Book Review: Big Girl by Danielle Steel

I've never read a Danielle Steel novel before, but I had read about this book a year or more ago in a magazine. Of course, the appeal for me was that it is about a plus size girl and her life struggles.  I can always relate to a book like this and I never get tired of reading about this topic.

Synopsis
The "big girl" of the book is Victoria, the oldest of two daughters to two superficial parents.  The parents constantly refer to Victoria as a "big girl" and remind her that she was their "tester cake".  Apparently her parents weren't able to "get it right" until they had their second child, Grace, who is a picture-perfect beauty.  Victoria, in other words, was a throw-away daughter.  She received her name from Queen Victoria, who was apparently hideous and hugely overweight.  Her parents, particularly her father, never let Victoria live down her larger size.  How lovely!  Weight issues aside, Victoria faces constant ridicule from her family for every decision she makes, including the college she chooses to attend, the degree she opts to major in, and the job and city she elects to live in upon graduating.  Remarkably, Victoria loves Grace unconditionally, despite the fact that their parents practically idolize the younger daughter. 

My Opinion
I have to be honest - this book sucked.  I've read a few novels now about plus size women and this one was a complete waste of time.  Any time I'm reading a book that sucks, I immediately start going through Goodreads reviews to help motivate me to finish it.  It seemed that many of the reviewers shared the same feelings about this book that I did: it was extremely redundant and the reader is left with a feeling of "when will the story begin".  The redundancy comes from the style in which Steel writes - she continuously refers to Victoria as the "tester cake" and retells the story as to why she is called that nickname over and over and over again.  This same pattern occurs for many of Victoria's other scenarios throughout the book (her choice in school, career, place of residence, etc).  I think Big Girl may have been half the length it was had Steel not been so redundant.  Lastly, the author is telling the story, not the characters.  Thus, it makes the reader feel as though you're reading a lot of background information about the characters, all the while waiting for the real story to begin.  The book was so poorly written and I couldn't wait for it to be over!  

I gave it 1/5 stars on Goodreads.

Have you read this book?  What is currently on your summer reading list?

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Posted by: Tukiyooo Book Review: Big Girl by Danielle Steel Updated at : 8:01 AM

Monday, June 4, 2012