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Rags to riches with heart
A modern-day fairytale with hints of Cinderella, Charmaine Gordon’s Reconstructing Charlie is definitely uplifting if not entirely believable. Coming from an abusive home, Charlie Costigan is suddenly thrust into wealth and riches when her mother sends her away to previously unknown relatives in Chicago. But these relatives are rich, kind, wise and wonderful. Their servants are sweet-tempered and fun. And their home and lifestyle remind me of a previous century or perhaps Batman, which shows how little I know of upper-class America.
Charlie proves well able to build on the dreams of her relatives. A world-class athlete, genius student, quick-witted, nimble and, underneath it all, unassailably kind, she works her way through high school, deals with boy troubles, gets a scholarship and enters the world of business and finance through sheer determination and the magic of money and intelligence combined. Through it all, she maintains a sincere concern for those who might suffer as she did. But perhaps the strongest scenes are those giving first and final glimpses of Charlie’s mother. An amazing opening scene starts with Charlie’s confession “I killed my father”—the book’s worth reading just for this scene. And a powerful sense of closure is found when Charlie meets her mother again near the end. In between is the story of teenager Charlie, reconstructing herself in riches from the rags of an abusive past.
Disclosure: I received a free ecopy of this novel from the author in exchange for my honest review.
This is a wonderful and thought provoking read in first person point of view. The heroine, Charlie, was a wonderful character to watch grow up throughout the pages of a very fast plot. What starts out as a young adult book ends with Charlie achieving her dreams in her early twenties. There is more to this story than just romance. Charmaine Gordon, the author, created story so profound I believe all girls of fifteen or older should read it. This book deals with the hardships that kids from broken homes or abusive parents go through. Charlie overcomes and adapts by putting one foot forward a day at a time. She survives a terrible ordeal and becomes a powerful young lady with a supportive group of friends and an aunt and uncle who adore her. What's amazing is that this is a clean book with the character starting out at the age of fifteen. Throughout the pages, she goes through high school with a set of strong moral standards. She goes onto college and leaps at every chance she can to give back to the community. By doing what she can, Charlie becomes a protector and survivor. This survival and romance story also has a light paranormal touch to it near the end.
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Posted December 1, 2011
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Overview
Charlie Costigan has a secret. Home life gone from bad to the worst when she protects her mother from another vicious attack by her drunken father. Midnight. Clothes thrown into an old suitcase, she races for the bus with a letter to an unknown aunt and uncle. This is my daughter. Embrace her as if she were your own. Determined, Charlie begins again. Alone with her secret.