Product Description

For twenty-eight years, things have been tripping along nicely for Cannie Shapiro. Sure, her mother has come charging out of the closet, and her father has long since dropped out of her world. But she loves her friends, her rat terrier, Nifkin, and her job as pop culture reporter for The Philadelphia Examiner. She's even made a tenuous peace with her plus-size body.

But the day she opens up a national women's magazine and sees the words "Loving a Larger Woman" above her ex-boyfriend's byline, Cannie is plunged into misery...and the most amazing year of her life. From Philadelphia to Hollywood and back home again, she charts a new course for herself: mourning her losses, facing her past, and figuring out who she is and who she can become.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1708 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

From Publishers Weekly
It is temping at first but unwise to assume Candace Shapiro is yet another Bridget Jones. Feisty, funny and less self-hating than her predecessor, Cannie is a 28-year-old Philadelphia Examiner reporter preoccupied with her weight and men, but able to see the humor in even the most unpleasant of life's broadsides. Even she is floored, however, when she reads "Good in Bed," a new women's magazine column penned by her ex-boyfriend, pothead grad student Bruce Guberman. Three months earlier, Cannie suggested they take a break apparently, Bruce thought they were through and set about making such proclamations as, "Loving a larger woman is an act of courage in our world." Devastated by this public humiliation, Cannie takes comfort in tequila and her beloved dog, Nifkin. Bruce has let her down like another man in her life: Cannie's sadistic, plastic surgeon father emotionally abused her as a young girl, and eventually abandoned his wife and family, leaving no forwarding address. Cannie's siblings suffer, especially the youngest, Lucy, who has tried everything from phone sex to striptease. Their tough-as-nails mother managed to find love again with a woman, Tanya, the gravel-voiced owner of a two-ton loom. Somehow, Cannie stays strong for family and friends, joining a weight-loss group, selling her screenplay and gaining the maturity to ask for help when she faces something bigger than her fears. Weiner's witty, original, fast-moving debut features a lovable heroine, a solid cast, snappy dialogue and a poignant take on life's priorities. This is a must-read for any woman who struggles with body image, or for anyone who cares about someone who does.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Weiner's first novel should satisfy readers from older teens and above. Cannie Shapiro is in her late twenties, funny, independent, and a talented reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer. After a "temporary" break-up with her boyfriend of three years, she reads his debut column, "Good in Bed," in the women's magazine Moxie. Titled "Loving a Larger Woman," this very personal piece triggers events that completely transform her and those around her. Cannie's adventures will strike a chord with all young women struggling to find their place in the world, especially those larger than a size eight. Despite some events that stretch credulity and a few unresolved issues at the end, this novel follows the classic format of chasing the wrong man when the right one is there all along. Veteran storyteller Maeve Binchy gave us Bennie in Circle of Friends; now Jennifer Weiner gives us Cannie. Look for more books from Weiner. Rebecca Sturm Kelm, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
When Cannie Shapiro, a witty but overweight reporter for the Philadelphia Examiner, opens the latest issue of Moxie, a trendy woman's magazine, she's shocked and horrified to find an opinion piece by her ex-boyfriend, Bruce, that not only talks about their sex life but also about her insecurities about her weight. Hurt and even more insecure, Cannie signs up for an experimental weight-loss program. But then Bruce unexpectedly reenters her life when he phones to tell her of the death of his father. Cannie, who has always grappled with the pain from her own father's desertion of her family, immediately runs to be by his side. Unexpectedly, the two end up sleeping together after the funeral. But it's not the reconciliation Cannie hopes for, and soon Bruce is dating someone else. Depressed, Cannie soon finds their night together had repercussions she had never dreamed of. From there, it's a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, wild success and bitter lows, during which Cannie finds success, peace, and even love. A warm, refreshing story. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Great Start, Slow Finish
I read this book on Kindle, so I got to read a sample chapter before I bought it. The first two thirds of the book are really funny, and surprisingly well written, with enough twists and turns and great laughs to keep me avidly turning each page. Then the author gets serious, and all I wanted to do was get to the end, even though the ending was totally predictable. It is as if two people wrote this book. The first is funny, self aware without being maudlin, and understands how to keep me on the edge of my seat and emotionally involved. The second "author" is almost unbearably self pitying, humorless, and predictable. I thought I had found a new author, to me, but now am leery of reading her other books. Too long, and way too self involved at the end. A lot of talent here though. If the first two thirds of this story weren't so good, I would have given this two stars.

not the best
took an awfully long time, longer than the estimated shipping date, but finally got it.

Mediocre chick lit
Cannie Shapiro is a 28-year-old newspaper reporter. She recently broke up with her pony-tailed, pot-smoking, unenthusiastic, uninteresting boyfriend, Bruce who is also a writer. A few months after their break-up, an article appears in a popular women's magazine, the title of the article: "Good in Bed" the author of the article: none other than Cannie's ex-boyfriend, Bruce. This article entitled, Good in Bed, is really neither flattering, nor insulting; it mostly speaks of the authors wasted devotion to a woman (Cannie) who dislikes and is uncomfortable with her own body (being that of a larger woman). At first Cannie is furious with him, but then realizes that the article wasn't that bad, and she determines that she still loves him, misses him, and wants him back in her life in a huge way.

I found the book only slightly entertaining. The characters - all of them - were either un-likeable, boring, or both. I usually read every word on every page of every book that I pick up, however, Jennifer Weiner over described so many scenes that I found myself skimming through a lot of wordy descriptions of places and incidences that I couldn't care less about. With this book in my hands, it was either skim or nod off into a deep slumber while sitting in a chair at the dentist office or other such place.

I'm not normally a fan of chick lit, and in my opinion this was just average chick lit. A friend kindly gave me this book along with its sequel, Certain Girls. As much as I appreciate receiving hand-me-down books, I think I'll pass on, Certain Girls.