Rating:  Summary: Quick Read Review: I read this book on the subway going to work to kill time, often I would find myself reading it during work. Its quite a page turner. The protagonist, Jemima has quite a few adventures, traveling from her home in England to LA to meet a guy she meets on the internet. Not only does she travel 4,000 miles but she dropps about 100 lbs too! When she finally meets him, she's in for a great surprise. You'll never beleive what happens. Don't want to ruin it, but I must say in end she does find true happiness.
Rating:  Summary: A Bit Unrealistic Review: I read and finished this book in about a day as I was so curious of all the fuss about this I've been hearing. Over all, the book was great, it makes you sad to see that most people judges someone by it looks. Jemima was the same person as she is before she was gorgeous and thin and why can't Ben just accept who is then what she looks like? Sure, they did get together in the end but I don't think he wants to be with Jemima if she is still fat.I was kinda pissed at Brad and jenny though. Poor Jemima. Well, she did was after Ben even before she was with Brad. Well, the whole plot was great but it's just a shame that people in this world judge you through looks. And jemima sure did lose the weight off her but in my opinion it was a bit unrealistic that losing weight was that easy for her wothout feeling faintish or whatsoever.
Rating:  Summary: Share this one with a girlfriend! Review: Not only did I finish this book in record time (becuase I just couldn't put it down), I've passed it on for all my girlfriends to read. Jane Green does an awesome job of describing feelings that we've all had one time or another, and keeps you glued to the pages with heart-pounding romantic suspense. Once you're through with the book I bet you'll be smiling from ear to ear!
Rating:  Summary: Jemima J doesn't live up to the hype Review: Entertaining? Yes. Funny? At times. Jemima J is an easy read with interesting characters and a good laugh or two. However, from all of the hype I expected to read a story of a woman who moved beyond her body obsession to a better place, both physically and mentally. What I found was a story about a woman who goes on some bizarre starvation/ninja exercise regime and voila--the man of her dreams falls into her arms. Yes, there were some cautionary lines about how she shouldn't be doing it and at the end, she chooses a more moderate path. However the underlying message was: to get your man, buy into all of the supermodel hype, lose 100 pounds plus, and Mr. Dreamboat will come to you.Highly disappointing, despite some original plot twists and turns.
Rating:  Summary: overall, not a bad book... BUT.... Review: okay, i'm confused. Is Jane Green british or american? Overall, this is a fairly entertaining book, much better than "a girl's guide to hunting and fishing (which i'd recommend against)". However, the author swishes back and forth between british word choice and others that are decidedly american. it felt a little funny, a bit schizo at times. the book is good while it lasts. however, as soon as you finish it, you quickly forget what you've just read. not exactly memorable.
Rating:  Summary: not for intellectuals, but thoroughly enjoyable Review: this was not the most intellectually stimulating book i've ever read; HOWEVER, i couldn't put it down, and was literally walking down the street reading because i wanted to know what happened next. if you've ever worried about your weight, worried about your relationships with your friends, worried about romantic relationships (ie, if you're anyone) you will enjoy this book. it's a quick read, despite its length...you will feel like you know jemima intimately, and you will laugh and cry with her as the book progresses. highly recommended!!
Rating:  Summary: Cheesey but loveable fairy tale! Review: ... even though it sounded like a little depressing. I was wrong. I enjoyed every minute of this story, even though it was completely cheesey, a tad bit stereotypical, and perhaps a bit unlikely. I loved Jemima Jones fat and I loved her skinny. I liked that this story was about dreaming. I liked that it tackled the "grass is greaner on the other side" perspective that women so often hold. Anyone who is even s bit uncomfortable with their weight or body image has fallen prey to thinking that life would be much grander, if only... in this story, we see that that is not often the case. Make no mistake, this isn't fantastic writing. The changing viewpoint was a little hard to follow at times, but it made for entertaining reading. Definitely not something you run across every day!! This is not the classic that I consider Bridget Jones to be (wait, I just realised it... Bridget Jones... Jemima Jones... coincidence??), but I liked it all the same. Read it with a grain of salt (or a box of cookies), but read it all the same.
Rating:  Summary: Ugh. Review: The constant shifting of tense and person just annoyed the heck out of me with this book, which is pretty significant, considering how annoyed I was by the premise in general. The book was insulting at best. I agree with the other reviewers who recommended Jennifer Weiner's *Good in Bed* as a better alternative -- after Jemima J, you'll need a good dose of Weiner's Cannie to bring you back to your senses!
Rating:  Summary: So Bad, it's Good Review: I read this book in one day. I couldn't put it down. But when I did, I started thinking of all the ways I would have done it differently. For one-I know a girl who lost a lot of weight very quickly and unhealthily. She did not lose anywhere near 100 lbs., and it definitely took more than just three months, but still, she has strange little bulges where her skin deflated too quickly, and her blood pressure--as well as her ego--has skyrocketed. The author offered a token resistance to this (unrealistic) weight loss with Jemima's personal trainer, but that was all. There were no chapters about thigh creams or skin tucks or cellulite treatment or anything that made Jemima's sudden transformation any more believable. And the author did have some strange moments where she assumed the omniscient, third-person, condescending narrative. Some authors have pulled this method off successfully, but in this book it just seemed like the author was unable to let her characters tell the story for her. Now why couldn't I put it down? I'm not exactly sure. Maybe it was because, underneath all the social cliches and shallow characters, I saw a mirror of reality that made me to hope for a happy ending.
Rating:  Summary: Lighten up and have fun. Review: This is a completely light and fun read about the ugly duckling that becomes a swan. There are no heavy ploys here, just a girl gets guy, followed by does girl want guy, and we'll just see about that, type of mentality. It's always fun to see a character blossom especially when she drops a small person, weight wise that is. It might not always be realistic, anyone who has lost weight knows that cravings rear their ugly head at least once in awhile but I found the author delicately and accurately penned the sadness and loneliness that incurs when a persons self esteem is not up to par. I also enjoyed how the narrator let us in on a few secrets along the way, teasing the reader with information that only made me want to read on into the night. I admit that the story got a bit unbelievable at times but it was simply something fun to read and it fits the bill as dependable entertainment. Kelsana 8/8/01
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