

Robbi has dabbled in other side businesses including photography, disco dance teacher and tarot card teacher.In 1987, Robbi began a prolific writing career. Know as a best-selling erotic writer, Robbi also wrote both fiction and non-fiction articles for such magazines as Redbook and Reader's Digest. One of her articles was opted twice by Movie of the Week companies. After the death of her 21 year-old son, Robbi's Creative flame extinguished for 13 years. Her psychological thriller, The Beautiful Evil, was her first novel since her son passed.
Her newest novella, Dream, has just been released and has won 1st runner up in the Los Angeles Book Festival.
Robbi is now the President of Redwood Writers, the largest branch of the California Writers Club.

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW FROM GOODREADS WENT MISSING SO I ADDED IT HERE:


The Beautiful Evil
by Robbi Sommers Bryant (Goodreads Author)
5.00 · rating details · 1 rating · 1 review
How well do you know yourself? If forced to either face your inner demons--escaping with a secured, inner peace or the possibility of complete emotional ruin -- how would you fare? The demons? They dwell in all of us. They watch us from our shadows. They ride us--oh, yes, they do--whispering in our ears, tempting us with our own darkness. In the end, many succumb. And you? The Beautiful Evil takes readers through the tumultuous consequences of one woman's journey into a dark, personal hell in the pursuit of passion, hope and serenity. Scarred by the death of her father at a young age, Constance is a heartbroken child with no place to turn for emotional support. Any discussion regarding her father's mysterious final days and his scandalous death are forbidden by her cold and distant mother, Madeline. Instead, Madeline dedicates herself to the mission of turning her daughter into a proper debutante. Madeline chooses Constance's friends, activities and clothing according to her rigid, high society standards. Devoid of self-expression, Constance's only true friend is her reflection in a bedroom mirror. Her adult life, however, proves to be just as passionless and controlled. Constance believes her life will stay this way forever, until a purchase of an antique vase changes everything. When Constance opens the vase, demons storm into her life. Like bloodthirsty parasites, they dig into her, quickly attaching themselves to her psyche; quietly sucking away her soul. But one of the demons, Tisiphone, befriends Constance--offering her a way out of her shut-down heart and emotionally bereft life. Desperate to feel anything, Constance's decisions catapult her into the shadowy world of untrustworthy men, illegal drugs and murder. In the mists of the wreckage, Constance finds herself staring into the abyss, forced to make one, final heart-rending decision if she is to find peace. A captivating thriller that will keep readers questioning reality until the final ultimate act, The Beautiful Evil is a surreal and tense journey into the darkest recesses of the human psyche.