Revenge of a Not-So-Pretty Girl

by Carolita Blythe Narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt

Overview

Fans of Walter Dean Myers and Rita Williams-Garcia's One Crazy Summer will cherish this gripping story of an African American girl living in 1980s Brooklyn, who overcomes abuse and neglect in discovering real friendship, self-respect, and that pretty and mean don't always win.



Girls who are pretty have a way of looking down their perfect noses at anyone they feel isn't worthy of sharing the air with them. They have a way of making regular girls like me feel inferior for not winning the gene pool lottery. Tormenting them is my way of getting even.



Everyone knows that pretty equals mean, and Evelyn Ryder used to be a beautiful movie star-never mind that it was practically a lifetime ago. There's no time limit on mean. So if you think I feel guilty about mugging her, think again.



But for something that should have been so simple, it sure went horribly wrong.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Blythe, in her first book for teens, explores karma, guilt, morality, and taking responsibility for one’s actions. In 1984, 14-year-old Faye lives with her volatile and overworked mother (an immigrant from the Caribbean island of Dominica) near Prospect Park in Brooklyn, N.Y., where nice and not-so-nice neighborhoods rub shoulders. Faye and two of her friends occasionally mug “pretty, stuck-up girls with loads of extra cash in their pockets,” seeing it as a way to put them in their place. But when they rob Evelyn, an 80-year-old former film star, and injure her, Faye decides that she’s gone too far. Both lonely, Faye and Evelyn develop an unexpected friendship, connecting over Evelyn’s secrets and regrets, and the drama Faye endures with friends and at home. While Faye’s narration is strong and increasingly sympathetic as the story goes on, the plot takes some time to unfold and the dialogue can be long-winded. Still, the story provides a thoughtful glimpse of what it’s like to reevaluate one’s life at any age. Ages 12–up. Agent: Katie Shea, Donald Maass Literary Agency. (Apr.)

From the Publisher

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2013:
 “Solidly grounded in the gritty realities of daily life, Faye’s discoveries feel earned. A compelling and believable journey.

Kirkus Reviews

Disregard the awkward and misleading title. This exhilarating, generous-hearted tale with a smart, funny, caustically observant protagonist is about so much more than revenge: distinguishing what matters from what doesn't, taking risks, making mistakes and paying for them. Faye, 14, and her troubled, abusive mother, a domestic worker, live in Brooklyn. It's 1984; adrift and at risk, Faye engages in petty crime with two other girls. While robbing an elderly white woman rumored to have once been a movie star, Faye knocks her to the floor. Later, Faye can't stop thinking about her. Has Faye killed her? Is that why her life's going badly? Two days later, Faye returns, finding the woman still on the floor but alive, and she chooses to help her. A frail friendship is born. Taking conscious action nurtures Faye's self-respect, expands her horizons and transforms her relationships. Her actions affect others, causing them to take action that affects her, insights prompting forgiveness and understanding. She realizes she's been applying the same superficial judgments--good-looking equals better--she objects to when applied to her. (Like Siobhan Vivian in The List (2012), Blythe explores issues of physical appearance in rare depth.) Some mistakes aren't fixable, Faye learns, but she'll keep trying to fix them anyway. Solidly grounded in the gritty realities of daily life, Faye's discoveries feel earned. A compelling and believable journey. (Historical fiction. 12 & up)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940176435917
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	03/15/2022
Edition description:	Unabridged

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