Review: Getting the Pretty Back by Molly Ringwald

Getting the Pretty Back by Molly Ringwald

It Books

April 2011

Format: Paperback, 240 pages

First line: It happens to all of us.

From the back cover: To her millions of
fans, Molly Ringwald will forever be sixteen–having defined teenage
angst, love, and heartbreak as the endearing star of the John Hughes
classics Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Pretty in Pink. Facing
a completely new, angst-inducing time in her life–her forties–Molly
is embracing being a woman, wife, mother of three, actress, and best
friend with her trademark style, candor, and humor.

Getting the
Pretty Back is Molly’s unforgettably personal, refreshingly outspoken
take on life, love, and, of course, finding that perfect red lipstick.
Whether she’s discussing sex and beauty, personal style, travel and
entertaining, motherhood, or friendship, Molly embodies the spirit of
being fabulous at every age–and she encourages every woman to become
“the sexiest, funniest, smartest, best-dressed, and most confident woman
that you can be.”

My thoughts:  I picked this book up on a whim after a visit to my local independent bookstore. Molly had been to the bookstore for a chat and unfortunately I had missed it. But, there were still books available that she had signed – and I love having signed books!

This book was a cute, fun read. Writing it as she approached 40 (which I’m not too far away from myself) she shares little pieces of advice she’s picked up over the years. While it’s considered more self-help than memoir, it still feels as if we are getting a glimpse into Molly’s life. She has a refreshingly honest approach in her writing, poking fun at herself without going overboard. Throughout the book, she gives short anecdotes about her life while dishing out her advice…this gives you the feeling that you are getting to know a little bit about Molly the person and not just the actress. Covering topics from fashion to working out to throwing the perfect dinner party and parenting advice to ignore, she covers a wealth of topics that have a personal interest to her.

I enjoyed this book – it’s definitely not great literature not gripping fiction, but rather a fun how-to book written by an iconic actress. Have you read anything that would fall into this category?

(I purchased this book.)