Summary on the back of the book:
In the summer of 1944, seventeen-year-old Eleanor Driscoll struggles to come to terms with life after an overwhelming tragedy. A restaurant fire has left her with a scarred face and body. The same merciless blaze claimed the life of Eleanor's father. Now Eleanor must learn to deal with a world that often shuns or ridicules her. More importantly, she must rediscover the "real Eleanor" that survives unscarred within her.
As Eleanor begins to emerge from isolation, she discovers that she can learn a great deal from the people in her life -- from Mama, from her seven-year-old sister, Lindy; even from her overbearing landlady, Mrs. Carvelli. The ray of joy that most nourishes Eleanor is her correspondence with a young soldier named Robert. She breathlessly awaits Robert's every letter; but as this caring relationship blossoms, she knows that it is threatened by her own dishonesty. She has told Robert nothing about her scars, and she is certain that he will reject her if she reveals the truth.
In the summer of 1944, seventeen-year-old Eleanor Driscoll struggles to come to terms with life after an overwhelming tragedy. A restaurant fire has left her with a scarred face and body. The same merciless blaze claimed the life of Eleanor's father. Now Eleanor must learn to deal with a world that often shuns or ridicules her. More importantly, she must rediscover the "real Eleanor" that survives unscarred within her.
As Eleanor begins to emerge from isolation, she discovers that she can learn a great deal from the people in her life -- from Mama, from her seven-year-old sister, Lindy; even from her overbearing landlady, Mrs. Carvelli. The ray of joy that most nourishes Eleanor is her correspondence with a young soldier named Robert. She breathlessly awaits Robert's every letter; but as this caring relationship blossoms, she knows that it is threatened by her own dishonesty. She has told Robert nothing about her scars, and she is certain that he will reject her if she reveals the truth.
