Rating:  Summary: I'm over it. Review: Although I somewhat enjoyed this book, I thought it was a little silly. It was like the book ended in what was actually the middle, but the author hadn't met her page quota and decided to give the main character an eating disorder. It was too long and drawn out and it would have been better if there had been more about the eating disorder in the beginning. I know there was this great discovery and it was meant to be dramatic for her, but other than losing a few clumps of hair, there was no mention of her problem at all.
Overall, I would reccommend this to avid chick lit readers. But for those who aren't, I would reccommend the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella or Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin.
Rating:  Summary: ...three and a half stars would be more fair Review: Anna Maxted is a truly gifted writer and I did enjoy this book, but I too found Natalie annoying and selfish. This selfishness begins at page one and continues for about two-thirds of the book. Natalie though, is a people pleaser, she always wants to do the right thing,achieve the highest honor, and NEVER fail. Just as her best friend, Babs is walking down the aisle, Natalie's perfect facade begins to crack. She truly doesn't know how she'll survive when her best friend is "married" to someone else. Natalie also must face the truth about her anorexia, her parents marriage, her brothers secret life...she finally handles all this (quite well I might add)but she was lucky she had Babs and Andy around to help her face her demons.If you are looking for a plot driven novel, this isn't the book for you. What this book does have going for it though, is a cast of memorable characters and very witty dialogue. I found myself laughing out loud many times. Even though I was slightly disappointed in this book, it won't stop me from reading anything else by Anna Maxted.
Rating:  Summary: "Running in Heels".... and falls flat Review: Chick-lit has become a genre unto itself. British books have an especial flavor, even if every one is compared to "Bridget Jones' Diary." But Anna Maxted's sophomore novel "Running in Heels" falls flat even if you just compare it to itself--whiny, disjointed and annoying. Babs is getting married. Her best friend Natalie is feeling abandoned and lonely, stuck in a relationship with a nice guy that she doesn't care about, and sure she is about to lose her best friend. Not-so-impulsively, Natalie gets involved with a sexy bad boy, then angers her brother by revealing his secret love child to their mom. But that is only the start of Natalie's downward spiral. Her flirtation with anorexia becomes a full-blown eating disorder, as her love life becomes similarly... well, disordered. But despite Natalie's fears, Babs is still her friend through thick'n'thin (literally). And Babs is going to pull her buddy back from the depths and set things right. The biggest problem with "Running in Heels" is that even Maxted doesn't seem to know what the plot is supposed to be. For awhile, it seems like this is going to be another cute, overwrought tale of love, lust, Mr. Wrongs and best female friends. Then, apparently desperate for more plot, Maxted taps into anorexia as a Big Hulking Problem. The transition isn't smooth. Instead it's like being yanked by the hair into a different book. Maxted's writing has a rambling, rather random quality. While "Running" is obviously about a deeply messed-up person, the random strings of weird, self-absorbed thoughts are just annoying. The mind of an anorexic is a tangled place, but Maxted doesn't seem to know how to handle the actual problem. The solution for the anorexia is a cop-out. Natalie's self-destruction might be a little easier to put up with, if she weren't such a pain. She whines, she's self-destructive, and her self-pity is overwhelming. Her boyfriends are virtual nonentities. The characters who come alive and make us like them are the ebullient, noisy, fun pal Babs, and the lovable gay boss Matt. A little more focus in them might have bounced "Running" up to being worthy. Only a pair of quirky supporting characters save this book in any way. With an annoying lead and a disjointed story, "Running in Heels" is chick-lite at its worst.
Rating:  Summary: much better than what everyone else says... Review: Despite its mediocre to absolutely horrible reviews on here, I found this book to be really entertaining. It was so funny at times, I found myself giggling out loud, which I rarely do when I read books. I also just wanted to quote Natalie's thoughts to people sitting nearby me, but then thought it to be too corny. The book was very witty. I could relate with Natalie, the main character, SO much; it was strange. Then again, that is the point, to have a character identify with the readers. I did get frusterated, though, when she would let her predicaments build up without explaining herself to everyone until it was too late. She deals with serious issues throughout the book, and although some of readers can't stand her personality, the fact is that her "whining and obsessing" are the very things that lots of us think and experience half of the time. It's ironic. Anyways, good book, okay ending.
Rating:  Summary: Don't bother Review: I am really big fan of "Chick-lit" and "Running in Heels" by Anna Maxted looked liked it would be a fun read. Well, I wasn't thirty pages into the book when I realized that it was really bad. Natalie Miller, has to most unappelling character ever. She got so many problems such as: eating disorder, relationship problems, parents problems, that I can't by the end of the book, which ones have been solved. The ending was the worst. Ms. Maxted just seemed to out of ideas, so the book just ended. This has to be one of the worst book that that I have read a long while, so just to your self the favor and don't read it.
Rating:  Summary: Good novel Review: I am surprised by the negative tone of the reviews here. I really enjoyed this book, I found it moving and funny and very believable. Yes, the heroine is somewhat selfish, but we are privy to her innermost thoughts and most of us would appear selfish if the world could hear our inner monologues! I liked the way the anorexia snuck up on the reader; since the book is from Natalie's point of view, that made sense to me. My only criticism - I loved the character of Babs and wanted more of her.
Rating:  Summary: Not Very Funny Review: I have read a few of Ms Maxted's books and I find them humorless. Since went has anorexia and self loathing funny. This has been a constant theme in many of her novels. Marian Keyes is a far wittier writer than Maxted
Rating:  Summary: disappointing Review: I just finished "Running in heels" a couple of hours ago, & I still can't decide if I liked it or not. On the one hand, I finished it quickly. But then again, this is what usually happens with all these romantic-comedy books. On the other hand, I didn't really like Natalie, & how can you give a high rating to a book where you dislike the main character? Anna Maxted has created a woman who seems to have all sorts of different problems. This of course is not a bad thing, it's good to have such a reality-based protagonist in a book. But when an author chooses this approach, they should probably find reality-based solutions to these problems, too. And I think that's where "Running in heels" fails: Natalie's problems (basically her eating disorder) just seem to fade away with no effort whatsoever. It should also be noted that Natalie's anorexia & bulimia seem to have escalated out of control, since she's losing her hair & practically eating nothing. It's not as if she just started not eating...it seems like she's been at it for a while now. That's why it's totally unrealistic when she just "gets over it" with no counselling, & basically no help from her friends, apart from a couple of "introductory" discussions. All in all, "Running in heels" is saved only by Anna Maxted's talent. She is a gifted writer, & her characters come to life. I'll definitely buy her next book, but still--this one didn't manage to get its point across, at least as I see it. The author probably had something else in mind--a girl with low self esteem, with all sorts of problems, who learns how to solve them, how to help herself & in the end how to love others. What this book is about, instead, is a very very weak & not so nice character, who can't speak up for herself, & who in the end magically just changes.
Rating:  Summary: Don't waste your time or money! Review: I truly enjoyed "Getting Over It" by Anna Maxted, which is why I was shocked at how bad this book was. It seems like a first draft that was never edited. The plot is all over the place, the characters are flat and unlikeable, and the writing reads like stream of consciousness. I usually read almost every book I pick up through to the end (regardless of how bad), but I found nothing redeemable in this book to keep me reading past the middle. Based on what other reviewers have said about the ending, I'm glad I stopped when I did!
Rating:  Summary: Don't bother Review: I, too, wish that I had read the reviews here before spending money on this book. It's not only that none of the characters are likeable -- I actively disliked them all, especially the main character. The story doesn't really go anywhere, either. I alternated between being bored and infuriated by this book.
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