The Beauty of the End: A Novel
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In this provocative work of speculative fiction, two sisters navigate the complex moral terrain of reproductive ethics, individual freedoms, and society’s duty to a future facing imminent extinction.
Charlie Tannehill and her twin sister, Maggie, are just eight years old when an unfortunate scientific discovery upends their world—and the world order. The revelation? Extinction, encoded in every creature’s DNA. The expiration date for humans? Only four generations away.
A decade later, unsure of what tomorrow holds, Charlie and Maggie enroll as counselors in a government-run human-husbandry program. By offering cash rewards for reproduction, they hope to forestall humanity’s decline and discover a genetic mutation that might defeat it. While Charlie struggles with the ethical implications of the work, Maggie makes unspeakable sacrifices to improve her odds of success—but such unchecked ambition could come at a greater cost than even she realizes.
Torn between her own morality, her love for her sister, and the pressures of a vanishing civilization, Charlie must search deep within to decide what she’s willing to sacrifice—for herself, for Maggie, and for society—to salvage hope for the whole of humankind.
From the Publisher
ASIN : B0D2J77FLT
Publisher : Little A (April 1, 2025)
Publication date : April 1, 2025
Language : English
File size : 4.3 MB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 346 pages
Page numbers source ISBN : 1662525664
13 reviews for The Beauty of the End: A Novel
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Alicia Dollahan –
Excellent Read
This story was well-written and enthralling. You see the tale through the eyes of Charlie, a reserved girl with a vivacious and impulsive identical twin sister. In the face of humanity’s extinction, they join the Mandelia in a human husbandry program to try to save us all. Ethics become mangled and confused with ambition. Hearts are broken and healed. Betrayals and loss are survived if not righted. I couldn’t put this book down!
William de Rham –
Mankind’s extinction written into its DNA.
Readers seeking a dystopian tale of science fiction that has some similarity to stories like “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Children of Men,” and “Station Eleven” may want to give “The Beauty of the End” a try.Twin girls Charlie and Maggie Tannehill are young Marshall Islanders adopted by parents who are giving them a loving, near-idyllic home in the mountains of Pennsylvania. The problem? Scientists have just discovered that within the next one hundred years, mankind will cease to exist—not because of anything it has done (like global warming or nuclear war), but because extinction is written into its DNA.The challenge is to avoid this almost-certain outcome by finding a way to change our DNA, resulting in a government project as intense and far reaching as The Manhattan Project during World War II or placing man on the moon.Upon completing high school, Charlie and Maggie are recruited to become part of that effort and undergo years long training to become counselors whose job it is to convince women to contribute their reproductive capabilities—whether it be by having as many children as possible or even by donating their ovaries–all in an effort to find the one genetic mutation that will forestall extinction.Author Lauren Stienstra has given us a well-written story with likeable, interesting characters. Her prose is simple, straightforward, and clear. The twins, their adoptive parents, and their love interests are well-drawn and enjoyable to spend time with. Ms. Stienstra’s portrayal of the twins’ relationship is particularly adept. The science is interesting but not overwhelming. The settings, including rural Pennsylvania, California, and islands in the Pacific, are varied and well-described.A good choice for those who enjoy science fiction and dystopian stories.
BAM –
interesting concept
Maybe it was me but I was confused for a lot of this book. I wanted it to be over so many times. I pushed through and I finally did enjoy the last few chapters. This is my first time reading dystopian fiction so I didn’t know what to expect.
JMS –
Hard to put down
This is a great first novel – I binged it in a weekend and the story held me from beginning to end. A very thought-provoking premise that had echoes of how well – and poorly – American society handled the pandemic. When faced with a mysterious genetic “limit” on reproduction, society springs into action in a desperate search for a solution – which could save us all, or could just as easily bring down those who are trying so hard. Twin sisters face a choice – does looming disaster mean it’s OK to take chances with other people’s lives, or do any of us have the right to decide people’s fate? The story follows Charlie and Maggie as they grow apart in working to solve the disaster. The final chapters bring a startling series of twists that grips the reader until the tragic – or is it hopeful? – end.
Cheri M. –
Very enjoyable
I really enjoyed the premise of this book, very unique. I liked how the characters were multi faceted, not just ‘good’ or ‘bad’. I’m sure I’ll be thinking about this story for awhile.
LuckyL1111 –
Wow! I Will Think About The Beauty of The End for a long time to come
Any kind of description of the plot, the main characters, or the Geographical wanderings will be spoilers. Thoughtful, dystopian initiated earlier in US and World history than most future leaning novels.Although, the topics surround the future of humanity, the content is suitable for a well-defined adolescent.Although procreation is a main focus of the plot, there is no sexual content, foul language, or violence – it is heavy, and although fiction, it is not outside the realm of a possible scenario.Good read! Gyno- Science -Fiction
Beverly Nuckols –
Okay story
Unfortunately, too many of the medical details are way off. For instance, the only reason to require the female Mendels to give up both ovaries is for dramatic effect. There’s no justification, medically or for research purposes.I received the book for free as a “First Reads” on Kindle.
Irish in VA –
Themes stay with you and encourage more thought
Dystopian fiction isn’t usually my jam, but this one looked interesting and I’m glad I picked it up. Definitely left me thinking about how society prioritizes reproduction and to what end. The thread of identical twins who are temperamentally so different is also interesting and touches on the nature/nurture argument with siblings generally. There’s a lot to unpack with the complex family dynamics. I’m still chewing on all of it days later, which I think is how a good dystopian read should be!Trigger warning for anyone who’s feeling overwhelmed with current events. And anyone who has dealt with infertility may find it an emotionally complicated read.
Jkay –
What a fantastic book. There were so many important themes explored in this book. Themes around reproductive issues, political objectives, families, siblings, adoptions and so much more. This really read like a movie for me. It was a bit slow in the beginning while we become familiar with the characters, but it really picks up midway through and becomes quite intense by the end. I just loved this story and the characters.
Simon –
I really liked the book and the subjects it talk about. The characters are likeable, relatable, and it is easy to emphatize with them.
Courtney –
When I first came across this book on Amazon First Reads, I was instantly intrigued. As someone who is extremely passionate about social justice and reproductive rights, this speculative fiction dystopian-esque novel seemed right up my alley.The book follows twin sisters Charlie and Maggie as they navigate their world following the announcement of the Limit, aka the end of human civilization due to limited generations left to born.From the beginning Charlie was adamant about never having children so this whole issue didn’t really bother her much. So when the opportunity arose for her to remove her ovaries and focus her attentions on research into the Limit, she jumped at the chance along with her twin.The story continues in a fast paced manner, with many time jumps and over simplified events. And we start to see Charlie and Maggie drift apart due to their views on the ethics and morals of the research they were completing.Overall it is certainly a thought provoking novel, especially in regard to the ethics surrounding adoption and embryo transfers. However, like mentioned above, some events were just oversimplified and if people were actually upset about the work the Mendelia (company in charge of solving the Limit) were doing, why was there not more uproar? It just felt very subdued. And then for Charlie to end up having a kid at the end anyways was a slap in the face to the whole movement of women making reproductive choices for themselves. I personally don’t think her character would have changed her mind on that especially with everything she had seen.
A reader –
This was a phenomenal novel! It’s a scenario that one could actually see happening. Plus, the character development was stellar.
CKH –
Could not put this novel down until I had consumed it whole! So rare that a book grabs me like this.Hugely enjoyable novel, if somewhat sad and dark.