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188th out of 1,228 books
—
2,997 voters
Conversations With the Fat Girl
by
Liza Palmer (Goodreads Author)
Everyone seems to be getting on with their lives except Maggie. At 26, she's still serving coffee at The Beanery Coffee House, while her friends are getting married, having babies, and having real careers. Even Olivia, Maggie's best friend from childhood, is getting married to the doctor with whom she lives. Maggie's roommate? Her dog Solo (his name says it all). The man i...more
Paperback, 328 pages
Published
September 13th 2005
by 5 Spot
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Oct 26, 2008
Kait
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Hanna
Shelves:
chic-lit
I really liked this book. Obviously, from the four star rating.
All of the characters read real, as did the events (although? Who has money to just head off to Vegas for a weekend, especially when one works at a coffee shop? This part struck me as unbelievable) and relationships. I really appreciated Maggie's growth, and was very happy for her at the end. This is a book that I didn't really want to see end.
There isn't any smut in this book, so people who prefer their reading to be smut free will...more
All of the characters read real, as did the events (although? Who has money to just head off to Vegas for a weekend, especially when one works at a coffee shop? This part struck me as unbelievable) and relationships. I really appreciated Maggie's growth, and was very happy for her at the end. This is a book that I didn't really want to see end.
There isn't any smut in this book, so people who prefer their reading to be smut free will...more
After reading (and loving) Liza Palmer's second book, Seeing Me Naked, I had high expectations for her first novel. Conversations with the Fat Girl was not a disappointment. It follows lifelong "fat girl" Maggie who works at a coffee shop even though she has a masters degree in art restoration. Maggie is also hopelessly in love with Domenic--a 28 year old coffee shop busboy who moonlights as a doll maker. But she's afraid to let him get too close for fear he will see her "Area" and lose what i...more
I read Conversations with the Fat Girl by Liza Palmer, and it was one of those books that touched me in a lot of ways. I found myself identifying with the main character, Maggie, in so many ways and recognizing myself in many of her thoughts.
The basic gist is Maggie is 27, single, overweight, and working a lousy job while waiting for the right one to come by. Her best friend, Olivia, had gastric bypass surgery a number of years ago and is now getting married, but since Olivia has found the Land...more
The basic gist is Maggie is 27, single, overweight, and working a lousy job while waiting for the right one to come by. Her best friend, Olivia, had gastric bypass surgery a number of years ago and is now getting married, but since Olivia has found the Land...more
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Jun 25, 2008
Crystal
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
weaker women
Recommended to Crystal by:
a nestie
The book was just ok. The ending was good and redeemed the book a little. However, the main character was whiny and I felt somewhat of a connection, but not enough to care about what happened during the whole first 3/4 of the book.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Near the beginning of this novel, I really felt for the main character. As I am a fat girl myself, I could identify with some of the feelings and thoughts that Maggie had. I also thought she was quite funny. One of my favorite parts of the whole book is when Maggie was imagining Olivia and her children looking at pictures from the wedding and saying (with a British accent, no less), "Mummy, who is that fat woman? I'm frightened; I shall have nightmares if I have to look at her another moment." (...more
This was a good read for what it was--light,entertaining chick-lit.
I enjoyed it for the way it was written rather than the plot, or even the characters. The author does humor well: the main character, Maggie, had a few one-liners that actually made me laugh out loud.
The plot, on the other hand, seemed not quite realistic, so if you're going to enjoy the book, my advice is not to get too caught up in it. I've never lived in LA, but I can't imagine working as a barista can give you enough money to...more
I enjoyed it for the way it was written rather than the plot, or even the characters. The author does humor well: the main character, Maggie, had a few one-liners that actually made me laugh out loud.
The plot, on the other hand, seemed not quite realistic, so if you're going to enjoy the book, my advice is not to get too caught up in it. I've never lived in LA, but I can't imagine working as a barista can give you enough money to...more
This. Book. *sigh* I loved it.
So many times I read to escape into a different universe...to pretend I'm these characters that I know I could never relate to. Well, this book has proven to be the opposite for me...and I loved it.
I have never identified more with a character in my life. As I was reading I kept thinking, "did the author film me? is she in my head?" as painful as some of the instances were in the story, I understood Maggie. I knew why she felt the way she did. I shared her anxiety,...more
So many times I read to escape into a different universe...to pretend I'm these characters that I know I could never relate to. Well, this book has proven to be the opposite for me...and I loved it.
I have never identified more with a character in my life. As I was reading I kept thinking, "did the author film me? is she in my head?" as painful as some of the instances were in the story, I understood Maggie. I knew why she felt the way she did. I shared her anxiety,...more
More of a three and a half. Having always been a fat girl myself, I am picky about stories about them, and I mostly liked this one. It's a bit didactic at times and there's a bit of typical chicklit magical-thinking in it--narrator Maggie goes to a personal trainer and apparently almost effortlessly goes down a size--but the basic message was more about confidence and enjoying yourself than weight loss. She ends the book on a positive note while still a "fat girl," with no expectation she will e...more
Jun 12, 2012
Suzanne the Mighty ~Satin Seductress~
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
chick-lit,
funny-funny-har-har
At 27 Maggie is working as a waitress in a cafe when everyone else seems to be moving on. Her best friend Olivia is getting married to the man of their teenage fantasties, her sister has got a great family where as she has a Masters she hasn't used and a crush on Domenic, the bus boy, she is afraid to act on. And lets not even mention her size, especially not The Area. But as Olivia's wedding aproaches and it becomes apparent that their bestfriendhood may soon be ending Maggie starts to face som...more
Jun 07, 2012
Tima
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
women, teen girls, anyone struggling with body issues
I read this book many years ago and am probably do for a re-read now that I have experienced a influx of weight and decrease of esteem. I read it long ago when I was slim [but didn't believe I was] and could relate to her feelings, particularly this quote:
“my relationship with my body is like that of an egomaniac with a self-esteem problem. mostly i think about myself and how much i suck. but there are rare moments when i walk around for hours and think i look amazing. either i feel great about...more
“my relationship with my body is like that of an egomaniac with a self-esteem problem. mostly i think about myself and how much i suck. but there are rare moments when i walk around for hours and think i look amazing. either i feel great about...more
I'm not a big chick lit fan but this was my book club's pick for July. I don't think the writing style is particularly great-- I tripped over some of the phrasing and repetitiveness-- but I did end up really enjoying the protagonist in this story.
Maggie is fat, and her best friend Olivia is now skinny as the result of gastric bypass surgery. As the dynamic of their friendship changes, Maggie is forced to ask herself some tough questions about what this relationship is worth to her and how much...more
Maggie is fat, and her best friend Olivia is now skinny as the result of gastric bypass surgery. As the dynamic of their friendship changes, Maggie is forced to ask herself some tough questions about what this relationship is worth to her and how much...more
MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!
So, I enjoyed the main character Maggie - although she is a little self-pitying, isn't everyone to some extent?
She has issues with the way she see's her body (which is obviously hinted at by the title of the book) and has had them throughout her life.
Her best friend, Olivia, was also a 'fat girl' in school - though Olivia was always a lot bigger than Maggie. Maggie and Olivia are now older, at 28 Maggie is working in a coffee shop and is not pursuing or using the amazing ar...more
So, I enjoyed the main character Maggie - although she is a little self-pitying, isn't everyone to some extent?
She has issues with the way she see's her body (which is obviously hinted at by the title of the book) and has had them throughout her life.
Her best friend, Olivia, was also a 'fat girl' in school - though Olivia was always a lot bigger than Maggie. Maggie and Olivia are now older, at 28 Maggie is working in a coffee shop and is not pursuing or using the amazing ar...more
Jul 05, 2007
Angela
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fat chicks everywhere and former fatties who've forgotten their roots
I read this a while ago, but I remember that I really, REALLY loved it. It was one of those "I have to underline stuff in this book, NOW" books, because there were so many quotes and passages that captured my attention (and my own life) so completely.
If you've ever been the fat friend, the other girl, the girl who's always "one of the guys," then you'll probably love what this book has to say.
Highly, highly recommended.
If you've ever been the fat friend, the other girl, the girl who's always "one of the guys," then you'll probably love what this book has to say.
Highly, highly recommended.
Read the whole book review here: http://paperbookworm.blogspot.com/200...
Olivia and Maggie had been best friends ever since, but after Olivia's gastric bypass surgery everything has suddenly changed and she's not whom Maggie had known long before. Olivia changes her childhood history, hangs out with uber-fashionista socialites and gets to marry Dr. Farell who doesn't know she was formerly obese.
I liked the story but it just had too many 'F' word, but I guess it's part of the reality scenario the...more
Olivia and Maggie had been best friends ever since, but after Olivia's gastric bypass surgery everything has suddenly changed and she's not whom Maggie had known long before. Olivia changes her childhood history, hangs out with uber-fashionista socialites and gets to marry Dr. Farell who doesn't know she was formerly obese.
I liked the story but it just had too many 'F' word, but I guess it's part of the reality scenario the...more
How do you know when you've outgrown your best friend? It takes Maggie an awful long time to figure it out in this novel. She and Olivia had promised as children to be in each other's weddings- the problem is that Olivia has had gastric bypass surgery, totally reinvented her life, and is treating Maggie like dirt because she doesn't want any reminders of her life as a big girl. Maggie, on the other hand, is trying to salvage the friendship, kickstart her own happily ever after, and get a 'grown...more
Let me start by saying that I really liked this book- I whipped through it in one evening. There were a lot of laugh-out-loud moments in this sweet, funny book, as well as some teary moments. I like Maggie, her family, and Dominic, her love interest. Were this a series, I would already be reading the next one on my Kindle.
That being said, I felt there was something lacking as I read the book. I can't quite put my finger on it- but I think it has something to do with the first-person narration (...more
That being said, I felt there was something lacking as I read the book. I can't quite put my finger on it- but I think it has something to do with the first-person narration (...more
Due to the fact that I was almost blind in my left eye I wasn't much of a reader. I would get terrible headaches and all that. But when my vision problem was handled all I wanted to do was read. I found tons of time on my hands so I headed to my local library and looked for anything and everything that sounded the least bit interesting to me. This book was the first in a very long time that I completed.
I found it hysterically funny, poignant and engrossing all at the sametime. I could not put th...more
I found it hysterically funny, poignant and engrossing all at the sametime. I could not put th...more
Well, a book that definitely surprised me in positive and negative ways. I was concerned when I decided to choose this book for the challenge that it would center on a character that only complained about her weight and didn't do anything to change her life. Half right and half wrong, she was definitely a whiner, but she did start doing some things to help with the weight.
The whining that set me off was all about her former best friend Olivia who was once a big girl and due to gastric-bypass is...more
The whining that set me off was all about her former best friend Olivia who was once a big girl and due to gastric-bypass is...more
I read this in about a day. I liked her newest book A Field Guide To Burying Your Parents much more than this one. I just felt like slapping the main character through most of the book. All she did was feel sorry for her self and be so insecure through most of it. She was afraid to take a chance on anything.
I'm a former skinny girl who got fat so I can relate to the weight part of it, but even though I'm shy and a little insecure myself I can't ever see myself acting like that.
I also felt that...more
I'm a former skinny girl who got fat so I can relate to the weight part of it, but even though I'm shy and a little insecure myself I can't ever see myself acting like that.
I also felt that...more
The thing about this book is that you might not really get it unless you are, or previously were, a fat girl. Basically, Maggie (the fat girl) is the maid of honor in Olivia's wedding (her best friend who was previously fat but then got skinny bitch via surgery) and while Maggie tries to plan a shower she loses enthusiasm for the wedding when she questions whether or not Olivia is still a good enough friend. She wants it to work out.. yet... Olivia makes it hard. And then Maggie has a crush on a...more
Where to begin...?...
I couldn't stand this book. There were several times that I had to close the book and walk away because I was so annoyed and frustrated at the main character, Maggie. I just wanted to shake her and tell her to grow up and stop feeling so sorry for herself. I couldn't handle being friends with this girl.
And her constant references to someone being "golden" drove me crazy....oh, and "girlies"....I wanted to strangle her.
The only character with any redeeming qualities was her...more
I couldn't stand this book. There were several times that I had to close the book and walk away because I was so annoyed and frustrated at the main character, Maggie. I just wanted to shake her and tell her to grow up and stop feeling so sorry for herself. I couldn't handle being friends with this girl.
And her constant references to someone being "golden" drove me crazy....oh, and "girlies"....I wanted to strangle her.
The only character with any redeeming qualities was her...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This novel is definitely chick lit, and it touched, amused and annoyed me. The “touched” and “amused” reactions would please the author, as they were the desired reactions, but the annoyance would not. I grew irritated with the protagonist’s constant need to fill the aching void that is her life without a man and at her obsession with her own physical flaws. Is that really all women in their mid-20s think about, as suggested by the novel?? Maybe I’m just too old to remember, but these things don...more
I won't go as far as everyone else with hating this book - I can agree I did get annoyed with Maggie at times...but when I put the book down and thought about myself...I'm sure my inner monologues are just as bad if not worse! Of course it's annoying when it's not you...but I'm sure everyone is the same who might have been in a similar or exact same position. I like how she over came everything and the ending at her friends wedding had me cracking up!! I loved her sister Kate during the Vegas tr...more
I wrote this as an essay report for a class. It's long and not all that well written, but it gets across the impact this book had on me. If you havent read the book, but plan on reading it, I should warn you this might be considered a "spoiler".
“Conversations with the fat girl” by Liza Palmer is a novel about a woman named Maggie and her struggle to overcome her worst fear . . . herself. Maggie is an artist, she is accomplished, educated and beautiful. So naturally one might ask, “Why is she wo...more
“Conversations with the fat girl” by Liza Palmer is a novel about a woman named Maggie and her struggle to overcome her worst fear . . . herself. Maggie is an artist, she is accomplished, educated and beautiful. So naturally one might ask, “Why is she wo...more
I laughed my butt off with this book. This is the story of a highly self conscious, insecure woman and her battle with her weight and self image. The main character is very funny and there are a ton of entertaining inner monologues. The weight issue is cleverly explored by comparing the main character to her high school best friend. After a traumatizing comment about her weight, the bf decides to have gastric bypass surgery. Now she is a size 2 and marrying everyone's dream man. I liked the endi...more
Where do I begin? I absolutely loved this book! It speaks to me on so many levels and I could completely empathize with Maggie in nearly every sense of her life. This book had me laughing out loud so many times and near tears as well. I think there's a Maggie in all of us. I found all of the characters vibrant and engaging and though some of them were true and complete jerks (LOL), they are intrinsic to Maggie's life and this story.
Maggie is a character you will be rooting for and cheering for w...more
Maggie is a character you will be rooting for and cheering for w...more
I just love this author! She is funny and care-free yet deals with some serious subject matter in her books. I find her writing to be touching, poignant and even inspiring at times. Definitely high quality chick-lit; funny and quick to read but still has some substance to it and a story that young women can identify with. This was her first book and I found it to be enjoyable.The main character grew from someone who was painfully insecure and unhappy into a blossoming young woman who found her w...more
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Liza Palmer is the internationally bestselling author of Conversations with the Fat Girl , which has been optioned for series by HBO.
Library Journal said Palmer’s “blend of humor and sadness is realistic and gripping,..”
After earning two Emmy nominations writing for the first season of VH1’s Pop Up Video, she now knows far too much about Fergie.
Palmer’s fifth novel, Nowhere but Home, is about a f...more
More about Liza Palmer...
Library Journal said Palmer’s “blend of humor and sadness is realistic and gripping,..”
After earning two Emmy nominations writing for the first season of VH1’s Pop Up Video, she now knows far too much about Fergie.
Palmer’s fifth novel, Nowhere but Home, is about a f...more
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“my relationship with my body is like that of an egomaniac with a self-esteem problem. mostly i think about myself and how much i suck. but there are rare moments when i walk around for hours and think i look amazing. either i feel great about myself or i've decided some guy is checking me out. then i catch a side view of myself in a store window or a department store mirror and i'm plunged into despair. if i could always life in a place with no mirrors or disapproving glances, i would think i was the prettiest girl around.”
—
22 people liked it
“Some days you're Superman, some days you're Clark Kent.”
—
4 people liked it
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