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Women's Fiction
Jemima J : A Novel About Ugly Ducklings and Swans

Jemima J : A Novel About Ugly Ducklings and Swans

List Price: $11.95
Your Price: $9.56
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: don't bother
Review: This book was not worth the time. Characters are not developed, writing is flighty. Reminds me of jr. high fiction.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Love this book...
Review: Okay, let's just say that this is one of my favorite books...Great for escapism, funny, and includes some good messages. Can't beat it! I love the author's conversational style of writing and she really pulls you into the character's lives...But it doesn't stop there! I have read each of Jane Green's novels, and am very much looking forward to the release of her new book this month...All in all, don't pass this one up!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not so good
Review: If you are more than 10 lbs. overweight, I suggest staying away from this book. When the author first described Jemima, I expected her to be around a size 24 and over 300 lbs, only to find out Jemima is 5'7 and a little over 200lbs--not thin, but definitely not a beached whale!

Jane Green shows she has absolutely no idea what it is like to be overweight. The way Jemima J is written, you'd think Jemima just likes food. In reality, people who overeat to such a large extent usually have an emotional reason for eating--don't expect to see any sort of realism in this book.

Also, the way the book is written is terrible. It constantly jumps from 1st person to 3rd person, and it does not compliment the book stylistically. The characters are uninteresting (even Jemima J has no personality) and there really is no point in reading the book. If you want a fun book about young English women, try Bridget Jones or Confessions of a Shopaholic.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: my favorite book so far
Review: I read this 373 page novel in three days flat. It was a real page-turner and I couldn't put it down. This is by far the best book I have ever read!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Interesting plot but fumbled execution
Review: Standing at the bookstore, I read the back of this novel and realized that I absolutely loved the plot. Take a seriously overweight single British journalist and have her fall in love with a Los Angeles-based gym owner/fitness fanatic whom she "meets" over the Internet. Throw in some interesting side characters, including a version of the "perfect man" (i.e. smart, funny, good looking, and genuinely *nice*) and make sure that he's attracted to Jemima - but ONLY as a friend.

The title character sees an outlet in her Californian pen pal, who seems to really click with her on the phone. When the time comes for a face-to-face (rather than a doctored picture sent via email), Jemima must make a major decision about her life.

Jane Green has the choice to do three things: have Jemima transform herself into a miraculous new person; have her stay exactly the same and figure out how to deal with someone she has lied to (about her lifestyle, at least) for months; or, forge some sort of in-between. Any of the three options makes for an entertaining read, and I must admit that while I was reading this book, I was hooked. The narration flows easily (switching periodically between first- and third-person) and by the time I was halfway through this book, I really wanted to see what would happen to the title character.

My major complaint with this novel, however, is the fact that it's the written version of a "chick flick." The book reads more like a screenplay than a novel: dramatic character changes/developments seem to occur in a matter of paragraphs; there are too many lame, cliched coincidences that occur in the final chapters; finally, these coincidences are narrated in such a style that you can almost hear James Earl Jones reading them aloud over your shoulder. While my interest was piqued throughout the book, I also muttered a few times to myself that Green really should've pitched this to Miramax rather than Broadway Books.

It's the middle of May and beach season is around the corner. If you're looking for an easy read, something light and fluffy to drag to the sand with you and give you a few smirks, this is the book for you. But if you're looking for something deeper than that, keep shopping.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wonderfully Absorbing beach read
Review: this is a fat chicks fantasy novel..(i am a fat chick and feel I can say this).
The novel is filled with humour and is completely absorbing. If you are looking for escapism then this is the novel for you

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Light, fun and romantic
Review: I thought this was a great book. Since I'm not an avid reader, I can't really compare to other books of it's type. However, this was the first book I actually purchased in 4 years. The story line is funny and has a great twist at the end. Jane's humor is very down to earth and easy to read. I liked it so much, that I purchased her other book, Mr. Maybe, just because of her writing style. If you are looking for fun, laughs and a bit of romance, this is the book for you. Those giving it a bad review.. come on.. it's just a book.. Have some fun..

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Jemma J
Review: This is one of my absolute favorite books! It's about a woman who starts off being fat and is very unhappy with her life, but by the end of the novel she comes to accept who she is after she goes through some life altering experiences. This isn't supposed to be a realistic book so those who complained that it wasn't didn't seem to notice that it was under the fiction section. This is a wonderful book and I couldn't put it down, it was amazing how a like the main character was to me.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: LOVED IT!!!
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I bought it one day, started it the next morning, and wasn't able to put it down until I had finished it and found out what happened! I think the people giving it the bad reviews are missing the big picture, and one earlier reviewer has already said this: Jemima thinks that losing weight will make her happier (which of us doesn't, really?) and after she transforms herself, she realizes that that is not the case at all. As for the switching of narrative points of views, i found it easy to read and refreshing-almost like we were at a window, looking in, and were being invited to take a peek. I like the way that Jane Green used this tool to explain what was going on. As for the unrealistic weight loss, did you pay attention to the book at all? It is pointed out, byt he helpful narrator, that time has PASSES, which would account for her weight loss. Yes, maybe it was a bit drastic, but that, too, is explained, if you read it carefully. As for the other parts that reviewers have mentioned as unbelievable or offensive, please view this book as it was intended: a work of fiction. I firmly believe that the author was not trying to be offensive to anyone, and was just trying to give all of us a little hope. And PS...to those of you who hated it? did you read the Epilogue at all? That dispels a lot of your heat.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Bad Message
Review: While it was an easy read, it wasn't even worth the short time it took to get through it. The heroine, if you can call her that, is obsessed with her looks and had nothing else to offer the reader. The way she loses weight screams "eating disorder", but is not really addressed in the book. When she starts her diet plan she is doing it all for men. She doesn't do it for herself at all. She is descibed as hideous but when she loses weight she is beutiful. I think that some people would see her bueaty despite the weight. I would not recommend this book. It is very insulting.


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