.png)
When a controversial photo of her as a pre-teen is found in the possession of a predator—with an inscription to him from her mother on the back—Ryan Flannigan must finally face the painful truth of her and her mother’s relationship, and the night when everything changed.
T. Greenwood’s books are a must-read for me! I love how she often takes inspiration from real people and places, and spins compelling, thought-provoking tales around them. Her novel Such a Pretty Girl seems to have been inspired by a precocious Brooke Shields, a la Pretty Baby, and the uncomfortably “innocent” Baby Soft ads of the 1970s.
In this literary masterpiece, a young girl with the extraordinary face of a woman, finds herself thrust into the spotlight when she is discovered on the streets of New York City. Ryan isn’t in NYC to become famous herself. No, that is the goal of her mother Fiona, who dreams of finding fame as an actress. But it is Ryan that the industry wants, and pretty soon, Ryan finds herself a preteen sensation after starring in some risqué “Baby Love” ads, which attempt to blur, soften, and erase the lines between childhood and womanhood.
Soon after, Ryan is a sought-after child actress for feature films, and she enjoys much success in the industry. However, as an adult, she shies away from the spotlight, instead returning to her former childhood community and raising a daughter of her own … away from the hustle and bustle of fame. When a scandal forces her to return to New York in search of her mother, she discovers that Fiona was somehow entangled in the nefarious doings of a child predator. As Ryan recalls her childhood and the events that led them here, she attempts to uncover her mother’s role in the scandal while reexamining their tenuous relationship.
Such a Pretty Girl is an absorbing and important story about the film and modeling industries and the young girls that they consume and spit out. Told with nuance, grit, and grace, Such a Pretty Girl is also a tale about love - that of a mother and daughter - and the blind eyes we turn to ensure we see those we love exactly as how we want them to be.
Despite covering some heavy and uncomfortable ground, Such a Pretty Girl handles the tough topics through the eyes and innocence of a child, bringing us back to 1970’s NYC through Ryan’s voice and allowing us to see the world as she lived it. This is a beautifully written story about an ugly world that details the many ways we fail to protect children, instead too often putting them directly in harm’s way. - Brooke, Public Relations Librarian