Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Good for a day at the beach and that's about it
Overall, I enjoyed this book--it's the kind of book that you can read over a couple of days at the beach. However, I know it's received a degree of critical acclaim, and that's what I can't figure out. Except for the fact that the protagonist is a "larger woman" (and she doesn't even sound like she's THAT large), the author isn't covering any new territory here, with her tale of a woman who's trying to come to grips with self-image, her family, and being suddenly single. She spends pretty much the entire book pining away over her ex-boyfriend, and he sounds like a total loser. This is standard romance novel fare,... Some of the characters are improbable (e.g., Maxi Ryder) and the plot twists unbelievable ...this is all fine, entertaining stuff...for a romance novel. To try to pass it off as something more literary is misleading, especially because it is so sloppily edited (misspellings and plot inconsistencies throughout). Clearly, the author is writing about herself, her own experiences and opinions, and giving herself the ending she wishes maybe she had in her own life. From her plus-sized figure to her witty repartee to her father who abandoned her (after about the millionth reference to her father leaving the family, I wanted to scream, "If you're as clever as you think you are, why don't you just find a good therapist and GET OVER IT?!"), there's just too much Jennifer Weiner in here. It's also irritating how she introduces her favorite celebrities into the plot (Maxi Ryder = Minnie Driver; Adrian Stadt = Adam Sandler). It all comes off like we're reading her personal fantasies. This book held my attention, though, because I thought Ms. Weiner had some good ideas, and I was interested to know how she wrapped the plot up into an ending. With the next book, I hope she strives for more imaginative characters, a little less melodrama, and a better editor.
Rating:  - Been There, Done That.... Maybe Not!
I began this book because an unmarried twenty-something friend recommended it; I am a thirty-something married who happens to like to read. Probably the only reason I stuck with this book...
(because I really didn't feel I had anything in common with the story line) was because this story unfolded, grew and was more than it's surface implied. I stuck with it, and am glad that I did. The beginning was chocked full of the stories I've lived ad-nauseum during my 'hey-day' as a single woman. I really didn't have much patience for reliving my 'stupid' days as a single, pondering over men who weren't worth it.... But I kept reading and found that this book offered a bit more than I'd expected. It went beyond the 'single angst' as I'd expected. The main character, Cannie Shapiro is a 27 year old writer who, although is a college graduate, does not have the self-esteem to see herself more than 'less than' everyone else. She is overweight, although strong, she's been abondonded by her father, essentially abandoned my her mother who has decided she is a lesbian, and has recently 'lost' her boyfriend, Bruce. The story follows her struggles with all of these issues ... all the while showing Cannie's wit, strength, pain, and growth. All in all, this book was more than a 'Twenty-Something' thing for this 'Thirty-Something' woman.
Rating: - "Loving a larger woman..."
I must admit that the cover and title made me curios enough to buy the book. (What happened to the "never judge a book by its' cover"?) The good thing is that I enjoyed it from page one. At page five I started recommending the book to my friends. I read the book in 50 page gulps at a time...We meet Candice Shapiro, a 28-year old reporter working for Philadelphia Examiner. She has announced to her boyfriend of three years, Bruce Guberman, that she wants a break from their relationship. We enter the story as she has just received a phone call from her friend, Samantha, asking if she has read *the* article. The article her friend is talking about is Candice's ex-boyfriend, Bruce's, new column in the magazine "Moxie" - "Good in Bed". This month's subtitle: "Loving a larger woman". An article full of juicy, very private, details, referring to Candice as "C". The "black belted" version of Public humiliation! So, there she is, having a mental breakdown at work, while her obnoxious co-worker is staring at her, savouring each second of Candice's misery. We follow Candice through the monthly humiliating articles that Bruce writes, the weight loss group sessions, the hunt to get Bruce back, and when that doesn't work, the struggle to get her life back on track, preparations for motherhood (of course she got pregnant after the only "quickie" she and Bruce had after breaking up). This book has plenty of interesting characters; some are easier to identify with than others... My favourites are Candice's sister Lucy, and Tanya, the girlfriend of Candice's mother. (They are my favorites, although I have little in common with them..) Of course, Doctor K is sweet as well. This book is an entertaining, easy read, and I must admit that I at times forgot at this was just fiction. The Hollywood part reminded me that it was... Having said that, this is a great story, sweet, tender, humorous, super funny - all that at the same time. You could easily say this is just another "Bridget Jones Diary"-book. Heck, that's not important. I enjoyed that book too! *smile* Highly recommended!
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