Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
When I first started reading this book, I kept having the thought that I would like this *more* if we weren't all dealing with, you know..gestures at all of *this*. The first week of COVID19 I did not feel very interested in television, books, or anything that didn't involve mindless staring.
But the more I spent time with the book--the more I looked forward to losing myself inside of its pages. I finished the last half of it rather quickly.
Enough about me.
This book somehow manages to be fun even when dealing with heavy and complicated subject matter(anorexia, domestic violence, alcoholism). There's a back and forth between past and present that keeps the book moving along at a quick pace, flipping back to one or the other before one gets to comfortable or bored.
There's a beautiful story within the story that I quite enjoyed. There were several times I paused from my book and thought, "Wow. She's a GREAT writer".
I hope this book becomes the huge summer hit that it deserves to be.
But the more I spent time with the book--the more I looked forward to losing myself inside of its pages. I finished the last half of it rather quickly.
Enough about me.
This book somehow manages to be fun even when dealing with heavy and complicated subject matter(anorexia, domestic violence, alcoholism). There's a back and forth between past and present that keeps the book moving along at a quick pace, flipping back to one or the other before one gets to comfortable or bored.
There's a beautiful story within the story that I quite enjoyed. There were several times I paused from my book and thought, "Wow. She's a GREAT writer".
I hope this book becomes the huge summer hit that it deserves to be.
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rarely have I had such a visceral reaction to a book. There is so much social commentary about women's bodies and how we are forced and conform to making ourselves smaller to fit into spaces that often don't want us any way, wrapped in the sad story of two identical women. Loved it would for sure recommend.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Vomit, Abortion
The writing is beautiful and the way the narrative switches between past present and then facts about animals etc.. really kept me interested the whole time. I also think its a great exploration of codependency which isnt talked about enough. My criticism just comes from the eating disorder talk and the title of the book because it perpetuates the stereotype that you have to be skinny to have an eating disorder when fat people are highly susceptible and under treated for ED. but its a complicated topic and I think this book approached an insightful discussions of it but didn’t really reach its full potential
I don’t even know what to say about this book. I just loved it. It was heartbreaking and beautiful.
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Lily and Rose are identical twins with only a single mole on Lilly’s back to tell the difference between the two. At least, there were no obvious differences until anorexia walked in. The novel is told from Rose’s perspective as she talks about her past with her eating disorder and her present, in a facility for extreme eating disorders. Lily’s part enters in when it’s discovered that she, chronically overweight, has decided to embrace the diet lifestyle for a new man in her life. Losing each other, the sisters must choose life and their bond over everything else. This book is not easy to read. It’s intense and detailed in tricks that people sick with anorexia use. It’s intense in it’s depiction of a violent relationship. It’s uncompromising when it comes to describing a Weight-watcher like cult and showing the hypocrisy in our society when it comes to body weight. Personally I found this to be an incredible novel focusing on resilience, strength and the will the power on. I loved that it also delves deep into the darker side and am thankful to this novel for showing the reader that there are multiple causes for eating disorders. I’m grateful that the novel showed relationship violence in all forms: friendship, romantic and family.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thin Girls is a novel that will horrify and disgust you. The characters in this novel, Rose, Lily, Kat & Jemima all have a very unhealthy relationship with food. Unhealthy enough to get 2 of them committed to stays in a clinic for eating disorders.
Rose is not a popular girl. She's kind of quiet and lives in her twin sister Lily's shadow. But when the most popular girl in school, Jemima starts paying attention to her, Rose finds she will do anything to be like her and that includes starting an unhealthy diet. Soon her and Jemima are comparing what they ate or didn't eat and how angular their bodies have become as their wight plummets and their bones start to protrude.
Lily, starts to overcompensate for her twin Rose and as their parents start to come down on Rose for not eating, Lily starts to eat Rose's meal as well as her own which causes her weight to balloon.
The story follows Rose through her year at the eating disorder clinic, the lengths she goes to get rid of the food given to them at the clinic and ways she finds to hide how much she has actually lost.
Diana Clarke writes very well. I found myself waiting for the next "chapter heading" where it showed Lily's weight compared to Rose's weight to define how sick Rose was getting. Not a fast paced novel, more like a train wreck that you can't take your eyes off of, Thin Girls is a book that will keep you squeamishly turning pages to reach the conclusion.
Rose is not a popular girl. She's kind of quiet and lives in her twin sister Lily's shadow. But when the most popular girl in school, Jemima starts paying attention to her, Rose finds she will do anything to be like her and that includes starting an unhealthy diet. Soon her and Jemima are comparing what they ate or didn't eat and how angular their bodies have become as their wight plummets and their bones start to protrude.
Lily, starts to overcompensate for her twin Rose and as their parents start to come down on Rose for not eating, Lily starts to eat Rose's meal as well as her own which causes her weight to balloon.
The story follows Rose through her year at the eating disorder clinic, the lengths she goes to get rid of the food given to them at the clinic and ways she finds to hide how much she has actually lost.
Diana Clarke writes very well. I found myself waiting for the next "chapter heading" where it showed Lily's weight compared to Rose's weight to define how sick Rose was getting. Not a fast paced novel, more like a train wreck that you can't take your eyes off of, Thin Girls is a book that will keep you squeamishly turning pages to reach the conclusion.