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Product Description
Review
"What a riveting and remarkable first novel! The story grabbed me on page one. As the events spin forward, with crackling dialogue and earned surprises, you can't help but root for this most unusual, and lovable narrator--whatever her secret name or home may be at the moment. I didn't want the book to end; I didn't want to leave the wild, wooly wonderfully frightening world that David Cristofano has created. With a poignant and literary flair, this novel fixed my jones for "The Sopranos.""
--Lolly Winston, New York Times bestselling author of GOOD GRIEF and HAPPINESS SOLD SEPARATELY
"...something special..."
--New York Times Book Review
"Intense...the emotions of a woman caught in Melody's unlikely scenario ring deliciously, scarily true."
--People
"David Cristofano's debut novel is alternately thought-provoking, poignant, and darkly funny. THE GIRL SHE USED TO BE hooked me from the very first page."
--Lesley Kagen, New York Times bestselling author of WHISTLING IN THE DARK and LAND OF A HUNDRED WONDERS
"Intense, romantic debut...Cristofano's mad love scenario sizzles like garlic in hot olive oil."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"This is a compulsively readable, skillfully constructed first novel with well-drawn characters and a plot that twists and turns to what seems the best possible conclusion, marking Cristofano as a writer to watch!"
--Booklist
"THE GIRL SHE USED TO BE is everything I want a book to be. A humorous, poignant, and compelling page-turner that kept me guessing all the way to the end. I marveled at how utterly I was drawn into Melody's world and what a vivid picture David Cristofano created."
--Patricia Wood, New York Times bestselling author of LOTTERY
"I absolutely fell in love with David Cristofano's writing, and couldn't wait to see Melody's mystery unfold. THE GIRL SHE USED TO BE is that rare novel...it's the one you've been looking for when you wander the bookstore aisles, hoping to find something that will grab hold of you and not let go. Eloquent, haunting, and totally enthralling--I was swept in from page one."
--Johanna Edwards, nationally bestselling author of HOW TO BE COOL
"David Cristofano artfully explores the meaning of identity and home, heroes and villains, in this story of a woman who loses herself, then finds herself again in the most unlikely place. THE GIRL SHE USED TO BE is a roller-coaster ride, both thriller and riveting psychological drama, and Cristofano is definitely a writer to watch for."
--Elizabeth Arnold, bestselling author of PROMISE THE MOON
"David Cristofano's debut novel captures the essence of the human spirit, and delivers a story that is simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking."
--Brad Listi, author of ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER
"There's no hiding the fact that THE GIRL SHE USED TO BE is a brilliant debut by a magnificent new novelist."
--Will Clarke, LORD VISHNU'S LOVE HANDLES and THE WORTHY
Product Description
When Melody Grace McCartney was six years old, she and her parents witnessed an act of violence so brutal that it changed their lives forever. The federal government lured them into the Witness Protection Program with the promise of safety, and they went gratefully. But the program took Melody's name, her home, her innocence, and, ultimately, her family. She's been May Adams, Karen Smith, Anne Johnson, and countless others--everyone but the one person she longs to be: herself. So when the feds spirit her off to begin yet another new life in another town, she's stunned when a man confronts her and calls her by her real name. Jonathan Bovaro, the mafioso sent to hunt her down, knows her, the real her, and it's a dangerous thrill that Melody can't resist. He's insistent that she's just a pawn in the government's war against the Bovaro family. But can she trust her life and her identity to this vicious stranger whose acts of violence are legendary?
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Most helpful customer reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Read!,
By
This review is from: The Girl She Used to Be (Hardcover)
This book was absolutely incredible! It had my attention from the first few pages and I could not put it down. In fact, I read it in a day! The characters are very well written and I love that you really get a sense of what it would be like to be part of the Witness Protection Program and all the emotions that would be involved. The one aspect that really intrigued me was that although the book was written by a male, it was done so from a female perspective. Very well done! This book has a little bit of everything, from romance (but not over done), to Italian mob crimes, to witness protection program, and the journey of one girl to really "find herself" after running for so long. A powerful first time novel that has been very excited to read more by this author in the future! FYI for movie lovers...the rights to this book to produce a movie were bought in May 2009. I don't know about you all, but this is definitely one movie I will totally want to see!A great read that I highly recommend and give a huge thumbs up!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderfully Interesting!,
By
This review is from: The Girl She Used to Be (Paperback)
Although 253 pages, I read this in one sitting, I couldn't take my eyes off the pages. Twenty-six-year-old Melody Grace McCartney was only six-years-old when she and her family were placed into the Witness Protection Program after they witnessed a horrendous murder committed by someone in the notorious Bovaro family. Melody has had many aliases over the past 20 years and is currently known as, Sandra Clarke.Sandra is a high school math teacher living a comfortable life but decides one afternoon that she's tired and bored of being Sandra and wants yet another move. She phones her Protection Agent, one Randall Farquar, and tells him she received a phone call from someone with a New York accent who said: "Sing me a song, Melody." Of course this never really happened but Sandra wanted another new life. When she arrives at the Federal building she is disappointed to learn that Randall is retiring and won't be handling her case any longer and introduces her to Marshal Sean Douglas, her new `protector/locator'. After a long conversation and reading through her file, Marshal Douglas and Melody hit the road for another relocation. While staying overnight in a motel, Melody awakens to a male voice saying: "Melody Grace McCartney!" with a knife pressed to her throat. Who is this man and what does he want? She finally realizes the man is none other than Jonathan Bovaro, the Mafioso sent to find her. Melody is actually thrilled and she just can't resist and decides to go "willingly" with Jonathan because she's tired of running and never being who she was born to be. As dangerous as Jonathan is, he gives Melody a once in a lifetime chance - the chance to embrace her past and present, and then choose her very own future. The writing was flawless in the novel and the story just flowed like a river. I absolutely fell in love with both Jonathan and Melody and really wanted them to become a couple, to be engaged and then to marry. How crazy is that? The man is a killer, his family killed her parents leaving her alone and with a lifetime of assumed names and occupations, but once you read this story, you'll understand where I'm coming from. Any woman would want the type of `relationship' that Jonathan and Melody end up having. The concept of this story, that a "protected witness" would willingly go with a "killer" is almost beyond comprehension, but believe me, it works. And who knows, in Melody's situation, with your feet in HER shoes all these years, you just might make the same choice. This was definitely one book well worth reading!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very interesting book,
By
This review is from: The Girl She Used to Be (Paperback)
This book is a great way to learn what it's like to be in the witness protection program. I learned how hard it would be to live like that especially for a little girl. It had suspense and a love story. I really enjoyed reading this book.
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