LitPick Review
Revenge of a Not-So-Pretty Girl
In Brooklyn, 1994, fourteen year old Faye Andrews is definitely in deep trouble. Like bottom of the Pacific Ocean trouble. Not only has she mugged and robbed an old lady that just may have been a big, beautiful movie star, but she also may accidently killed that certain movie star, too. And maybe killing that movie star made her late for dinner. Being late for dinner made Faye’s mother angry—really angry. And when Faye’s momma is angry, things are about to heat up. From that point on, the whole karma thing just spiraled. You see, nothing has gone right for Faye since she ambushed that little old lady apartment 1H. It isn’t as if Faye hasn’t jumped people before—most of them had it coming anyway. She goes for the people who deserve it. The people who are so beautiful that they look down on the ones that aren’t so lucky to be blessed with good looks or money for designer labels. The people who wear the quality sheepskin jackets with huge sunglasses that cost more than Faye’s rent for a month. The people that are just waiting to stab you in the back with their perfectly manicured fingernails. But this one’s different. Faye has the choice—she could forget about the whole incident….or she could go back to that little apartment at the end of the hall in that fancy building--where that little old lady might be there…..or not.
“There’s the old lady’s head against the edge of the table…… The broken glass from the stuff Caroline flung on the floor….. The slides all stop once the old lady crumples to the ground like a ton of bricks.”
Opinion:
Oh, Ms. Caroline Blythe….how impressed I am with you! For being such a young author, I felt like she did really well with this book! It isn’t something I’ll rant and rave about and claim it’s a classic, but it was a good, solid read that was equally enjoyable and notable. Blythe gave Faye and her mother’s relationship an excellent angle and developed a plot that I felt made the book stand out from some of the rest. Some parts were slightly dull and the sentence structure wasn’t all that great, but the good certainly overshadowed the bad. I feel this book would be a good read for teenage girls like me struggling with the whole “gotta be pretty” problem—Faye had some experiences that I can relate to, especially in a school setting, with the constant scrutiny and put-downs. I felt as if I could connect with Faye through her first person dialogue, even if I don’t mug people for money and attack old ladies on accident. In conclusion, I felt that this was a good read for this summer season!
“I try to take a few more steps forward, but it’s as if I’ve landed in quicksand and I’m being sucked under. The thing is, I don’t really know if this old lady is dead. I mean, I think she is.”
I would recommend this book for ages ten and up, for mild sexual references and swearing. Nothing too graphic, though.
Much to Faye’s chagrin, you can’t turn back the hands of time—you have to live with the consequences of your actions. Her guilt and fear is eating her away……and even if the lady’s alive, the clock is ticking. Will she choose to forget…..or find out?
