Such a Pretty Girl

Description

Against the nostalgic grit of 1970s New York City, the precarious lines between girl and woman, art and obscenity, fetish and fame flicker and ignite for a young girl on the brink of stardom and a mother on the verge of collapse in this vividly lyrical drama from the award-winning author T. Greenwood.In 1970s New York, her innocence is seductive.
Four decades later, it’s a crime.Living peacefully in Vermont, Ryan Flannigan is shocked when a text from her oldest friend alerts her to a devastating news item. A controversial photo of her as a pre-teen has been found in the possession of a wealthy investor recently revealed as a pedophile and a sex trafficker—with an inscription to him from Ryan’s mother on the back.
Memories crowd in, providing their own distinctive pictures of her mother Fiona, an aspiring actress, and their move to the West Village in 1976. Amid the city’s gritty kaleidoscope of wealth and poverty, high art, and sleazy strip clubs, Ryan is discovered and thrust into the spotlight as a promising young actress with a woman’s face and a child’s body. Suddenly, the safety and comfort Ryan longs for is replaced by auditions, paparazzi, and the hungry eyes of men of all ages.
Forced to reexamine her childhood, Ryan begins to untangle her young fears and her mother’s ambitions, and the role each played in the fraught blackout summer of 1977. Even with her movie career long behind her, Ryan and Fiona are suddenly the object of uncomfortable speculation—and Fiona demands Ryan’s support. To put the past to rest, Ryan will need to face the painful truth of their relationship, and the night when everything changed.
“Magnetic…This knotty story leaves readers reflecting on the limits of family obligations.”–Publishers Weekly Praise for T. Greenwood:
“Magnetic…This knotty story leaves readers reflecting on the limits of family obligations.”–Publishers Weekly on Such a Pretty Girl
“Wrenching…Beauty and tragedy at the same time, darkness then light—those are Greenwood hallmarks…she’s terrific with characters, with the multiple textures that make someone seem human on the page.” —The San Diego Union Tribune on Bodies of Water“A thoughtfully rendered version of Sally, whose ordeal is shown for the proper horror that it was.” —Vanity Fair on Rust & Stardust“A beautifully written, unnerving tragedy woven from equal measures of hope and menace.” —Booklist, STARRED REVIEW on Rust & Stardust”Greenwood’s heart-wrenching, emotional roller coaster of a read also seamlessly captures the transformation of women’s roles in the early 1970s. A heartfelt tale of true friendship, a mother’s unstoppable love, and the immeasurable fortitude of women.” —Booklist on Keeping Lucy“Greenwood is a writer of subtle strength, evoking small-town life beautifully while spreading out the map of Harper’s life, finding light in the darkest of stories.” —Publishers Weekly on Two Rivers“Part family drama, part literary mystery and filled with beautiful, hypnotic prose.” —Bookpage on Where I Lost Her”Greenwood is an assured guide through this strange territory; she has a lush, evocative style.” —The New York Times Book Review on Nearer Than the Sky“Greenwood’s sixth novel, a tale of love and loyalty, owes its success to the poetic prose, as well as the compelling chronology she employs…This compassionate, insightful look at hope and redemption is a richly textured portrait. This gem of a story is a good choice for those who enjoy family novels.” —Library Journal on Bodies of Water”A complex and compelling portrait of the painful intricacies of love and loyalty. Book clubs will find much to discuss in T. Greenwood’s insightful story of two women caught between their hearts and their families.” —Eleanor Brown, New York Times bestselling author of The Weird Sisters on Bodies of Water“The love story that plays out between the two women–at times tragic, at times beautiful–is rightly taboo for the early-60’s setting.” —San Diego Reader on Bodies of Water“I was captivated from the very first line…Greenwood’s moving story of love and loss, hope and redemption has stayed with me, long after I turned the last page.” —Jillian Cantor, author of Margot on Bodies of Water“Stark, taut, and superbly written, this dark tale brims with glimpses of the Southwest and scenes of violence, gruesome but not gratuitous. This haunting look at a fractured family is certain to please readers of literary suspense.” —Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW for This Glittering World T. Greenwood is an acclaimed author whose novels have sold more than a quarter-million copies. A four-time winner of the San Diego Book Award, she has received grants from the Sherwood Anderson Foundation, the Christopher Isherwood Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Maryland State Arts Council. Five of her novels have been Indie Next Picks and her twelfth novel, Rust & Stardust, was a LibraryReads selection. Her novels have been translated into five languages. She lives with her family in San Diego, California, where she teaches creative writing for The Writer’s Center and San Diego Writer’s Ink, studies photography, and continues to write. Please visit her online at TGreenwood.com. US