Good in Bed

by Jennifer Weiner (Goodreads author)

book data

27,835 ratings, 3.63 average rating, 2,156 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		22%
4		34%
3		29%
2		8%
1		4%

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published

April 2nd 2002 (first published 2001) by Washington Square Press

binding

Paperback, 400 pages

characters

Candace Shapiro, Bruce

setting

The United States

isbn

0743418174 (isbn13: 9780743418171)

description

For twenty-eight years, things have been tripping along nicely for Cannie Shapiro. Sure, her mother has come charging out of the closet, and her fathe...more

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01/03/08

Tabitha rated it:

bookshelves: fiction

Read in January, 2008

Sometimes a person needs a light read. A fun read. A pick it up and put it down (finished in a day) read. This book is all of these things, but it also carries an important message in an accessible format. We meet many people in our lives and love many be eternal or fleeting. Regardless of the time that love is shared, or held on to, the depth, the intensity, the interwoven sense of purpose can vary. We may not always love the person that we love now. We may not always remain with the per...more Sometimes a person needs a light read. A fun read. A pick it up and put it down (finished in a day) read. This book is all of these things, but it also carries an important message in an accessible format. We meet many people in our lives and love many be eternal or fleeting. Regardless of the time that love is shared, or held on to, the depth, the intensity, the interwoven sense of purpose can vary. We may not always love the person that we love now. We may not always remain with the person that we love and yet we may love them forever.

I, personally, love many people. I love them in different ways. I love them to different depths. I'm the type that always loves. If I love you today, I will love you tomorrow. There is nothing that you can do to stop that love. I may not like you if you hurt other or myself, but love and like are not the same thing. Like can change; love remains. Needless to type, I do not throw the word Love around lightly.

I do not tell my husband that I love him every time that we part: in person, on the phone, into slumber land. I tell him that I love him when I am consciously aware of how present that love is, when I am embraced and caught up in it, when I am fully in that moment. This can occur when I see him act kindly in a moment when I may not, when I remember something that he has said that I may not have appreciated fully at the time, when I hear about another relationship, another partner, that purposely does something hurtful and realize that Jim is such a good person, when I remember past relationship, past hurts and know that he is kind. Sometimes this can happen simply because he squeaks when he laughs or because his dark lashes frame his clear blue eyes in a certain light. There is a depth to that love. Intensity. A texture. Love goes beyond people, for me anyway, and encompasses ideas. Sometimes, I have learned, that people are mere reflections (positive or negative) of the ideals that what frame them within. Sometimes they are not the people that we imagine them to be – fairly or unfairly.

This story reminds me that there are different kinds of love and that time and changes in relationship status do not diminish it. I loved some that came before JIM. I still love some that hurt me badly – badly, but this is a different kind of love than what I share with my incredible husband (who does leave balls of socks all over the house and wonders why the dogs eat them). I told him last night that there is nothing in the world that I would trade for him and there is nothing, nothing that could ever compare to him, but this incredible love does not remove the past loves (the past-current loves) and that is what I liked most about this book.

This book shares the story of a "larger woman" and her search for love from herself, from partners, from day-in-day-out-family, from her father (post painfully reminiscent of my own life), from her dog, and from society. She struggles, she shares humor and rage. She shares hope and she embraces – she embraces.

Memorable passage (and words to live by): "I will love myself, and my body, for what it can do-- because it is strong enough to lift, to walk, to ride a bicycle up a hill, to embrace the people that I love and hold them fully, and to nurture a new life. I will love myself because I am sturdy. Because I did not--will not--break." (p365)(less)

Like this review? yes (8 people liked it)

1 comment

01/11/08

Camie rated it:

Read in January, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

This was an interesting book; I read it for an on-line book group. I did like reading it, but at the same time, it's definitely not one I would recommend or would be on any "must read" list I would write.

The thing I think Jennifer Weiner did well was writing in a way that I did get sucked into Cannie's life and her pain. I think anyone who's had a lost love can really relate to that kind of misery, and I think she did a great job describing it. So much so, that my mood was...more

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11/29/07

Kimmay rated it:

bookshelves: book-club

Read in December, 2007

Well by reading some of the reviews below, I guess I am the only one that really did NOT like this book. I thought it was quite IRONIC That Violet loved the screenplay because the lead charachter didn't need to be rescued... unlike Cannie.
She seems so winey and down on not only herself but everyone else. To me this was NOt an uplifting book, It was actually rather depressing and I only finished it because it was the book selected for my book club so i felt obligated to finish it. I...more

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

3 comments

08/16/07

Nicole P rated it:

I am rating this as an OK, based only on the fact that the plot was intricate and well thought out. The book itself was very well written and easy to follow. However, it will not go on my list of favorite books. Basically it was about a plus sized 28 yr old woman, Cannie Shapiro (she was decribed as a size 16, I thought that plus didn't start until size 18, but what do I know??) She was a reporter, had friends, an apartment, a dog, etc. She had recently asked her boyfriend of 3 years for a break...more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

1 comment

12/04/08

Jennifer rated it:

bookshelves: 2003, chicklit, fiction

Read in March, 2003

I am haunted by this book. There is a scene in it that I think about all the time. I don't know if the writing was that good or if something about it just resonated with me - Either way I seriously think about it alot. Has it really been almost 6 years since I read this?

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

4 comments

02/09/09

Marie rated it:

Read in February, 2009

My first grader can sound out words and takes great interest in what I'm reading. He didn't understand the title of the book, so I told him that it was about someone who sleeps all night and never gets up to get in their parents' bed.

My husband wanted to know if it was fiction. He was hoping not.

I liked this book because I liked the character and cared about her. She's likable and funny and she means well. My major criticism about this book, however, is that the unrea...more

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09/05/07

Leslie rated it:

This book made me second guess my judgmental stance on "chick lit." It's a genre I usually avoid, mostly because I tend to be a pretentious asshole. But I really, really enjoyed this book. Weiner is smart, witty, and insightful. I laughed outloud. Much to my surprise, I couldn't put this one down.

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07/12/08

Elizabeth rated it:

bookshelves: fiction

Read in August, 2008

recommended to Elizabeth by: Katie
recommends it for: chick lit readers

This is the third book I have read by Jennifer Weiner. I first read Goodnight Nobody, which I really enjoyed, and then Little Earthquakes, which was also really good. This was good too, but in a different way...I wouldn't say I enjoyed it as much as those, but it was still a great story and I am happy to have read it.

While I adored Cannie in so many ways (her wonderful sense of humor, loyalty to her family and friends, and her ambition) I also found myself perturbed by her, at time...more This is the third book I have read by Jennifer Weiner. I first read Goodnight Nobody, which I really enjoyed, and then Little Earthquakes, which was also really good. This was good too, but in a different way...I wouldn't say I enjoyed it as much as those, but it was still a great story and I am happy to have read it.

While I adored Cannie in so many ways (her wonderful sense of humor, loyalty to her family and friends, and her ambition) I also found myself perturbed by her, at times, as well as other situations in the book. Being overweight myself, I know that you're always at least subconsciously aware of your size, especially in certain situations or around certain people, but Cannie seemed to think about it (her size) incessantly. I also think she had a tendency to really overreact to a lot of things, which, hey, I am sure I have too...like when she just left the guy in the restaurant who wanted to be friends. I found that a little silly and overly dramatic, but I could also sympathize and even feel her embarrassment. As they say, "been there, done that".

Bruce was so lackadaisical and it was hard for me at times to see what Cannie even saw in him, but then there were glimpses of happiness in her flashbacks of them together. When they had sex after the death of his father, I just knew it was a huge mistake, which oh so many women make (sympathy sex). Part of me was thinking, "why do you want to be with this guy?!" Then another part of me was hoping he'd take her back and she wouldn't be heartbroken. But, we know he isn't the right man for her in the grand scheme of things, and so does she.

I loved Dr K. and don't agree with the notion that a Dr. would be incapable of liking a woman who is overweight. Big surprise, but there are men in this world who actually are able to look beyond someone's physical appearance, and I happen to have one of them, so I should know. Thin girls don't have the monopoly on good relationships or handsome guys. ;P

***spoilers***

The scene where she goes into premature labor seemed not very realistic to me, but I am not an expert. I just know I fell both times while I was pregnant and nothing happened except me having a backache, and usually you have to fall pretty hard to have a placental abruption, and her pregnancy had been great until that point, but I digress...I really felt so much for Cannie during that part of the book, where she blamed herself for the baby's prematurity and having to be in the NICU. I could totally understand the overwhelming feelings and postpartum depression. She had a hard time reaching out to anyone, because I think deep down she was so afraid of trusting someone and then having them hurt her. So, she won't let anyone help her or comfort her even in the most simple of ways. I found my heart just aching for her during that time and I cried throughout the end of the book.

It took her some time to get herself together, but then she had adjusted to new motherhood and was doing well. I was happy she and Dr K. were together at the end. She deserved a good ending!

(less)

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02/19/08

Laura rated it:

bookshelves: chicklit, february2008

Read in February, 2008

So I don't forget it, I have to share a super funny line:

"He'd had a few turn-downs in high school, when he'd had really bad skin, and before he'd discovered that pot and a ponytail could reliably attracted a certain kind of girl."

I'm kinda struggling with this one. I had high hopes, but it's not quite what I expected from the blurb on the back. I'm getting distracted by her LENGTHY flashbacks of her life, which are meant to give background and context to the ...more

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02/18/08

Janet rated it:

bookshelves: 2008

Read in February, 2008

Blah. What is up with these 20-something books? The I-don't-like-my-job, I-can't-find-a-mate, I'm-almost-30 angst books? They are all written in the EXACT same voice, and even hit the same highlights (in both this book and Girls are Weird, a father's funeral results in a hook up with an ex--I guess I really dodged a bullet there).

In the interview after the book, the author seems very proud of herself that she wrote an anti-fairy tale, meaning the protagonist does not end the book ...more

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11/21/07

Annalisa rated it:

bookshelves: chick-lit

Read in January, 2008

recommended to Annalisa by: Lucy
recommends it for: good vacation book

The first 100 pages seemed to be the manual for what every fat girl wants to say instead of a story. I also had a hard time visualizing a personality for Cannie, she seemed more an alter ego for the author. When I have to be told she is funny, she is a good person, and I'm not reading these qualities, that is never a good sign.

But then we delved into the character's childhood and I started relating to her, and then she did start to be funny and lovable. The quirky actress never seem...more

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02/04/09

Ashley rated it:

Read in January, 2001

This book hurt my soul. I found that I couldn't put it down... It's not well written, completely mindless and the story is nonsense.

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

1 comment

05/19/08

Brenda rated it:

This was typical "pink lit" and I wasn't overly impressed. From reading the authors bio you learn that admittedly it is a based on her life, except it's a highly unlikely fantasy she once had when a boyfriend broke up with her. And it does read like self-indulgent wank, that is until the part where she goes crazy. That was a bit interesting, though it was self-indulgent wank on the characters part there.

It was a decent, quick mindless read on a hot day if you feel the need ...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

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07/07/07

Lindsey rated it:

Read in March, 2004

recommends it for: those looking for a rainy day book

It's been a while since I read this one, but it was really good. She goes through complete humiliation and has her own self-hatred thrown up in her face in a national magazine. She learns to move on and when she thinks that she can finally make it, the rain really pours down on her. She eventually finds love for herself as well as someone to love her for who she is. It's the old 'you have to love yourself before you can expect anyone else to love you' story. Great book. I think it is defin...more

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12/27/08

Lightreads rated it:

bookshelves: fiction, romance

Read in January, 2006

Snarky, plus-sized heroin deals with life and love and all that. There's a fair amount to criticize here -- the vast over reliance
on coincidence as a literary device, the unevenness of an author who started out to write a funny book and then realized halfway through that she had more
here to work with so maybe she should get a little serious. But that's just the thing, there's more here to work with. The endnotes to this book explained
a lot of my more spectacular eye roll moment...more

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06/24/09

Achie rated it:

Ada seribu kata yang bisa menggambarkan diriku - cerdas, lucu, murah hati. Tapi kata yang kupilih - kata yang menurutku dipilih oleh dunia untukku - adalah gemuk.

Aku belajar berdiet - dan tentu saja cara mengakalinya. Aku mempelajari bagaimana merasa sengsara dan malu, bagaiman mengernyit ketika melihat cermin dan tatapan laki - laki, bagaimana menyiapkan diri dari hinaan yang ku pikir akan selalu muncul.....

Hidup Cannie Shapiro cukup lumayan : dia punya pekerjaan sebagai...more

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06/12/09

Heymae rated it:

Read in June, 2009

This book was interesting. I started out really liking it, then decided I was no longer happy with the direction it was going, then changed my mind again and decided it was simply enjoyable. I knew exactly what I was getting into when I started the book, I wanted something simple, chick lit, a nice feel good story that would be an easy read and would leave me feeling satisfied and girly at the end. Good in Bed was almost exactly on mark. There was a point where I felt the story line was going t...more

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06/01/09

Laura rated it:

Read in November, 2008

I picked up Good in Bed, yet another chicklit book with a cover that’s screams, “This is chicklit!!!” making it sort of embarrassing to hold in sight on the train, because I read through my library pile and needed something to get me through the commute. I have been going through a recent bout of fickleness with books lately– picking them up, reading 50 pages, and putting them back down again with no interest in continuation. Luckily, Good in Bed, despite its desperately female cover, ...more I picked up Good in Bed, yet another chicklit book with a cover that’s screams, “This is chicklit!!!” making it sort of embarrassing to hold in sight on the train, because I read through my library pile and needed something to get me through the commute. I have been going through a recent bout of fickleness with books lately– picking them up, reading 50 pages, and putting them back down again with no interest in continuation. Luckily, Good in Bed, despite its desperately female cover, struck my interest and allowed me to actually finish a book for the first time in a couple of weeks.

Anyway, on with the book. Good in Bed is a humorous and touching tale of Cannie, an entertainment columnist going through a breakup and entering the next phase of her life. Cannie is witty, sarcastic, and, oh by the way, she’s fat. Not only is Cannie well above average in size, but she’s confident, strong, and comfortable in her skin. The book begins as Cannie is horrified to read a column in a women’s magazine by her ex-boyfriend Bruce, “Loving a Larger Woman.” Humiliated and, eventually, regretful of the breakup, Cannie must go through a lot of soul searching and upsets to figure out what she wants out of life and how to get it.

So, all in all, Good in Bed is a pretty good read. Sure, it has just about every chicklit cliché in the mix (small, spunky doggie companion, entertainment journalist job, faithful BFF, etc.), but the character of Cannie is fresh and the story actually has some interesting appeal. I was not at all surprised when I read an interview with the author in which she cites She’s Come Undone as her inspiration. It reads a lot like She’s Come Undone, except Good in Bed is a lighter and fluffier. I was frustrated at times with this book for lacking in substance, but overall, I’d have to say that I enjoyed my reading of Good in Bed and that I wouldn’t be totally averse to picking up another of Weiner’s books if the mood strikes me. I’d recommend this to readers who want well crafted chicklit that’s heavy on the wit and emotion.(less)

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01/27/08

Tara Lynn added it

Read in September, 2005

This book was a great read! I know that I have 4 or five stars on most of my books so far, but what can i say I know how to pick great books! This book hit home for me for a lot of different reasons. No, I am not and never was pregnant, but I have been made a mockery in a public setting without even having knowledge of it. I also think that a great deal of women struggle with self confidence issues and it does take a life altering experience to bring us out of the tailspin.

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03/05/09

Jill rated it:

Read in March, 2009

I keep wavering between the ratings "didn't like it" and "it was ok" because while I actually liked Cannie I just didn't like the book very much. Cannie is a big and beautiful entertainment writer for a Philadelphia Newspaper who is full of sarcastic humor but not of self esteem. Her ex has made their love life into a dating column in a magazine. They have one last fling and she gets pregnant. Okay, seems kind of interesting even if it is a bit on the cheesy side.

...more

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quotes from this book

"It's as if the fasion designers decided that once a woman hit a certain weight, she'd have no need for business suits, for skirts and blazers, for anything except glorified sweatsuits, and they tried to apologize for dressing us like overaged Teletubbies by silk-screening daisies on the tops." More quotes...