Rating: 
Summary: disgusted
Review: I don't even know what to say about this book. Completly disgusted with the book and the author. EGH! SO disapointed. I can't even think of the words I need to describe the novel. I understand it is a work of fiction but it has parts that are beyond realistic. Not to mention the eating disorder this character DOES have that the author seems to be completly in denile of. She made starving, obbsessive exersizing and the odd bing/purge a normal thing. I recomend this book to NOONE.bull****. SOO beyond disapointed.
Rating: 
Summary: To Jane Green and her editor
Review: The phrase is "try to," not "try and." You try *to* do something. You don't try *and* do it. As this error occurred at least 4,000 times, I have to assume it wasn't an oversight. I realize I'm just a thick-as-a-plank American who's never heard of Ernest Hemingway or London (that's in England, btw). But I'm still astonished that such a third-rate writers' mistake (along with many others and a wealth of logical inconsistencies) appeared in any published book. Well, now that I've had that snit.... There's nothing wrong with lightweight chick fiction. Bridget Jones and A Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing were both hilarious. But it was possible to relate to those heroines, as exaggerated as their behavior sometimes was. They were funny and human, and their flaws represented normal foibles. In most cases, the women were certainly the authors of their own disasters. And as such, they were also in control of their own lives. But in Jemima Jones's case, she's the good person, the smart one, the kind one. Everyone else is superficial, stupid, overbearing, lecherous, whatever. And all these monsters mistreat, misunderstand, and push aside poor Jemima, until she decides to really show them. She decides to become the person she's always dreamed of being--a size 8 blonde. The inspiration for her decision to take control over her life? Her schoolgirl crush on a co-worker, a crush that seems largely based on the fact that the man is extremely handsome. In case you don't know what to make of the many trials and tribulations of Jemima, throughout the book Jane Green helpfully inserts a third-person narrator to tell you what to think. Between this narrative snivelling and the main character's complete self-absorption, this is one humorless book.
Rating: 
Summary: Quite entertaining.
Review: Jemima J, like most of chick lit stories, reveals the center character as a single woman with unsatisfying career and love life. One thing that makes different is that she is overweight. Jemima Jones, a journalist in a local paper, feels that she has an overweight problem to deal with. Being overweight makes her think that she won't get a promotion in her job and the gorgeous guy in the office, Ben Williams. One time she finds something interesting to escape from her real life for a moment. It's chatting with some guys in internet. She chats several times with an American guy named Brad and they promise to exchange their pictures. Surprisingly, Brad is a handsome guy. Jemima sends her photo after her friend has made some computer tricks to make Jemima looks thin in it. Then she seriously begins her diet and exercise to loose some weight. Meanwhile, Ben gets a new job as a reporter in a tv station. Jemima feels sad because they're getting closer as friends and won't be able to spend time together again.
No gain without pain. Jemima's body becomes amazingly thin after months. She's full of confindence and ready to meet Brad in Los Angeles. They have great times before she finds out something wrong about him. At the same time, Ben has been sent to Los Angeles by his company. Finally fate brings Jemima and Ben back together. Enjoyable and quite entertaining but looks like some stories are too much made up such as Brad's dilemma.
Rating: 
Summary: good read
Review: this book is full of fun. it's great to see how quickly she changes, once she puts her mind to it. and even though at first she is doing it for someone else, ultimately she realizes this is for herself... the one that matters most.
i couldnt put the book down, i was so dying to know what was going to happen next. so if you feel like reading an interesting comical story, this is it.
Rating:
Summary: Yet another bad review...
Review: After owning this book for 8 months, I finally figured out what made me dislike it so badly: the author made such heavy handed generalizations of stereotypes that I felt the book was on the verge of being racist. I've often heard about the British snobism towards Americans, and every once in a while a Brit commenting about the Americans being 'a bit thick - headed' and lacking sense of humor. Lets take Jemima and Brad's first chat as an example of that: Brad asks Jemima where she is from. She types 'London', but then feels compelled to add 'England' to her answer - since he IS an American, he obviously wouldn't recognize the world renowned capital of England. As the story went on, none of the Americans can understand Jemima's simplest jokes or ever read a good book. The possibility of cultural differences (or the fact that the few American characters of the book are individuals belonging to a nation of 200+ million people and therefore cannot represent a whole nation as being morons) never entered Jane Green's mind - all these shortcomings are 'American'. And the sterotypes also exist in the way weight issues are handled, making me suspect Jane Green has done little or no research on the subject of what it means to be overweight or what HEALTHY dieting involves. While people like Jemima and Janie certainly exist, other overweight people have a completely different experience of gaining weight, living with it, and losing it. But Jane Green, through Jemima, 'assures' us that only Jemima's experiences are valid and true to life: from Jemima's conversation with Lauren we learn that things like gland or hormonal problems are simply an excuse overweight people use, ignoring the fact that many people out there actually HAVE gland problems, which CAN cause weight gain. When Jemima is depressed to see Ben speaking to another woman, we learn that eating impossibly huge amounts of food in one sitting is a routine way for overweight people to handle any sort of bad news. From Jemima's encounter with Janie in the juice shop near the gym, we learn that eating a whole package of cookies in private is also a routine habbit of overweight people, and they would only drink mineral water in front of 'thin' people to 'hide' it. By watching Jemima diet, then keep the weight off, we learn that starving & over exercising is a healthy way to lose weight, and a fat free diet and some more over exercising is an even healthier way to keep the pounds off (never mind about those unnecessary vitamins, minerals, or any other 'pesky' nutrients our bodies need to function properly). From Jemima's encounter with Brad we learn that anyone who likes overweight women is a pervert. From her relationship with Ben we learn that in order to make your 'prince' realize he loves you, you have to look like a model and dress in very minimal clothes. I found these stereotypes so disturbing, because many people aren't aware that these aren't actual facts. Even though the prologue of the book somehow does try and make things right by telling us Jemima had adapted a 'healthier' lifestyle and has stopped obsessing about her weight, the stereotypes are so ingrained in the book itself, two paragaphs of prologue aren't going to make things right. My last bone to pick with Jane Green is her writing style. The first person / third person switches are annoying. The 'clues' Jane Green insists on adding in her third person passages are unnecessary, and made me feel Jane Green thought us readers are 'a bit thick', and that without them us readers would never understand the (very simple) plot. Or that we won't like the characters unless she kept telling us how likeable they are. There are also a lot of inconsistencies in the book itself - why can the editor notice Jemima's weight loss, but Ben can't (please read Ben's farewell party scene if you don't know what I was talking about)? If Jemima couldn't even climb one set of stairs, how did she manage to stay so long on the stairmaster on her first visit to the gym? I'd like to end this review by giving people the message I wish Jane Green would have given: overweight people aren't big monstrous blobs of fat with an endless cascade of chins. Except for being bigger, they aren't that different from thin people.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book I've ever read
Review: This book is the best book I've ever read. Every book I read is compared to Jemima J. Jemima J. is a brilliant story from Jane Green.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining and Fun
Review: The only thing that kept me from giving this a 5 star rating, are the little inconsistencies I noticed. If Jemima doesn't drive at home, how can we assume that she just jumps into Brad's little sportscar (undoubtedly a 5-speed) and drives without a problem (races, no less!) on the *opposite* side of the road?! And then there is the dialouge of some of the American characters. It doesn't seem authentic or true to the region. These minor details take you out of the moment because you think, "now that doesn't sound right...". Overall, this is a strong 4-star Chick Lit read. Don't pay too much attention to the reviews that complain about the message this book conveys to women (thin = love = happy). I did not see that at all. I encourage you to make up your own mind as to what Green's message is and not let the opinions of others spoil the fun for you.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: I loved the book. The book is not meant to throw out lessons on eating disorders or messages on loving yourself. It's about ONE woman and the adventure she has while overcoming her weight problem. It is not at all shallow; Jemima is merely another "fat girl" who looks out at the world and hopes. The switch from first to third person throughout the book added a unique charm to the cinderella-like tale. The characters are hardly one-dimensional and their lives are as interesting as Jemima's. I am looking forward to reading another light lovable novel from Green.
Rating:
Summary: So bad I had to write a review . . .
Review: I've never written an amazon.com review before. In fact, I rarely read them because I don't want my opinions to be colored by the reviews. In this case, however, I thought it was imperative that I write to say how BAD this book is. I picked it up at the local bookstore as a light book to read on the plane. Instead, I got a book about a woman who is not that much larger than I am who is described as "lumbering" when she walks and "too fat" to carry up a flight of stairs. I'm not much smaller than Jemima, but I don't consider myself grotesque, unhealthy, or unworthy of love... so why does the writer attribute those traits to Jemima? Having read _Good in Bed_ by Jennifer Warner, I thought I would meet another overweight heroine who showed me it wasn't necessary to be stick thin and perfect to land the "hunk" Unfortunately, this book sends the opposite message--- to be happy, successful and fulfilled, you need to be someone other than yourself. You need to be model-thin, blonde and change your personality overnight. In addition, the plot is ridiculous, the characters are one-dimensional and the writing is horrendous. Do yourself a favor and read _Good in Bed_ instead.
Rating:
Summary: I LOVE THIS BOOK!
Review: If you are reading these other reviews a lot of other people didn't like it! This is definitely my favorite book. I am overweight and found that I could read while I rode my exercise bike and she really kept me motivated. I laughed with her and actually related to a lot of the things she goes through. I absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to anyone!!! It was FABULOUS!!!
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