AN AMC ORIGINAL SERIES FROM EXECUTIVE PRODUCER MARTI NOXON, STARRING JOY NASH AND JULIANNA MARGULIESA Best Book of the YearEntertainment Weekly • Bustle • Amazon • Women’s National Book Association • Kirkus Reviews • BookPage • Kobo • LitReactor “Audacious and gutsy and heartbreaking — Dietland completely blew me away.” — Jennifer WeinerThe diet revolution is here. And it’s armed. Plum Kettle … Jennifer Weiner
The diet revolution is here. And it’s armed.
Plum Kettle does her best not to be noticed, because when you’re fat, to be noticed is to be judged. With her job answering fan mail for a teen magazine, she is biding her time until her weight-loss surgery. But when a mysterious woman in colorful tights and combat boots begins following her, Plum falls down a rabbit hole into the world of Calliope House — an underground community of women who reject society’s rules — and is forced to confront the real costs of becoming “beautiful.” At the same time, a guerilla group begins terrorizing a world that mistreats women, and Plum becomes entangled in a sinister plot. The consequences are explosive.
“A giddy revenge fantasy that will shake up your thinking and burrow under your skin” (Entertainment Weekly), Dietland takes on the beauty industry, gender inequality, and our weight-loss obsession — with fists flying.
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How tough is it to be a fat woman in America? Unbelievably so and DIETLAND takes it to the limit so the reader lives inside that horror–and then wraps us in the reality, and then satirizes it until we’re breathless. Great book.
Such a fascinating book. It had its uncomfortable moments, but that just made it more interesting to me. I loved the twist and turns of this character’s journey and the bizarre situation she found herself in.
Learned alot. Good for those who have the ability to rise to face the often hard judgements of unkind and ignorant people. Obesity is a tough cross to bare. Good going for those who succeed!
This was a page turner, she touches on the very real and human conflict and pain of not being “normal” sized. I truly enjoyed this read.
Sassy! Great story about a character stuck in the belief she has to fit the glam magazine mold to have value. The many characters bring balance and unusual beauty.
Guess this was a little harsh for me but I plowed through it. Found it to be depressing, confusing, and somewhat all over the place. Weird storyline. Not my favorite but I finished it.
I was totally unimpressed with this book. Expected much more given it is being adapted for tv.
This is a book about a single fat woman. For every cliché I expected the author to fall into, she didn’t, and then I’d think, well, sure, not that, but then surely this, but no, again. I finished the book inspired. It’s an odd ride, but well worth it.
meh
Sorry, but I thought this was a boring book with silly characters
I like the premise of this book a lot more than the actual book, but I did still enjoy the book itself. My one major complaint is that instead of breaking apart the traditional conflation of thinness with morality, the book straight up tries to reverse that narrative so that thinness only equals women who are either evil, vapid, or disguised as evil/vapid. The characters are interesting and the female vigilante plot was intriguing, but it’s a high-concept surrealist story already – why not go all out with it? A worthy beach read, and, if you really want to drive your friends crazy, there’s a lot to dive into around the book’s opinions of women’s bodies.
Feminist humor. Wry and knowing. The TV version takes liberties with the book’s plot and imho misses the mark…
Dietland takes a hard look at what it means to be fat in this world as well as what it takes, what one looses, to be beautiful. It is well written, feminist, thought provoking as well as horrifying. What makes it horrifying is revealing the reality of what fat women (and probably many men) go through. It is also horrifying because even though the main character is on a voyage of discovery, politically we are offered terrorism as a solution rather than what is actually now occurring: a worldwide movement of women determined to change reality. Dietland can be forgiven for missing this because it was written before Trump gained power and a new women’s movement erupted. Nevertheless, terrorism is always an elitist movement, a way for a few to pretend to speak for the many, most often in a voice the many would reject.
I would only recommend this book for some people. I am not sure it would be good for everyone. It is about persons who are obese and what they are put thru by our insane worship of the skinny. It is well written.
The premise, women exacting revenge for men who abuse women, is timely and satisfying. The theme, learning to not only accept yourself but to love yourself as you are, is much needed in a world where we are barraged by messages telling us to be thinner, sexier, more appealing to men.
We are not lessened by being fat or plain or growing old. It is only the society which fails to appreciate women in all their forms which is lessened.
I highly recommend this book.
I gave Dietland 3 stars immediately after finishing it, but am bumping it up to 4 stars after thinking about it for a week. I didn’t like some of the violence, but understand their place in the book, and know the plot needed them. The main characters Plum and “Jennifer” played well off each other. The story and characters stay with you, which is why I gave it 4 stars. I’m not sure what it would take to give it 5 starts – probably if the violence didn’t make me so uncomfortable. Look forward to the tv show.
I was disappointed in the book but admittedly it is thought provoking!
Totally weird, totally loved it.
Feminist- promotes women’s self worth as they are. The message about not disappearing is great. But, please, don’the go off any medication unless your dr. Can monitor you. That can be dangerous.