Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Piglet by Lottie Hazell

27 reviews

f1nnmu's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A bit of spoilers first:
I really liked that despite the fact that food is obviously a core issue the ending wasn't related to no longer loving to cook, because she really did love to cook, and it isn't phrased like it'ssomething she needs to give up just something she needs to start doing for herself instead of doing it to make other people happier.

Although honestly it did bother me a bit that you don'tactually find out what Kit did. It's silly because the specific thing isn't really the point, but still.


It was honestly a fairly disturbing books. At some parts I couldn't wait to start the next chapter, but other parts did actually make me wildy uncomfortable to the point that I'd rather put it down for the day.

Overall I don't think I would recommend this book to just anyone, but if you like to read stories with a bit of a disturbing theme and aren't sensitive about eating disorders this might be a very enjoyable book for you.


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drmathews777's review

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emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Disclaimer: I am not an English major college graduate - Science for me, I do not look further than what I read in a novel I receive - no deep dives on authors, my reviews are for consumers and not for authors.
I happily received an ARC of Piglet by Lottie Hazell estimated release 02/27/24 (March 2024 on the print).
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Spoiler Review with Trigger Warnings
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I don't feel that this is good for anyone who has any issues with food. Trigger warning for anorexia athletica, binge eating disorder, anyone with an unhealthy relationship with food, and people with poor boundary setting/ poor impulse control.
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Piglet is a melancholy tale of a cookbook editor who is in the throes of a scandal right before her wedding. It's like a mix of the great British bake-off and the full train wreck meltdown of the subject's personal life and love life. Heavy elements of classism and eating disorders. 

Many people are describing this as a masterpiece because it's tale of someone who likes to perceive themselves a certain way coming to grips with the truth that their perfectly curated life isn't so perfect.  And maybe they themselves aren't the person they think they are when it all falls apart. True vulnerability doesn't come through until its too late and clamming up, eating feelings, isolating herself got Piglet into matrimonial hell. 

Page 197-198 choked me up though. The struggled through the daughter father relationship when your child knows about your past indiscretions. I had waited on baited breath on what advice her father would give her. I was swiftly reminded that there was a history of infidelity in the past so he felt some measure of requirement to back up her mother's own decisions to stay and work out out long ago. 

I appreciated the self awareness of the pretense and posture of keeping up with the Jones' at this point of the novel. 

I found the food element evolving from very descriptive at first to less descriptive of the actual food but more so of the volume of it a subtle way of highlighting the binge eating aspect. 

What resonated with me most was page 239, "he was pulling her forward and I had to fight the urge to yank back twist my arm out of his, a child refusing, the beginnings of a tantrum".  I felt the exact same with first fiancé years ago. You just want to run as soon as you know it's not right but for some reason you don't ever do it soon enough. 

The transition between Piglet and Mrs. Edwards was the fever pitch of the novel. Her brother-in-law shows up for her in a great way towards the end and you can really see the family come together to be in her corner at this point. 

It concluded a little abruptly but in a perfect way in my opinion. 

Overall a good read.  Very melancholic, very reflective on society today.  If recommend it to anyone who likes reading slice of life and downward spirals.

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torturedreadersdept's review

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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maddie7217's review

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emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

first things first, i am obsessed with this cover. i think it is perfect, i think it is inviting, i think it is one of the most true to form book covers i’ve come across. so now let’s chat about what’s beyond the cover…

as you all may know, one of my favorite genres of book is “the angry woman”. let. me. tell. you. this book does this trope so incredibly well. in some cases, piglet’s anger in justified, in other’s it’s a reflection of her own shortcomings. she uses her anger for good, evil, and everything in between. this book tackles issues like class, norms, and societal expectations all while being themed around piglet’s sincere passion for food.

what impressed me so much about this book is how paramount the discussions of food were. so much of this book was dedicated to detailing her actions as she made different meals, descriptions of each individual ingredient, and sometimes even plans to create food or discussion of menu items. while if you told me this at face value i might turn my nose up and think ‘how fun can reading about food possibly be,’ it was so enthralling. the author used these cooking scenes as a highly effective way of expressing emotion and tension and it created a perfect storm for me as a reader.

the only thing i had hesitation about in this book was that, at the end of each chapter, there was somewhat of a “big picture” moment written in italics where another perspective was considered or deeper feelings were addressed head on. i felt that this sometimes took me out of the moment, but as i got further into the book i felt that it became more appropriate just due to the way it was being used in those later chapters.

all in all, this book was really great and i do recommend you check it out!! thank you to netgalley and lottie hazell for the arc! i’m so glad i came across it 

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celticthistle's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny lighthearted sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Glorious dark, disgusting yet funny at same time 

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sarah__renae_'s review

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challenging dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Piglet is a captivating debut from Lottie Hazell. 

We are introduced to Piglet (a nickname from childhood) 98 days before her wedding to Kit. Piglet's life is all together - her job as cookbook editor, lovely friends, a house and her finance. Two weeks before the wedding, Kit reveals something and Piglet facade starts to crumble.

Simmering rage, greed, expectations and a woman's relationship with food and her body are explored throughout and the book also weaves in class divide. There are a lot of descriptions of food, which may or may not appeal to some readers.

Content warning: eating disorders, body shaming

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hotpinkinthenight's review

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challenging emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a well-crafted and thoughtful story. It takes some patience to get into, but every detail Hazell gives builds towards a riotous final act. I was gripped, and found myself hurtling towards the end. Thoroughly enjoyed.

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