Slim to None [Paperback]

Jenny Gardiner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 18, 2010

Abbie Jennings is Manhattan's top food critic until her expanding waistline makes staying incognito at restaurants impossible. Her cover blown on Page Six of the New York Post, her editor has no choice but to bench her—and suggest she use the time off to bench-press her way back to anonymity. Abbie’s life has been built around her career, and therefore around celebrating food. Forced to drop the pounds if she wants her primo gig back, Abbie must peel back the layers of her past and confront the fears that have led to her current life. PRAISE FOR SLIM TO NONE: "Satisfying as a Thanksgiving dinner at Mom's... Jenny Gardiner's heroine gives us a sarcastic but provocative look at our love-hate relationship with food. You'll eat this up in one sitting. – AD Hudler, bestselling author of Househusband and Man of the House With a strong yet delightfully vulnerable voice, food critic Abbie Jennings embarks on a soulful journey where her love for banana cream pie and disdain for ill-fitting Spanx clash in hilarious and heartbreaking ways. As her body balloons and her personal life crumbles, Abbie must face the pain and secret fears she’s held inside for far too long. I cheered for her the entire way. – Beth Hoffman, bestselling author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt "Jenny Gardiner has done it again - this fun, fast-paced book is a great summer read." – Sarah Pekkanen, author of The Opposite of Me

Product Details

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: Diversion Books (October 18, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 098290505X
• ISBN-13: 978-0982905050
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #146,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hi! I'm the author of the #1 Kindle bestselling novel SLIM TO NONE; the award-winning novel SLEEPING WITH WARD CLEAVER; the memoir WINGING IT: A MEMOIR OF CARING FOR A VENGEFUL PARROT WHO'S DETERMINED TO KILL ME (Simon Spotlight/March 2010); ANYWHERE BUT HERE; ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE; and WHERE THE HEART IS; as well as the essay collection NAKED MAN ON MAIN STREET. I also have a short story in Wade Rouse's fabulous anthology of humorous dog stories, I'M NOT THE BIGGEST BITCH IN THIS RELATIONSHIP that features such authors as Jen Lancaster, Rita Mae Brown, Sarah Pekkanen, and more. I've published two stories for Kindle: THE GALL OF IT ALL: And None of the Three F's Rhymes with Duck, and IDOL WORSHIP: A Lost Week with the Wackos and Wannabes at American Idol Auditions.

I've had pieces appear in Ladies Home Journal, the Washington Post and on NPR's Day to Day. I joke that I honed my fiction writing skills while working as a publicist for a US Senator. Other jobs I've held have included: an orthodontic assistant (learning quite readily that I wasn't cut out for a career in polyester), a waitress (probably my highest-paying job), a TV reporter, a pre-obituary writer, and a photographer (claim to fame: being hired to shoot Prince Charles--with a camera, silly!). I live in Virginia with my husband, three kids, two dogs, one cat, one rabbit and a gregarious parrot. In my free time I study Italian, dream of traveling to exotic locales, and feel very guilty for rarely attempting to clean the house. Visit me at my website, www.jennygardiner.net; my blog, www.jennygardiner.net/blog/ ; my facebook fan page http://www.facebook.com/jennygardinerbooks , or twitter http://twitter.com/jennygardiner

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 54 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, touching, left me hungry for more May 28, 2010

By Richard E. Spilman

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Jenny Gardiner's new novel, Slim to None, starts with a marvelous premise. Abby Jenning's, the food critic for a major New York newspaper, eats her way out of her job. One of the job requirements of reviewing restaurants is to remain incognito. After a photo of her appears in a competing newspaper, and her girth makes the prospect of disguising herself unlikely, her editor reassigns Abby to a desk job for six months. In that time she needs to lose weight, as well as come to terms with her relationship with food, her husband and a family she didn't know existed. She is assisted in her efforts by a homeless man who may not be as he seems, her dog Cognac, and a philandering friend. She must also do battle with a decidedly sneaky and corrupt colleague, who is standing in for her as restaurant reviewer and wants her job on a permanent basis.

The book is very funny, often unexpectedly touching and insightful. It also includes recipes at the end of many of the chapters. Overall it left me hungry for chicken and crab with cheese in phyllo and for more of Jenny Gardner's writing. Jenny Gardiner's Slim to None is simply great fun.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Slim to None Chance You Won't Like It! May 16, 2011

By KD

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book based on reviews and wasn't disappointed. As someone who isn't a twenty-something but still likes "Chick Lit", I appreciated that the main character was a little older and contemplating some major life issues. It's a very entertaining and easy read with more depth/drama (but no tears, promise!) than typical in these types of books. I thought it was a light read that was resolved - but not predictably - at the end. At the same time, there's room for more to come, so I hope the author writes more books in the series! One of the best books in this genre that I've read in a while. (Agreeing with previous reviewers, there are a few minor editing errors; if 4.5 rating was possible, with the 1/2 star reduction based only on this.)

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Slim to None October 28, 2010

By Samantha J

Format:Kindle Edition

Abbie Jennings loves her job as Manhattan's top food critic- until her identity is revealed and her unflattering picture with ever-expanding waistline is splashed across the newspapers. She becomes the joke of the town as the overweight food lover, and promptly loses her job at the New York Post since she can no longer go incognito to restaurants. Abbie takes this opportunity to finally go on that diet and shed some pounds, but struggles with motivation and the reasoning behind her relationship with food. To add to Abbie's problems, she is going through a difficult time with her husband, who is trying to persuade her to leave the city and finally start a family. It takes the guidance of an unusual friend to finally help Abbie see what she really wants out of life.

Slim to None by Jenny Gardiner is a good story. I didn't get real invested in the main character, and some off the story lines seemed just a bit off for me. I did like the plot, and the descriptions of some of the delectable dishes made me start eating while reading, but it just wasn't enough. Sometimes, Abbie's character came off as incredibly selfish, never really listening to her husband and continually doing things the way she wanted. There is also a best friend in the story, who I never could quite figure out what she was doing there. She popped up at random times, and during most of the meat of the story, she wasn't mentioned at all, only to return once again at the end. I found myself confused throughout the duration, as the writing was a bit all over the place and jumping from scene to scene without any real fluidity. Like I said earlier, I did like the story, I thought it was interesting though not necessarily unique, and I believe some good life lessons can be taken away from the main character's troubles. Slim to None won't be on my Favorites List, but I think some other chick lit lovers will be able to appreciate this story.