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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: 5 stars
Summary: JJ Rocks
Review: I randomly picked this book from the shelve. I absolutley loved it. I was on an an airplane to go see my boyfriend (long distance relationship) and was more into the book than seeing him.I couldnt wait to get back on the plane coming back, so I could get back into Jemima's life. It's NOT just the typical story of ugly duckling meets her prince, It's so much more than that! The setting is in London, and in Los Angeles. So fun! It's not as neurortic as Bridget Jones, but you are still rooting for Jemima like you did for Bridget. Great, fun fast read!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is a Must Have!!!
Review: For all of you out there who struggle w/ your weight and dream that if you'll lose that weight, you'll find Mr. Right -- This is the book for you! Jane Green is witty, funny and seems to understand the plight of the chubby, love sick woman. For those of you who have read Vanity Fair by William Thackeray, her style mimics the way Thackerary talks and somewhat teases the readers about his characters.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Hot Stuff!
Review: Okay, I've been there - that insatiable desire to be thin. Though, it is not quite so insatiable as the desire to have some of that mint ice cream...Jemima (not JJ!) is an inspiration to anyone who ever wanted to get motivated about anything! She doesn't play it off like it is easy, or that she's realy a thin person trapped in a fat body - she is Jemima, through and through, a thoroughly hilarious character that made me laugh out loud. Give it a read!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Don't Bother With This One
Review: I don't put books down. But by the end of the first chapter, I was ready to toss it. I did not find this novel to have any goodness or decency in at all. Within the first few pages one discovers that the main character is overweight, has no self esteem or friends and finds solace in food. Losing weight and finding a man will not change all that. If you want to read a book about a woman to identify with, try Wally Lamb's "She's Come Undone", which despite being written by a man, I found for the most part more realistic and less like a thin woman writing about a subject she could not possibly (obviously, it really shows) know anything about.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Happy Book!
Review: This book is easy to read, easy to relate to and generally makes you feel happy as the plot unfoils. You know what is going to happen, but, that in no way detracts from the story or the characters. There are no suprises, just generally enjoyable characters and a very happy outcome.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Another 'omigosh-it's-the-story-of-my-life!' book
Review: At first I dismissed this book as silly girl fluff--what, with all the Bridget Jones-esque... practically smothering the bookshelves. The first 6-7 chapters of the book are airheaded and hasty: The first line in the book is 'God, I wish I were thin.' Which is the text equivalent of a catchy bubblegum song's hook--crafted to entice twentysomething women into reading a semi-autobiographical story of themselves.

And I was skeptical for a while. It's the same old Cinderella story about the gorgeous stud and the lowly Untouchable. Duh, Duh, and Duh. It starts out too fast, too edited, too trite, too 'Sweet Valley High.' There is a significant lack of initial character development that hinders us from really believing the chemistry between the main character, Jemima, and Ben and Brad. The e-mails between Jemima and her California beach hunk, Brad, are slow and boring, but just when their IM's are starting to show juicy line-by-line progress--they stop. After that, Green only confirms their continuing liason with scapegoat lines like 'she then talked to him on the phone every night'. Beach-reading fluff, I thought.

But realize that the 'meat' of the book is in the middle to end chapters, and that's what makes this book truly worthwhile. It's not really about Jemima's actions and following her progressions into a slim new JJ'-I mean, come on--we've all seen Pretty Woman, right? We know the drill. Rather, it's more about how Green jots down Jemima's every inner thought and insecurities during the whole process. We never knew what was going on in Julia Roberts' head, but with Jemima, we hear all the tiny voices inside. And they are funny little voices. Because Jemima J is written in the first person and third person throughout the book, we get different points of view on a single situation, giving us a glimpse of what Brad thinks, what Ben thinks, what the lady at the deli thinks. Green really starts to draw us into Jemima's life, NOT because it follows a formulaic storybook pattern, but because, well--it's just hella fun to read. Green now shows off her natural talent for observational insight and human empathy--all with a dash of sarcastic humor. It is precisely these skills, plus a totally unexpected plot twist, that turn the book into a real winner and prevent it from being lumped into the cheeseball 'Scruples' category.

I can just hear annoying, high-pitched, sorority-girl squeals of 'Omigosh, this book is SOOOO me!!!' and 'I am SOOOO Jemima!!!' flurrying about, much to my disdain. Understand that this book is not about YOU, selfish as it may seem. But you will feel like it's the story of your life, because that's EXACTLY what Green wants. She knows the vulnerable and sensitive wiring of the female reader, and plays this asset up to her advantage. The story is not new. The players are not new. They've just got a very good producer in the wings. Personally, I think Green would be a great screenwriter.

Yes, it's made for the twentysomething Cosmo set, and yes, it's easily digestible. (Yo, this ain't no Shakespeare.) But you will have to admit that Green makes Jemima utterly lovable, using producer-like skills to keep the plot moving and the interest high. Coming from someone who hates 'chick flicks' and anything 'warm and fuzzy', Jemima J enraptured me.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Green believes that love and obesity are mutually exclusive
Review: Jemima only fulfills her dreams of love after she loses weight and gets surgery. What kind of message is that to the world? She is still the same kind, loving person as she was when she was fat, but it is only when she is beautiful as well that she gets the man of her dreams. A very disappointing read.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Maybe ...maybe not
Review: First of all I bought this book because I saw the legs of a curvacious woman like myself. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down, because I can relate with the entire overweight issues and the fad diets. The book is great! But it seems so unreal at times. Its a fantasy... you can almost predict the ending. I recommend the book, it amused me. Hopefully there are more books about overweight, over stressed, beautiful women!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Looks matter no matter if you're fat or a Ben-like stud
Review: What I noticed in this book is that both Jemima AND Ben were judged for their looks. The only reason Ben got the TV job was because his boss thought he had the right look to be the next "IT" man. It's interesting how the author showed both sides of the story - no matter what you look like, you're going to be judged by society.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Definitely worth the read!
Review: This is definitely worth the read. Granted, if you're looking for something of a classic, analytical, etc. kind of read, this may not be for you. But if you're looking for something lighthearted, entertaining, and most of all, just enjoyable, by all means, this will not be a disappointment. It's humorous. It's fun. It's definitely worth the read. This story follows jemima j and all her tribulations of being overweight in the begininning. As the story goes on, she loses weight, and she starts leading a different lifestyle. Many will complain that this story is too much of a fairy tale: Overweight girl is depressed, girl loses weight, and all her dreams come true. But regardless, I do believe there is an element of truth in her outcomes. I guarantee this is a book that you will have a hard time putting it down.


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