At first I thought this book might be chick-lit light or have too many issues tucked into it to be believable. There are a lot of issues dealt with but in a believable way (although sometimes things were just a little too convenient). Shortridge really made me care about her characters. The best part for me was that Shortridge didn't feel the need to tie everything up with a ribbon at the end. ( )

At first I thought this book might be chick-lit light or have too many issues tucked into it to be believable. There are a lot of issues dealt with but in a believable way (although sometimes things were just a little too convenient). Shortridge really made me care about her characters. The best part for me was that Shortridge didn't feel the need to tie everything up with a ribbon at the end. ( )

Very sensitive study of eating disorder, dysfunctional family and caring for a end-of-life loved one. I don't care for flashbacks, but Shortridge handled them well. Her perception of a childhood oppressed by an eating disorder is right on the money. ( )

I was initially pulled into this story because I identified with Eleanor's role as caretaker of her ill uncle. Her thoughts about it and the ways, big and small, in which her life changed rang true to me. But the book has so much more going for it: Eleanor's family dynamic; her issues with food and the magazine editor she writes articles for; life in Portland; and her on-again, off-again, sort-of romance...

2021: I'm reading this book again, one I remembered enjoying a lot, and I'm not nearly as enthused about it now as I was then. Eleanor strikes me as silly and irritating. The star rating is how I feel now... and okay book that's intermittently interesting. ( )

Eleanor Samuels is a very special heroine and while reading this novel I felt that she was a real person. Rarely do I get attached to a fictional character, but she was so easy to relate to (except, thankfully, for the part about having someone close dying of cancer). Also rarely, books do not linger in my mind for long, and this novel is an exception for me. Several times since I finished the book I have stopped to reflect on the lessons Ellie learned and how she handled learning them with such grace and normalcy.

Anyone who has ever had a love/hate relationship with food and dieting will surely understand this quote (from page 80): "To hell with food and its false love, its deception. It lures you in, says, 'I'll make you feel better, I'll be there for you.' And then it drives everyone else away."

I don't feel that any review I could give this book would live up to its meaningful subject and poignancy. I'll just say it's the best book I've read in a long, long time, even if it did make me sob throughout the last 50 pages. Read this one and then go hug the people you love and tell them you love them for who they are. ( )