Skinny

Apr 30, 2011 TinasBookReviews rated it 1 of 5 stars

I agreed to review this novel due to the witty write-up on the back cover and the promise for wicked funny laughs.

I can’t really explain on how many levels this novel ticked me off, not only for Spechler's stereotype of obese people, her preachy you’re a huge disgusting fat slob hate letters to all fat women from a girl who was not fat, but the overall message of "skinny" being the only true happiness in life, the only true way to get a man to look at your body and say wow your beautiful is to...more

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Apr 21, 2012 Beverly Diehl rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: coming-of-age, contemporary-womens-fiction, family

This book was picked by my Chick Lit Readers group. I'm not alone in saying I found it very disappointing. The cover and blurb made it sound very interesting, but in the end... The plot wasn't one, the main character was an unlikeable, self-absorbed bitch who really didn't seem to grow or learn anything throughout the course of the novel.

Gray signs up to be a fat camp counselor because she wants to get close to a girl she thinks is her half-sister, then pretty much ignores this troubled teen so...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Skinny is Diana Spechler’s second novel after Who by Fire, and let’s end the suspense: there is no sophomore slump here.

Gray Lachmann feels responsible for her father’s sudden death and tries to eat away her pain and guilt. In the meantime, via her father’s will, Gray discovers she has an illegitimate half-sister, so she does what any reasonable 26-year-old, slightly overweight girl who recently lost her father would do: she tracks down her half-sister through her blog and finds out she’s going...more Skinny is Diana Spechler’s second novel after Who by Fire, and let’s end the suspense: there is no sophomore slump here.

Gray Lachmann feels responsible for her father’s sudden death and tries to eat away her pain and guilt. In the meantime, via her father’s will, Gray discovers she has an illegitimate half-sister, so she does what any reasonable 26-year-old, slightly overweight girl who recently lost her father would do: she tracks down her half-sister through her blog and finds out she’s going to fat camp — so she signs up as a counselor.

Spechler tackles tough themes like body image, relationships with food and family, and various kinds of love from the perspective of someone who went to a weight loss camp to research the book. Yes, Spechler spent the summer of 2006 battling her own eating disorder while away at camp; Spechler further describes this experience at Freerange Nonfiction:

Eating disorders are diseases of both mind and body. Anyone who has ever suffered from one knows how consuming it is, how much energy it takes to maintain it. When you’re preoccupied to that degree, you’re selfish. That’s not a judgment, just the truth as I see it. I wanted to portray Gray as accurately as possible, so she has her head up her ass sometimes. She’s self-absorbed because she’s dealing with a serious eating disorder. But yes, writing a self-absorbed character made me nervous. The whole book made me nervous. Dealing with such a hot-button issue made me very, very nervous.

Spechler mentions Gray’s self-absorption, and indeed, this was a main character I just couldn’t really like. Just as with Who by Fire, in fact, I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likeable — yet I still couldn’t put this book down. This is a huge credit to Spechler’s prose and storytelling because ordinarily if I don’t like the characters, I tune out and give up fast.

But Skinny had me looking forward to it every night, thus the five stars.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who struggles with body issues, finds the subject interesting, or simply appreciates a nicely paced, engaging story.(less)

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Jul 04, 2011 Danielle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chicklit, books-i-own, for-review

Twenty-six year old Gray is beautiful, intelligent and thin…at least to the outside world. For as long as she’s know she’s counted calories, cut meals in half, hardly ever ordered desert and has constantly been mindful of the things she puts in her mouth. After her father’s death and subsequent discovery of a half-sister, Eden, she never knew existed she’s thrown it all out the window gorging herself on whatever falls within her sites. To overcome her inner-demons and hopefully connect with a pi...more Twenty-six year old Gray is beautiful, intelligent and thin…at least to the outside world. For as long as she’s know she’s counted calories, cut meals in half, hardly ever ordered desert and has constantly been mindful of the things she puts in her mouth. After her father’s death and subsequent discovery of a half-sister, Eden, she never knew existed she’s thrown it all out the window gorging herself on whatever falls within her sites. To overcome her inner-demons and hopefully connect with a piece of herself she’s never known Gray signs on to be a camp counselor at the weight-loss camp her new half-sister is attending for the summer. What happens from that point on is a journey downhill and back up again as Gray attempts to correct a wrong she feels responsible for.

Who among us hasn’t struggled with our weight at some point? Not just those who struggle to lose those last few pounds to get into the summer bikini, but I’m talking about losing pounds and possibly even gaining some. It’s a struggle that seems to touch all of us, female and male. It seeps it’s way into our veins through every form of media available and in other ways we never would have thought we’d worry about. Even my own father who grew up the son of a hard working farmer struggles with weight issues after years of being told to finish the food on his plate for fear of starving children in the world. We’re taught to use food as a suppressant for life’s woe’s and in reward for it’s victories. So, how do we fix it? Or even better, how do you learn to accept who you are no matter your size and instead learn to face your problems head on without coping mechanisms like food? This is what Skinny boils down to, a story of a girl, Gray, who’s looking for comfort and forgiveness but can only manage to fill it with piles upon piles of food.

This was actually kind of a tough read for me. When I first heard about it I was dieing to read it, but after a few pages in and nodding at the text like a fool I couldn’t help but be introspective no matter how light much of it was. Spechler’s characters are real. I think some will be offended by many of Gray’s opinions of “fat” people, but in all reality she’s not much different than many people in the world. Gray was constantly on the outside looking in, never really considering herself “fat” and always looking to her own father to fill that roll. Now in a camp surrounded by teens with eating disorders she fills the pages with her inner monologue about who is and what makes a person really fat. It’s only with time, some serious reflection and traumatic events that she matures in her opinions. It actually took watching the book trailer again for me to come to terms with my feelings on the book, which for me is unusual because I’m not usually a huge fan of book trailers, but I’d encourage taking a look at this one on YouTube.

There are definitely moments of fun, Chick Lit type buoyancy throughout Skinny, but at it’s heart it’s filled with characters who embody the problems we face as society on a whole. Diana Spechler’s most recent novel is one that will have you questioning your actions. Regardless of your size I believe most readers will enjoy not only Spechler’s writing style, but the issues she brings up. It’s almost as if to change the old saying, “You are what you eat” by adding to the end of it, “…then what are you shoving away that you don’t want seen?” We all struggle, some struggles are manifested by bingeing others by abstaining others don’t even bother with food at all and go straight to often more harmful ways to suppress those issues we want to disappear. Skinny is about learning to come to grips with those issues, face them head on and do our best to stay above water. A powerful and incredibly moving love story that I’ll be thinking about for some time to come.

Originally reviewed and copyrighted at Chick Lit Reviews.(less)

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Jun 11, 2011 kelly Fuller rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

Would it be pathetically obvious for me to say that I completley identified with this character? I'm relatively sure that most women would find similarities between themselves and Gray Lachmann. Truly, what women, be her too fat or too thin, has not struggled with a weight issue? Sure, some have it worse than others. But we've all been there, right? Right? Please say I'm right, or I'm gonna feel like a huge loser and go attack the Oreos.

Gray is struggling with so many emotions in this story. The...more Would it be pathetically obvious for me to say that I completley identified with this character? I'm relatively sure that most women would find similarities between themselves and Gray Lachmann. Truly, what women, be her too fat or too thin, has not struggled with a weight issue? Sure, some have it worse than others. But we've all been there, right? Right? Please say I'm right, or I'm gonna feel like a huge loser and go attack the Oreos.

Gray is struggling with so many emotions in this story. The loss of her father, the staleness of a relationship and self confidence issues all manifest themselves into one form of self soothing: overeating. Gray is binging herself into oblivion, gorging on fast food, pastries and Chinese buffets in an effort to soothe her broken heart. But of course, as well all know, that doesn't work. It only makes her feel worse. Which in turn, makes her eat more. She is watching her self expand into carbon copy of her overweight father. Her dead and overweight father. The father that Gray killed. Gray killed her dad, did I mention that? The guilt from her assumed role in her father's death adds additional girth to the already 25 pound weight gain she's experienced.

In an effort to change her life (and maybe learn a few family secrets?) Gray applies for a counselor's position at a teen summer weight loss camp. Once at Camp Carolina, Gray begins to transform, both physically and mentally. But is it for the better? Or is she just exchanging one obsession for another?

Skinny is a fantastic novel for any woman. Whether you have struggled with weight issues or not, Gray is an easily identifiable character. Her struggles are our struggles. They honesty in this book can be jarring, especially if you are not at your ideal weight, but stick with it, all will be redeemed. There were times when I wanted to smack Gray. And there were definitely times I wanted to smack her fellow campers but I that's what made the story real. All in all, Diana Spechler's second novel is wonderful, full of heart, humor and real life emotion. You should go read it. And maybe you could take these Oreos away from me?(less)

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Jun 01, 2011 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars

I thought this might be a story about women, weight, and self-esteem, but instead it seems to be about grief, loss, and control. Throughout the story, I could see what would not happen, but couldn't predict what would. In the end, it felt as though very little was resolved, although Gray seemed ready to go on to the next section of her life. Each character had his or her own story line, and was discarded at the end of it. I felt like I didn't really understand the book, but perhaps that is the d...more

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May 30, 2011 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a powerful, beautiful, and often funny book that made me look at myself and my own body perceptions in a new (and ultimately healthier) way. Even though Gray, the main character, isn't always the nicest or most moral person, why should she be? Her humanity makes her interesting and I loved this character's honesty about eating, hunger, control, body image, and relationships; how she saw herself and other people felt so true to me--so much like things I secretly find myself thinking but d...more

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May 22, 2011 Kasey Cook rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was alright. All about fat camp which I always find entertaining and I thought it might be similar to one of my fav abc family shows Huge, which was devastatingly cancelled. However, it was not. Not a single character was likeable especially the main character. She was so annoying and most of the time I just wanted her to get over it. Her father died of a heartattack and she blames herself even though he was morbidly obese. Clearly she didn't kill her father even if he didn't approve o...more

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Jun 04, 2011 Shannon rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, own

I just finished reading Skinny, by Diana Spechler. This was a book I won from a giveaway on Goodreads. If I hadn't won this book, I can't say with certainty that I would have ever read it. Even after coming to the end of the novel, I'm still not completely sure of my feelings about the book. It was an easy, quick read, but dealt with some dark issues as well. Would I recommend it? Depends on the person and situation. But for the most part, probably not. There are definitely better books to be re...more I just finished reading Skinny, by Diana Spechler. This was a book I won from a giveaway on Goodreads. If I hadn't won this book, I can't say with certainty that I would have ever read it. Even after coming to the end of the novel, I'm still not completely sure of my feelings about the book. It was an easy, quick read, but dealt with some dark issues as well. Would I recommend it? Depends on the person and situation. But for the most part, probably not. There are definitely better books to be read.

Gray Lachmann is 26 years old and is forced to deal with her father's sudden death. After a lifetime of counting calories, weighing her food, skipping dessert, this event pushes her over the edge. She begins to obsessively and compulsively eat. She pushed her loving boyfriend, Mikey, away, saying that she needs her 'space,' when what she really wants is to be left alone to eat in peace. She begins to find fault with Mikey, blaming him for not attempting to save her from herself. After about six months of procrastinating, Gray is finally forced to deal with her father's will. She discovers that he has set aside a trust fund for a certain woman.

She finds out who this woman is and finds her blog on the internet. She discovers that she has a child, who is 15 years ago. She remembers that her father seemed to go through his midlife crisis about 15 years ago as well. She finds this blog of the child and seems to be staring into her father's eyes when her picture loads on her computer screen. She discovers that Eden will be attending "fat camp" this summer. Gray immediately swings into action and gets herself hired as a counselor. She packs up all her worldly possessions in her father's old car, telling Mickey that it will save time when she returns from camp, as she hopes they will move into a different apartment.

At camp, Gray hopes to lose weight, take control of her life, and more importantly, get to know her sister. Things don't always go as planned. She never expected to find such maliciousness in her c0-counselor, or that Eden would take absolutely no interest in her. She also didn't expect to meet Bennett, the camp's 41-year-old personal trainer, who occupies her thoughts, and her bed, for 8 weeks.

Skinny is about a girl looking for forgiveness but not really believing that she is deserving of any. It's about a girl who sees herself as fat when she really isn't. It's a story of a journey to the almost bottom of a hill, and beginning the trek back up. I really wanted the book to end on a more positive note. I wanted to believe that Gray would be okay, that she would continue to triumph over her personal demons. But honestly, I just don't know if I trust her enough to find herself back up out of her funk. I'd like to think she will, but I really didn't feel that her story was over at the conclusion of the book. She's still got a bit further to go. But that's the way with personal struggles. We all hope for the best and strive to get there, but the journey and how long it takes to get there might be just as important as the arrival.
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Aug 08, 2011 Tanya rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just want to start by saying I HATE goodreads' rating system. Really a simple 1-5 stars is not enough to give a proper understanding of how I felt about the book. Not all my 4 star rated books are equal. Some are 4 stars because I love the protagonist and I ignore that the writing style is subpar. Some are 2 stars even though the writing is wonderful but the book's plot is just plain boring. See what I mean?

I rate this book a very high 3 or a low 4. Because I want people to read this I'm givin...more I just want to start by saying I HATE goodreads' rating system. Really a simple 1-5 stars is not enough to give a proper understanding of how I felt about the book. Not all my 4 star rated books are equal. Some are 4 stars because I love the protagonist and I ignore that the writing style is subpar. Some are 2 stars even though the writing is wonderful but the book's plot is just plain boring. See what I mean?

I rate this book a very high 3 or a low 4. Because I want people to read this I'm giving it 4 stars.

I usually do not enjoy books where I don't like the protagonist. I'm happy that Spechler - at the end - acknowledged that this might be the case for readers. In fact if this factor didn't weigh so heavily on how I normally rate books this one would rank a 5. I didn't like Gray not because she was a skinny girl who thought she was fat (I actually related to that) but because she was selfish. She says she's the only one who cares about the kids, but she's only there to make herself feel better. She gives no thought about how Eden will take the news of having a sister and how her sister killed their father; all she cares about is getting this off her chest and how telling this will improve her, Gray's, life.

In terms of how the book was written its wonderful. Great character development (although I don't think Gray's selfishness was addressed enough at the end), great one liners, the story progressed at a good pace. The overall plot was great. Her descriptions and explanations are wonderful and I was alternating between laughing, gagging, and shuddering.

A few things I didn't like. The ending seemed kind of rushed. I would have liked to see how Gray came to terms with her issues more. I think it was interesting that there was no overt mention that the Mother had a lot to do with Gray’s food/weight issues (I mean really weighing broccoli?!).

Overall I would definitely recommend this. And Diana if you're reading this - is the hamburger incident real or did that come out of your imagination? Either way it's disturbing.
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May 28, 2011 Nicole About Town rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I received a digital copy for review from NetGalley. I really, really wanted to like this book, but was unable to find anything about the book that I liked personally which was very disappointing. The premise sounded both interesting and witty and it was a topic that I have never really read about before. From the moment we are introduced to the main character, she lacks any kind of personality and comes across as unbelievably whiny and self-absorbed.

It’s not very often that after I have read a...more

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Sep 25, 2011 Erika rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-have-reviewed

I really liked this book. I thought that it was very well written and very interesting.

This book is about a girl named Gray who is dating this guy named Mikey who is a comedian. Gray's father doesn't like Mikey so Gray and her father stop talking for like three years, then one day on her birthday they go to a steak house. Her father has a heart attack and dies in the parking lot. After her father dies, Gray goes on an eating binge for a year.

A few months before she stopped binging she talked t...more

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Jun 09, 2012 Riona rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-post-high-school

Picked up this novel looking for a good work of fiction concerning eating disorders. Unfortunately, this was not exactly what I had hoped for, though I wouldn't deem it a failure as a novel.

Spechler's writing is clever and mildly entertaining at the best of times but somewhat catty and juvenile in a very unfortunate way. Too many jokes were made at the expense of fat people, and that is saying a lot. However I was pleased and satisfied with the *twist* ending. It was well written and tied everyt...more

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Jun 27, 2011 Meredith Schorr rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: women-s-fiction

I really enjoyed this book. Spechler is an incredibly talented writer who is able to write for both a commercial audience - the book was a fast read and I was never confused, bored or bogged down by big/pretty words - and a literary audience - despite the relatable and fast moving plot, she has a way of writing that is almost poetic. I thought the characters were extremely well developed, especially Gray who, while a troubled woman, was not fatally flawed and despite her issues, I always knew sh...more

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Apr 22, 2011 Willie Gillis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Check out my review: http://dog-earedreads.com/2011/04/rev...

Skinny
By Diana Spechler
Paperback, 368 pages
Published April 26, 2011
Harper Perennial

In Skinny, twenty-something Gray Lachmann develops an uncontrollable hunger for food after her father’s death. To stop her new addiction, she leaves her life in the big city to take a job at a weight loss camp in the South. She also discovers the she may have a half sister that she never knew existed. As Gray battles her personal demons with her body, sh...more Check out my review: http://dog-earedreads.com/2011/04/rev...

Skinny
By Diana Spechler
Paperback, 368 pages
Published April 26, 2011
Harper Perennial

In Skinny, twenty-something Gray Lachmann develops an uncontrollable hunger for food after her father’s death. To stop her new addiction, she leaves her life in the big city to take a job at a weight loss camp in the South. She also discovers the she may have a half sister that she never knew existed. As Gray battles her personal demons with her body, she discovers a whole new outlook on life.

Skinny is a brilliant and fascinating read from start to finish. The novel, by author Diana Spechler, made the story and characters very likable and relatable. As a person that has dealt with weight issues all my life, I felt very connected with Gray and the adult and teenage cast of characters at the camp. The flow of the story is also very interesting. It goes from beginning to end but stops in certain places to reveal bits of the story that Gray may have forgotten to explain.

As I said before, the characters were likable and some were very unlikable. Certain campers like Sheena, Miss, and Whitney were the neutral side of my opinion when the story began but some characters became very villainous as the story progressed. It didn’t take anything away from the story but it sure did rev up the story as the book got to the third act.

I really liked the relationship with Gray and her campers. I found a lot of Gray’s campers to be really fun. I related a lot of them to people I know in real life. My favorite character in the book is Spider. She’s one of Gray’s campers and she has a knowledgeable answer for just about any comment thrown at her. Gray’s ongoing journey with her father was also a reoccurring plot in the book as well as the mystery of her possible half sister, Eden, who is also a camper at the same weight loss camp.

Overall, I enjoyed reading about Gray Lachmann’s journey with her body issues and personal demons. Skinny is a great and quick read. I was satisfied with the fantastic storytelling and will definitely look forward to future books by author Diana Spechler.

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Apr 11, 2011 marymurtz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Gray Lachmann is spending the summer at a "fat camp" run by a spectacularly unqualified charlatan who hires other unqualified people to help him get obese youth to "surrender to my program!" Gray is there to get to know one of the campers, who isn't aware that she and Gray have a link in the past that ties them together.

The story, narrated from 27-year-old Gray's point of view, is emotional, hilarious, and raw. In minute and perfect detail, she describes emotional eating, body perception, and th...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Christine Kuchinsky rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'm not sure what to say about this. I did not find the main character, Gray, wholly likeable, which I suppose is not that important, as there have been plenty of anti-heroes in literature, but Gray, while confused and struggling, is also incredibly shallow and selfish. The story builds up the stories of various girls at a weight loss camp, but then never offers any real resolution - in fact, it really drops the story line like a hot potato when Gray moves elsewhere. The story starts by focusing...more

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May 18, 2013 Vanessa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction

4.5 stars.

Skinny is a beautiful, deeply layered and complex novel about many things. I could say it's about a woman's unhealthy relationship with food, or her voracious appetite to feel satisfied and secure through things such as food and sex. It's also about her relationship with her father who passed away, and the mourning that she still finds herself in. Yet those brief summaries wouldn't give the book justice.

To me, Skinny is about a woman who yes, isn't perfect. But who in this world does...more 4.5 stars.

Skinny is a beautiful, deeply layered and complex novel about many things. I could say it's about a woman's unhealthy relationship with food, or her voracious appetite to feel satisfied and secure through things such as food and sex. It's also about her relationship with her father who passed away, and the mourning that she still finds herself in. Yet those brief summaries wouldn't give the book justice.

To me, Skinny is about a woman who yes, isn't perfect. But who in this world doesn't have problems? This is a valid question that is brought up by Gray. Even though both men and women are brainwashed by our shallow society to look our best at all times, women are bombarded with images of fellow women with no tummy, no double chins, as little body fat as possible. Most of the time these models don't even look like that; they are photoshopped. So we strive to look like an impossible ideal, an image that we will never attain no matter how much we run, how little we eat, how many desserts we miss out on. Some people are naturally skinny, and there's nothing wrong with that. So what's wrong with being chubby or fat?

I can't say that I love Grey as a character completely because I won't lie, she pissed me off a lot throughout the book, especially when she distanced herself from Mikey, a guy who yes, has his faults, but I really think that he loved her. I just felt like grabbing her and asking her, just break up with him, why do you need to hurt him? But life isn't perfect like that. We're always going to hurt someone, whether intentional or not.

Some other reviews have said that this novel is extremely cruel toward overweight people and even promotes cheating. I am not skinny myself yet the situations in this book are sadly true, and reflect real life. There are so many people who suffer from eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and genuinely hate their body. Our society promotes this type of negative self criticism. We can't pretend that it doesn't exist because the problem won't go away. So I applaud Diana Spechler for writing about such a taboo subject, and I think she did a fantastic job on it.

And the cheating part? Well, no one ever cheats anymore, right? So we don't have to worry about that. (less)

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Jul 10, 2011 H. Shar rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who have nothing better to do

Shelves: depressing

rating: 2 stars

I kinda regret purchasing this book. I wish I could return it somehow, but oh well. The idea behind it was great. Exploring the connection between emotions and eating and how our body's impulses reflect our hidden thoughts and desires. I got into the book right away after I read the first few chapters and bought it. But then I got out of it quickly. The main character, Gray, alienated me with her thoughts and her actions. I couldn't sympathize with her. I couldn't connect with her...more rating: 2 stars

I kinda regret purchasing this book. I wish I could return it somehow, but oh well. The idea behind it was great. Exploring the connection between emotions and eating and how our body's impulses reflect our hidden thoughts and desires. I got into the book right away after I read the first few chapters and bought it. But then I got out of it quickly. The main character, Gray, alienated me with her thoughts and her actions. I couldn't sympathize with her. I couldn't connect with her, even though some of the phrases used in this book was poignantly written.

She kept thinking that she killed her father and the guilt made her eat. I understand that. I understand the self-loathing that she describes after a binge. She went to fat camp, only because she wanted to meet her long-lost half sister (a by-product of an affair she thought her father had had). I understand that when she hooked up with Bennet (as unbelievable to me as that is), that it filled her up temporarily. But I found her too extreme. She either eats a RIDICULOUS amount or eats NOTHING at all, and just have SEX the whole day. And over-exercising. I also couldn't get over how badly she was treating her boyfriend Mikey whom she had left behind while she was at fat camp. I mean, yea, not like Mikey was the perfect boyfriend, but he was patient with her and loved her no matter how skinny or fat she was. Then she had to sleep with Bennet and started complaining about Mikey and how he was never right for her. Gosh, seriously, this Gray girl is one of the most self-absorbed people I have ever read about. She links everything to herself and she complains about everything in an emo kind of way. It was hard to get through the book and emerge at the end.

Nothing much happened in between. The book skipped from past to present in a slightly confusing way but nothing too bad. It's just that it was REALLY slow and really, nothing happened. Nothing but life. The writing was good though. At some parts, there were sparkles as the words struck a cord in my heart. I felt some affinity in her struggle to stop eating and the idea of letting go. But it was like finding a few sparks of stardust in a massive blackhole.

The ending was depressing. Although I felt some closure was made with her feather's death and Mikey leaving her (GOOD FOR HIM), she went back to they way she was before fat camp. It's like the battle never even happened. And that was SO discouraging. It's almost saying, "Why bother trying? It'll be wasted effort. You'll just end up back at square one."

Overall, I found this book depressing. And discouraging. And I dun like ANY of the characters in this book. The only silver lining is the writing that at times, hit the nail on its head when it comes to life. (less)

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Jul 27, 2011 Megan (Book Brats) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: four-stars, chick-lit, contemporary

When I entered a contest and agreed to participate in an author discussion, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into with SKINNY. I thought I would be getting a book about one woman’s acceptance of herself. I rarely read into details about things and this has often led me down weird paths with books. SKINNY was kind of a discussion about acceptance and body image, but more so about grief, blame, and realizations about one’s self and one’s life. Gray is a 26 year old (note: I think the math m...more When I entered a contest and agreed to participate in an author discussion, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into with SKINNY. I thought I would be getting a book about one woman’s acceptance of herself. I rarely read into details about things and this has often led me down weird paths with books. SKINNY was kind of a discussion about acceptance and body image, but more so about grief, blame, and realizations about one’s self and one’s life. Gray is a 26 year old (note: I think the math might have been wrong because unless she spent several months in the hospital, she would have been 27 during camp if her father died on her 26th birthday fourteen months before she was in the hospital after 7 weeks of camp – small nitpick, but I could very well be wrong) New Yorker who has lost her dad and blames herself, diving straight into an eating binge before finding out she might have a half sister. She signs up to be a camp counselor at a fat camp in North Carolina (yay NC) in order to lose her fifteen extra pounds and to meet this sister she never knew she had.

The story is well paced and interesting, keeping me wrapped up in the storyline, especially the last 150 pages (read one morning when insomnia and a perky cat woke me up at 6 AM). For the most part, the characters intrigued me, especially Spider the allergic camper and Gray’s boyfriend back home Mikey, an up-and-coming comedian. The one character I really disliked, though, was Gray herself. Her whining was constant and by the end I really found myself wanting her to shut up. She blamed herself for things she had no responsibility over, cheated on her boyfriend who loved her, and ignored her own issues that prevented her from getting better. She wasn’t fat, she was just someone who needed to come to terms with herself. And a therapist wouldn’t have hurt.

I give this book props for the main male non-boyfriend love interest, Bennett. Not really because I found him too exciting, but because he was a Carolina Hurricanes fan. This really must be the first book I’ve ever read with a Hurricanes shout out. I used to live in the NC mountains so I enjoyed the setting and understood that well. Overall, the strength of this story lies less in the characters but more in the story. Even if I disliked most of the characters (especially Gray and her co-counselor Sheena, who I thought was exceedingly stupid and vindictive for little reason), I enjoyed the pace of the story and the flow. It kept me hooked, maybe because I wanted to see if the characters changed for the better. The ending, though, left a little to be desired. Gray found peace and moved on, but it wasn’t fulfilling like I had expected.

Despite the characterization faults, Spechler’s writing is engaging and fun. I was drawn in immediately, which was hard to do considering I started it at the beach with the ocean calling my name. I’m definitely interested in reading more from this author, just as long as Gray is not involved.

VERDICT: Besides annoying characters (including the MC), SKINNY is a fun, quick read for young women who have gone through grief and bouts of self esteem issues. It’s more of a 3.5 than a 4, but since I round up…

♥♥♥♥ - FOUR HEARTS

NOTE: This book was provided for free by Harper Perennial in exchange for participation in an author discussion hosted by The Next Best Book Blog on Goodreads in August.
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May 17, 2011 Clementine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, fiction

Compulsively overeating after her father’s death, Gray Lachmann uproots from her life in New York City for a job as a counselor at a weight-loss camp in the south. Fueled partly by her desire to stop overeating and partly by a pull to get to know the half-sister she never knew she had, Gray encounters a variety of characters at the camp. While she deals with her insatiable hunger and sea of lies her father left in his wake, Gray also starts to discover herself.

This is Spechler’s second novel, an...more Compulsively overeating after her father’s death, Gray Lachmann uproots from her life in New York City for a job as a counselor at a weight-loss camp in the south. Fueled partly by her desire to stop overeating and partly by a pull to get to know the half-sister she never knew she had, Gray encounters a variety of characters at the camp. While she deals with her insatiable hunger and sea of lies her father left in his wake, Gray also starts to discover herself.

This is Spechler’s second novel, and there are definitely some good things present here. She’s a skilled writer, and the book is full of prose that is often affecting, beautiful, and funny. The pacing is quick and I was hesitant to put the book down.

Her development of many of the characters is strong, and this is especially clear with narrator Gray. It’s obvious that Spechler had a deep understanding of Gray’s motivations and fears. It helps that Gray is a character I can relate to (and I don’t think I’m the only one): a twenty-something with body issues and emotional baggage stemming from her relationships with her parents. Gray felt like an authentic character (if a little shallow), and that made the experience of reading about her life more palatable, even when she made terrible decisions.

There were other moments in the book that rang uncomfortably true-to-life as well. Gray’s ill-advised relationship with personal-trainer-in-training Bennett springs to mind. His reluctance to commit to her in any way juxtaposed with his desire to get her into bed (through various forms of manipulation) felt real and not contrived. Readers, I swear I know this man.

Gray’s observations of the campers also felt very real. Spechler’s ability to characterize the actions of teenage girls is uncanny. The interactions between the girls within a confined space like camp brings out the worst in people, and Spechler handles this extremely well. These moments between the campers were often insightful and occasionally heartbreaking.

There were also things that I found problematic, though. Some of the characters read too much like caricatures or stereotypes. Their behavior was over-the-top or completely irrational and seemed to serve as a way to further the plot rather than part of the character’s natural progression. This was especially glaring with the camp’s director and the other counselor, and I found myself growing weary of the antics.

Perhaps most alarmingly, though, is the potential for eating disorder triggering in a book such as this. Spechler’s examination of the relationship women have with their bodies and food is deliberate and often thoughtful, but there are moments where it seems as though the litheness of Gray’s shrinking body is glorified. The fact that Gray has had issues with food her entire life is made clear, but it’s never fully examined. Spechler shies away from actually dealing with Gray’s disordered eating, which is disappointing and a little irritating. The focus on thinness isn’t going to bother every reader, but it is potentially damaging.

Overall, though, Spechler’s sophomore novel is one that I enjoyed. Identifying with Gray and understanding many of her actions made this read much more personal than I had expected it to be. Many readers will enjoy this look at a woman in her twenties struggling with her identity, her body, and her life. Recommended.

Skinny is available in book stores now.

Skinny by Diana Spechler. Harper Perennial: 2011. Digital galley accepted for review from publisher.(less)

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Feb 26, 2012 Labrot rated it 4 of 5 stars

This author takes the complexity of what it means to be skinny and fat and crafts a raw, very relatable story around it. She says the things we only think. We're taken on a journey of dark thoughts and true implications. There's nothing predictable about the story she tells. Anyone that's been there should read this because it won't make you feel bad, this isn't a self help book or a pity party. She starts off fat but when and how she drops weight, is very real. I lost weight reading this book o...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Smitha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed, ethereal, first-reads-challenge-2013, young-adult

This fictional story deals about weight issues and significance of body image, among young adults as well as older ones. The main character, Gray, is mourning her obese father's death and is binge eating uncontrollably. She finds out that she possibly may be having a secret half sister and joins a slimming camp as a staff, just to be close to her sister who has enrolled there to shed her extra weight. She gets to know other staff and campers who all have some issue or the other, and also falls f...more

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Sep 14, 2011 Cynthia Robertson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Gray believes her behavior toward her obese father had a hand in causing his death. Their relationship was strained by her father’s refusal to accept her live-in boyfriend, Mikey, a comedian who the lawyerly father felt was not good enough for his daughter. Mikey is also not Jewish. And Gray’s father had become obsessed with religion, and a particular Rabbi’s counsel. Perhaps to thumb her nose at her father, or perhaps because she just likes the job, and is good at it, Gray becomes her boyfriend...more Gray believes her behavior toward her obese father had a hand in causing his death. Their relationship was strained by her father’s refusal to accept her live-in boyfriend, Mikey, a comedian who the lawyerly father felt was not good enough for his daughter. Mikey is also not Jewish. And Gray’s father had become obsessed with religion, and a particular Rabbi’s counsel. Perhaps to thumb her nose at her father, or perhaps because she just likes the job, and is good at it, Gray becomes her boyfriend’s booker for his comedy act. Something she works hard and excels at. It leads her into the seedy night world of New York comedy clubs. Then her father dies, and the guilt sets in. She begins eating.

"As long as the binge lasted I rarely answered my phone. I blew through deadlines. I attended no parties. I was busy. I was sick. I was consumed and consuming and unfit for public consumption. The things that normally moved me—were muted by the deafening call of ice cream and stuffed wontons and Cracker Jacks. The world would have to wait, or else trample me like a panicked crowd."

Gray gains weight. (The scenes of binge eating are disturbingly graphic, sensory and nauseating.) She pushes Mikey away.

As executor of her father’s estate Gray finds out about a secret life her father had: one involving another woman, and another daughter. Like any daughter would, she looks this other girl up online; peers into this other’s world, and tries to deduce what she can about her dead father’s relationship with her. Did her father love this other girl, cryptically named Eden, more than herself?

In an attempt to find out more and get to know her half sister, Gray gets a job as camp counselor at the bogus ‘fat camp’ for teens where Eden is enrolled. Gray packs everything she owns into the old car she inherited from her father and leaves New York, and Mikey, behind.

I won’t tell you the rest, since I don’t like reviews that give away the plot. But I will tell you the camp Diana creates is chock full of colorful characters who will draw you into their fears, and dreams. And, in a satisfying and touching twist of plot, Eden turns out to be something both more, and less, than Gray expects.

Diana Spechler’s prose is often surprising and fun, with literary flavors and savory bits sprinkled lavishly throughout. Her characters are fleshy and fully rounded.

All in all Skinny was a delicious read, and I recommend it.

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Jun 01, 2011 Jael rated it 3 of 5 stars

"After I killed my father, he taught me that honesty is optional. But, of course, I'd always known that. This was why I loathed being naked -- my choices were stripped away."

That first line of Skinny by Diana Spechler grabbed me. I took that line literally. Look at that cover, do you think anything sinister is going on? There isn't, but I was intrigued as to why someone thought they killed their father.

Twenty-six year old Gray Lachmann has struggled with weight issues all her life. Her father i...more "After I killed my father, he taught me that honesty is optional. But, of course, I'd always known that. This was why I loathed being naked -- my choices were stripped away."

That first line of Skinny by Diana Spechler grabbed me. I took that line literally. Look at that cover, do you think anything sinister is going on? There isn't, but I was intrigued as to why someone thought they killed their father.

Twenty-six year old Gray Lachmann has struggled with weight issues all her life. Her father is overweight, but remained active in his way. He actively expressed his displeasure with her boyfriend Mikey -- a non-Jewish comedian. A comedian is just not good enough for his daughter. This tension drives a wedge between Gray and her father. When he dies of heart attack, Gray is consumed with guilt. Despite him not being healthy to begin with, Gray feels that breaking off contact if the root cause for his heart attack. Her desire for food only increases. His death steals Gray's self-control. Gray has a lingering desire to be skinny. But does being skinny equal happiness? Despite having a steady boyfriend and a career, Gray seems to be missing something in her life -- even before her father's death. She longs to liked and accepted. There is a hole in her life. What can fill it?

Going through her father's papers, Gray finds out she has a half-sister, Eden. If they can form a relationship, Gray can get rid of the guilt and perhaps feel more fulfilled. Eden is away at a fat camp. Instead of introducing herself, Gray hatches a "great" plan. Gray becomes a camp counselor, thinking she can work herself into Eden's good graces. Why not just get the suspense over with? Perhaps there is something missing in Eden's life too. Eden wants to be a chef, but her mother thinks she could lose a few pounds. Rather than focusing on her plan, Gray becomes distracted by an affair with Bennett, a fellow counselor.

As a main character, Gray isn't always likable. One moment you can sympathize with her guilt surrounding her father's death. But at times, I found her to be a little whiny. She loves Mikey, but cheats on him anyway. She worries whether Bennett likes her or not. She feels fat before coming to the camp, but suddenly Gray is not one of them when she sees how severely overweight everyone else is. Perhaps this one is frustrating for me because it forced me to look at myself. Sometimes I have those same feelings about weight. I'm in between on the book as whole, but it is worth a read.

Rating: Give it a try

Note: I received a copy of the book from the publisher (Harper Perennial) as part of a tour with TLC Book Tours. For more information on author Diana Spechler, visit: http://www.dianaspechler.com/
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May 08, 2011 Charlotte rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nook, advanced-readers-copy

http://charlotteswebofbooks.blogspot....

Every woman young or old has a body image issue of some type. Big nose, big hips, fat thighs, or all of the above. It is a rare woman that does not have a body issue of some type. After Gray eats her grief, "fat camp" is really the place for her. She is not the most perfect heroine by any stretch of the imagination. She is deeply flawed in several ways, but it wasn't until camp that she started to realize that being flawed is okay. I think that is a critic...more

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Jun 04, 2011 Dana E rated it 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved this book! Diana Spechler is such a unique, witty, smart writer who has crafted a complex story that doesn't really let anyone off the hook. Though maybe I didn't always like Gray, the narrator, I realized that for me, what I didn't like about her were actually the moments when I totally related to her and realized she was boldly stating things that I connected to, but was ashamed to admit. This novel addresses some deep, thought-provoking issues about the ways women use food...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Cori rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the story of a woman who is haunted by the past of her dead father. The protagonist is a lost an tortured girl who can't seem to find what will absolve her of the terrible thing she believes she's done. Will the absence of food; being skinny help her? Will food giver her the solace she so desires? Will the love of different men in her bed provide her with the magic potion for happiness? Gray explores all of these options but in the end, she learns that her happiness comes from within!

I...more

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Jul 17, 2011 Jessica Lawlor rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

After her father’s death, Gray is struggling: mentally, emotionally and definitely physically. Gray finds comfort in food and begins compulsively eating. She quickly packs on the pounds and slowly spins into a depression like she’s never felt before. With a desire to get back to her old self and get away from it all, Gray applies for a job as a camp counselor at a southern weight loss camp. At camp, Gray meets a cast of characters from Eden, her mysterious possible half-sister to sexy Bennett, w...more After her father’s death, Gray is struggling: mentally, emotionally and definitely physically. Gray finds comfort in food and begins compulsively eating. She quickly packs on the pounds and slowly spins into a depression like she’s never felt before. With a desire to get back to her old self and get away from it all, Gray applies for a job as a camp counselor at a southern weight loss camp. At camp, Gray meets a cast of characters from Eden, her mysterious possible half-sister to sexy Bennett, who turns her life upside down. As the summer pads along and Gray’s pounds melt away, Gray is confronted with finally facing reality, once and for all.

I absolutely loved the setting of SKINNY. As a child, I went to girl scout camp for one week and begged to come home, so I’ve never fully understand the summer camp experience. Especially not the weight loss summer camp experience. It was so much fun to hear about the daily routines of “fat camp.”

I went back and forth between liking and disliking Gray. Of course, I wanted to like her because she was the main character and you always hope to relate to the main character, but at times, she was just annoying to me. I’ve thankfully never dealt with an eating disorder, so I’m not one to judge Gray, but at times, I just wanted to scream at her to get help. Obviously her binging was extremely unhealthy, and I wished she would have realized that and gone for help before things got too out of control. Plus, with everything she was going through with her father’s death and uncovering his secret, Gray really needed professional help before the eating disorder even began.

One of my favorite aspects of SKINNY was the many characters. Spechler expertly introduced us to several characters: Gray, her mom, her dad, Mikey, Lewis, Sheena, Bennett and all of the campers. As I listed these characters, I was able to recall more than one detail about them from this book. These characters were perfectly intertwined into the story so that you felt as if you knew them all, but you weren’t overwhelmed by the number of them. I especially enjoyed getting to know Gray’s group of campers…they each had larger than life personalities and attributes that made them completely different and fun to get to know. Again, even though Gray was the main character, and we got to know her well, Spechler successfully let the reader get to know a multitude of characters who truly added to the story.

And then there were the boys in this story. Sigh, where to begin. First, there’s Mikey, Gray’s long-time boyfriend. I wanted to like him, but as a reader, something kept clicking in my mind telling me not to get too attached. Then there’s sexy Bennett, whom Gray meets at camp. Like Gray, I quickly fell for the older, mature and muscular trainer. But, still…I knew that something wasn’t quite right.

Behind the scenes of fat camp and Gray’s eating struggles lies the real story. The story of why Gray eats and how she ended up at camp. This is the story that interested me the most. I loved learning about the dynamic between Gray and her dad. Throughout the book, I was so intrigued by why Gray kept saying that she was the one who killed her father, and when I finally learned the true story, I was shocked.

Spechler kept me on edge the entire book with two storylines. The first was, as I mentioned above, how Gray killed her father. The second was the storyline with Eden, one of Gray’s campers. Throughout the book, I waited and waited for Gray to finally talk to Eden about the secret she had discovered, and when she finally learns the truth, it’s not what she expected at all. I was completely shocked and excited to learn what the real truth was.

The ending of this book is a bit difficult to handle. Without giving too much away, I’ll just say that I selfishly enjoy happy endings, and while this ending wasn’t necessarily sad, it also wasn’t happy.

I absolutely love the lessons I walked away with after reading this book. SKINNY came to me at the perfect time. Since the fall, I’ve been going to the gym frequently and in January, I really ramped up my workouts. I’ve lost about 15 pounds and I’m so happy to be getting healthy and paying more attention to what I put in my body. However, the line between healthy and going overboard is VERY thin. I’ve definitely struggled with trying to figure out how to keep the balance. On one hand, I love my new body and love the energy I get from working out, but on the other hand, I stress out over every meal and count calories more than I’d like. SKINNY reminded me that the numbers on the scale aren’t the ultimate measure of happiness…and that being healthy is way more important than being skinny.(less)

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Jul 16, 2012 Missy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012, realistic_fiction

Grey is bulimic and goes to a "fat camp" to help teens and help herself. She is also hoping to build a relationship with her"step sister" and releive her guilt of her fathers death. I don't know why she's that guilty about her fathers death, its his fault he was morbidly obese and diead of a heart attack. I don't know why Grey is obese the only exception being that she has no idea how to make choices and just ate compulsivly like her father. This seems to be the case because she really has nothi...more

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