The FastDay Forum

I was really intrigued by the theme in this book, but felt the execution fell short. As someone else mentioned, the first person narration irked. Prior to this book I had read "So Much for That" by Shriver, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I didn't hate this book, just didn't enjoy it or relate to it as much as I had anticipated.

Well, thanks for the recipe - maybe I enjoyed reading that more than the end of Big Brother!

I did actually enjoy the book as it was nothing like my usual current reads, so it was good to have a change, although like most of you, I didn't like the ending either. I did relate to some of the fasting / dieting theme, but I got annoyed by the constant weight loss - there seemed to be no gains along the way? Maybe that's because he was losing more than I was.

Anyway, thank you to whoever recommended it

I'm still waiting to get my copy from the library. Am next on list so should be soon. I was going to buy it but after reading the reviews on here I am keeping my pennies, or rather pounds!! Hanging onto those too as have been maintaining a plateau for quite a while now.

Re: Non-cr@p du jour by Thalia
by TML13 » 10 Sep 2013, 20:04

Honeys, I'm home!
Apart from the (non) toilet from, which BTW can really mess one up, everything was smooth and nice. I would even dare to say relaxing.
I've already had a few TS of my mum's special laxative (the one we give to grandma) and a couple of Colaxes (that's aloe vera with a few more herbs) and lots of water. I am so bloated, I could scream!!!
I got on the scales as soon as I returned. I could have scared the sh!t out of me with the number I saw but no such luck, LOL!
No worrying though, since it's been 8 days since I last had a proper you-know-what, so I'm guessing that as soon as the... bulk goes away, I'll see better numbers.
I am pretty sure that there was something in the water because I also suffer from water retention (I can see it in my toes and fingers) and a few other people complained that they had either diarrhoea or constipation. At least I had the lesser of two evils!!!


Re: Non-cr@p du jour by Thalia
by Silverdarling » 10 Sep 2013, 23:23

TML - it's a good job you've not read 'the toilet scene' in Big Brother (5:2 Sept book) ...

Finally!
Got an e-mail notification from the library yesterday and had 10 minutes to get there before it closed. Now have the book in my sticky little paws and will commence reading. Am excited and ambivalent at the same time, if that's possible! NOT looking forward to toilet scene mentioned The front cover reminds me of Alfred Hitchcock? I'm excited because this is the first time I have taken part in a book club/forum discussion and ambivalent because so far there hasn't been a really positive review What if I actually like it? Will that make me odd? or just the od one out...
Oh, for goodness sake, she mutters to herself, just get on and read the blasted thingy!
Will report back

Hmmmmm now finished the book. Not really altered opinion from previous post, and definitely feel a bit manipulated. All a bit too 'tidy' for me, and her reasons for doing what she did (ie it was all a 'fiction') I think are a bit too unbelievable for me, given what we know of 'her' character from the rest of the book (that's if she is still speaking in 'her character's' voice, not her own)

A bit too 'smart-arse' for me I think, although I do admire her way with words. There is a lot about authorial voice in literary fiction (especially if you've done a degree course ) but I don't think this really qualifies ... More like the Dallas it-was-all-a-dream shower sequence. Shame really. I do think you need to be able to 'trust' an author, whatever or however they write.
So it's a 'miss' from me ...

Look forward to hearing what the rest of you think though!

Reading this book was like wading through black treacle - I could only read small snatches at a time as I found it just didn't resonate with me on any level at all. The only time I felt it struck a chord with me was when Pandora and Edison were at the beginning of the "diet" and were constantly having to run to the loo as they were drinking so much liquid.
I found all the characters shadowy and hard to care what became of them. The only sympathetic one really was Cody, but even there she didn't come across as a flesh and bone teenager, more as a ghost of a girl, sweet but insignificant.
The choice between maintaining her strange relationship with Fletcher, (I cannot even bring myself to call it a marriage) and leaving to save her brother from himself is joyless and if I had cared more about Pandora I would have been urging her to pack up and leave for pastures new, leaving the whole sorry lot of them behind. (maybe having Cody to visit sometimes?)
What worked brilliantly in We have To Talk About Kevin misfired very badly here and instead of engendering concern and outrage about the problems of obesity it left me feeling as if I had just gorged on a sickly sweet bad quality chocolate cake.
It was rubbish

Thanks to all for your comments! Watch out for the thread for October's book coming soon (later on today, when I get back from work ) but you can still post about Big Brother if you haven't done so already ...