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11th out of 85 books
—
63 voters
Lesbian Crushes and Bulimia: A Diary on How I Acquired My Eating Disorder
by
Natasha Holme (Goodreads Author)
Lesbian Crushes and Bulimia is a real-life diary portrayal of an obsessive nineteen year old lesbian, Natasha, whose internal homophobia, alongside infatuations with other women, bring her condemnation in both her gay and straight environments and drive her into a state of compulsive binge-eating and purging.
Described as "a compelling read" in the rite of passage genre by...more
Described as "a compelling read" in the rite of passage genre by...more
Kindle Edition
Published
March 22nd 2012
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"The phone rang three times today and each time it was not her."
A book for anyone who has been overwhelmed by the presence - and then the absence - of another person. And who hasn't?
These are diary entries, true events, and yet they have a novelistic precision and a dramatic sense that reveal Natasha Holme as a natural, instinctive writer. She has an eye for telling details, an exact feeling for how much to tell (I'm assuming these diaries are somewhat edited) and a matter-of-fact honesty that k...more
A book for anyone who has been overwhelmed by the presence - and then the absence - of another person. And who hasn't?
These are diary entries, true events, and yet they have a novelistic precision and a dramatic sense that reveal Natasha Holme as a natural, instinctive writer. She has an eye for telling details, an exact feeling for how much to tell (I'm assuming these diaries are somewhat edited) and a matter-of-fact honesty that k...more
As the editor of the Anne Lister journals I was amazed when I found Natasha Holmes’ book. I learned that, like Anne Lister (1791-1840), Natasha has been an obsessive diarist from her early teenage years. But the startling fact is that, again like Anne Lister, Natasha wrote in a secret code of her own devising. This marked her out, to me, as a modern-day Anne Lister. Natasha’s account of her struggle to realise her lesbian sexuality and to deal with her eating disorder makes for an interesting,...more
Imagine you find someones diary... Are you the kind of person that would be unable to respect their privacy? Would you want to at least skim it for juicy details? Well I guess that's me. I had just intended to check out the first chapter or two, but before I knew it, I found that I could not stop snooping in on the author's life!
I also agree with another reviewer that pointed out how well this 'diary' was written. It contains fragments and snippets and is obviously very informal, but the author'...more
I also agree with another reviewer that pointed out how well this 'diary' was written. It contains fragments and snippets and is obviously very informal, but the author'...more
I believe that everyone should read this book, or at the very least anyone who knows someone who has struggled with an eating disorder (which is everyone, whether they know it or not.)
Natasha's diary allows us entry into the mind of a young woman attempting to find herself. The fact that she is a lesbian makes growing up so much harder for her, the person that she is, is not a person that those around her can accept. People judge her for being too gay and for not being gay enough. Confused, una...more
Natasha's diary allows us entry into the mind of a young woman attempting to find herself. The fact that she is a lesbian makes growing up so much harder for her, the person that she is, is not a person that those around her can accept. People judge her for being too gay and for not being gay enough. Confused, una...more
I get it's a diary, and in some ways that really conveys really how obsessed she is in this book, but it makes it boring to read and there is no real story in the book, other than obsession. Even before she gets anorexia and bulimia, it's still so, so much obsession, about everything. I can see why it can be a strong story, particularly for people who identify with her, but for me it was kinda pointless to read. Only reason I finished was because I always finish books (unless they're really, rea...more
I have to admit the topic was way outside my usual comfort zone, which tends to be Agatha Christie mysteries a lot of the time.
However, after reading the first half of Natasha Holme's book I ended up getting up at 5am to read the rest. I just had to know how things turned out, and I was very glad to find the author's website and discover she'd made it through those tough years. (For a while there I was wondering whether the diary had been published posthumously.)
I found the book very moving, and...more
However, after reading the first half of Natasha Holme's book I ended up getting up at 5am to read the rest. I just had to know how things turned out, and I was very glad to find the author's website and discover she'd made it through those tough years. (For a while there I was wondering whether the diary had been published posthumously.)
I found the book very moving, and...more
What a fascinating insight into the life of a young girl at university, struggling with both her weight/eating and her sexuality. It really opened my eyes to a world that I really know nothing about, while I have felt unhappy about my weight sometimes and wish it was easier to lose those last few pounds I could never bring myself to use the extreme measures that Natasha relied on. It really helped to raise my awareness about eating disorders and how people who suffer from them might be feeling....more
This book is the diary of a 19-yr-old struggling with her sexuality and body image.
As stated in my blog review guidelines I normally don’t read non-fiction, but Natasha Holme, through a Twitter glitch, tied to be my 1700th follower and I offered to review her book as a prize. Because, you know, I’m broke and don’t really have anything else to offer.
I had a hard time deciding on how to rate this book. On one side, the voyeur in me enjoyed reading her diary. On the other side, the teenager is obse...more
As stated in my blog review guidelines I normally don’t read non-fiction, but Natasha Holme, through a Twitter glitch, tied to be my 1700th follower and I offered to review her book as a prize. Because, you know, I’m broke and don’t really have anything else to offer.
I had a hard time deciding on how to rate this book. On one side, the voyeur in me enjoyed reading her diary. On the other side, the teenager is obse...more
Sep 06, 2012
Natasha (Diarist) Holme
rated it
5 of 5 stars
· (Review from the author)
Recommends it for:
People with eating disorders, in recovery, struggling with coming out, people who want to understand
Shelves:
autobiography,
coming-out,
diary,
eating-disorders,
lesbian,
lgbt,
obsessive-love,
sex,
rite-of-passage,
lesbian-diary,
bulimia,
memoir
In 1989, aged nineteen, I was sporting a tattoo openly on my wrist, which starkly declared my unrequited love for my teacher, Miss Williams. It helped me survive the pain of being torn away from her at the end of my time at school. And it lead to my meeting a young woman my own age, Alex, onto whom I redirected much of my obsessiveness.
I remember the day when the verb 'to stalk' arrived in the UK from the US. I was watching the news and was alarmed to learn of the crime that I had been committin...more
I remember the day when the verb 'to stalk' arrived in the UK from the US. I was watching the news and was alarmed to learn of the crime that I had been committin...more
This book is exactly what it sounds like from the title. It's kind of awful yet addictive, and I totally felt for the author's obsessive 20-year-old self (the diary is over 20 years old).
Pointless meandering... not well edited. To much mundane stuff. I know it's a diary... but it didn't have to be a whole diary. I cannot recommend this book to anyone.
How do you review someone's diary? It's really hard to do. I alternately want to shake the author, and hug her. I found it utterly fascinating and compelling. It's an interesting look at someone discovering their sexuality. I don't really know how to review it but I am glad that Natasha was willing to share her troubles and her life with us.
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As someone else said here, this is such a personal book that it is very difficult to comment on - it just feels 'wrong' somehow, in a way I can't really explain. On the other hand, it deserves to be rated, so I guess that is what this is - a rating, and nothing more!
Excellent read! I love the way the author was able to bring me into her world by making me feel like I was sneaking into her diary while actually carrying me through her story. There is a true story line and a definitive end. This is a great book to recommend for anyone battling with an eating disorder or with their sexuality. I was able to relate to some of the author's experiences which brought me further into the book. It's not easy to bear your heart and sole but the author has done an amazi...more
It was interesting to read someones mindset when they have any eating disorder but I did not feel the book came to a conclusio. I guess being in the mental health field I wanted to see how she got better was it just over after that for her she went back to eating normally? Did she get treatment?
May 19, 2013
Andrea Osorto
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eating Disorder R...: Eating disorder memoir on my struggles with coming out | 8 | 22 | May 10, 2013 01:49am | |
| UK Book Club: Lesbian Crushes and Bulimia: A Diary on How I Acquired my Eating Disorder | 15 | 44 | May 08, 2013 12:23pm | |
| UK Amazon Kindle ...: Natasha Holme: Lesbian Crushes and Bulimia: A Diary on How I Acquired my Eating Disorder | 47 | 76 | May 08, 2013 12:22pm | |
| Lesbians: Eating disorder memoir on my struggles with coming out | 4 | 18 | May 01, 2013 08:32am | |
| Memoir Authors: Wonderful review | 1 | 6 | Feb 05, 2013 01:56pm | |
| UK Book Club: Giveaway comp: Lesbian Crushes and Bulimia | 2 | 12 | Feb 01, 2013 02:22am |
Natasha Holme has written diaries totalling 7,000,000 words as of 2013. She used to write them in secret code. Now she writes them on her laptop. Natasha likes women and building websites. She doesn't like capitalism nor the default use of male terminology.
More about Natasha Holme...
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