I found this book to be contradictory or even hypocritical, and I don't know if there is supposed to be meaning in this. Jemima is hugely overweight and desperately wants to be thin. Ironically, all the attractive and thin people she knows are horrid, but the story doesn't seem to recognize this situation. Her best bud Geraldine is put forth as shallow and "selfish" and is only somewhat redeemed by her friendship with the fat girl. Her roommates are what are commonly known as "hootchie mamas," and the highly attractive woman in a bar who hits on Ben (Jemima's crush) is basically a loose woman herself. If the purpose of this book is that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover (a theme blatantly discussed), then it's a bit contradictory to make the fat woman the sympathetic character and all the attractive people snotty losers. It's just reverse discrimination. The other problem is that Jemima may be fat, but she has a beautiful face. Soo, does this mean that if you are fat with an *ugly* face, you are a lost cause...?

The other problem with this book is (as discussed in other reviews) the obsession with exercise and restriction of food intake. The extreme efforts she goes to to get thin aren't resolved in a satisfactory way to demonstrate that one doesn't have to be extreme in being skinny in order to love oneself- there's just a little epilogue that cleans it all up in one page and it was a little dissatisfactory. I was irritated that the great conquest in Jemima's life was getting Mr. Wonderful and NOT accepting herself as evidenced by the fact that the book peaks with Mr. Wonderful falling in love with her (now that she's THIN), and not with any sort of internal growth and acceptance of herself and her issues. She doesn't even realize that the grass isn't as green on the other side. It's just frustrating. I wanted the dramatic external change to be reflected by an internal. I read carefully, looking for this message, and if it is in there, I missed it.

I wouldn't be so harsh on the plot and message, but the pseudo-narrarator keeps making a big deal about how Jemima is a role model and we should strive to be like her, particularly towards the end- Yeah, I don't think so, particularly with the foolish things she does with regard to men (oh my). I do appreciate the fact that she is healthier and at least not eating 2 bacon sandwiches as a snack and she is working out instead of getting winded from climbing stairs.

It's worth a read, it's got a couple of giggles in it and it's a fast read. Maybe wait till paperback, though, because this book doesn't have the Grand Message it seems to want to have.


Oh for a a zero-star option!   October 1, 2003
 56 out of 68 found this review helpful

Out of boredom or desperation, I picked up this heinous "romantic romp" of a "novel," and I rue the day I did. The book is not only offensive -- as many past reviewers have noted, with its self-loathing "lovable" heroine who is pretty much depicted as The Fattest Girl of All Time, and thus unworthy of love and success -- but intellectually lazy and bland. The author could not be troubled to come up with a better plot than "lose weight, get a man," her prose style is as unexciting and dull as her characters, and the total effect is something akin to a sharp stick to the eye.

Comparing this book to the others in the so-called "chicklit" genre, it becomes obvious that the form, while it has real constraints, does offer opportunity to create likable protagonists and zippy prose. (The success of the Bridget Jones books was not mysterious -- they were fun books with a protagonist whose flaws and merits went beyond her dress size, and the narrative voice was energetic and full of humor.) However, Jane Green is not among those who can succeed in either vein. This book is spectacularly devoid of any merit in terms of content -- though I will grant that I think the cover art for the paperback is well-framed and stylish.

If you hate women, if you make air-quotes around the word "feminist," if you are a woman who reads "Maxim" magazine, or if you just completely lack any sort of ability to read discriminatingly and will pick up whatever mindless pap darkens the post-Harlequinn Romance publishing world's door, this book is for you. For those of us who have an ounce of self-respect, who care about quality of writing, and who are comfortable wearing a size 8 (or 10 or 12 or 14 or what the heck ever) *and* knowing your man or lady likes you that way, KEEP FAR AWAY from this trite literary homage to the days where women were viewed as decorative throw pillows. This book redefines "abysmal."


I can't believe this book sold even 1 copy - to me!   September 30, 2003
 28 out of 33 found this review helpful

Other women I know liked this book. We are no longer friends.
I, in fact, was sucked in my the "chick lit" friendly cover, thinking I was about to read something of the caliber of Laurie Notaro or Amy Sohn. I was sorely wrong. It was awful, horrible, disgusting. The worst piece of trash I've read EVER. The only reason why I read about 60% of the stupid book is because I would toss it away in disgust, follow it up with disbelief, which led me to pick the freaking thing up again, read more, then repeat the process all over again. What I have left is a worthless, terribly battered copy of this book and an extremely bad taste in my mouth.


Unrealistic, at best...   August 22, 2001
 26 out of 27 found this review helpful

I read this book in one night, despite the tension headache caused by the author's continual alternation between first and third tense narration (she is, supposedly, trying to be a voice of reason in otherwise unreasonable situations). Jemima's weight loss schedule is completely farcical - although the narrator vehemently denies that Jemima is anorexic, no real person could keep such a regime and live. Additionally, Jemima's post-weight-loss lifestyle is so completely outrageous I found myself wanting to toss the book across the room. Her roommates' actions - both before and after - are unprovoked and plainly bitchy. If Jemima is such a slouch, why would they act with such jealousy? And Ben. Clearly by the end of the book Jemima still has unresolved issues. Sure, he loves her... when she's THIN (notice he wasn't too concerned with whether or not he wound up seeing her in LA... until he saw the "new" woman). Clearly this is the book's ultimate message... be thin, be loved. Oh... and the epilogue. At a "size 10", Jemima is "no longer thin". Uh... excuse me, but the last time I checked, size 10 is pretty darn good.
The entire Brad/Jenny situation is laughable (incidentally, this was so obvious it wasn't even funny... you can see this coming from chapters away),if Brad truly loved her, he wouldn't care about appearances... and he certainly wouldn't be sharing his life with someone else. The whole situation refutes the book's supposed theme.... that love can exist regardless of looks. Notwithstanding that, the entire explanation for such deception is completely contrived. You mean to tell me the author could come up with no better excuse for Brad's behavior than THAT?????
Overall, an okay read if you are able to completely suspend reality (fiction or not, I prefer my books to be grounded in some sort of normality). Otherwise, skip it.


NOT EVEN A GOOD BEACH READ   April 30, 2002
 26 out of 31 found this review helpful

Let me just say "I'm sorry" in advance, because I know people hate negative reviews... but I must be honest! I felt this book wasn't worth my time or money. My main problems with it: 1) The author keeps switching from 1st person to 3rd person point of view. This meant that HulaHead had to keep rereading passages so she could figure out who was narrating and why. [Fun, isn't it?] 2) I can't buy the major plot line that stems from Jemima just learning how to surf the web in 2001, even though she's a GenXer who works for a newspaper just outside London. 3) The totally unrealistic weight loss. Does the world really need another story whose happy ending relies on little more than the woman losing weight? [NO!] This tale is just too fluffy -- even for a beach book, which is why I bought it. But, to balance out this negative review, I want to recommend two other recent books about modern single women that I really enjoyed: Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner, and The Trouble With Catherine by Andes Hruby. Either of these should satisfy any cravings for strong female characters.