Looking Glass Lies

By: Varina Denman

Narrated by: Eric G. Dove, Sarah Naughton

Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's Summary

A poignant and relatable novel, Looking Glass Lies captures the war women wage against themselves, and the struggle to see beauty reflected in a mirror not distorted by society's unrelenting expectations.

For most of her adult life, Cecily Ross has compared herself to other women - and come up short. After a painful divorce from her emotionally abusive husband, Cecily returns to her hometown of Canyon, Texas, looking to heal.

But coming home isn't what she expects. In a town as small as Canyon, her pain is difficult to escape - especially with her model-perfect ex - sister-in-law working at the town's popular coffee-shop hangout. With help from her father, a support group, and an old friend who guides her to see her own strengths, Cecily may have a shot at overcoming her insecurities and learning to love again.

The true test comes when tragedy strikes, opening Cecily's eyes to the harmfulness of her distorted views on beauty - and giving her the perfect opportunity to find peace at last.

©2017 Varina Denman (P)2017 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House

Self-help or fiction?

When I first saw the marketing for this book prior to publication, I wasn’t sure if it was a self-help book or a novel. Well, now that I’ve read it, it tries too hard to be both. There are two topics this book touches on: women’s body image issues and men’s pornography. That’s a lot to try to tackle in one novel. The characters drew my attention and occasionally I could even relate to the women as they struggled to see themselves realistically according to ... well, that’s where the story was weak to me. Sometimes there were literary quotes and sometimes there were scriptures given to motivate certain characters. It was a bunch of mixed messages to my way of thinking. If I’m not supposed to see myself as the world sees me, then why use worldly quotes? If I’m supposed to see myself as God sees me, then this book could’ve gone SO much deeper into leading women to God’s way of healing these issues. While I suspect that there is some correlation between men’s pornography and how that affects women’s self images, I felt the author was painting the issue with some pretty broad (no pun intended) brushstrokes. This author can weave a good story, and I plan on reading her other books. I applaud her for having the guts to even attempt tackling the sensitive area of women’s body issues and struggles. However, the correlation to men’s pornography, while possibly valid, really wasn’t supported well in the storyline.

It was good

It wasn't a bad story .. just felt rushed at the end. Wish it had not ended it quite that way. But. It was worth the listing price.

Looking Glass Lies Could be a Self-Help Book

The book is a bit slow in the beginning, but if you stick with the story, you will gain lots of personal insight into warped self image and some of it’s roots. It also takes us into depression and addiction. Many of the exercises done in the support group could be helpful to many.

The story is real and raw. Many people will be able to identify with the characters, whether young, old, male or female; suffering from addiction, depression or sorrow.

Every woman needs to read this.

This story addresses the lies that the American society tells them every day, and the lies they tell themselves. It does have some very sad parts. I would not recommend it for children. I would even recommend that you read it before allowing a teen to read it, though I think many teen girls could benefit from it.
If you have a daughter, I would strongly recommend that you read this book.

compelling

amazing story, so powerful, though provoking and inspiring. Whether you've suffered the traumatic levels of abuse and self doubt that the characters reveal or, fail to see how beautiful you are or know someone who needs self assurance, this book could help.