Customer Reviews

Big Girl in the Middle

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Karbo does an excellent job documenting Team Nike's trials and tribulations both on the sand and off. The style of writing is rather straigh-forward making the book hard to put down. I especially like the way Karbo has intermittently slid in chapters in which Reece describes herself, her feelings, emotions, etc. regarding both her abilities as an athlete in an up-and-coming sport and as a model. The most enjoyable parts of the book are the chapters in which Reece is giving the blow-by-blows of herself and her perspectives on life.

This book I think could definitely serve as inspiration for tall, athletic girls. I bought the book for the girl I'm dating, thinking it might give her some more confidence (she's tall and pretty as well, and is confident in some things). I just ended up reading the book before giving to her, and although the way it is presented is a little in-your-face, I think it could serve as inspiration for women who want to have some confidence in themselves, especially those that came from broken or dysfunctional families.

One great thing about the book is it is full of one-liner philosophy that really hits the mark. These one liners are great because they make you laugh, but at the same time make you think. Quite brilliant in this respect.

It's also sort of interesting, and a fast read, although the writing style is very "glam" in a way... sometimes it seemed as if I was just reading a really long Vogue article about Gabby Reece! Also at times, I felt Karen Karbo tended to fawn a bit too much over Gabby. I actually preferred the sections that Gabby Reece wrote... they were more personal and down to earth.

Oh... and if Gabby Reece reads this review... send me an email! Will you autograph my book?? Just kidding... decent book!

I loved reading BIg Girl in the Middle! I was amazed to find that Gabrielle Reece was more fascinating than I thought she'd be. The girl is witty, beautiful, and she has some pretty deep thoughts on a lot of things-and a great deal of insight to back it all up! I think she should seriously be considered as a good example of a role model for girls, and some people out there would probably be better off if they acted more like her!

I thought Big Girl in the Middle would be a wonderful book to read. It's about a girl who is a professional volleyball player, and I really love volleyball. But when I began to read it, "Boy was I wrong!" I hate books that try to make you feel sorry for people and it seemed like that's all this book was doing. It was quite depressing, and I dreaded the thought of having to pick it up again each day to read another chapter. I like to read about some obstacles people have to overcome to achieve their goals, but this was a little extreme. It seems as though nothing good ever happened to Gabrielle Reece in her life, and when something finally did, it was taken away from her. Life is not easy (we all know that), so why make it worse for other people by writing about it?
I also thought the book was difficult to follow. One minute they'd be taken talking about her childhood and the next thing you know they were in the middle of one of her games. She didn't always give her ages; she would just say that she did things after this and this. I also never really knew when or where they were talking. For example, I never knew if the conversations happened at her home, on the phone, on at the beach. It was just really tough to follow.
The only good thing about the book is Gabrielle Reece. She is what every girl, at some point in her life, wants to be! She's been a model as well as a professional athlete. Most girls want to be idolized for their looks and /or praised for their athletic ability. Gabrielle Reece is both. She is a role model for many women around the globe.
I would not recommend this book for those who are looking for a laugh, or an exciting or interesting story. I don't think it's a really good book at all. There was absolutely no humor in it. It was depressing and hard to follow. I wouldn't want to read it again!

"People are already pissed off at me because I'm athetic AND beautiful; to be smart in addition to that...it's like, too much." And that quote sums up this book in a nutshell: the breathtakingly beautiful Reece telling us how hard she works and how smart she is. Interspersed througout is co-author Karen Karbo clucking in agreement (for example, detailing a Nike PR session where Gabby makes snappy insults at questioners). For the first half of the book its unabashed unhumbleness is refreshing, but by the end you ask yourself if the world really needs any more athletes/supermodels/intellectuals with "attitude."

When I bought this book I was looking for inspiration in my everyday training/fitness. I found it, I think Gabby Reece is someone who has a lot of confidence and while reading her book I developed a likeness toward her and I enjoyed her openess and spunk.

I had been looking forward to reading this book for some time. I was able to get through 2/3 of the book before I finally gave up. The structure is poorly planned. Gabby and Karen switch off writing every other chapter in this book. But it's as if they are both writing two different stories. Karbo, writes a narrative of what occurred during a year of Gabby's competitive career. Problem is, while I'm sure it was a monumental point in Gabby's life, it ends up reading like a massive failure. That in itself would not be a problem were there proper character development, but there is not. It literally seems like a checklist of information in the guise of a chapter. I have never read so many paragraphs that said absolutely nothing.

I truly admire Gabby as an athlete and business woman, but the chapters that she authors seems like pages torn from her diary. They follow no flow from chapter to chapter. At one point I felt like I was reading a PMS rant rather than a personal oeuvre from a volleyball legend.

How would you feel if you were torn between two careers; modeling, and volleyball? That's what Gabrielle Reece encountered in her journey through life. This book, written by Gabrielle herself, was to tell the story of an extremely tall girl growing up mocked and taunted. I believe that this book is important for all vertically enhanced women.
"Big Girl in the Middle" is basically about a girl named Gabrielle that grows up not knowing she is any different than anyone else, and is hit in the face with the fact of her abnormal height at the age of fourteen when she realized she was 5' 11". She does a few modeling contracts but likes playing volleyball for a living a little more enjoyable. She is on Team Nike and throughout her careers does horrible, many times not even winning one game out of tournament. This book is non-relational for many people of average height, and can be difficult to understand the stress she endured her entire life.
I thought the book had its good moments but overall lacked the excitement that I feel it needed. I did like the moments in which the volleyball game was actually occurring and thought it was very descriptive and easy to visualize. The majority of the book was about her everyday life on the off seasons and her booming modeling career that she didn't want to pursue. If I could change this book I would change the random descriptions of her everyday life style. Overall, this book was a little boring and it annoyed me that she didn't take up modeling.

I am a 14 year old girl who is 5'8 and very thin. I have modeled before, and I am very athletic. I also am very intelligent. I find it hard to get close to people, and I think it's because they hate me because I am perfect. I am not perfect, but they seem to think so. Reading Gaby's book helped me to relate to someone. I used to feel that I was almost a freak because I was this way, but now I am achieving my dreams. (Well, kinda!) :-) I can truthfully say that Gabrielle Reece is my hero.