Beyond Ugly by Constance Briscoe

Despite her mother's constant physical and psychological abuse, Constance Briscoe has gained a place at Newcastle University to study law - a long-held ambition. She finances her studies by several jobs at weekends and during the holidays, including working with the terminally ill in a hospice. She also finds the money to pay for several cosmetic surgery treatments in an attempt to transform the face that her mother has convinced her is ugly, ugly, ugly. With the degree achieved, Constance takes up Michael Mansfield's invitation to become a pupil in his prestigious chambers. But she didn't find the support and encouragement she expected.

This was a great book to read...  If I was on a roller coaster, reading Constance's first book (the first half of the story) called 'Ugly' would be the part where you had reached the top of the hill and you are sailing down the other side...  With Beyond Ugly, that part would be the ride up the hill.  It can be long and a bit boring at parts but well worth the read to fully understand the full picture......    Not as good as the first story but still worth the read if you are interested in finding out what Constance 'did next'..


6 out of 10

Ugly by Constance Briscoe

'I handed my school photograph to my mother.  She stared from the photograph to me.  'Lord, sweet Lord.  How come she so ugly.  Ugly.  Ugly'

These cruel words are just the beginning.  Constance's mother systematically abused her daughter, both physically and emotionally, throughout her childhood.   Regularly beaten and starved, the child was so desperate she took herself off to Social Services and tried to get taken into care.  When Constance was thirteen, her mother simply moved out leaving her daughter to fend for herself; there was no gas, no electricity and no food.  

But somehow Constance found the courage to survive her terrible start in life.   This is her heartbreaking and ultimately triumphant story'


At just over 400 pages long, this book only took me two days to read.  I could not put it down.  The type of abuse that Constance had to put up with throughout her childhood was so horrendous.  After I had read this book I tried to think about what I would have done if I was in the same situation and, to be honest, I simply couldn't even imagine what I would do.  This book was a very emotional book to read but worth it. 

This book is the first of two books which tell us the true story of Constance Briscoe.   'Ugly' is mainly telling us what happened when she was a child and the next book called 'Beyond Ugly' is continuing the story after she leaves school.  I am going to start that one next..

10 out of 10