The Passion of Alice

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Summary: "The Passion of Alice" review by a 16 year old student
Review: The Passion of Alice, the debut novel of NYU graduate Stephanie Grant, who in her first attempt at nation wide approval, has succeeded tremendously. Grant takes us through the horribly complicated, yet simple life of self admitted, twenty five year old anorexia victim, Alice Forrester. Although the familie of Alice intently try to steer her towards recovery she feels unaccepted by everyone but the other patients. In this beautifully written page-turner, we see what life is like at Sea View, a small treatment center for suffragettes of eating disorders. We meet such characters as Maeve, a racy, risque bulimic and Ronald, an example of how one experience can change a life forever. We see events at Sea View go through a rollercoaster of ups and downs that ultimetly show the determination of the human soul. In the midst o confusion and pain, Alice discovers a passionate desire to live.

This book is engaging with it's imagery, realism and actual life problems. Although the book is mainly targeted to an audience of young women, it can open a window to anyone who has never experienced these sort of situations. It is because of books like the Passion Of Alice that people are able to open up and be conftorble with their own imperfections. Whethor your a 16-year-old boy, or a 50-ear-old women, you will enjoy the vivid story of The Passion Of Alice.

Rating:
Summary: "The Passion of Alice" review by a 16 year old student
Review: The Passion of Alice, the debut novel of NYU graduate Stephanie Grant, who in her first attempt at nation wide approval, has succeeded tremendously. Grant takes us through the horribly complicated, yet simple life of self admitted, twenty five year old anorexia victim, Alice Forrester. Although the familie of Alice intently try to steer her towards recovery she feels unaccepted by everyone but the other patients. In this beautifully written page-turner, we see what life is like at Sea View, a small treatment center for suffragettes of eating disorders. We meet such characters as Maeve, a racy, risque bulimic and Ronald, an example of how one experience can change a life forever. We see events at Sea View go through a rollercoaster of ups and downs that ultimetly show the determination of the human soul. In the midst o confusion and pain, Alice discovers a passionate desire to live.

This book is engaging with it's imagery, realism and actual life problems. Although the book is mainly targeted to an audience of young women, it can open a window to anyone who has never experienced these sort of situations. It is because of books like the Passion Of Alice that people are able to open up and be conftorble with their own imperfections. Whethor your a 16-year-old boy, or a 50-ear-old women, you will enjoy the vivid story of The Passion Of Alice.

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Summary: An incredibly easy read
Review: There's more meaning behind the words in this book than there is in the actual words themselves. Though at times very sad, the reader can relate to the inner struggle for affection that Alice undergoes, searching for a self that isn't judged by an outer appearance. Alice is bare bones, just herself, and she doesn't like the shell of weight and skin to get in her way. In searching for herself, she finds more than she bargained for. I read this book in two days, and came away from it contemplative about the psychological basis behind anorexia. Once the reader begins to understand Alice, an understanding of the triggers behind the disease is not far behind.

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Summary: Not your average "recovery" book
Review: This book concerns young women recovering from eating disorders, but the narrator's snappy sense of humor makes the material, setting and characters intriguing, not at all like therapy-as-novel. Fiercely intelligent, too. Can't wait for more from Stephanie Grant

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Summary: Excellent book by a new author
Review: This book is terrific. The sex scenes were appropriate and well-written. If you want to learn about anorexia, I would hope that you would not choose to do so from a novel (in response to the reviews below). And if you are afraid of encountering lesbianism without warning, perhaps reading literature is too dangerous for you (perhaps you shouldn't even leave your house...).

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Summary: Interesting perspectives
Review: This book is very unique in many different ways. Some of the points that are brought up are very true in relation to anorexia and its feelings on life. I read this book during own recovery and found it good at times but boring at others. I was shocked at the ending. This book was uniquely written and deserves decent credit

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Summary: Poignant realistic look at women, food, & relationships
Review: This first novel focuses on a young women literally at the end of her rope as she starves herself to death at an eating disorder clinic. Having suffered a heart attack, 25-year- old Alice has recovered enough to participate in therapy. The novel does a wonderful job of bringing out the ironies of life at the clinic - there is real humor here. The author also zeroes in on the issues of dependency, desperation, and desire that lie at the heart of those who struggle with the role of food in their lives. Finally, Alice's relationships with the people in her life, a new arrival at the clinic, force her to confront herself and her own desires. This novel is well-written, intense and yet evenly paced. The characters are entirely believable and their predicaments provide us with new insights into the tumoil that causes and is caused by our rocky relationships with food. Celia Rabinowitz

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Summary: startling and intense
Review: This has been one of the most startling novels I've read in recent months. Its intelligent quirkiness is coupled with painful realism--and the protagonist, a young anorexic troubled by both philosophical and romantic concerns, will become one of the most involving ficitonal characters you've ever read. I can guarantee that.

This is a very intense, *subjective* novel--and you'll find yourself cringing when the protagonist cringes, laughing when she laughs, etc. I highly recommend it to anyone who is continuously looking for new ways to perceive the concepts of beauty, love, lust and anger. Just brilliant.

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Summary: Realistic in the sense that recovery is not overnight.
Review: This novel, although fiction, accurately displays the difficulty in struggling with an eating disorder. Also, the main character, though accurate, is not the stereotypical picture of anorexia nervosa, and thus more readers can relate to her. The ending is consistent with how this disorder actually plays itself out, and I think this is important for readers who have no experience with eating disorders to understand

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Summary: A reader from Newark, Delaware
Review: This was a great book! I couldn't put it down. It defiantly provided new insight into the development of anorexia nervosa. Although this was fiction, I found it believable. It avoided the oversimplification of a very complex disorder. I look forward to reading more work by Stephanie Grant.