Revenge Of A Not-So-Pretty Girl (A Junior Library Guild selection, an American Library Association nominee for Best Young Adult Fiction, a Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year), told through the wry, tormented voice of a young teen living in 1984 Brooklyn, New York, chronicles the unexpected friendship that leads two women–one closer to the beginning of her life, the other closer to the end, to reevaluate their lives, and the regretful actions that have led them to one another.
“Blythe, in her first book for teens, explores karma, guilt, morality, and taking responsibility for one’s actions…the story provides a thoughtful glimpse of what it’s like to reevaluate one’s life at any age.”–Publisher’s Weekly
“Exhilarating…compelling and believable.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred
“This is a classic coming-of-age story…Faye’s personal growth and her eventual escape from a dark home life are rewarding.” –Booklist
“A well-told Story of an empowering friendship.” –The Bulletin, Recommended
Lewis Montrose, privileged and mixed-race, is running for prime minister of Jamaica in an age of Black pride and Africanism. Souci Alexander, a poor young woman from the countryside, is practically immune to Kingston politics. But when a chance meeting leads to platonic marriage of convenience to secure votes, Souci finds she can no longer ignore politics. Nor can she ignore what she learns of her enigmatic husband’s past.
“Jamaicans have always been so consumed with race and class, and I suppose I’m no different. Agnes was lighter skinned, like so many of those who had all the money on the island, and she could trace her ancestry back to her great-great grandfather’s family in northern England. But there were no British officers or landowners I could trace my roots back to. There were only mountain people and former slaves. I can’t even say with complete certainty what date I was born. But in the country, being a day or a week or even a month off on dates isn’t that big a deal–unlike in Agnes’ world where everything has to be so precise.”
Purchase link to come…