Customer Reviews

Good in Bed

5 star:		(299)
4 star:		(122)
3 star:		(50)
2 star:		(32)
1 star:		(35)

 

 

Having been a fan of Jennifer Weiner's column in the "Philadelphia Inquirer", I was not surprised to become a fan of her first novel, "Good in Bed". Every single woman can identify with some part of the main character, Cannie, who is an amazing person yet has been rendered insecure by a bumpy family history, poor male influences and a society that has bought into the beauty before substance equals worth equation. But Cannie perseveres, as we all do, and carves out a path through a series of positives and negatives all the while offering a bitingly sarcastic commentary of the people and world around her. Even in this work of fiction, women who don't fit the "Sex and the City" mold can see that they are not alone. After finishing this book, I felt inspired - to do what I'm not sure, but it's still a great feeling to have. I highly recommend this book and hope that Jennifer will continue writing for all women.

It can be difficult to read books that are as painfully truthful as Jennifer Weiner's first novel. However, "Good In Bed", while painful at times, is also fun and touching.

In the book, we meet Cannie (a thouroughly modern woman struggling with life's complexities). Cannie's biggest problem is a BIG problem, she is overweight. The book is Cannie's journey to come to terms with how others see her and more importantly how she sees herself. There are definatley road bumps along the way. Large road bumps along the way. Cannie's ex writes a tell all article for a rival magazine about "loving a larger woman".

Any woman will appreciate Cannie's sense of humor as she deals with all of the implications of Bruce's betrayal and as she struggles to make the right choices.

In the end, the reader will appreciate the ending as much as they appreciate the path to get there. I purchased this book through Amazon.com right after another great purchase, THE LOSERS' CLUB: Complete Restored Edition by Richard Perez, about a writer addicted to the personals. Both are fun, recommended books. Enjoy!

After I caught a friend of mine reading and very much enjoying this book - I ran out and picked it up. All I can say is - it was fun! I really enjoyed the charachter and her thinking in this book. It's an easy read and a great book to bring to the pool or beach with you.

This book is great for both men and women. For women, to see a character that lives day-to-day with the multitude of societal pressures that we all face, particularly in the area of body image. Yet, the main character is not pathetic, but actually funny and vulnerable, all at the same time. I actually hope they make this into a movie, since it distresses me how "trained" we are in this country that in order to be beautiful, we have to be blond, blue-eyed and size 2-6. It puts beauty, and what it means to be a beautiful woman, in an entirely different light.

For men - if you want to understand a little bit of what it feels like to be a woman, especially in the US, this is the book for you. It gets you "inside" a woman's head a bit, particularly in the area of body image and mixed feelings and messages between women and men.

I loved it! Some parts made me laugh out loud. Others made me feel great empathy for her. And hey - it has a happy ending!!!

Cannie, the main character of "Good in Bed," is a large woman. She's also smart, witty, sensitive and loving. But what Bruce, her ex-boyfriend, takes away from the relationship is how brave he was to have loved a "larger woman," and this is what he writes about in his article in a Cosmo-like magazine. Obviously, Cannie is not only humilitated but mad beyond words when she learns of this article. But living well is the best revenge, and Cannie does her best to move her life beyond the hurt and embarassment that Bruce's article initially brings her.

There aren't many books that I can relate to as much as this one. Yea, it's fluff...but it also has a message--we are about more than just our bodies. When men, or anyone for that matter, define us by our weight, they miss out on SO much.

Cannie's story is both hilarious and heart-breaking...and my only criticism is that the first half of the book (which had me laughing out loud in bed) feels like a completely different book from the second half (which is mostly tragic and sad). I certainly don't mind mixing comedy and drama, but usually they're inter-mixed versus a total gear-shift from one part of the book to the other. Still, I gave the book 4 stars for its humor and positive message.

If you're looking for the next great novel, this probably isn't it. But if you're looking for a book that's not too heavy, funny, and extremely entertaining, then this is the book for you!

Because I hate people who ruin books before you can read them, I will try not to delve into too many details. This is a great women's book (definitely not a guy book) that deals with many of the issues that we go through on a daily basis. The central issue is self-esteem which even though not all would admit, most people have issues with. It's plot is constantly moving and changing which instead of making it hard to follow only makes it hard to put down.

Your attention is immediately grabbed in the first chapter when Cannie (the main character) finds that her ex-boyfriend has written about their relationship in a popular Cosmo-like magazine. Without revealing too much, I will say that it deals with her size and mainly her weight. After that, you find out about her journey on dealing with self-acceptance and discovering who she really is.

I will admit that I am a bit biased about this book because I related to Cannie more than most people might. When she describes her height (exactly the same) and size (also too close for comfort), I immediately bonded with the character. Although I've never had the experiences she has, I can relate to the way people respond to some of our stature. Don't think that just because you've never struggled with weight problems, you won't related to this book. It's written well enough that anyone can related to Cannie's experiences.

Plain and simple, this book is fun and easy too read. It's not so dumbed down that it's on a child's level, nor is the content appropriate for children! After I'd borrowed this twice, I decided to buy this one to have my own copy. This is a deceptively simple, yet wonderful book. But try it for yourself! Another novel I need to recommend -- completely unrelated to this one, but very much on my mind since I purchased a "used" copy off Amazon is "The Losers' Club: Complete Restored Edition" by Richard Perez, an exceptional, highly entertaining little novel I can't stop thinking about.

I just got done reading Tino Georgiou's masterpiece--The Fates, and thought Good in Bed would be just the same old vapid chick-lit. Yeah, an overweight woman insecure about her weight. Wow, that's reinventing the wheel. Yet Cannie was different. She wasn't middle aged, like most protagonists in such works, she was in her late twenties. She wasn't an unattractive recluse who did nothing but eat all day. She was actual cultured, articulate and intelligent with an active social life. The book tended to be a bit topical at times, like Cannie's mother announcing at 56 years old she's a lesbian. But Cannie is uncomfortable with this, like most people would be. Despite being a Princeton graduate, living in Philadelphia, working for a newspaper their (a recipe for being a liberal if I ever heard one) Cannie cannot bring herself to put on a happy face about this development. Even the more farfetched events that take place don't seem so farfetched when written in Cannie's glib, self-deprecating voice. While not much on plot (an aspect that doesn't bother me as characters should dictate your plot not the other way around) the characters and stories are more than engaging. If you missed Tino Georgiou's novel--The Fates, I'd recommend reading that instead.

Reading Jenifer Weiner presented some strange "synchronicities" for me. Only two of them included: She went to Princeton where I grew up and also took some courses. This book is set in Philadelphia where I went to college. Aside from these interesting (for me) aspects I thought the book presented a good story about a woman trying to reconcile a past relationship that is failing while a better one is developing even though she is not aware of that process at first. The characters are believable and often entertaining although the title suggests much more sexuality than the book delivers.

I read "In her Shoes" and absolutely fell in love with it. So I thought "Good in Bed" will be good as well, but I was mistaken.

The book went nowhere, it was unreasonably long and boring.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very, very good! I laughed, I cried. It was very hard to put it down, especially once I got into it. Can't wait to read more of her books.