Two Girls Fat and Thin

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Sharply and brilliantly insightful.

Our fragile humanity

Imaginative, fascinating book

Gaitskill has Grown...

Fat or Thin, its still Beautiful

Two Girls Fat and Thin
Mary Gaitskill
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0684843129

Customer Reviews:

Sharply and brilliantly insightful........2007-03-13

Reading Mary Gaitskill is like reading Kathryn Harrison's prolix sister.

This book tells the tale of two damaged women who coincidentally meet and after doing so reexamine their pasts, which include sexual trauma and unstable family situations.

Though Gaitskill's prose occasionally reads like a psychology textbook, she thrills the reader with sparkling, profound insight into the cruel hothouse of sexuality and confusion her characters grow up in. One girl, the overweight one, is friendless and lonely; the other, the thin one, is pretty, popular, and indulges in a mean streak, though certain early encounters in her life have mixed up the wiring in her brain and made her a masochist.

I didn't think the book was quite as interesting when dealing with the characters as adults (in particular the overweight woman, Dorothy), and the ending left a little something to be desired, but Gaitskill is unrivaled in her ability to put you right into the minds of her wounded characters, and lay bare the world they live in (internally and externally).

Despite getting a little soft in the end, I thought this was a brilliant book at showing the trace-line from what happens to us as children and how our confused, uncomprehending, inchoate, not-yet-mature-enough-to-understand thoughts and reasoning colors who we are and what we do for the rest of our lives.

Our fragile humanity.......2006-06-01

I was a little wary about the title but this was not at all about weight gain and/or loss; weight was incidental. In this fiercely intelligent novel, Dorothy and Justine are both desperately lonely women, both victims of abuse, and yet are different in other ways. Their parents often failed them, their childhood was often full of shame and self-sabotage, but Gaitskill writes this with complexity, always aware that a victim can also be a victimizer. Gaitskill is never sentimental. Underneath her narrative, underneath the pain and the sex scenes (which are never fully loving) and the disappointments and loneliness, is a raging anger at the inability of human beings to connect - on race, on class, but mostly on gender. I sensed that Anna Granite, the intellectual whose shadow dominates this narrative, and who is the reason Dorothy and Justine first meet, is Gaitskill's platform for displaying her keen intellect; and sometimes there is a hint of didactism. But this is a minor quibble. The last section moved me very much and proved that although Gaitskill abhors sentimentality, she can certainly do sentiment well. `Humanity' is a word often found in this book. Our sexuality is connected to our humanity. Our ability to treat other human beings like human beings is what makes us human. In the end, Gaitskill's brilliant, wonderfully feminist novel was, for me, about how easily we strip each other of our humanity.

Imaginative, fascinating book.......2006-04-17

The book begins with the narrator noticing a message on a laundromat bulletin board, instantly drawing my interest. My interest never flags, with the author's symbolic visual and intellectualized descriptions of her environment and things that happen to her. The books feels like I was watching a movie in 3D.

The two main characters are both young women. Dorothy Never is overweight and masochistic while Justine Shade is a thin, masochistic and sadistic free lance journalist. Dorothy meets her through the bulletin board ad she sees on the "Definitist" philosophy. This author-created philosophy permits the main character (Dorothy) to work out neuroses formed by childhood traumas such as peer teasing and especially incest, and move forward in her life.

I found the names of characters, places and philosophy to be both creative and entertaining, as were the Hopper-esque visuals of New York City which added magical touches to the novel, making it all the more seductive. The references to the weight of the two women -- one fat, the other thin -- symbolized in an interesting way the always present theme of emotional deprivation.

Many things happen in this book that detail the intellectual and mostly emotional journal of two shattered personalities.

Gaitskill has Grown..........2006-02-24

Maybe it's because I read Veronica before reading Two Girls, but I was somewhat disappointed. I'm always interested to see the evolution of an author I enjoy, but I could feel myself backpeddling.

As always with Gaitskill's writing, she paints a beautiful portrait of lonliness and isolation without necessarily writing a "sad" book. Her major characters are clearly cut, interesting and incredibly multi-faceted, and her minor characters are sketches that weave in and out of the background without feeling like characitures--a feat well accomplished. You feel for both Justine and Dorothy, but maybe not as much as you wish you could. Because while they are both interesting and sympathetic, they are simultaneously repulsive and unlikable.

The needs are there and the language is moving but the background of the Ayn Rand character and her followers is somewhat laborious. While Anna Granite served to bring the two girls together, she was uninteresting and the segments involving her were draggy. Perhaps my reaction to this part of the story has something to do with the fact that, like Justine, I never "got" the whole Ayn Rand thing. Her books and so-called "philosophy" were uninspired and uninspiring to me.

All in all, an enjoyable read, but it doesn't hold much of a candle to Gaitskill's later works. If you thought this book was decent or better, I'd suggest picking up some later Gaitskill. It's worth the time and investment.

Fat or Thin, its still Beautiful.......2005-10-18

Just like her short story collection, Bad Behavior, Mary Gaitskill's novel, Two Girls Fat and Thin, left me speechless. The story seemed simple enough: the thin girl is interviewing the fat girl about her time working for the author/cult leader, Anna Granite. They are both wary of each other, the interviewer thinks the interviewee is crazy and the interviewee feels that her entire belief system is under attack by the interviewer. But in the end a strange friendship/bond/understanding will form between the two of them.

But its so much more than that.

While I completely appreciate all the goofy reincarnation of Ayn Rand (can I assume that she's the object of ridicule throughout the book!?), I can't help but be drawn into the actual lives of Dorothy and Justine. Dorothy's affiliation with a literary cult leader seems almost unnecessary, though executed perfectly. However its the `compare and contrast' of these two women's lives that really makes the story - how they are terribly different physically and emotionally, BUT how they are also very similar. They both share strange and horrible relationships with their parents, were both molested as young children and have finally achieved a sense of independence just before their meeting. You get complete character dissections of each of them: what they want, what they think they want and what they already had. Where both women have unresolved unresolved conflicts from their past, its too late to doing anything about them. It seems that their acquaintanceship, while mistrustful at first is their stepping stone to personal redemption.

Mary Gaitskill is yet again justly perverse and sexual, especially through Justine and her trysts through childhood and her current ill-suited lover and sadist, Bryan. Dorothy recounts her painful years of being an overweight girl growing up and only finding acceptance within Anna Granite's circle.

Two Girls, Fat and Thin is an amazing book - with very wise and witty language. There are many moments when Gaitskill sums up in a few words everything you need to know about what creates strong relationships between strangers. These are not stereotypical characters, these are not trite and uncomplicated scenes. For a book that will give you a lot to think about and won't require a dictionary to get through, you can't go wrong.

FALL FICTION From POSEIDON. 1990. 'Two Girls, Fat and Thin' 'Spider' 'Body'.

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FALL FICTION From POSEIDON. 1990. 'Two Girls, Fat and Thin' 'Spider' 'Body'.
Harry; Gaitskill, Mary & McGrath, Patrick]. [Crews
Manufacturer: Poseidon Press,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MZ3M4Y

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Two Girls Fat and Thin
Mary Gaitskill
Manufacturer: Poseidon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000I32JG2

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TWO GIRLS, FAT AND THIN
Mary Gaitskill
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000OUF8EO

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Two Girls, Fat and Thin

Manufacturer: Bantam Dell Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HH2932

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Two Girls, Fat and Thin
Mary Gaitskill
Manufacturer: Bantam Dell Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OR50IQ

Book Description

Will a mysterious cure heal . . . or kill?

As a physician in the E.R. of a rural South Carolina hospital, Dr. Rhea Lynch is a dedicated healer, a woman of science and, to some degree, a skeptic. But her most fundamental beliefs are put to the test with the arrival of a traveling faith healer, whose "cures" produce some baffling mysteries: a young quadriplegic woman can suddenly move her arms. A chronic pain sufferer begins to dance again.

Events go from bizarre to deadly with the arrival of a gravely injured but violent young woman determined to practice a dark, deadly magic. As the pieces of this puzzle begin to fall into place, Rhea will find her beliefs, her skill and her understanding tested in unfathomable ways as she enters a realm where science and strange faith collide . . .

Customer Reviews:

Dr. Rhea strikes again!.......2004-08-19

Ms. Hunter shines again with another fantastic adventure featuring Dr. Rhea, Mark, Cam and Ms. Essie. It is unusual to find an author as consistent as Ms. Hunter. She delivers a solid performance every time.

Dr. Rhea Lynch finds herself in another fix, so shortly after the last one. Her best friend is away recovering from a life-changing injury. Rhea is still struggling with her feelings for Mark, Cam is still chasing anything wearing a skirt, and Ms Essie -- well, she still rules the world (Rhea's world at least).

There's a lot of action in this new novel. At times it's hard to keep up with what is happening, and there are a few loose ends in the final chapter. Some of the unanswered questions are left that way intentionally to give the reader something to think about and form his or her own impressions. It's a nice touch. I could have used just a little more explanation at the end, but overall, the story is classic Hunter.

Gwen Hunter has worked hard and succeeded in developing characters you love to love and love to hate. We have followed Rhea's life and the lives of those around her. Hunter brings a "realness" her characters that is seldom seen. You feel as though you have known each character all your life. There is just enough romance between Rhea and Mark to keep you rooting for them but not so much to lose sight of the excitement of the story. There is enough medical jargon to make the book interesting but not so much as to confuse or bore you.

I can't say enough about the Rhea Lynch sagas. I hope we all get the opportunity to grow old with Rhea & Co. Ms. Hunter can't write books fast enough for me.

Too Hokey.......2003-12-20

While I am a big fan of medical thrillers, I couldn't get into this one. The small town in which the book takes place is steeped in both religious fundamentalism and superstition. One day, a faith healer comes to town and cures a paralyzed young woman but others who received her "special treatment" begin to develop seizures. After a van slams into a pole, two women are rescued and their bodies tell the tale of severe abuse, but they can't communicate beyond strange chanting, symbols and a frightening, voodoo-like doll in their possession. Rhea struggles to determine if dark magic forces are at work or if these events can be explained by science.

Tight, Tense, and Compelling............2003-03-27

"I never put much stock in omens and portents, but that strange August Wednesday had been rife with them, according to Miss Essie, who knew more about such things than I ever would..." It seemed to all start with the van accident, right outside the doors to small, rural Dawkins County hospital. Emergency room physician, Rhea Lynch, couldn't believe the carnage she found inside the van, not all of it caused by the crash. The two mysterious young women had been severly abused and mutilated, and the older of the two begins to display frightening, uncontrollable behavior in the hospital, casting spells, and practicing witchcraft and black magic. Add to that a second dose of the supernatural with the appearance of a charismatic traveling faith healer, complete with miraculous cures, and Rhea finds her entire belief system, long grounded in facts and science, shaken to its very core. As murder and mayhem ensues and the body count rises exponentially, Rhea tries to find the answers to this enigmatic puzzle and make sense of all the bizarre occurrences happening right in her own backyard. And she knows one thing for certain, sleepy Dawkins County will never be quite the same again..... The opening chapter of Gwen Hunter's latest medical thriller is so harrowing and compelling, that once you open Deadly Remedy, be prepared to finish this novel in one sitting. Ms Hunter's well researched, intriguing story line is filled with crisp writing, vivid, riveting scenes and beautifully drawn, memorable characters. But it's her in-depth knowledge about medicine and the ins and outs of the emergency room, and her great attention to detail that adds real credibility to the story and makes this suspenseful thriller a stand-out. This is the third installment of a marvelous series that just gets better with each book, and readers new to Dawkins County, Rhea Lynch and company should start at the beginning with Prescribed Danger and read them all. For those who are already fans, Deadly Remedy is about to take you on a fast paced, twisting, turning, roller-coaster of a ride, you definitely don't want to miss.

Excellent Medical Thriller.......2003-03-07

This is Gwen Hunter's third book in the series involving Dr. Rhea Lynch, ER doctor in a small hospital in Dawkins County, South Carolina. I enjoyed the two previous novels in this series and I think Deadly Remedy is even better. I continue to be amazed at the precise detail involving the many medical emergencies described by Hunter. In this outing, Rhea gets up close and personal with faith healers and practitioners of black magic. The action never lets up. The characters come to life effortlessly. The dialog absolutely sparkles. And I love Belle and Pup, Rhea's two heroic dogs. All these ingredients make for a fast paced page-turner. Although there are some references to the story lines in the previous novels, I think this book can stand alone. However, I would recommend reading Hunter's earlier books just because they are so very good.

Highly recommended!.......2003-02-11

Rhea Lynch makes her third outing as a doctor/detective in the best book of the series to date. The small town in which she lives is steeped in both true religion and superstition, which have now mixed with the arrival of a faith healer. Suddenly, Rhea is faced with miracle cures and black magic. One of her patients, a quadraplegic is suddenly able to move, while another young woman in her care determinedly performs deadly rites that wise old Miss Essie informs her are part of black magic.

Faced with curses and murder, Rhea must try to unravel the puzzle before her in time to prevent more deaths. Every belief she has ever held is put to the test, and past romantic entanglements make life at once more difficult and better.

***** With fascinating information and a complex plot, this story weaves its own fast paced spell. Although the medical data is sometimes complex and new readers might find some references oblique, this is still a promising series that will challenge the mind and completely involve the reader. Rhea is an intriguing character that joins the ranks of classic detectives. Highly recommended! *****

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The third book of the 'Nulapeiron Sequence' trilogy

A disappointing ending to a frustrating series

Brings the story threads together to a good conclusion

Resolution: Book III of the Nulapeiron Sequence
John Meaney
Manufacturer: Pyr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1591024374

Book Description

The war against The Blight is over, and the subterranean realms of Nulapeiron have a chance for peace. But Tom Corcorigan, revolutionary and war hero, newly married and longing for the quiet life, knows that a greater force threatens his world: the planet-consuming Anomaly, which has absorbed billions of humans and alien beings into itself. Tom's association with the disembodied Eemur's Head, the flensed and bloody remains of a powerful Seer, changes him into something more than a poverty-stricken Lord. The spacetime-warping science of Seers and Oracles penetrates the heart of reality, bringing new enemies and allies into Tom's life. And his "story crystal," a gift from a mysterious mu-space Pilot, reveals more of the Pilots' history and true nature, and the existence of their home in a universe no ordinary human being can experience: the strange, shifting, living fractal city that is Labyrinth.

Soon the Anomaly, an evil far more powerful than its offspring Blight, rips into the world, decimating the human realms. Among the free humans who survive in the floating terraformer spheres of Nulapeiron's skies, only the forces commanded by Tom Corcorigan have a chance against this omnipotent invader. For only a Warlord who is no longer human, who is willing to sacrifice everything, can deliver humanity from darkness. Resolution concludes the trilogy of Nulapeiron tales featuring Tom Corcorigan, bringing the story to a triumphant climax and revealing the devastating secret of the Oracles' creation.

Customer Reviews:

The third book of the 'Nulapeiron Sequence' trilogy.......2006-09-03

In Resolution, the third book of the 'Nulapeiron Sequence' trilogy, the war against The Blight has ended and the Nulapeiron people have a chance for peace except for Tom Corcorigan, revolutionary and war hero, who knows threats remain. Despite his new marriage and longing for peace, Tom's 'story crystal' reveals impending threat and a new Anomaly begins to kill of the human realms. Only Tom's forces have a chance against such an invader because Tom is a warlord who is no longer human Resolution concludes the trilogy of tales featuring Tom and is a top pick for prior fans.

A disappointing ending to a frustrating series.......2006-03-02

OK. I confess. I liked this series enough to order the last book from Amazon in the UK, just so I wouldn't have to wait for it. (I also saved myself a couple bucks because it was available in paperback there). That having been said, I found this book at times wonderful and at others god-awful, just like the other two books in the series.

If you haven't read the first two books, then you need to know that this series involves a one-armed genius who is a combination fightin' and rock climbin' machine and also the liberator of his world. The inhabitants of the world (Nulapeiron) live in an extensive series of caves that honeycomb the entire planet.

The first book covers the protagonist's rise from rags to riches (and back down to rags again) as he battles the ingrained caste system of his world. The second book covers the fight against an energy creature called "The Blight" which is gradually taking over the world. The last book involves the battle against the Blight's Daddy, the Anomaly.

One of the saving graces of this book is the story-within-the-story, which consists of a series of vignettes which take place about 200 years from our own time, and which cover the creation of a race of uber-mensch called The Pilots. The Pilots have the ability to throw lightning bolts from their eyes and can exist in the sub-basement of the universe called "Mu-Space". You spend all three books trying to figure out how this story is going to move the main plot-line along.

One of the reasons I bought this book is because Charlie Stross (whose fiction I adore) recommended it as great "hard Science Fiction". It is not. If that is what you are looking for, don't shop here. It is techno-gibberish through and through. If you want great hard Science Fiction, stick with Charlie.

This book is much more a science fantasy, a space opera, with futeristic deus ex machina geegaws. About the time that you start reading about people with the ability to warp space and time, and who use "femtatech" (one million times smaller than nano - COOL!) you know that you need to let out the clutch on your suspension of disbelief and let it ride.

What to say about this book? It's like Bill Baldwin's Helmsman series, but without the well-rounded characters and scientific grounding (that's sarcasm, if you're not familiar with the series). Hey, don't get me wrong - I LIKE space opera. I own ever Helmsman and "Sten" book made, and eagerly await more. However, good space opera this is not. If you want THAT, try Julian May's Many Colored Land series.

In summary - this book has lots of mediocrity interspersed with enough periods of brilliance to make you grind you teeth and cry out for a better editor. It IS a page turner, though. Wait for it to come out in paperback, read it with your bedroom door closed and don't admit you ever read it.

Brings the story threads together to a good conclusion.......2005-04-16

This is the final installment in the Nulaperion trilogy and the story of Tom Corcorigan. The revolution and the invasion of the Blight has come and gone and Tom is now together again with Elva. He is also the sole recepient of the wisdom in the severed head of the seerer Eemur. The head is severed, but still strangely alive and able to see the present with a searing clarity which she passes onto Tom.

However, there is a new threat on the horizion that will make the revolution/invasion in book 2 look like a child's play-pen, and Tom is proably the only person who can pull all of Nulapeiron together to fight it before they loose their world to a galaxy spanning engulfing darkness.

This was a satisfying conclusion to this series. It ties together the threads in books 1 & 2 and we finally get to see why the pilots story is so important to both Tom and his world and those fighting The Anomaly. All 3 books are told on a mythic scale of story-telling, but they do tend to fall into a bit of a noticable plot pattern at times. However, despite that I was egar to finish this series and was glad I read it. A keeper to be re-read at another time in the future, and a sci-fi series that successfully combines myth with science.

Book Description

It's Vegas, baby! Anything can happen.

Reed has a (small) chance to win fame and fortune, thanks to his

"entourage," Beth.

Sick of feeling like a loser, Harper's betting she can win back her

life, starting with Miranda -- whose birthday wish just might come

true....

Adam's also getting lucky, with a certain ex-girlfriend.

Kane, as usual, is playing hard -- and not very nice.

Win or lose, it's going to be wild.

Customer Reviews:

Good, Trashy Read.......2007-06-30

This is a great sixth edition to the series! I admit, I was shocked at the coldness of many of the characters but I wasn't surprised after reading the previous books. This book left me very excited to read the seventh and final book of the series. While the whole series errs on the trashy side, this is the best guilty pleasure I've ever read. The story is about how the whole gang handles Vegas. People's secrets come out and you will probably be surprised at the way that the characters handle the truth.

What happens in Vegas..........2007-04-11

I couldn't help but fill myself up on this book. Gluttony is Robin Wasserman's sixth book in the Seven Deadly Sins series. I have read all the other books and all of them had seemed to get better as they went along. Although the fifth installment, Sloth, had fallen short of my expectations I was anticipating Gluttony to see if Wasserman still had that touch, and she does.
The majority of this sinful novel happens in no other place than Sin City itself, Vegas. It seems as though most of Haven High, makes a trip to Vegas. Harper and Miranda are trying to make up for lost time and regain each other's friendship. Kane and Adam also seem to be getting back to becoming the friends that they once were. Beth, good girl turned bad, and Reed are trying to forward their relationship.
Harper and Adam begin to spend more time together after Kane gets them a room at a swanky room at hotel. They are also sharing the room with Miranda and Kane who also seem to be spending a little bit more time together. Miranda, who's been chasing Kane forever, is finally feeling like giving up on him. Kane is all for living it up in the short time in Vegas. Beth and Reed are getting much closer until a girl names Starla seems to be getting in the way.
This book had to be one of my favorites in this series. As always, I love these books. The surprises in this novel were incredible. I didn't know what to expect starting this novel and I sure didn't expect some of the outcomes. I am very anxious to see how Wasserman will tie up the loose ends in the upcoming-and last-book of the series. I certainly can't predict how this series will end, and I am sad to see that it is almost over.
It's Vegas. Anything can go and anything will. Secrets revealed. Twist and turns. The road through Vegas is a full of lust, envy, pride, and anger. So go ahead and indulge yourself in this book.

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Too soon, too expensively, too greedily, too delicately, and too much
A Good Introduction
Gluttony, it really is everywhere.
Brief and Entertaining
Is It Really a Sin?

Gluttony: The Seven Deadly Sins
Francine Prose
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Nutrition | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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Ethics & Morality | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0195156994

Book Description

In America, notes acclaimed novelist Francine Prose, we are obsessed with food and diet. And what is this obsession with food except a struggle between sin and virtue, overeating and self-control--a struggle with the fierce temptations of gluttony. In Gluttony, Francine Prose serves up a marvelous banquet of witty and engaging observations on this most delicious of deadly sins. She traces how our notions of gluttony have evolved along with our ideas about salvation and damnation, health and illness, life and death. Offering a lively smorgasbord that ranges from Augustine's Confessions and Chaucer's Pardoner's Tale, to Petronius's Satyricon and Dante's Inferno, she shows that gluttony was in medieval times a deeply spiritual matter, but today we have transformed gluttony from a sin into an illness--it is the horrors of cholesterol and the perils of red meat that we demonize. Indeed, the modern take on gluttony is that we overeat out of compulsion, self-destructiveness, or to avoid intimacy and social contact. But gluttony, Prose reminds us, is also an affirmation of pleasure and of passion. She ends the book with a discussion of M.F.K. Fisher's idiosyncratic defense of one of the great heroes of gluttony, Diamond Jim Brady, whose stomach was six times normal size. "The broad, shiny face of the glutton," Prose writes, "has been--and continues to be--the mirror in which we see ourselves, our hopes and fears, our darkest dreams and deepest desires." Never have we delved more deeply into this mirror than in this insightful and stimulating book.

Customer Reviews:

Too soon, too expensively, too greedily, too delicately, and too much.......2006-03-11

Gluttony is perhaps the most misunderstood of the seven sins, but in this book we discover that there is much more to it than eating a lot. For one thing most people tend to associate it with overeating, but in reality it also encompasses any harmful kind of indulgence, including alcohol and drugs. Also in the first chapter, the other aspects of gluttony are revealed: too expensively and too delicately, things nowadays most people would be unaware to be related to the sin of gluttony. Once all of this is taken into consideration, one realizes that gluttony may be one of the most common and prevalent of the seven sins today.

The author examines heavily on the medieval views of gluttony; Back in the day, the monks and priests of early churches viewed it as a treacherous, very-easy-to-commit sin, one with a twist: A person must eat to survive, but to enjoy or take pleasure in eating was outright sinful. As well as this, the author also explores the medieval obsession for the consequences of such sin, such as the artistic works of Pieter Brueghel and the sin-obsessed Hieronymus Bosch. In the next chapter, the author brings us to modern times and our paradoxical infatuation with the sin: Our culture that stresses so much on being thin and fit, and yet everywhere we look we see fast food joints and obesity on the rise. The author examines the infamy of gluttony as a killer and humiliating to its indulgers, pointing out the scorn and prejudice that many obese people face from the public and their peers as well as the rising toll of obesity-related deaths. One particularly memorable passage is the story of former singer Carnie Wilson, who underwent laparoscopic bypass surgery after coming close to 300 pounds and near fatal cholesterol and blood pressure levels (perhaps you've seen that commercial).

Overall, one of the most informal of all the books I've read in the seven sins series and one that can be read and understood by casual readers and intellectuals alike; it is a marvelous read! (Though there is some unpleasant imagery in this book, I refuse to let it hurt my rating of this great book)

A Good Introduction.......2005-12-18

This book does a great job describing the views on gluttony from ancient times, through the early church, up to the Renaissance. It was interesting to read about the various forms gluttony was thought to take, and how drunkeness was at one time understood to be part of that term. The prevailing thought on gluttony and what it means to be fat in today's world is also well explained.

I had hoped, however, that Ms. Prose would spend more time discussing why our comtemporary attitudes toward gluttony have so radically changed from those of the past. Perhaps that is beyond the scope of this introductory text, but I felt it contributed to a lack of cohesiveness.

The discussion of gluttony in art is enlightening, yet the book does not include among its illustrations a fresco by Taddeo di Bartolo which Ms. Prose discusses at some length. Also, while she cites various websites when discussing contempary theological perspectives on gluttony, she neglects to mention that C.S. Lewis adresses the subject in The Screwtape Letters.

Gluttony, it really is everywhere........2005-05-15

For a work of non-fiction, this book actually is pretty interesting. Prose takes you through the history of gluttony and brings us to our present culture that is obsessed with weight, food, and body image. Gluttony is the reason why people spend billions of dollars a year on weight loss drugs, supplements, and equipment. She really does a wonderful job at pointing out the transition of the sin of gluttony through history and how today it is a complete contradiction as people adore a thin, lean body, but are always interested in the latest food craze, or what McDonalds next big thing will be. Although Prose did not really tell me anything I did not already know, I was satisfied with this book as a way of putting a reality forth that most people ignore or purposely overlook.

Brief and Entertaining.......2005-04-30

Seeing that this book was part of a set on the 7 Deadly Sins, I thought these short little books would be a quick little study into the sins. Prose does a great job of doing just that - entertaining with little tidbits of information on the sin of gluttony. The little time it takes to read this book is well worth the time.

Is It Really a Sin?.......2005-01-01

Francine Prose examines gluttony as one of the seven deadly sins, and discovers that we may need to update that list. Gluttony is no longer a sin in our society, but obesity is. We don't scorn a thin person who eats a lot, in fact, we envy her. (Oops, another deadly sin rears its ugly head.)Prose looks at the history of gluttony, in the church, in paintings and murals (check out Diego Rivera's Capitalist Dinner), and in popular culture. She uses literature, philosophy, and overheard conversations and jokes to make her points. For such a thin book (108 pages with color photos and index), there is an awful lot to chew on here.

Gula / Gluttony (Los Siete Pecados Capitales / the Seven Deadly Sins)

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Gula / Gluttony (Los Siete Pecados Capitales / the Seven Deadly Sins)
Francine Prose
Manufacturer: Paidos Iberica Ediciones S a
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Seven Deadly Sins Set: Consisting of Greed, Gluttony, Envy, Lust, Sloth, Anger, and Pride

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The Seven Deadly Sins Set: Consisting of Greed, Gluttony, Envy, Lust, Sloth, Anger, and Pride
Phyllis A. Tickle , Francine Prose , Joseph Epstein , Simon Blackburn , Wendy Wasserstein , Robert A. F. Thurman , and Michael Eric Dyson
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0195308654

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Gluttony: Seven Deadly Sins Series
J, A Gray
Manufacturer: Tyborne Hill Publishers LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

The chief sources of sin;: Seven discourses on pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, sloth,

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The chief sources of sin;: Seven discourses on pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, sloth,
Michael Vincent McDonough
Manufacturer: Metropolitan Press, John Murphy Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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