• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Big Girl Blue.com

Moe's Favourite Things

  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • Show Search
Hide Search
You are here: Home / BellaOnline / Waking Beauty Book Review

Waking Beauty Book Review

Allison Penny considers herself unfortunate because she’s overweight and her features don’t fall into the realm of what society deems attractive. She works as a cleaning lady with an ethnic family. Lucky for her, her only duty is emptying the garbage cans. Not a dream job but it pays the bills. “Destitute, depressed, and almost universally derided,” is how she describes herself. The only positive thing Allison can say is she has a beautiful voice. Her only real wishes are to meet her biological parents and to find a way to get rid of her sex starved, vindictive roommate, Virginie.

Waking-Beauty-CoverThe one person in her life who is compassionate toward her is Nathan. They work in the same building and meet during breaks to discuss movies, plants and other people who work in the building. They aren’t companions or even friends but she has attached her affection to him. He’s nothing special, balding and a bit scrawny but he’s nice to her. He’s her Brad Pitt.

One morning she wakes up and her body has been transformed by we don’t know what and we never find out. She’s now taller, slimmer, blonder…well more like Gwyneth Paltrow with bigger breasts. She seems only mildly shocked by this transformation and after a brief stint of enjoying the feel of her new body she decides she has to show it off immediately in case it disappears at midnight. Her first manner of business was to seduce a construction worker in broad daylight even after he confessed he’d only been married six months and had a baby on the way. I found this hard to swallow as her first desire in her new body.

While enjoying the new life (because of new body) she decides to get back at or ruin all the people in her life who’ve been mean to her. The “ugly acts” range from minor to serious. Her character definitely isn’t likeable in her new form at least not from a reader’s perspective. She’s suddenly the center of attention wherever she goes. Something she never experienced as the old Allison. She becomes drunk on the affection and attention. Allison isn’t so beautiful on the inside anymore.

Through Elyse Friedman’s writing it’s easy to hate this character yet root for her when she gets back at everyone (at least until she goes way over board) who was nasty to her for being plump and homely. Most of the other characters are easy to hate too. They’re nasty people.

This is not my first contact with this author. I also read her poetry book Know Your Monkey which I loved. Regretfully, in the end, Waking Beauty didn’t win me over. There is a lack of balance amongst characters. It would have been nice to get to know some nicer people. It may have made this read less dark. In the end, the reader is still left asking why did this happen to this particular girl and how?

Its message doesn’t bode well for the happiness of women in a society whose media determines the beauty of a woman and comes across as a ‘what if’ story about an unattractive girl written by an attractive one.

  • Purchase Waking Beauty from Amazon.com.
  • Purchase Waking Beauty from Amazon.ca.

Originally published 1/11/2005 at Large & Lovely, BellaOnline.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

My Name is Moe

Moe Wood
Thanks for joining me on my journey. I hope you will leave a comment before you go. To learn more about me check out my "about me" page.

Connect with Me On…

FacebookTwitterInstagramPinterestYou TubeEmail Me

What I’m Obsessing Over Now

https://youtu.be/w7rewjFNiys

What’s Happening…

biggirlblue

Poached eggs Poached eggs
Peaceful morning by the water. Peaceful morning by the water.
Hey! Hey!
Hey! Hey!
The giant lilies opened while we were out. The giant lilies opened while we were out.
I haven’t seen these poppies for at least ten ye I haven’t seen these poppies for at least ten years. Now I have three.
We decided at the last minute to drive over to the We decided at the last minute to drive over to the grocery store parking lot to see a few of the fireworks. Look who was waiting for us to return.
Lots of flowers on our walk today. Butterflies sho Lots of flowers on our walk today. Butterflies should be here soon!
Little storm came through and left very quickly. Little storm came through and left very quickly.
Enjoy the little things, have a beautiful day. Enjoy the little things, have a beautiful day.
Bunny, take 2! Bunny, take 2!
Bunny! Bunny!
Garden update. Filling in! Garden update. Filling in!
Things are filling out in the garden. Today, I add Things are filling out in the garden. Today, I added mini rabbits I bought on FB marketplace. #gardening #birdbath #tulips #ferns #hostas #trillium #bleedinghearts #rabbits
Found this big guy hanging out on one of our cedar Found this big guy hanging out on one of our cedar trees watching ants go by. I told him to get to work but he just pretended I was talking to the rock behind him. He’s about the size of the palm of my hand. We used to have a fist size one for many years but I haven’t seen him in a long time. #toads #gardenfriends
Back in TO to get some stitches to fix the tear in Back in TO to get some stitches to fix the tear in my eye. Then Swiss Chalet! LOL it’s become a routine. PMH then SW. LOL
The new garden is coming along this spring! I just The new garden is coming along this spring! I just remembered I have glass rocks and bunnies to put in!
#succulents So tiny. So cute. #succulents So tiny. So cute.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Currently Reading

Marie Lu's Skyhunter
This ARC was gifted me to review and I have finally been able to crack it open. So far so good. Marie Lu Skyhunter

Stop Biting the Tail You’re Chasing

Tolerance
"No matter in what situations we find ourselves, when we don’t have so many opinions and preferences we naturally experience more peace of mind. We feel more agreeable, more comfortable, and more able to fit in with others. When we are more tolerant, not only do our minds’ stability and experience of meditation improve, but the conduct of our body, speech, and mind also improves because we stop being so reactive."
Find this book on Amazon.ca:

Or Amazon.com.

Expand Your Mind with a Quote

Quote Writing Prompt: read E. W. Howe quote, contemplate, then write for fifteen minutes.
Quote Writing Prompt: read this Eric Berne quote, contemplate it, then write for fifteen minutes.
Quote Writing Prompt: read this Amy Tan quote, contemplate it, then write for fifteen minutes.
Quote Writing Prompt: read C. P. Snow quote, contemplate, then write for fifteen minutes.
Quote Writing Prompt: read this Ruth Benedict quote, contemplate it, then write for fifteen minutes.
Quote Writing Prompt: read Mary Kay Ash quote, contemplate, then write for fifteen minutes.

Footer

My Current YouTube Addiction — Check out Trent and Allie

https://youtu.be/xgfw_ogCy7A

RSS Subscribe to my feed:

  • Evive Smoothies
  • MasterClass Steps Up Learning
  • Soak Up the Sun by Sheryl Crow

Learn to Play Ukulele

https://youtu.be/MVqxKEaQHM0

· Copyright M. E. Wood© 2023 · WordPress ·

Take a Random Look ARound

anna scholz authors biw member interview biw tips body image books bras Etsy handbags igigi Interviews journaling ideas Lane Bryant lingerie literary fiction literature nail polish novels plus size active wear plus size career wear plus size clothing plus size clothing sales Plus size denim plus size dresses plus size halloween costumes plus size jeans plus size maxi dresses plus size party dresses plus size swimsuits plus size t-shirts plus size tops reading squidoo lens building tips swimwear Threadless tops visual writing prompts writers writer´s block writing advice writing lessons writing life writing prompts writing related books writing tips