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84th out of 1,210 books
—
6,529 voters
Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest To Discover if Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, Or Why Pie is Not The Answer
A NOTE FROM JEN LANCASTER:
"To whom the fat rolls…I'm tired of books where a self-loathing heroine is teased to the point where she starves herself skinny in hopes of a fabulous new life. And I hate the message that women can't possibly be happy until we all fit into our skinny jeans. I don't find these stories uplifting; they make me want to hug these women and take them...more
Paperback, 400 pages
Published
May 6th 2008
by NAL Trade
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Memoirs By Nature Are Narcissistic
Think about it. You are the writer. The subject is you. The story is of your experiences based on the ideas generated by you. You have to spend a lot of time with yourself and like yourself enough to put it out there for the world to judge. And they DO judge!
This first person account starts out with the in-your-face notion that she's a fat beyotch, a hearty eater (bring on the butter) and a mean girl to boot. Look out soccer moms and Stepford wives, this is the...more
Think about it. You are the writer. The subject is you. The story is of your experiences based on the ideas generated by you. You have to spend a lot of time with yourself and like yourself enough to put it out there for the world to judge. And they DO judge!
This first person account starts out with the in-your-face notion that she's a fat beyotch, a hearty eater (bring on the butter) and a mean girl to boot. Look out soccer moms and Stepford wives, this is the...more
I wanted to like this book better, really I did.
But the author's writing style grates on me after a while and I really feel so much of this book was filler. She proposed a book about her experiences with weight loss, and then spends too much of the book talking about her book proposal. For most of the book she's failing miserably at her goals. Then in the last third of the book she finally kicks into gear. I appreciate how she makes fun of the weight loss experience, but sometimes I wanted to sh...more
But the author's writing style grates on me after a while and I really feel so much of this book was filler. She proposed a book about her experiences with weight loss, and then spends too much of the book talking about her book proposal. For most of the book she's failing miserably at her goals. Then in the last third of the book she finally kicks into gear. I appreciate how she makes fun of the weight loss experience, but sometimes I wanted to sh...more
I really wanted to love this book but the writing was weak and Lancaster came off as just plain mean at times. While there were a handful of laugh-out-loud moments, I don't think it was nearly as good as her sophomore effort "Bright Lights, Big Ass." I'm keeping my fingers crossed that her fourth book is better than "...Pretty Fat".
Jan 28, 2009
Kathleen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone with a body image issue, anyone in need of a good laugh
Shelves:
my-self-help
I love Jen Lancaster. She's hysterical. Before I even looked at her photo in the back of the book I had an image of her in my head from the first sentence. She's a potty mouth extraordinaire (love it!), she has insane amounts of self-esteem (jealous!), and had me laughing at least every other page. And not just snickering - guffawing. As in, Jonathan turns around and looks at me funny and I feel like I have to read him the passage that cracked me up. She's not afraid to tell you what she really...more
I'm on page 200 of this story...it's almost 400 pages long and it's a memoir. She's STILL debating whether or not to go on a diet (she's a size 24). This book makes me hungry because she CONSTANTLY talks about food. It's an easy read and she's funny (loving the footnotes) but she's puts being a procrastinator to a whole new level. Let you know if the next 200 pages are worth the read. Right now I feel like exercising and taking a cooking class all at the same time.
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So if I didn't love Jen Lancaster from her first two books, I certainly do from this. I bought this last year (and went to my first book signing!), but as the year got later and later, I somehow got it into my head that I would wait to read it until this year started. Some of that subliminal New Year's Revolutionism, I suppose.
With the advent of 2009, I'm not only at my very biggest weight ever; I'm fully ready to do something about it. The funny thing for me about January and the gym? I hate go...more
With the advent of 2009, I'm not only at my very biggest weight ever; I'm fully ready to do something about it. The funny thing for me about January and the gym? I hate go...more
Now this book didn't really rate a 5, but it is certainly in 4.5 territory. I loved this book. It's for all of the women who have struggled to lose weight and have been subjected to comments like "You have such a pretty face." I don't get that particular remark. I more often hear, "You in the white skirt, would you mind bending over so that I can show my Right to Life filmstrip on your butt." No, that's not true. Sometimes it's a video about how the surge has made us more protected and how the r...more
Speaking of funny books and brain candy... (I just was in my review of Fearless Fourteen.)
This book qualifies as both. I admit that I read this book with some trepidation. I enjoyed her first book, Bitter Is The New Black and read it with great pleasure. I even gave it to a few friends as gifts. I was thrilled when her second book came out. What a disappointment that was! I kept thinking When are they going to grow up??? What adult drinks like that? That often?? College was over a while back, h...more
This book qualifies as both. I admit that I read this book with some trepidation. I enjoyed her first book, Bitter Is The New Black and read it with great pleasure. I even gave it to a few friends as gifts. I was thrilled when her second book came out. What a disappointment that was! I kept thinking When are they going to grow up??? What adult drinks like that? That often?? College was over a while back, h...more
This was the first book by Jen Lancaster I've read, and I'm not sure I would have enjoyed her caustically comedic style in either of her other books, but when used in discussion of dieting and the diet industry, it definitely worked, at least for me.
_Such a Pretty Fat_ is the story of Jen's personal quest to get healthier. Part of what makes the book so charming is that, unlike other protagonists of dieting books/memoirs, she doesn't hate herself, hate her size, or hate food. She loves and adore...more
_Such a Pretty Fat_ is the story of Jen's personal quest to get healthier. Part of what makes the book so charming is that, unlike other protagonists of dieting books/memoirs, she doesn't hate herself, hate her size, or hate food. She loves and adore...more
Jul 28, 2008
Bruce Henderson
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
nobody.
Recommended to Bruce by:
Book club selection -- we gave it a shot hoping for the best.
Not my normal cuppa joe, but it might prove to be worthwhile. Thus far, the book's main character, the author herself, proves to be narcissistic to the point of bombasticism. Not a good combination. On top of that, she's in a constant state of denial about herself and rationalizes differing opinions until she's focused all of her attentions back on herself. She reminds me of a character in Confederacy of Dunces, Ignatius J. Reilly.
...Okay, I finished this book a few weeks ago. I'm not the better...more
...Okay, I finished this book a few weeks ago. I'm not the better...more
I'm pretty sure that if you're laughing out-loud 39 pages into a book, you can state, fairly accurately, that you like it...A.LOT. But, I'll let you know the rating when I'm finished...prolly in about 3 hours!
Three hours and the book is finished. You know how when you're getting ready to ride your bicycle up a hill? You get up as much optimal speed as you can and you start up the hill at a good rate, but then pedal by pedal you start slowing down until you're about 2/3 of the hill and you don't...more
Three hours and the book is finished. You know how when you're getting ready to ride your bicycle up a hill? You get up as much optimal speed as you can and you start up the hill at a good rate, but then pedal by pedal you start slowing down until you're about 2/3 of the hill and you don't...more
May 16, 2008
Rebecca
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
diet fanatics, fiiiine looking women everywhere, those that want to slap their personal trainers
Shelves:
wickedgoodnon-fiction
Lots of women have the realization at one point in their lives that they are overweight or unhealthy. Every single one of these women also has a story about the desperate attempts to lose weight and resemble Kate Moss. Usually the commen theme in all these stories is self-loathing of fat and a vicious cycle of binging and hating. What I found so refreshing and lovely about this book is the fact that Jen Lancaster never allows herself to sink into a pit of self loathing. She will tell you herself...more
I really don't know why I like these books as much as I do, but I do. This one focuses somewhat on the author's quest to become more healthy through diet and exercise, but is not particularly one of those inspirational self-help type books. Instead, the author is as snarky and self-centered as ever and shares her sucesses and failures equally. I read this as a library book, but will be buying it to add to my own personal library as soon as I can.
May 19, 2008
Karen
added it
Page before the prologue page
quote 1. that stupid weight watchers quote
Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels."
quote #2. by the author
"Weight Watchers can kiss the fattest part of my ass."
I THINK THIS IS ONE DIET BOOK I AM GOING TO LOVE.
Don't you just want to stab Kirstie Ally in the eye with a fork?
Just bitch slap too cute and cuddly Valerie Bertinelli?
DIETS DON'T WORK!!
We all know it -- we've all been on at least five in our lifetime.
While Jenny Craig gets richer and Weight Watchers makes...more
quote 1. that stupid weight watchers quote
Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels."
quote #2. by the author
"Weight Watchers can kiss the fattest part of my ass."
I THINK THIS IS ONE DIET BOOK I AM GOING TO LOVE.
Don't you just want to stab Kirstie Ally in the eye with a fork?
Just bitch slap too cute and cuddly Valerie Bertinelli?
DIETS DON'T WORK!!
We all know it -- we've all been on at least five in our lifetime.
While Jenny Craig gets richer and Weight Watchers makes...more
I read “Bright Lights, Big Ass” a while back and liked it. That’s why I decided to read this one. I must have not been in the mood for this. It definitely was funny but I was annoyed with the random thoughts and the lack of flow. This isn’t really a story. It is a “memoir” of how someone who decided to lose weight, join Jennie Craig, Weight Watchers and a gym. Lancaster has a great sense of humor and a unique way of words. I think that is why I enjoyed her other book so much. I think one dose wa...more
I am kind of disappointed. No, not kind of. I am disappointed by this book. Not that I had incredibly high expectations, (I'm not a fan of books about the trials and tribulations of dieting,) but I LOVED Jen's first book. LOVED IT. And this one was just... blah. Footnotes weren't as funny. Subject wasn't as entertaining. Her emails didn't even make me crack a smile half the time. The only thing I liked about this book was that she cleaned up her language. I just hope that her cynicism and sarcas...more
This book is about dieting. Now before you give me an eye roll, this not some book the totes a miracle product or method found by the author. Nor is the story of a woman who lost 200lbs and suddenly fell into the life of her dreams, complete with Jason Statham grape feeding scene. ( Okay so that would be my perfect life). It is a frank, funny, honest, book that follows Jen Lancaster, a sucessful, happily married, and happy with her self, fat woman, who discovers that she desperatly needs to chan...more
This is not another one of those whiny memoirs where the woman goes on and on for pages about how much she hates her thighs and why it's all her mother's fault. Most books about being an overweight woman are told by a narrator who is probably about ten pounds overweight at the most and who proceeds to lose those ten pounds through some form of extreme dieting. As someone who has struggled, and is still struggling, with her weight I especially enjoyed the realism of Jen's story.
Jen Lancaster did...more
Jen Lancaster did...more
I picked this book up on a whim: I'm a fat woman who lost a lot of weight and then gained it back, but I wasn't looking for motivation or miserable company. I just wanted a good story. PRETTY FAT did not deliver. I've never read any of the author's other books, and now I have no desire to. Jen Lancaster, despite the blurbs on the book cover, is not wickedly funny; she is trite, condescending, small-minded, and very, very smug. The writing is dated and unimaginative, and the "humor" self-serving....more
Jun 19, 2012
Karen morsecode
added it
Subtitle: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover If Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, or Why Pie Is Not the Answer
"I'm just about finished with Downward-Facing Dog when I hear a
noise that makes my blood freeze. No, it's not the crack of a gunshot
or the tinkle of an ice cream truck; it's the sound of feet clattering up
my front steps. Before I can pull myself up, I come face-to-ass with
the UPS delivery man, and I peer at him shirtless, backward, and
upside down from between my legs, over the spare...more
"I'm just about finished with Downward-Facing Dog when I hear a
noise that makes my blood freeze. No, it's not the crack of a gunshot
or the tinkle of an ice cream truck; it's the sound of feet clattering up
my front steps. Before I can pull myself up, I come face-to-ass with
the UPS delivery man, and I peer at him shirtless, backward, and
upside down from between my legs, over the spare...more
Whether you are overweight, underweight or somewhere in between Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster will keep you laughing throughout.
The book chronicles Lancaster’s journey to try to lose those extra fifty pounds and adopt a healthier life style; not that she isn’t fabulous just the way she is but because the doctor has ordered her to do so. But bear in mind readers this is not your mother’s diet book.
Jen’s writing style is very sarcastic and she makes no apologies for who she is, readily admitt...more
Like all of this authors book, something about this book as well, just bugged me. It takes place after her debut novel, so she doesn't work in the traditional sense. Her weight is out of control and this book is about her trying to get control of it. It seemed like the reader sits around for half the book waiting for it to begin. And then once the story FINALLY begins, it just keeps on trucking, until the end and then, THAT'S IT! My total dislike for this book is that the author has the time and...more
I'm a little embarrassed to admit to reading this book. Jen Lancaster has written a slew of memoirs that I have avoided because 1. look at the cover and 2. she's a Republican. I read Such a Pretty Fat because one of my favorite mommy bloggers recommended it as a quick, funny vacation book and a realistic portrayal of the struggle to lose weight. Quick and funny was right on; I read it in two days and I was completely entertained by Lancaster's snark and self-deprecation.
Realistic is not right,...more
Realistic is not right,...more
this was the first jen lancaster book i read & i actually really enjoyed it! so this is more of a 3.5 review, & maybe i would have even gone for a full four stars if i hadn't soured myself by reading jen's other books.
premise: jen is on the cusp of forty & is trying to come to terms with the fact that her lifestyle is very unhealthy & she could stand to get her weight under her control before she loses a foot to diabetes. this is the comical chronicle of her experiences joining...more
premise: jen is on the cusp of forty & is trying to come to terms with the fact that her lifestyle is very unhealthy & she could stand to get her weight under her control before she loses a foot to diabetes. this is the comical chronicle of her experiences joining...more
Jul 28, 2011
Adriane Devries
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
book-clubbish-novels,
summer-read-novels
After reading many depressing and/or starkly edgy memoirs over the years for book club, this one, dealing with the author’s struggle with dieting, was a huge (get it?) breath of fresh air. Jen Lancaster’s raucous humor reminded me how to laugh out loud again, and every time I sat down with it, I felt like I was spending time with my best friend. How nice that I had it in paperback, so I could carry her everywhere with me for many unexpected moments of dishing (get it?)! Dieting while writing a b...more
I'm not sure if I want to give this book 4 stars, but since I wanted to keep reading it and it actually made me want to get into shape, I figure it deserves it.
I read her first book a few years ago and didn't like it. Even if you know that you are a snobby bitch, I don't think its really good call yourself one. She has some self-esteem issues.
I'm not sure why I wanted to read this, guess I thought I'd give her another chance, and it's about her wanting to lose weight, which is something I always...more
I read her first book a few years ago and didn't like it. Even if you know that you are a snobby bitch, I don't think its really good call yourself one. She has some self-esteem issues.
I'm not sure why I wanted to read this, guess I thought I'd give her another chance, and it's about her wanting to lose weight, which is something I always...more
Personal Training, Session One: I'm standing at the front desk, waiting for the mythical "Barbie" to appear. While I was sucking down water and aspirin earlier today, trying to shed my hangover, I started thinking about how judgmental I can be. I mean, why should I have instantly freaked out when I heard someone named Barbie was going to be my trainer? Sure, the name brings up images of gorgeous girls with long blonde hair, shiny white teeth, deep tans, and impossible-to-achieve, completely envi...more
Jen has gained weight. And lost it. And gained it again. Like an addict, she just can’t stay away from fattening foods. Who can blame her? When she was growing up, her mother was passionate about health food—and this was at a time when people didn’t know how to make health food taste good. So when Jen got her hands on the fattening but delicious food in her school cafeteria, she loaded up. There was no telling what she was going to be eating when she got home so she had to have the good stuff RI...more
Another book that made me laugh - this has been the time frame of humorous books for me, apparently. Lancaster's style was easy to read, and genuinely funny. Having just read Kargman's Sometimes I Feel Like a Nut, the differences in style and characters were so distinct! While Kargman had no compunction about using certain words, Jen spelled out any words that related to S-E-X or being N-A-K-E-D. It was like going from New Orleans to Disney World (which I actually did, on my honeymoon-worlds of...more
I was hovering between 2 and 2.5 stars throughout most of this book. Normally I love humor writing. And I (like the author) have mixed feelings after my experiences with Weight Watchers (program itself=great; meetings= suck).
But throughout the book, I kept thinking, “Really? You and your husband exchange 100-percent clever witticisms in every single sentence you speak to each other?”
And, “Really? You cussed out an innocent shampoo girl at the salon? You honestly and truly did that?”
(Also, I have...more
But throughout the book, I kept thinking, “Really? You and your husband exchange 100-percent clever witticisms in every single sentence you speak to each other?”
And, “Really? You cussed out an innocent shampoo girl at the salon? You honestly and truly did that?”
(Also, I have...more
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Jen Lancaster is the author of her own memoirs including: as Bitter is the New Black, Bright Lights, Big Ass, Such A Pretty Fat, Pretty in Plaid, My Fair Lazy, and the newest: Jeneration X.
She has also dabbled with fiction in her first book, If You Were Here.
More about Jen Lancaster...
She has also dabbled with fiction in her first book, If You Were Here.
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“I'm not lazy. I'm simply judicious about excess movement.”
—
120 people liked it
“This is terrific! What fun! Maybe tomorrow I can go to the prom with my brother. The day after, perhaps I can wear white pants and unexpectedly get my period.”
—
51 people liked it
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Jan 28, 2009 06:23am