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Pretty: a memoir
A charmed life.
That is what strangers thought when they looked at little Karen, a beautiful child from a loving family, growing up without a care in the world.
They did not see the pressure to be perfect. The instability of a family dealing with alcoholism and the euphemistically termed “melancholy.” The risks a growing child, a young lady, would take to feel that she was something more.
The raw honesty of The Glass Castle meets the glamour of 1950s Hollywood in Karen’s journey to break free of PRETTY.
That is what strangers thought when they looked at little Karen, a beautiful child from a loving family, growing up without a care in the world.
They did not see the pressure to be perfect. The instability of a family dealing with alcoholism and the euphemistically termed “melancholy.” The risks a growing child, a young lady, would take to feel that she was something more.
The raw honesty of The Glass Castle meets the glamour of 1950s Hollywood in Karen’s journey to break free of PRETTY.
230 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 4, 2019
About the author
Karen Vorbeck Williams
3 books33 followersI began writing as a girl--short stories, poems, and little essays on my beliefs. As a wife and mother I was so busy I had to write poems--they were short.
In the 70s, when our family moved to seven acres of land in Southeastern Massachusetts, into a farmhouse built in 1710, I wanted to learn more about how the people who first settled the land actually lived. As we restored the old rooms and removed the paint from the wide pine board floors, I realized that our house had been built before my 11th great grandmother Mary Bliss Parsons (1625?-1712) had died. She had lived in Northampton, MA, probably in a house quite similar to ours. It was there that she was accused of witchcraft. Northampton was about a two hour drive from us. Gradually I began to research her life and found an amazing story. The result was the historical novel "My Enemy's Tears: The Witch of Northampton."
My second book "The House on Seventh Street" was inspired by the Nancy Drew Mysteries I loved as a girl. The book is set in the town where I was born and is based on a number of memories from my youth as well as family stories and myths. I was writing fiction which gave me the liberty to exaggerate these stories and tell whopping lies if that would improve the plot or deepen the characters' motivations.
On the personal side, I am a widow and grandmother, an avid amateur photographer, and master gardener. At the moment I'm working on my third novel--again historical fiction set in 17th century New England--and a book of short stories.
Learn more at: https://www.karenvorbeckwilliams.com
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/karenvorbeck...
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 8, 2019
Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman
Pretty: A Memoir by Karen Vorbeck Williams takes us back to middle-America in the 1950’s, when the author was growing up in the small town of Grand Junction, Colorado, seemingly in the perfect 50’s family. Williams, however, knew that beneath the smiling perfection things were not really as they seemed. By the time her mother decided to divorce her father (an unusual event in the 50’s) and take the three daughters far away to Ojai, California, the author was struggling with identifying who she was, what she wanted from life and how to get there. Young girls were supposedly good for only one thing – snaring a successful and preferably wealthy husband. Even those girls who attended College back then seemed to have, as their primary motivation, to meet a future husband among the college-going crowd. Karen was dogged by the desire to be an actress or a performer of some sort. It was her passion and her joy yet she was dogged by self-doubts and criticisms that she had taken on her whole young life – was she really as pretty as everyone said? Was she really too overweight for a career in showbusiness? Did she have what it took to be a star?
In Pretty: A Memoir, author Karen Vorbeck Williams is candid and frank about what it was like to grow up in 1950’s small-town America. I loved the realness of the emotions, doubt, and angst that came clearly through every page. The author did a fantastic job of describing the state of mind of a young woman who came from a background of two vastly different parents whose influences on her clashed at every level. Her Mother, so free and independent for a woman of the time, instilled something special within her daughter’s psyche and yet her father’s slow, deliberate, some would say boring approach to life clearly tempered Karen’s enthusiasm and commitment to chasing her dreams. This is a well-written and easy to read memoir of just a small part of Williams’ life but such a vital part of it that formed her character for the rest of her years. What my biggest take from this story was; when we put labels on children whether the labels are positive or negative, we have a profound effect on the way that child thinks about themselves. For Williams the label that defined her in so many ways was; “pretty” and it came to influence her decisions and her beliefs about herself in all aspects of her life, not all of them useful or positive. This is an excellent read and one I can highly recommend.
Pretty: A Memoir by Karen Vorbeck Williams takes us back to middle-America in the 1950’s, when the author was growing up in the small town of Grand Junction, Colorado, seemingly in the perfect 50’s family. Williams, however, knew that beneath the smiling perfection things were not really as they seemed. By the time her mother decided to divorce her father (an unusual event in the 50’s) and take the three daughters far away to Ojai, California, the author was struggling with identifying who she was, what she wanted from life and how to get there. Young girls were supposedly good for only one thing – snaring a successful and preferably wealthy husband. Even those girls who attended College back then seemed to have, as their primary motivation, to meet a future husband among the college-going crowd. Karen was dogged by the desire to be an actress or a performer of some sort. It was her passion and her joy yet she was dogged by self-doubts and criticisms that she had taken on her whole young life – was she really as pretty as everyone said? Was she really too overweight for a career in showbusiness? Did she have what it took to be a star?
In Pretty: A Memoir, author Karen Vorbeck Williams is candid and frank about what it was like to grow up in 1950’s small-town America. I loved the realness of the emotions, doubt, and angst that came clearly through every page. The author did a fantastic job of describing the state of mind of a young woman who came from a background of two vastly different parents whose influences on her clashed at every level. Her Mother, so free and independent for a woman of the time, instilled something special within her daughter’s psyche and yet her father’s slow, deliberate, some would say boring approach to life clearly tempered Karen’s enthusiasm and commitment to chasing her dreams. This is a well-written and easy to read memoir of just a small part of Williams’ life but such a vital part of it that formed her character for the rest of her years. What my biggest take from this story was; when we put labels on children whether the labels are positive or negative, we have a profound effect on the way that child thinks about themselves. For Williams the label that defined her in so many ways was; “pretty” and it came to influence her decisions and her beliefs about herself in all aspects of her life, not all of them useful or positive. This is an excellent read and one I can highly recommend.
March 3, 2020
Karen Vorbeck Williams captured all of my emotions as I journeyed with her through this book. It's instantly engaging and personal, funny and heartbreaking, sometimes within the same breath. From lines like, "Mother prepared the family meals with the enthusiasm of a prisoner being led to execution," to "We'd become so accustomed to the sound of [Mother's] outrage that she had to turn the volume up louder and louder just to get us to listen," I go from laughing to feeling my heart drop. I am given a glimpse into the world through Karen's eyes-- both as a young girl and as the woman she is today. It's simply beautiful.
One of the things I love about this book is its tone, its readability. The book is written as if she's sitting in front of you telling the story, rather than waxing philosophical or trying to be too literary. (Not that literary is bad, it's just not... page turning. *Pretty* is a page turner.) Even though I grew up a generation (or more) removed, this resonates with me as I find myself fighting for and against the same pressures Williams did. It broadens my sense of compassion and makes me realize that we are not alone in our experiences. (As a side note, the book is aptly named: Williams was GORGEOUS. I loved the pictures included throughout.)
One of the things I love about this book is its tone, its readability. The book is written as if she's sitting in front of you telling the story, rather than waxing philosophical or trying to be too literary. (Not that literary is bad, it's just not... page turning. *Pretty* is a page turner.) Even though I grew up a generation (or more) removed, this resonates with me as I find myself fighting for and against the same pressures Williams did. It broadens my sense of compassion and makes me realize that we are not alone in our experiences. (As a side note, the book is aptly named: Williams was GORGEOUS. I loved the pictures included throughout.)
July 27, 2020
A great read! I couldn't put the book down, neither will you!!!
Looking for a Summer read? Karen Vorbeck Williams, Pretty: A Memoir, would be a great choice! Set in the 1950’s, Ms. Williams shares with the reader the challenges of a “pretty” young girl growing up in a small American town. What may have appeared to be a charmed life from the outside was far from that on the inside. The author provides vivid descriptions of the characters who were front and center as she struggled to grow up, all the while surrounded by family instability. As the pages unfold we learn about the vulnerabilities of this young lady, and the challenges that she experienced throughout her formative years. In this book you will find yourself being carried along with Karen on her journey to adulthood. It will, no doubt, stir memories of your own childhood and teenage years, along your path to adulthood. I highly recommend this book. Ms. Williams draws us in close and shares so much of herself with her readers. You will want to know what happens next!
Looking for a Summer read? Karen Vorbeck Williams, Pretty: A Memoir, would be a great choice! Set in the 1950’s, Ms. Williams shares with the reader the challenges of a “pretty” young girl growing up in a small American town. What may have appeared to be a charmed life from the outside was far from that on the inside. The author provides vivid descriptions of the characters who were front and center as she struggled to grow up, all the while surrounded by family instability. As the pages unfold we learn about the vulnerabilities of this young lady, and the challenges that she experienced throughout her formative years. In this book you will find yourself being carried along with Karen on her journey to adulthood. It will, no doubt, stir memories of your own childhood and teenage years, along your path to adulthood. I highly recommend this book. Ms. Williams draws us in close and shares so much of herself with her readers. You will want to know what happens next!
December 3, 2019
I read more science fiction and fantasy than memoirs, but the 1950's are as otherworldly as anything Heinlein ever came up with. Pretty gets into the grit of what it meant to grow up female in those times, and Williams always surprises with the littlest and most stark details. The strict social ettiquette of the time is constantly juxtaposed with the ugliness of people's (often men's) desires, and always with a heaping helping of pathos and heartache. Williams opens every corner of her early life for display, picking the most poignant moments, and those that illustrate her feminist themes.
Ultimately, she herself is torn – between wanting to fit into the model her culture has laid out for her, of an uncomplaining housewife, and reaching for the dream of Hollywood. Here too the glamour is juxtaposed with the seediness beneath. The writing here is always Pretty, but the content is rarely so.
Ultimately, she herself is torn – between wanting to fit into the model her culture has laid out for her, of an uncomplaining housewife, and reaching for the dream of Hollywood. Here too the glamour is juxtaposed with the seediness beneath. The writing here is always Pretty, but the content is rarely so.
January 15, 2020
Reading about the 50s is like realizing there's been an alien living in your backyard all these years. All the places and characters are painted quite vividly, so I'm not skeptical, yet the ethos of that period feels like something out of a fantasy novel. How far we've come.
But we don't see the 50s from the perspective of a typical teenager or even a social outsider, but someone in between. She walks the line between her conservative father and her rebellious artist mother, never rejecting society, but internalizing its wrongness. All the while, her "prettiness" aids her and targets her like a daemon familiar.
Karen draws from meticulously preserved letters and scrapbooks allowing even her earliest memories to feel genuine. She's able to capture a sense of place without being florid and bring you into the darkest parts of her own head without getting bogged down in melodramatic introspection.
In short, it's a lovely book.
But we don't see the 50s from the perspective of a typical teenager or even a social outsider, but someone in between. She walks the line between her conservative father and her rebellious artist mother, never rejecting society, but internalizing its wrongness. All the while, her "prettiness" aids her and targets her like a daemon familiar.
Karen draws from meticulously preserved letters and scrapbooks allowing even her earliest memories to feel genuine. She's able to capture a sense of place without being florid and bring you into the darkest parts of her own head without getting bogged down in melodramatic introspection.
In short, it's a lovely book.
November 22, 2019
I grew up in Grand Junction ten years later.
It was a very familiar feeling to read the author’s experiences. Even the way her mom treated her cold! I remember what it’s like to make those life decisions while still so young. Great story of small town life that is gone now. Thanks
It was a very familiar feeling to read the author’s experiences. Even the way her mom treated her cold! I remember what it’s like to make those life decisions while still so young. Great story of small town life that is gone now. Thanks
November 13, 2020
Engaging
This is a good honest read about growing up in a family that is coping the best it can. The story telling style is clean and straightforward with no tricks or devices. The honesty of the author puts nothing between you and her. She takes you on her journey and reminds you of yours. Mature women will especially appreciate reliving the times and how a young woman’s dreams and hopes were impacted by the values of the times. Photos added to the friendly feel of sharing someone’s life.
This is a good honest read about growing up in a family that is coping the best it can. The story telling style is clean and straightforward with no tricks or devices. The honesty of the author puts nothing between you and her. She takes you on her journey and reminds you of yours. Mature women will especially appreciate reliving the times and how a young woman’s dreams and hopes were impacted by the values of the times. Photos added to the friendly feel of sharing someone’s life.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews