Girl In The Mirror (Mira) 
asked by runaway on November 18, 2006 3:00 AM
Charlotte Godowski was used to the horrified stares she received from strangers. She'd learned to accept her facial deformity, until one cruel incident compelled her to have the surgery that changed her life forever.
Charlotte Godfrey is beautiful beyond compare. In Hollywood, where such beauty is power, her rise is meteoric. Suddenly she has everything she could want: acceptance, a future and a love she believes can see to the true beauty within.
Charlotte Godowski and Charlotte Godfrey are two sides of the same women -- a woman who can trust no one with her secret. But when fate forces Charlotte to deal with the truth -- about her past, about the man she loves, about herself -- she discovers that only love has the power to transform a scarred soul.
Reviews
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Good book that illustrates that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. A good read in our day and time when plastic surgery is so popular.
reviewed by 90210 on November 24, 2006 10:28 AM
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As other reviewers have hit on most of my points, I will skip some.
I want to add that I am very impressed with the level of research Mary Alice put into this work. For me, it bumped a 3-star read to four stars.
The depth at which she portrayed Michael's family and their Mexican heritage was enlightening for me as a non-Latina. The way the familia deals with issues from Michael's choice to work half a continent away, to homosexuality, to the place of women in the family (and how said women dealt with it), felt authentic. It was neither sugar-coated nor denigrated. It was as it was.
Charlotte's deformity and surgery seemed to be fairly well researched, too. Although I couldn't quite picture her before the surgery, I certainly felt the impact on her life. Then, issues related to the surgery seemed legitimate, even though I am not knowledgeable in the field.
Two points kept this from being a 5-star read. The meteoric rise in fame was difficult to believe, especially in combination with her slavish devotion to her agent. While she appeared to be tempered by her experiences growing up, she pretty much handed her career over to a near-has-been agent. This surprised me, given the amount of strength I thought she possessed.
The other point was the inexplicable jealousy her agent felt toward Michael Mondragon. Prejudice and status explained the problem just enough for me to buy it, but for not wanting to get her into bed, the agent was extremely possessive.
Overall, I highly recommend this novel. The other Mary Alice Monroe novel I have read is Skyward. That, I would give 5 stars!
I want to add that I am very impressed with the level of research Mary Alice put into this work. For me, it bumped a 3-star read to four stars.
The depth at which she portrayed Michael's family and their Mexican heritage was enlightening for me as a non-Latina. The way the familia deals with issues from Michael's choice to work half a continent away, to homosexuality, to the place of women in the family (and how said women dealt with it), felt authentic. It was neither sugar-coated nor denigrated. It was as it was.
Charlotte's deformity and surgery seemed to be fairly well researched, too. Although I couldn't quite picture her before the surgery, I certainly felt the impact on her life. Then, issues related to the surgery seemed legitimate, even though I am not knowledgeable in the field.
Two points kept this from being a 5-star read. The meteoric rise in fame was difficult to believe, especially in combination with her slavish devotion to her agent. While she appeared to be tempered by her experiences growing up, she pretty much handed her career over to a near-has-been agent. This surprised me, given the amount of strength I thought she possessed.
The other point was the inexplicable jealousy her agent felt toward Michael Mondragon. Prejudice and status explained the problem just enough for me to buy it, but for not wanting to get her into bed, the agent was extremely possessive.
Overall, I highly recommend this novel. The other Mary Alice Monroe novel I have read is Skyward. That, I would give 5 stars!
reviewed by localhost on November 29, 2006 2:33 PM