Girl in the Mirror

Born with a horribly disfigured face, Charlotte Godowski spends her first 20 years shunned by her peers and controlled by her mother until a settlement from a sexual harassment suit permits her to change her life forever. A jaw transplant and reconstructive surgery transforms Charlotte into a ravishing beauty, which leads her to Hollywood and instant stardom. There, she trades her controlling mother for a controlling agent, but finds romance with a handsome Mexican landscape designer, Michael Mondragon. When Charlotte's body begins to reject the implants, she learns that she will die if they are not removed. But Charlotte prefers death to losing her looks, her career and the man she loves. A contrived ending involving Charlotte and her long-lost father adds an unsavory note to the climax of this rambling novel. (Sept.)