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kslarkin's review against another edition
3.0
Slow to start, but gets better as it goes on. It had a great ending, but I wasn't a fan of the writing style- it was too conversational/casual.
beastreader's review against another edition
1.0
Sophie recently graduated from Yale. She got a job working as an appeals attorney. It seems that Sophie has everything made or so she thought. Sophie’s world gets turned upside down when at dinner with her boyfriend, Stephen, Sophie suddenly feels her throat close up and she can’t swallow. There is a fist size ball in Sophie’s throat.
Sophie goes to Dr. Ames for her problem. Dr. Ames forces Sophie to deal with her childhood and growing up with a father for a porn producer. All the while dealing with the fist size ball in Sophie’s throat.
I have to admit that this book turned out to not quite be to my liking. I really wanted to like this book as it seemed that most of the other people who read this book did. The characters didn’t engage me and the book moved slow. I found the characters problems to be bothersome and they were whiny. What I did find interesting though about this book was the main character, Sophie. I have read many books but have never encountered a character where she deals with the issue of not being about to swallow. I went through this myself when I was younger, though luckily for me it did not affect me like it did Sophie. I was able to get over it pretty quickly. Swallow was hard for me to swallow but I could definitely see where author Tonya Plank was going with this book.
Sophie goes to Dr. Ames for her problem. Dr. Ames forces Sophie to deal with her childhood and growing up with a father for a porn producer. All the while dealing with the fist size ball in Sophie’s throat.
I have to admit that this book turned out to not quite be to my liking. I really wanted to like this book as it seemed that most of the other people who read this book did. The characters didn’t engage me and the book moved slow. I found the characters problems to be bothersome and they were whiny. What I did find interesting though about this book was the main character, Sophie. I have read many books but have never encountered a character where she deals with the issue of not being about to swallow. I went through this myself when I was younger, though luckily for me it did not affect me like it did Sophie. I was able to get over it pretty quickly. Swallow was hard for me to swallow but I could definitely see where author Tonya Plank was going with this book.
clairereviews's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting concept. A story written around the central character's difficulty dealing with things, which metamorphoses as her feeling like she has a fit-sized lump in her throat.
rndoblio's review against another edition
No stars. Terrible. The author lives by the motto: when you've run out of ideas and can't tie up an ending, have the Towers fall.
sarahconnor89757's review against another edition
4.0
There is this new cliche in chick-lit of a professional woman making her way in the big city while still being that small town girl at heart. This book is that cliche. The hardest thing to do with a cliche is to use it in a market that is saturated with it in a way that works without being satirical, but that's what Plank does.
This is a character driven story with a lead that has enough personality and vulnerability that you easily place yourself in her role, and it gets you coming back to it just to make sure everything is going alright in your absence.
Great chick-lit for intelligent, grown women.
This is a character driven story with a lead that has enough personality and vulnerability that you easily place yourself in her role, and it gets you coming back to it just to make sure everything is going alright in your absence.
Great chick-lit for intelligent, grown women.
katrinaburch's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. Tonya's writing style is mostly easy to understand. There were a couple of times when there were words I didn't know but it didn't detract from the book. Sophie was very easy to relate to but there were times in the book that I wanted to reach through the book and smack her upside the head. Such as when she went to the doctor to get an X-ray. No health professional should act that way. Same with her therapist and with her Fiance/boyfriend Stephen. Man he was annoying! But that's what made part of how Sophie was easy to relate to. Everybody has known somebody who's had a significant other who you just knew was bad and/or not good for that person.
In the end, the ending of the book seemed a little rushed to me but overall it was an really good book!
In the end, the ending of the book seemed a little rushed to me but overall it was an really good book!
kconnoreads's review against another edition
4.0
I really don't see it as a book that many people would enjoy. I thought it was fantastic though. I guess the plot was pretty slow; a woman in a steady relationship with a budding career in law (she attends Yale University) and strong friendships. The twist of the book is that everyone surrounding her believes that she has a serious eating disorder. Whenever she tries to eat or drink a "fist-ball", as she calls it, swells up inside her throat and she can barely swallow without bursting into tears. Doctors and friends convince her that it is a psychological effect of the eating disorder but the pain is so real to her that she can't believe it's only in her mind. That's basically the gist of it, and I really got into the character, Sophie, and how her whole life is affected by an eating disorder she isn't even sure she suffers from.
trupti's review against another edition
4.0
When I read the book synopsis, I thought this would be a serious book since it deals with a psychological disorder called Globus Sensate where Sophie feels like something in stuck in the throat as a result of which he/she may find trouble eating or in extreme cases- breathing.
So when I opened the first page I was prepared for a sad saga. But Swallow is far from sad. It’s a look into the life of a New York lawyer (intern) who seems to be awkward, lacks confidence and generally looks down upon herself. Sophie Hegel is working as an intern in a New York firm acting as a criminal appeals attorney. I obviously had no idea that there are attorney’s just for appealing cases. But I did get a lot of information about it from this book.
Sophie seemingly has everything. A hot-shot lawyer for a boyfriend-Stephen, a fabulous New York apartment which she lives in with her Stephen and a job as an intern which could possibly turn into a permanent one.
But as a reader you learn from the very first chapter that Sophie had self-worth issues. Coming from a small town in Arizona, Sophie never feels like she completely belongs and is not comfortable with people she thinks are more successful and more sophisticated than her.
Things start going wrong when Sophie discovers that she has problem swallowing even simple things, including drinks. After confirming that she has no physical problems she is hoping to find answers from her psychiatrist. This book is not about a disease. It’s about Sophie’s struggles, not only with her self-issues but also with her relationships- her mother, her sister who has 3 children out of wedlock and her father who makes pornographic movies.
As I said I expected this book to be dark and serious but it actually reads like a chick-lit or a light novel, which was a welcome change. In spite of this, the author never undermined Sophie’s problem or made light of it which I really liked. Sophie is a very likable character most of the time and although you get a good glimpse into Sophie’s character, I wish some of the other characters were explored in little more detail, like Stephen or her father, whom I really disliked and was intrigued by at the same time. At times I thought the book was not moving at all, especially in the middle. But it really picked up pace for the last 100 pages which was nice.
Would I recommend Swallow? Yes, definitely. I found it very entertaining. But if you expect to find more details about the psychological disorder, you’ll be disappointed. Go into it expecting a light novel and you’ll enjoy yourself. I would even go as far as calling it a Beach read.
So when I opened the first page I was prepared for a sad saga. But Swallow is far from sad. It’s a look into the life of a New York lawyer (intern) who seems to be awkward, lacks confidence and generally looks down upon herself. Sophie Hegel is working as an intern in a New York firm acting as a criminal appeals attorney. I obviously had no idea that there are attorney’s just for appealing cases. But I did get a lot of information about it from this book.
Sophie seemingly has everything. A hot-shot lawyer for a boyfriend-Stephen, a fabulous New York apartment which she lives in with her Stephen and a job as an intern which could possibly turn into a permanent one.
But as a reader you learn from the very first chapter that Sophie had self-worth issues. Coming from a small town in Arizona, Sophie never feels like she completely belongs and is not comfortable with people she thinks are more successful and more sophisticated than her.
Things start going wrong when Sophie discovers that she has problem swallowing even simple things, including drinks. After confirming that she has no physical problems she is hoping to find answers from her psychiatrist. This book is not about a disease. It’s about Sophie’s struggles, not only with her self-issues but also with her relationships- her mother, her sister who has 3 children out of wedlock and her father who makes pornographic movies.
As I said I expected this book to be dark and serious but it actually reads like a chick-lit or a light novel, which was a welcome change. In spite of this, the author never undermined Sophie’s problem or made light of it which I really liked. Sophie is a very likable character most of the time and although you get a good glimpse into Sophie’s character, I wish some of the other characters were explored in little more detail, like Stephen or her father, whom I really disliked and was intrigued by at the same time. At times I thought the book was not moving at all, especially in the middle. But it really picked up pace for the last 100 pages which was nice.
Would I recommend Swallow? Yes, definitely. I found it very entertaining. But if you expect to find more details about the psychological disorder, you’ll be disappointed. Go into it expecting a light novel and you’ll enjoy yourself. I would even go as far as calling it a Beach read.
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