The first 100 pages of this book were really great. I laughed out loud and was getting swept away with Cannie's character. But then I realized a little after page 100 that there is no reason why this book should be 375 pages long. It felt a lot like reading Anna Karenina.
By that I mean the main story was pretty interesting, but reading all the anecdotes about Cannie's childhood were like torture. The first few were manageable. But I found myself thinking why does this story last for 5 pages?
Jennifer Weiner needs some practice in brevity.
Of all the characters Dr. Shapiro's (Cannie's dad) was the most underdeveloped. I didn't read the Q&A at the end of the book, (mainly because I look like this by the time I was finished).
So I don't know if this character is based off Weiner's real life experience or not, but it really doesn't matter.
Dr. Shapiro's character literally was two dimensional. He was happy at the beginning of Cannie's life and then just derailed into some out-of-control train wreck. The thing that bothered me so much about his character was the fact Weiner couldn't come up with a reason why he left and stayed gone. It didn't have to be some monumental thing like "I'm really a woman trapped in a mans body and that's why I can't love you guys," but he definitely needed to have a reason for treating them so poorly. Everything you do has a motivation behind it.
Since I'm already ranting I might as well get it all out.
I was really over all the vegetarian jokes... OK, so I'm a size 16 woman who happens to be 5'2" and I'm a vegetarian. I like food just as much as the next plus size woman. I felt like Cannie's character was really conflicted in a bad way. All she did was bitch and moan about people not accepting her and then she turns around and judges everyone else. I'm guessing she doesn't understand how equality works.
Overall, I'm relieved this book is over and I WILL NOT be reading anything else by Jennifer Weiner.
Rating
2 out of 5
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