hsimonton's review against another edition
4.0
Good read about families by blood and families by relationship
karak's review against another edition
4.0
I honestly thought this was a food memoir of sorts. It's not. It's a novel. Food plays into it, and is somewhat of a supporting character. The novel itself is pretty excellent.
radioactve_piano's review against another edition
3.0
A fair enough read passed on by my mother, this book was largely a rehashing of the plus-sized-but-I-lose-weight-and-am-happy story that seems to be so popular these days. A quick and worthy enough book, but I found myself wondering why I was thinking about reading it when I wasn't reading, rather than wishing I could be reading it when I wasn't reading.
... if that made sense.
... if that made sense.
dmsleeve's review against another edition
2.0
The second half got better but the main character is terrible. Pathetic, insecure and self-centered.
blbst36's review against another edition
4.0
Some one ripped out the freaking article at the end! Can anyone help me find it? I really want to read it.
kbruneau's review against another edition
3.0
The author seemed to be trying to do two things in this book and wasn't able to accomplish both very well. On the one hand, there's the theme or the main character's relationship to food and her body, and on the other, there's a narrative of family relationships and secrets. I think Shortridge does a better job with the latter - the family's story is complex and intriguing, though the book doesn't delve deeply enough into the characters and their motivations for me. The food and body theme, though, was really poorly addressed. The narrator's body and food issues are painful to read in the beginning, but in a way that is realistic for a lot of women in our society. But then those issues sort of disappear with only the flimsiest of reasons. I didn't buy the transformation, and a more realistic account of the protagonist's changing attitudes and self-esteem would have been much more compelling. Ultimately, I found the book fluffy and mildly entertaining, but with a lot of wasted potential.
ciiku's review against another edition
2.0
I have thought about this 3 star review for a bit because I did enjoy the book but i realised why it deserves less. The love story. That was what I didn't get. It felt forced to me. If the book focused on the other relationships without the love story bit, it would have been better. So I downgrade this to a 2.
kendirae's review
4.0
Cute book. Sad as well. Helped me understand how hospice works more clearly. I felt a real connection to the main character.
tara3117's review against another edition
4.0
So far, this book has been a great read, but has moved a little slowly. It's about a woman in her late thirties - single, overweight freelance writer for a cooking magazine - who suddenly finds herself caring for her "uncle", who is really a close friend of her mother. I think the book is about to get really interesting (I'm on page 146 as I write this) and I can't wait to see what unfolds!
Update: I'm nearly finished and have found a deeper respect for the author's message, although I'm not sure this book speaks to me personally. I have never had the task of being someone's live-in respite care nurse, but I have seen enough people struggle through this that I can relate to the situation. I find myself empathizing with Ellie and getting wrapped up in her story-line over the Uncle Benny story. It's interesting to think about family secrets and the life your parents had before they had you. I can also relate to using food as comfort until even food isn't enough. I actually found myself wishing the author had included the recipes for Ellie's creations!
Update: I'm nearly finished and have found a deeper respect for the author's message, although I'm not sure this book speaks to me personally. I have never had the task of being someone's live-in respite care nurse, but I have seen enough people struggle through this that I can relate to the situation. I find myself empathizing with Ellie and getting wrapped up in her story-line over the Uncle Benny story. It's interesting to think about family secrets and the life your parents had before they had you. I can also relate to using food as comfort until even food isn't enough. I actually found myself wishing the author had included the recipes for Ellie's creations!