This is the true story of a real-life million-dollar woman. A car accident almost killed Louise Ashby. As it was, it left her with horrific scarring. This is the story of how reconstructive surgery gave her her face back.
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Editorial Reviews
From the Publisher
Louise Ashby is one of the world’s most beautiful women. Who would have thought that a few short years ago she was on the brink of death, the bloodied remnants of her face and skull barely recognisable?
Louise Ashby had it all. A talented actress embarking upon a significant Hollywood career, she had a face most women would give anything for and a bubbling personality that endeared her to everybody she met. And then, disaster struck. Driving down a Hollywood boulevard with a close friend, an elderly driver ploughed his car into hers. Louise never knew what hit her. Within hours she was undergoing advanced brain surgery. It took eleven and a half hours to save her life. By rights, she should have been dead. But she could not understand why the visitors to her bedside would not let her look in a mirror. Little did she know that her face was sunken and misshapen, her head swollen to twice its size, her skin scarred from ear to ear. The reconstructive surgery that followed was genuinely miraculous. It took many months and nearly a million pounds to complete. This is the incredible story of Louise’s terrible accident and the amazing events that followed. It is a heartwarming story of the triumph of medicine and the human spirit against seemingly insurmountable odds. It is the story of a modern miracle…
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A `Must Read'!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Magic of the Mask (Hardcover)
One of the most moving and inspiring books I've ever read. A gifted and beautiful actress barely survives an automobile accident, only to be severely disfigured. The reader follows her as she attempts, against all odds, to have her face reconstructed and to make a very unique comeback. Whether you've ever wondered what it's really like to have a disfigurement, and to try to fix it, or if you or someone you know are dealing with one; whether you're simply looking for a `good (rather great!) read' or for something truely uplifting, I urge you to read "Magic of the Mask".
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unbelievable courage through unimaginable circumstances,
By
This review is from: The Magic of the Mask (Hardcover)
Louise Ashby is truly an amazing woman. In her early 20's, freshly arrived from London to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles, she is involved in a horrific automobile accident which leaves her face disfigured on the left side, and keeps doctors shaking their heads at how she made it through the accident at all. Just a year after the death of her beloved mother, Louise somehow finds the inner strength to endure the pain, grief, humiliation, loss and other unimaginable challenges on her 10-year journey to being "re-built."For a woman whose face was, quite literally, her fortune, Louise Ashby could have sunken into depression and suicide following such a traumatic incident, but she doesn't. Ashby is a startlingly honest woman about her vanity, her failings, and also her determination to re-build the face back to the one that she had before. The journey is long, litigious, and excruciatingly painful. It is painful just to read the details of not only her brain surgery and subsequent re-constructive operations, but also to read of the humiliation she endures, ranging from a therapist who falls asleep during a session, to a wantonly cruel acting coach, and, simply, having the courage and tenacity to stick to her guns in a town that judges people completely on their appearance, when hers has been so radically changed. I don't think Louise Ashby tries at all to paint herself as some sort of saint. She just seems to possess a natural courage and strength of spirit that drives her on toward her goals. She is fortunate, however, to be surrounded by a close-knit group of what appear to be wonderful friends. She is incredibly inspiring, unflinchingly honest, and, at times, painfully graphic and blunt. It is not an exaggeration to say that you feel the pain this woman endured, even if it is only a minute amount in comparison to what she actually went through. It is a difficult book to read in parts, but it leaves you with a tremendous sense of pride at what one woman, and, certainly, countless others go through, when fate alters a person's appearance in a society where the superficial is often valued above all else. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read true courage and dignity, and a journey toward reclaiming a life. It is a journey you will never forget.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Facinating,
By Jonah Goldfinger (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Magic of the Mask (Hardcover)
After reading one of the reviews on amazon which seemed a personal attack on the author as opposed to simply critiquing the book, my interest was piqued. I found it to be a very encouraging book and was pleased to have bought it. I was initially buying the Michael J Fox memoir which was linked to this. I think Louise is couragous and the book was very well written. To me this book was about making others realize the possibities we can over come when having a positive attitude. This book isn't about her mother or her father as the past review led me to believe, it is about so much more so if you want something uplifting this is a must-read.
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