Pretty Woman: A Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Fern Michaels (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2006

In Fern Michaels's extraordinary, inspiring New York Times bestseller, an overweight woman sets out to improve her life by losing fifty-five pounds -- and ends up changing much more than her dress size!

Rosie Gardener fell under the spell of handsome Kent Bliss, and not even her best friend Vickie could persuade her that her fiancé was a two-timing cad. Now it's her third wedding anniversary, and Rosie, fed up with Kent's mistreatment, realizes her estranged best friend was right. But the day after kicking Kent out and beginning a diet and exercise regime, Rosie experiences another life-changing event: she wins $302 million in the Wonderball lottery. Now with Kent lurking in the shadows to claim a share of her money, Rosie needs her friends more than ever. As she works out under the eye of sexy personal trainer Jack Silver, a stronger new Rosie emerges -- a woman who wants to learn to trust love once again. Can she keep her vow not to be stopped by Kent's bitterness and her own self-doubts and jump into life with a passion she didn't know she possessed?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Fern Michaels 'SHINES!'"

-- Publishers Weekly

"Fern Michaels's characters are real and endearing, her prose so natural that it seems you are witnessing the story rather than reading about it."

-- Los Angeles Times

About the Author

Fern Michaels is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of Hey, Good Looking, Pretty Woman, the #1 New York Times bestseller The Nosy Neighbor, Family Blessings, Crown Jewel, The Real Deal, Late Bloomer, Trading Places, No Place Like Home, Plain Jane, and dozens of other novels. There are more than seventy million copies of her books in print. She lives in South Carolina. Visit her website at www.fernmichaels.com.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books; 1st ptg. edition (February 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743483502
• ISBN-13: 978-0743483506
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #393,835 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #39 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( M ) > Michaels, Fern

More About the Author

Fern Michaels is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Fool Me Once, Sweet Revenge, The Nosy Neighbor, Pretty Woman, and dozens of other novels and novellas. There are over seventy million copies of her books in print. Fern Michaels has built and funded several large day-care centers in her hometown, and is a passionate animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across the country with special bulletproof vests. She shares her home in South Carolina with her four dogs and a resident ghost named Mary Margaret.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I had a beef with this book...., August 22, 2007

By 

L. Toll "www.iblist.com" (Ottawa, ON) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pretty Woman: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

While I enjoyed Fern Michaels' incomparable writing style and the story was appropriately uplifting and romantic, I was dismayed and put off by the premise of the book. A dumpy, overweight woman, finally sick of being emotionally abused and cuckolded by her handsome-yet-useless husband kicks him out, and sets out to better herself. She wants to lose weight, she wants to look better, and she wants to get even.

My problem with this premise was the author's nudging the reader toward the idea that we should applaud Rosie and identify with her for all the trials she has to go through to finally get what she wants. My problem, although I genuinely liked Rosie's character, was that Rosie is rich, then wins the lottery to become STINKING rich, and really doesn't have to deal with any of the problems that overweight people have to face.

Rosie's "weight problem" is a whopping 20-30 lbs. What does she do? Orders a whole bunch of expensive exercise equipment for the mansion her parents LEFT her (in other words, she hasn't even had to buy this enormous palace, her family's always been rich), hires a personal trainer, and has her housekeeper/companion begin feeding her a prescribed diet. On top of which, she owns her own business, which apparently makes a ridiculous amount of money, selling weeds that she arranges, lacquers and spray paints into arrangements.... oh, with a staff, so she has time to go off for six hours at a time with her personal trainer. By the end of the book, she's competing in a triathlon...

How is the average person who works for a living, lives paycheck to paycheck (or maybe just slightly better off), and needs to get into better shape, supposed to identify with the poor little rich girl who has a staff and all the money in the world to throw at her problems? This really made me resent the author's view of weight problems, and also made me wonder if the author has ever been an ounce overweight. For the tens of thousands (probably more) who have struggled with their weight all their lives, it's downright insulting and demeaning.

While the writing style was Michaels' usual excellent work, and the characters were friendly and inviting, this huge glaring glitch ruined the book for me, and I couldn't bring myself to rate it higher than a 6

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finding Your Inner Strength, October 15, 2008

By 

Terry A. Benedict-Devine "Terry" (Barnegat, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pretty Woman: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

"Pretty Woman" is an entertaining story about an insecure young woman who discovers confidence and self esteem. Rosalie Gardener Bliss is a successful business woman, whose claim to fame is in the form of her extremely creative business of turning weeds into "Nature's Decorations." However, on a personal note, Rosie has hit rock bottom. After 3 years in a loveless marriage to Kent Bliss (a man about town), Rosie is ready to break loose and really become her own woman. She has allowed him to use and abuse her and now she has decided she is finished with his cheating and flamboyant lifestyle on her money. Coincidently, as Rosie makes up her mind to "throw the bum out," she becomes the winner of the $320 million Wonderball lottery. Controversy and scam play into the storyline when Kent finds out about his wife's amazing luck. He is determined to claim his spousal right on half her winnings, married or not, in any way he can, legal or not! Enter Jack Silver, Rosie's personal trainer and the man behind the idea to train Rosie for the Thanksgiving Triathlon (10-mile run, 5-mile bike ride and 3 mile canoe trip) to reclaim her self-confidence and stand up to the dark forces that surround her life. Jack's trust and faith in Rosie push her to begin a grueling three months of training. The fantasy portion of this story regarding Jack's deceased wife, Martha and the angel oak that took her spirit form, was somewhat over the top, but still I found it to be pleasurable. If you crave a few hours of comfort and relaxation, this book will do the trick!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful story...., May 24, 2006

By 

Suzanne Milliron "Romantic At Heart" (Beavercreek, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pretty Woman: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a fantastic book. It's got everything I love.... a good story, fantastic characters and a wonderful message. The ending took my breath away. I felt on top of the world when I finished the book. AWESOME!