Customer Reviews

Seeing Me Naked

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Elisabeth has always lived in the shadow of her famous novelist father and brother. A pastry chef at a trendy LA eatery, she is approached by two producers who offer her the opportunity of a lifetime - her own cooking show on the Food Network that could mean relocating to New York. She's ready to jump at the chance, but fears the backlash of her family, particularly her father who feels that Hollywood destroyed his novels when they adapted them for the screen. Further complicating matters is the sexy college basketball coach she met at a fundraiser. David is her polar opposite and yet so perfect for her, particularly now that she has decided to move on from her tired relationship with childhood sweetheart and always on the go Will. Can Elisabeth throw caution to the wind and take a chance on a happily ever after her family and firends might not approve of?

Palmer's latest was a treat from start to finish. While the title is pretty racy, the story is not - the nakedness is pretty much the baring of Elisabeth's soul, not her clothing. She's a great modern heroine; flawed but human. Palmer's witty dialogue, plotting and pacing are first rate.

Although the title, Seeing Me Naked, was both intriguing and a little "racy" for me to read in public, the plot sounded interesting - a pastry chef gets the job offer of a lifetime when she's asked to host a TV food show. But how does this fit in with juggling an insane family and having found a new love interest? I've always been fascinated by professional cooking, so I decided to give it a shot.

And I'm glad I did, because it just goes to show that looks can be deceiving. Seeing Me Naked is a delightful novel about what's really important in life. Elisabeth Page never felt she lived up to the standards set her by her award-winning novelist father, or even her literary genius brother... somehow "just" being a pastry chef didn't feel adequate. When she's approached by two New Yorkers who wanted her to shoot a pilot for a new show on Food Network, she's torn between what her dad would want her to do, and what she wants to do. Matters are complicated further when David Sullivan enters her life - a beer-drinking basketball coach who's everything her family is not.

Elisabeth can only juggle so many torches at a time. Does she hold on to the controlled, organized, and admittedly boring life she'd gotten used to? Or does she dare throw caution to the wind and choose what's really important? Letting others see you naked is always scary, but if they are to love you - warts and all - it's the only way to live.

Seeing Me Naked reads like the most romantic comedy ever, with a twist of Ratatouille thrown into the mix for good measure. Perfect for when you just want to spoil yourself and feel good for awhile.

Armchair Interviews says: Dig in for a super romance.

I find myself thinking about Palmer's characters and their careers throughout the day. And often laughing aloud to myself. I'm in the kitchen cooking, thinking about becoming a pastry chef in a French village, or watching a UCLA basketball game, asking myself "Who do I know on that team?" All from the book.

The world the characters live in is too much fun, but their emotional challenges, and short comings, are all too real. Seeing Me Naked is an easy pleasure to read, and stays with you the way a good story should.

It's been awhile since I've read a book that's made me laugh out loud like this one did. I could really picture some of the scenarios, like the baby shower!
You know it's a good book when you hate to say goodbye to it.

I thought that the book was pretty decent. The character of Elizabeth was kind of bland, honestly. All of the other characters seemed to be more realized, had definite personalities, while she was kind of wishy washy and an observer of life instead of a participant. It all came down to things just appeared for her to get a better life, she didn't actually work at it or try for one or anything active. She would have stayed in that lame relationship with Will forever, she would have stayed in a stupid apartment forever, and she would have stayed an unappreciated minion in that kitchen forever. Outside forces just HAPPENED to come about at the right time, she just once again went along for the ride. Even the decision of buying a house was decided for her by her brother for the sake of the show. I hate bland characters who just allow anything to happen, don't really go and MAKE anything happen.

One thing about Liza Palmer's writing is the annoying use of choppy sentences. That was a major peeve of mine in "Conversations with a Fat Girl" and I see that she carried on with tiny. short. blunt. sentences. this time around, too. Extend a sentence, use other punctuations, make it interesting.

You get a pretty good feel for California through the book, which I like. Man, I so miss Doughboys; I was very jealous of the red velvet cake reference!

This is the kind of book where a heroine goes along with her crappy life until SOMETHING or SOMEONE happens to her. I hate those kind of heroines, because I feel that if they didn't do anything to better their lives, then they deserve their crappy lives. Elisabeth has a fabulous man and a fabulous job land in her lap, but frankly, if neither had happened, she would have just kept going along with her family's cruel bull---- and stayed with her better-than-nothing boyfriend. She didn't deserve the breaks she got.

Another great Meg Cabot recommendation. Last time she led me to the funny and quirky novels in verse of Sonya Sones. Now I find myself completely immersed in Liza Palmer's second novel, laughing out loud, wiping tears from my eyes, as DH stares at me warily and scoots a bit closer to the far side of the bed. The title, cover, and marketing indicate your standard chick lit fare. But I found SEEING ME NAKED to be a distinct cut above the rest.

Elisabeth Page is a pastry chef at the most exclusive restaurant in L.A. She chose the culinary arts as a way of escaping the overpowering influence of her father--a double Pulitzer prize winning Norman Mailor/Truman Capote/Ernest Hemingway composite. Elisabeth and her big brother Rascal (full name: Raskolnikov. Yeah.) have spent the majority of their privileged lives trying to get out from under dad's shadow. As a favor, Elisabeth donates a set of baking lessons at an auction for one of her mother's charities. Enter Daniel Sullivan: newly transplanted from Kansas assistant basketball coach at UCLA. Daniel bids on the lessons after Elisabeth rather snobbishly questions what a guy like him would do with baking lessons. And, just like that, we have a recipe for conflict. Elisabeth and Daniel have nothing in common and, after the first lesson, Daniel seems quite keen never to set foot in a kitchen again. But. He doesn't know who her father is. He's kind and funny and oh so far away from the cutthroat, upper crust, grin and bear it world Elisabeth has been living in. Plus (if she can manage to quash her knee jerk overeducated patrician reactions, aka Big If) he just might help take her mind off Will Houghton--her war correspondent boyfriend who she sees once every two years for one night at the most. A host of interesting and funny side characters fill Elisabeth's life and keep the story interesting.

This book is a treat from cover to cover. The characters are complex and carefully rendered. There is no black and white in the intricate web of family relationships they navigate. Difficult, messy, and painful as they are, Palmer shows how such relationships shape us, how influenced we are by our roots, and how, despite all this, we are still capable of becoming more than the sum of our parts and of allowing more people into our hearts than we thought they could hold.

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time! Once I pick it up, I have trouble putting it down, and when I am not reading, I look forward to being able to continue reading. The problems each person deals with are legitimate problems and aren't exxagerated and don't seem fake like with many other books. The book is entertaining and you just really want Elisabeth to succeed in life. Liza Palmer has a great writing style. I look forward to reading more of her novels in the future.

It was a quick easy read but nothing spectacular. None of the topics or scenarios really left me wanting more. Steady enough to get through but not really satisfying.

Liza Palmer has a way of making her characters real that you just can't ignore. You want to be friends with them, you want to know more, you want to know what happens when the book is over. That's how I felt reading this book. Once I got to about halfway through I just couldn't put it down and I had to finish it. I laughed and I cried as I read Elisabeth's journey to discover who she really was outside of the shadow of her family, to learn to love herself and finally learn what love really is and the sacrifices that it requires, that it's not just something you do when it's convenient but also when there are obstacles.