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katiecarmel's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I found it very tough to get through the first 60 or so pages (only because of the subject matter, not the writing itself). Once focus shifted somewhat it was a much more manageable read for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Addiction, Biphobia, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
sophiejohn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I already wasn't going to read the pisces, but I'm definitely staying away from melissa broder's books after this. the writing style was unsettling, but not in a cool subversive way just in a way that sometimes made me want a shower. she created several avenues that she never circled back on, leaving a lot of loose ends that seemed distracted. she also tried to drop in some *relevant insight* about Palestine but it seemed so forced. the mom was such a driving force for the Big Reason behind the story and plot, but the author made her completely fade into the background - the opposite of the way you'd expect someone like she described her to be, overbearing and manipulative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Self harm, Addiction, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Dysphoria
rigid and explicit calorie countingaalfie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
good primer to hang out with my mom for the weekend
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Dysphoria, and Eating disorder
arthomas's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Outing, Body shaming, Dysphoria, Addiction, Bullying, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, and Religious bigotry
mmadisonh31's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Sexual content
atenderwitch's review against another edition
0.5
Half a star for describing my binge eating disorder in graphic detail. No more stars bc the sex was too gross (and I loved The Pisces) and I need the manic pixie fat girl trope to stop.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, and Dysphoria
mayayyyx's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Toxic relationship
kathleencoughlin's review against another edition
challenging
funny
reflective
medium-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
3.75
I wasn't sure about Milk Fed at the beginning but I ultimately ended up enjoying it. Rachel embodies a lot of issues that millennial women, or just women in general, tend to deal with including issues surrounding their bodies, food, and relationships. The book can be funny and even cute at times but it is overall a very freak description of a very mentally ill woman. Rachel has such negative self-talk and body dysmorphia and goes through cycles of binging and restricting food in an attempt to have some control over her body and make others love and be proud of her. Through her relationship with Miriam who in many ways represents the things she both yearns and fears to be, she starts to repair her sense of self. It's not by any means a healthy relationship but I think both of them new that there were foundational issues that meant it couldn't last.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Incest, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia
Minor: Antisemitism
savvylit's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Milk Fed is supposed to be satirical and thus all of the character's flaws are exaggerated for comedic effect. But instead of laughing, I was bored. (That is until I got to the comically unsensual sex scenes.) The characters are all totally unoriginal stereotypes.
The most disappointingly two-dimensional character of them all was the love interest, Miriam. Miriam is a queer woman's manic pixie dream girl. She's a sex object who solely exists to help Rachel on her journey of self-acceptance. Seriously.After meeting Miriam, Rachel's disordered eating is virtually cured. Wtf??
I really wanted to like Milk Fed. At first, I actually did! I enjoyed the pace and the potential for satire. Which is ultimately what kept me going. But the superficiality of every single thing and the pretty-bow-wrapped ending ruined it for me.
The most disappointingly two-dimensional character of them all was the love interest, Miriam. Miriam is a queer woman's manic pixie dream girl. She's a sex object who solely exists to help Rachel on her journey of self-acceptance. Seriously.
I really wanted to like Milk Fed. At first, I actually did! I enjoyed the pace and the potential for satire. Which is ultimately what kept me going. But the superficiality of every single thing and the pretty-bow-wrapped ending ruined it for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Dysphoria, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Biphobia
Minor: Incest
msmarlena's review against another edition
I should've known this would be gross when I learned the author is thin.
Miriam, the speaker's fat lust object, is written as just that, to the point that the speaker repeatedly wonders whether she created her out of clay in a therapy session, a Jewish monster, a golem, a manifestation of her worst fears.
Miriam, a fat, happy, funny woman of faith with a large family, doesn't actually exist outside of the part she plays in the protagonist's self-obsessed journey from starving to binging.
It absolutely strains credulity that Miriam doesn't hesitate to invest energy in encouraging and cheering on the thin woman who panics when her sugar-free froyo exceeds the lip of the cup.
She stewards her through new experiences eating endless courses of Chinese food, snacking at the movie theatre, eating with her family... All openness and nurturance, as though she has no self-preservation instinct, no idea what this woman thinks of fat people. Ughhh.
Manic pixie dream girl only make her fat. I'm so disappointed that Carmen Maria Machado vouched for this book.
The speaker is a deeply unlikeable person, and I wasn't able to sympathize with or relate to her in any way. I felt like I needed a long shower after hanging out with her and her toxic inner monologue for these few hours.
Like honestly. There are plenty of people who were slightly ("softly") chubby as children, and/or had emotionally abusive mothers, (The protagonist even has joyful, food-loving grandparents! A supportive father!) and still manage to become adults who have even one friend, who have more than one facet, who believe they deserve to buy themselves a damn rug for their bedroom.
If I want simply to read Mommy/girl kink fantasies or genuinely, unreservedly adoring descriptions of a fat woman's body, I know now where not to look.
Miriam, the speaker's fat lust object, is written as just that, to the point that the speaker repeatedly wonders whether she created her out of clay in a therapy session, a Jewish monster, a golem, a manifestation of her worst fears.
Miriam, a fat, happy, funny woman of faith with a large family, doesn't actually exist outside of the part she plays in the protagonist's self-obsessed journey from starving to binging.
It absolutely strains credulity that Miriam doesn't hesitate to invest energy in encouraging and cheering on the thin woman who panics when her sugar-free froyo exceeds the lip of the cup.
She stewards her through new experiences eating endless courses of Chinese food, snacking at the movie theatre, eating with her family... All openness and nurturance, as though she has no self-preservation instinct, no idea what this woman thinks of fat people. Ughhh.
Manic pixie dream girl only make her fat. I'm so disappointed that Carmen Maria Machado vouched for this book.
The speaker is a deeply unlikeable person, and I wasn't able to sympathize with or relate to her in any way. I felt like I needed a long shower after hanging out with her and her toxic inner monologue for these few hours.
Like honestly. There are plenty of people who were slightly ("softly") chubby as children, and/or had emotionally abusive mothers, (The protagonist even has joyful, food-loving grandparents! A supportive father!) and still manage to become adults who have even one friend, who have more than one facet, who believe they deserve to buy themselves a damn rug for their bedroom.
If I want simply to read Mommy/girl kink fantasies or genuinely, unreservedly adoring descriptions of a fat woman's body, I know now where not to look.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, and Self harm