Customer Reviews

Slim to None

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

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.)

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.

I was in the mood for a fast, satisfying read and "Slim to None" delivered with flying colours. I love a story where the character has to overcome great physical odds in order to find themselves. This story was full of funny food metaphors, which sometimes made me groan at the obviousness of it all, but in the end it was a "sweet read".
I thought that I had figured out the ending, only to be pleasantly surprised when it went in a different, but better direction. My only critique was the author would not reveal the main character's weight, which I dearly wanted to know. I understand why the author chose not to reveal the weight, so that more people could put themselves in the MC's shoes, but I'm a numbers kinda gal when it comes to weight.
I fully recommend this book to anyone who wants a story involving an early middle-aged woman who needs to make some major life choices in order to find perfect happiness. I look forward to more from the same author.

I enjoyed and marveled at the variety of characters. Abbie Jennings grows in your heart, even as she shrinks. William is the perfect husband--maybe too perfect. He sets the bar high. Even cognac is added to the mix in a unique way. George is a confused man who has run away from life, only to eventually find he made a mistake. Life was waiting when he returned. Sometimes I got tired of seeing recipes, the book would have been enough without them. The use of gourmet foods added greatly to Abbie's life, and to the way she saw things. I felt over all the story was fun and entertaining and I would buy the book again.

This was an easy, yet compelling read. I found the main character very engaging and cared about what and where she was going to end up. Lots of fun moments, mixed with real thoughts, as though this author really took the time to consider her main characters predicament. There were a lot of recipes in the book which, frankly, I could have done without. Personal taste, I'll admit, but I found they got in the way of the story. It felt like the recipes were there to pad out the book - not necessary.

All in all, I'd recommend it to a friend.
:-)

Slim to None is a fabulous combination of humour and touching human drama. I rarely gigglem out loud while reading a book, but this one had customers in a restaurant where I was reading staring at me as I chuckled continuously. Love the way Jenny Gardiner wove delectable recipes into the text. Great summer read for the beach!

I liked the premise but the relentless one-liners about being fat separated by clever food analogies started to seem like a creative writing assignment on how many ways can I say the same thing... over... and over... and over. I started skipping pages to see if anything changed but gave up about a tenth of the way in. Talk about empty calories.

I get the premise: The main character is a Foodie's Foodie. Her passion has trapped her and forces her to change radically. From being a Foodie she must diet or lose all she has attained in her life: the 'perfect' job, the 'perfect' life, the 'perfect' husband. The book has recipes sprinkled all through it--a throwback to a time when women rationalized reading/writing 'romance' novels by adding in recipes, so you can take something 'useful' away from the reading experience.

I found the heroine self-absorbed, not terribly likable. Her husband was an undeveloped character, like a paper doll. We don't get to know him much, as other than an affable sort who has his limits. It was work to read this book and I cheated, skipping to the end of the book to see if it gets any better. It ends abruptly. I liked that she becomes something other than the job she so loved, but her 'new' self wasn't very believable. We don't see enough of the more mature character at the end of the book to believe her to be real. It was hard to care about this character, and by extension, her story.

Jenny writes another great read that almost every woman (and man) can relate to with humor and a little bit of heartbreak: struggling with weight, self-image, professional success, and our emotional demons. She weaves a tale that captivates our hearts (and tummies!) that rings true and real with her consummate humor woven throughout. Do yourself a favor - get this book! C'mon - summer's almost over - you know you need a great beach read!!!