Rating: 
Summary: Why did it have to end??
Review: I loved this book! The only reason I rated it short of five stars was because it ended to soon. I wanted to know what happened with Bruce and also Peter. It's an ideal book for any woman dealing with weight issues. I loved all the characters. Jennifer described them greatly. I'm hoping for a sequel to answer all the questions I have.
Rating: 
Summary: she ain't no Bridget Jones
Review: Candace "Cannie" Shapiro is so much better, far more realistic, and when you are done reading, you will feel like you are parting with your friend.Cannie has never thought of herself as overweight til her ex, Bruce, starts writing a column called "Good in Bed" for a magazine called Moxie, and Cannie easily recognizes herself as "C." in the premiere article "Loving a Larger Woman." She goes to a weight-loss program to help remedy this. As the year progresses, she makes a brief reconciliation with Bruce and befriends Maxi, a movie star she has to interview for her job at The Philadelphia Examiner. Both of these events affect the rest of her life. But the most important thing about this book is that Cannie hurts a very real, almost palpable pain. Instead of the perfunctory paragraph that most books give as to why the heroine has problems with men, there are brief chapters vividly depicting an event in Cannie's past. Cannie's emotional roller-coaster of a pivotal year in her life will keep you glued to this book, and make you wonder how you would handle all of the situations she gets in.
Rating:
Summary: Great read, honest and to the point
Review: I just loved it, was sorry to have it end. I love reading something I can relate to, this was it! Made me smile and gave me hope!
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I was expecting...
Review: The cover of this book tell the reader that it is a "day at the beach" type novel. A book about a heavy woman finding her own. Um, no. It is a good book yes, but not light, and has some problems. 1. The main character is a size 16. The national average. She is described as plus size, difficult to find clothes for, having a serious weight problem, rolls of fat surrounding her. She talks about not being able to find clothes. I am sorry, but a size 16 is a goal size for a lot of truly larger women. 2. Having the main character deal with whether or not to keep a pregnancy, have a mental breakdown, have a hysterectomy etc. doesn't seem like beach reading material. Good book material, but not with cheesecake on the cover, and no mention on the back. 3. She magically: gets a chance at fame, makes a ton of money, gets family closure, deals with a pregnancy, and finds mr. right. All without having to do much giving herself. Not likely. Also not one of the secondary characters is anything but fantastic to her during her complete avoidance of them, and they have no issues of their own to tackle. If you want an empowering, believable book, I recommend looking elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it!!!!
Review: Usually when something is well reviewed, I end up disappointed, and read through the book wishing someone had some a better job in the editing stage. This book, on the other hand is great. Engaging from page 1, I just couldn't put it down. Weiner really knows how to write, and manages to create an intelligent, likeable character. She also proves that you don't have to create cheap plot devices like mental illness, cancer, death and murder to create a wonderful compelling book. Too bad other authors haven't figured that out.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I read this year
Review: I expected this to be a light-weight, Bridget Jones-type book but found myself absorbed in Cannie's life. The book IS funny but it also is heartbreaking at times, and teaches a lot about self-image and self-acceptance, loss and working through it, and learning to trust again. This is one of the best books I have read all year and can't wait for Ms. Weiner to write some more novels.
Rating:
Summary: At least there are no crumbs in this bed
Review: I was a bit suprised by the end of this book, which in the paperback edition included an interview with the author along with book club-ish questions to use for discussion. Unusual for a book of this calibre, primarily since this falls into the new trendy genre of chick-lit. I adore this book. It really is that simple. Weiner has flare for writing sarcasm and quick wit (which, despite many other books that make this claim, they generally do not), and for piecing together a story that is believable. Well, close to believable. Several things that happen to Cannie, our fearless and witty heroine, seem to be quite not plausible for the world in which she inhibits. I know, i know -- the general purpose of books is to remove us from the real world. Regardless, it seemed that Weiner spent a lot of time crafting a believeable character who is real and plausible and then throws her into situations that seem totally unreal and unplausible. "Good in Bed" is a good intro to chick-lit because it's a breath of fresh air. It also disappoints because once you become spoiled by Weiners writing, you find that other books in the same genre won't have that same appeal.
Rating:
Summary: wet your pants funny, puffy eyes in the AM sad - WONDERFUL
Review: I ordered this book Monday, received it Thursday, and have completely devoured it in two days. It's so poignant, funny, sad, and Jennifer Weiner writes with a deep understanding of what it is like to be a 20/30-something year-old in our society. Written in the first person - Cannie feels like a new best girlfriend!
GREAT beach book for summer '02!!
Rating:
Summary: Mis-titled, mis-labeled, but excellent, nonetheless --
Review: Having just read about this book as being about larger-sized ladies in a skinny world, I got past the title and requested the book from my library. I had no idea what to expect from it, but once I got over the initial confusion over the above mis-es, I really enjoyed it. It has nothing to do, really, with being good (or bad) in bed, although there are a few brief scenes that take place in one. It's called a novel, but I quibble with that description, too, as it is really a series of five novellas, but with continued characters throughout, as well as interwoven plot lines. Each of the five sections could stand alone, however, and they have the feeling that they may have been written at different times. Candace (Cannie) Shapiro is a large lady, in many ways: intellect and a well-disguised warmth, as well as the physical, which is quite possibly a description of the author as well. Ms. Weiner has to be (or have been) a large lady herself to have so accurately described the feelings and heartbreak that accompany such women in their everyday lives. A child of divorce, she is the heavyweight in her family, as her two siblings are thin nearly to the point of emaciation. Her father, a surgeon, takes turns at loving and ignoring his former wife and their children. And then, her mother realizes she is a lesbian and brings her lover Tanya to the family home. And, into Cannie's former bedroom. But Cannie perseveres, and after graduation from Princeton, and a stint in the boonies on a small-town newspaper, she lands a good job on a Philadelphia newspaper. Her dream is to be a 'real' writer, and to that end, she struggles with her filmscript, re-writing, ever polishing, just in case. The constant snipes and slights are everywhere, and come at one from every direction, always. As if larger ladies might be that way by choice! Duh. Part One - Good in Bed sets the scene for the story of Cannie and Bruce, who have been together for three years, but parted recently at her suggestion. He lands a column in a major women's magazine, under the strange title of "Good in Bed" and in his first effort, he admits his dismay at having loved a larger woman. (My comment-Oh, get over it, already!) The dialogue here is fresh and sharp and witty as Cannie agonizes over having her life spread all over the world thanks to the magazine, amid the commiserations of friends and family. Her father's abandonment colors every move she makes, even the decision to enroll in the Weight and Eating Disorders class. "If I get thin again, Daddy, will you love me?" Trust me, if you've ever lived through this kind of experience, you'll need to keep the tissues close by. Part Two - Reconsider Me begins with the funeral of Bruce's dad, whom Cannie adored, and the feeling appeared to be mutual. He was perhaps the only adult male who did accept and love Cannie for what she was, not what she wasn't. In her indecision about the relationship with Bruce, she offers him comfort in the only way she knows how, in bed. Shortly after that, a good thing happens, when, in spite of the barriers set up to prevent such a thing from happening, Cannie makes the acquaintance of a major young female film star, Maxi Ryder, and the two of them have a night on the town, further cementing their bond. Before Maxi leaves again for the coast, however, Cannie slips her script into Maxi's tote bag. Part Three - I Go Swimming is a major indulgence as Cannie metaphorically gets lost in her past and her future, and the symbolism of the water, throughout. From the womb, maybe? Because the repercussions of her last night with Bruce will change her life forever. Cannie is pregnant. She returns to her Mother, and makes peace with Tanya, but must forgo the Weight Loss class on which she's embarked. This means also, perhaps, not being able to see the charming and enigmatic Dr. K, who's in charge of the program. The letter she's finally been able to write to Bruce goes unanswered, but Maxi comes to the rescue. Part Four - Suzie Lightning (from a pop song) seems appropriate as Cannie enters the world of show biz. Maxi has not only read her filmscript, but loves it, and takes it to her agent, who also loves it, and proves it by baffling the suits into buying the script and giving Maxi and Cannie more than the usual production approval clauses. Maxi has brought Cannie to Hollywood, and the two of them have further adventures until the day when Maxi goes off to the plastic surgeon for a minor repair, and Cannie discovers the whereabouts of her long-lost father. Who still does not want to be found, either. Part Five - Joy. This is the hard part. In spite of everything, the pregnancy has proceeded well, until Cannie returns to Philadelphia and disaster strikes. The baby comes early and other medical complications ensue, thrusting Cannie into the veriest depths of depression. She resists all efforts to get her unstuck, longing only for her daughter, whom she's named Joy. Finally, finally, Cannie comes to realize that she can't do it all herself, she needs the help and love and friendship of those who are willing to offer it. And appearances can be mighty deceiving. Finally, Cannie finds love and happiness and success as a woman, as a writer and a mother. Accepting herself as she is plays a huge part in this process. Acceptance of oneself is not easy, but it can be done, and pages 363-366 (in the hard-cover version) should be required reading material for everyone larger than a size six.
Rating:
Summary: Loved It! Simple as That!
Review: I won't belabor the plot points. You either suspend your disbelief or you don't. I, personally, had no trouble with the "Maxi" storyline - kind of fed all the right friendship fantasies for me, but maybe that says more about me than the book. I CAN tell you this: I picked up this book with absolutely no prior knowledge of it. The title intrigued me, as did the back cover. What I found far exceeded my expectations - a story about a full figured, real woman who has real relationships with men, with friends, with family. Like our own lives, the one we see here is imperfect, sometimes strong and sometimes frail, but always interesting. I loved this character and wished I knew her - she was the kind of person I could be friends with - and now she is, sort of, my friend. I'm keeping this book to re-read again and again.
|
