Customer Reviews

All of Me: A Voluptuous Tale

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

as a male who dates voluptuous women, i found this book to be an eye opener. ms. berry spin a tale of a woman struggling to come to grips with her weight. while reading the story i fell in love with serpentine's character.....her only weakness was falling prey to society's norm of what a "woman" should look like. ms. berry stay true to her sytle of wit and catchy sayings. after reading this book i immediately e-mailed ms. berry in search of my serpentine......i strongly recommend thi book to all those men who are dating, attracted to, are married to a BBBW. it would help you understand their plight. i have nothing but love for venise...... yours , cumtakernodoubt

I've been reading since i was a little girl (about 3) and throughout my adult years I have never read a story about a full-figured woman. I like this story because it touches on several issues: weight, depression, self-love, and insecurity. Serpentine is a beautiful sistah, who hasn't accepted her weight, and is under pressure at her job. She is not really assertive about things in her life - her job, or men. She makes some interesting choices in her quest or search for self-love, and Ms. Berry writes with an honesty that makes this a difficult book to put down. I found this reading to be refreshing, interesting, and very entertaining. I liked to see more of this type of writing - or more of these types of characters. I do like the way Ms. Berry ties up the different issues of Serpentine's depression, and her learning how to love herself. The ability of Serpentine to accept herself AS IS, was powerful.

Wonderful writing Ms. Berry. Keep up the good work.

I would be willing to bet some of everyone who reads this book would find a little of Serpertine in themselves. I know I saw a lot of my thoughts and traits in Serpertine. THis book really hit home about how society, family and the full figured woman percieves being full figured woman. There are so many misconceptions. Reading about Serpertine will make you laugh, cry, get angry and motiviate you. This book I would highly recommend.

All of me: A Voluptuous Tale is a must read that if it is not already on your to read list, your list is incomplete. Finally someone has not only written a book that every woman can relate to, but has done it so that i didn't but it down until the last page was turned. If you love to laugh, to cry , to get angery, and simple see another day along with your characters, then stop this one is diffently for you, for anyone. I am just so proud Mrs. Berry wrote a novel that a big girl(like myself) would happily recommend to anyone. And just me i do.

All of Me is the story's heroine--Serpentine's Life Story. It's the story of a sister who appears to have it all a great job, beautiful home, sexy boyfriend, and loving family. However, Serpentine has struggled with a weight problem all of her life and she's tried almost every conceivable diet in an attempt to lose weight. But then the societal lables and stereotypes associated with being overweight start to burden Serpentine and negatively impact how she views and feels about herself. When all hope is gone, Serpentine does the impossible and resorts to an attempted suicide. After a bout in the hospital and numerous counseling sessions with a doctor--who appears to be all wrong to counsel her--Serpentine is back in the world and coming to grips with the fact that it's ultimately up to her to make her own happiness and to either accept herself as she is or to make the changes necessary for her to move forward.

I liked Ms. Berry's writing style because it was descriptive without being over-written. The opening caught and held my attention because I wanted to find out more about why someone would become so depressed regarding their weight that they would consider suicide. True the story appeared one-dimensional in that it focused primarily on Serpentine's weight and the baggage that she carried as a result of her weight, however, substance and depth was added to the storyling via memorable, unique and entertaining friends and family members. Yes, Ms. Berry appears to have taken an attempted suicide lightly, and the high school reunion incident seemed childish, but they were all believable. These incidents were apart of Serpentine's character and were real from her perspective.

All of Me Is Definitely Not For Everyone; however, it is a heartwarming, witty and inspiring story for anyone who's ever had a weight problem(even a slight one) or struggles with weight and it's impact on one's perception. The only disappointment I had with the book was that Serpentine did not appear to have found true self-love because she was still seeking the diet of the day.

All Of Me represented a welcomed change of pace from the problematic, romance/relationship novels typical of many aa fiction genres today. If you would like a plot with a different focus/concentration then check out All of Me.

I just finished this book a couple of days ago. At times, I wanted to just break down and cry. I received this book as a birthday present from a close friend who had the author sign the book for me. When I first started it, I told my friend I wasn't sure if I would be able to finish it. That is was it hitting way too close to home. Like Serpentine, I have struggled with my weight my entire life. Also like Serpentine, I have come across pictures of myself in high school and have wondered what the hell was wrong with me. I was built and didn't even know it. But, again, like Serpentine, because I was a size 11 and not a size 6, I thought I was fat. What I wouldn't give to be a size 11 again! For any woman who has ever felt lost, unworthy, guilty, ashamed or angry with herself because she's not what America says is beautiful, PLEASE read this book. Thank God I have a husband who tells me on a daily basis what a beautiful woman I am and still, it took me years to believe it. Thank you Ms. Berry for giving fuller figured women a strong, albeit sometimes unsure, voice! Also, I am sure that there are many women who have grappled with whether or not to end it all, even if weight was not the issue. This book also deals with that and how Serpentine overcame those feelings and learned that life, even with all its ups and downs, can still be worth living. Ms. Berry dealt with two very strong issues that we usually try to sweep under the carpet. She's taken them out and made us look at them in all the ugliness and she makes you deal with things you might not ordinarily want to think about. As I said, there were a few times when it was all I could do not to just break down and cry. There were times when I had to put the book down and walk away, but I always came back because I wanted to see what would happen next! Now THAT'S a good book!

She's done it again. Thank you Venise Berry for writing a book that not only addresses societal depiction of beautiful, but more importantly, the subconscious of women who sometimes choose to ignore their subscription to such ideologies. Serpentine was real. Very convincing. Nothing short of what I expected from the author. Like "So Good," "All of Me" is definitely a keeper.

Heroine: abundant

Television news reporter Serpentine Williamson is making the arduous climb up the slippery slope to mental and emotional balance after a nervous breakdown and a suicide attempt.

Meetings with a psychiatrist lead her to begin keeping a journal, where she records her thoughts on the various influences on her life and her choice to embrace whatever messages they have sent to her, no matter how unhealthy or unkind those messages have been.

But with her eyes now opened wide to the patterns in her life, Serpentine begins to carve out a new identity for herself, one that belongs strictly to her, that owes nothing to no one: not society, her family, her job, or men.

What worked for me:

The story gives readers an abundance of social issues to reflect upon: suicide, racism, sexism, and sizeism. Yet despite the gravity of these subjects, there was a lot of dark humor in this book, particularly in the journal entries which opened each chapter. In many cases, they were the brightest gems in this story.

Size-wise we saw Serpentine at different times in her life, and each time she was a different size: average, voluptuous, abundant; but no matter what number graced the tags in her clothes, she was struggling to love herself.

What didn't work for me:

The jumping around in time could be a bit confusing, but the little vignettes of Serpentine's life over the years were fascinating and really helped to make her painfully real.

The novel felt a bit preachy in a few spots, but for the most part the messages were discreetly filtered into the book.

Overall:
"All of Me" has a touching, powerful message wrapped up in an attractive package and is well worth searching out.

Warning: there are some coarse words and sexual scenarios in this book.

If you liked "All of Me" you might also enjoy "The High Price of a Good Man", "Good in Bed", "Jemima J.", "Commitments", or "Etta Mae's Little Theory".

Hats off to Vanise T. Berry. My girlfriend called me long distance at work to get me to order the book and I'm so glad that she did.

I liked the fact that the author dealt with a very painful issue that a whole lot of people deal with: weight. I thought it was interesting that the book dealth with the real issue that even though this woman had accomplished so much in her career and life, she still couldn't recognize her her self for her accomplishments outside of having a relationship or her size, like so many women do. This book had a very real message (not done it an overly preachy style). It was simple, LOVE YOUSELF!

Serpentine Williams is a black woman with a problem, her weight, or so she believes. She's spent her whole life being chastised and chastising herself for her "weight problem" and has been on every conceivable diet. Her entire world revolves around "the weight" from her relationship with her boyfriend Carlin, to her job as a successful news reporter for a Chicago TV station, even her relationship with her mother. It is her belief that because she's the size she is, she can only continue a life of misery because she does not fit the American ideal of beauty. So, Serpentine gives up in more ways than one.

All of Me tells the story of struggle that many American women live with on a daily basis, losing, gaining, maintaining and worrying about weight. Yet this story is more than that. Through Serpentine's struggles the reader is able to understand that acceptance and love starts with self and that beauty comes in all sizes, shapes and colors. Berry's work is funny, yet serious and is a catalyst for changing readers' minds about what it really means to be beautiful.