Rating: 
Summary: Bridget Jones' Sister
Review: After having this book thrust at me by three of my friends telling me that it was the best book they had ever read, I decided to give "fat girl" books another chance. Well, I think this one is by far the most annoying one of the bunch. The author not only switches from first to third person constantly, but has our heroine, Ms. JJ, lose 100 pounds in three months (or maybe I read it wrong since I was trying to figure out who was talking). The ending is so predictable that as soon as I met the yummilicious Ben I knew what was going to happen. The author also seemed to skim over the whole weight loss which, in my opinion, should have been the focal point of the book since this whole book revolved around her losing the weight. I'm sick of reading books about fat girls becoming anorexic princesses and than realizing that there is more to life than being thin. How about some chubby heroines (like in Muriel's Wedding?!?)? If you are looking for a book that is not just fluff and actually makes you think, than look somewhere else because this book is better IN the water when you're at the beach.
Rating: 
Summary: Jemima J Rocks!!!
Review: This book left me speechless. At one point my roomate came home and I was bubbling over with excitement as I reached the pivotal finale that leaves you breathless. Jane Green has a way of bringing you inside the story, as if you're one of Jemima's best friends. You feel everything she feels as she's dealing with weight issues, love issues, work issues, friend issues -- a lot of what we face every day. I love books that take me away to where I become the characters -- needless to say I didn't put this book down during the 48 hours it took me to read it. British chick literature rocks!
Rating: 
Summary: Major mixed messages
Review: I love this sort of single-girl Brit-fic, so I was really looking forward to Jemima J. I was incredibly disappointed, however, to discover that the author seems to have missed the point of her own message. Yes, Jemima undergoes the transformation that's standard for these heroines, but she is rewarded ONLY because she's now thin, not because she's become a stronger, more confident person. Her "happy ending" is happy because her secret crush finally notices her...because she's thin! Besides the stereotypical presentation of a fat woman who has no life, no friends and no personality until she loses weight, the pathetic codicil at the end of the book assuring readers that Jemima eats "what she wants, when she wants...in moderation" feels like a tacked-on legal disclaimer. Green's breezy prose only partially masks the questionable underpinnings of her plot.
Rating:
Summary: A loveable character, a poignant message
Review: Jemima J quickly endears herself to the reader while offering a valuable message in moderation. In her journey from obese, to pencil thin, to just right, Jemima J learns about self-abuse and emotional isolation, friendship, exercise and the joy of movement, the perils of superificiality, and the benefits of balance. Neither a treatise against fat nor a celebration of diets and starvation, this is the story of one woman's quest for self-realization. It could have easily been subtitled "Becoming Comfortable".
Rating: 
Summary: Great book
Review: Jemima J. is an artfully written book that is poignant yet funny. I am a lover of British literature and this is a great one.
Rating:
Summary: Decent writing, but awful book.....
Review: I was stunned by the thinly veiled message here that fat is simply unacceptable. Jemima is badly dressed, unhappy and overlooked as a fat woman -- and suddenly becomes chic and people love her when she's thin.... This is just part of the anorexia train..... Not a power book for women AT ALL.
Rating:
Summary: Unrealistic, at best...
Review: I read this book in one night, despite the tension headache caused by the author's continual alternation between first and third tense narration (she is, supposedly, trying to be a voice of reason in otherwise unreasonable situations). Jemima's weight loss schedule is completely farcical - although the narrator vehemently denies that Jemima is anorexic, no real person could keep such a regime and live. Additionally, Jemima's post-weight-loss lifestyle is so completely outrageous I found myself wanting to toss the book across the room. Her roommates' actions - both before and after - are unprovoked and plainly bitchy. If Jemima is such a slouch, why would they act with such jealousy? And Ben. Clearly by the end of the book Jemima still has unresolved issues. Sure, he loves her... when she's THIN (notice he wasn't too concerned with whether or not he wound up seeing her in LA... until he saw the "new" woman). Clearly this is the book's ultimate message... be thin, be loved. Oh... and the epilogue. At a "size 10", Jemima is "no longer thin". Uh... excuse me, but the last time I checked, size 10 is pretty darn good.
The entire Brad/Jenny situation is laughable (incidentally, this was so obvious it wasn't even funny... you can see this coming from chapters away),if Brad truly loved her, he wouldn't care about appearances... and he certainly wouldn't be sharing his life with someone else. The whole situation refutes the book's supposed theme.... that love can exist regardless of looks. Notwithstanding that, the entire explanation for such deception is completely contrived. You mean to tell me the author could come up with no better excuse for Brad's behavior than THAT?????
Overall, an okay read if you are able to completely suspend reality (fiction or not, I prefer my books to be grounded in some sort of normality). Otherwise, skip it.
Rating: 
Summary: A light and frothy read
Review: Jemima Jones is generally a fast-paced and entertaining read. Not a perfect one, however. The character's total lack of self-esteem in every facet of her life (she doesn't have the confidence to look for another job even though she's been passed over for several promotions and she lets her roomates mistreat her-seem bizarrely unrealistic). In addition, the author's pat explanation for how Jemima Jones became nearly 100 pounds overweight and her subsequent "miraculous" 96 pound weight loss in 9 months-resulting from starving herself and becoming obsessed with with exercise are irresponsible to both the reader and the protagonist. Clearly, Jemima has some deep seated issues that cannot just be whisked away by getting skinny and finding true love. As some other readers have pointed out, Jane Green knows little about being overweight because it is a constant struggle for people who have lost weight to maintain it-even if they fall in love.Having throughly bashed Green, I must say that she has created a story with a plot most readers can identify with. I think we all long to have a bit of fairy-tale like happiness in our lives and we can all cheer Jemima on as she gets her happy ending. Green's tone is full of wry British wit (though not nearly as clever as Helen Fielding) and her story moves along quickly and holds the reader captive (if involuntarily) as she follows Jemima's progression from duckling to swan. One more bone-the author's narrative switch from first person to third person became tiresome towards the end of the book. Overall, this novel is much like a bowl of whipped cream, great taste but not very filling.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad - cute, fast fun reading!
Review: I like the style Jane Green uses when she writes - very easy to read. I like her character development & the London tie-ins. (I'm a huge Anglophile) Jemima J & Mr. Maybe are very good 'light reading' books - they do have a predictable ending (oh well) but I enjoyed them much more so than Bridget Jones Diary. Too bad the producers of that movie didn't read Jane Green, would have made for a much better movie, perhaps she should get the same Manager/Publicists/PR person that the author of Bridget Jones has and land a movie deal for one of her books! A nice way to spend a weekend. Looking forward to her next books - hopefully she will add plot twists and not so predictible an ending...
Rating:
Summary: If Only It Could Happen This Way...
Review: Jemima J, is the story of the ugly caterpillar turned beautiful butterfly. The story was fun and entertaining, it captured my interest, however, the plot, at times, was somewhat unbelievable. Jemima Jones, by all accounts, is grossly overweight and ugly. She has no success with men and relationships until she finds the internet! While on-line Jemima makes herself everything that she is not. The prospect of an interested man makes Jemima seek to improve her physical self. Jemima Jones embarks on a life changing odessey. She enters a strict regime of dieting and exercise, and all too soon, Jemima is fit and beautiful. Here's where the story begins... From unlucky in love, career, and life; Jemima becomes very lucky. She has friends and has captured the interest of men. Jemima is seeking higher than she ever dared, but what will be the cost? I enjoyed Jemima J and would recommend others read it as well. If you are looking for something to compare it with, try 'Good In Bed' by Jennifer Weiner.
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