Product Description

Everyone seems to be getting on with their lives-except Maggie. At 27, she+s still working at the local coffee house, while her friends are getting married, having babies, and building careers. Even Olivia, Maggie+s best friend from childhood, is getting married to her doctor boyfriend. Maggie, on the other hand, lives with her dog Solo, and has no romantic prospects, save for the torch she carries for Domenic, the busboy. Though Maggie and Olivia have been best friends since their -fattie+ grade school years, Olivia+s since gone the gastric-bypass surgery route, in hopes of obtaining the elusive size two, the holy grail for fat girls everywhere. So now Olivia+s thin, blonde, and betrothed, and Maggie+s the fat bridesmaid. Ain+t life grand? In this inspiring debut novel, Maggie speaks to women everywhere who wish for just once that they could forget about their weight.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #86314 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 319 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Palmer debuts with the latest sprightly entry in the ever-expanding category of light romantic comedies starring plus-sized heroines. Maggie has been best friends with fellow fat girl Olivia since they were 12. Following gastric bypass surgery at 22, however, Olivia grows increasingly unrecognizable. Now 27, she's engaged to Adam, a fat-phobic Ken doll, and although Maggie is to be the maid of honor, she feels less and less a part of Olivia's skinny new life. After Olivia disappoints her old friend again and again, Maggie sets in motion a long-overdue and explosive confrontation and walks into the arms of the colleague—busboy to her barista—whom she's had a crush on for ages. By that time, in true chick-lit style, Maggie is both earnestly at work improving herself and being loved for her true, unimproved self. And though Palmer doesn't moralize, it's when Maggie starts to make her own, more realistic wishes come true—by taking a better job and signing up with a trainer instead of a surgeon—that she sees her love requited. It turns out her instincts were good—as are Palmer's.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Palmer's lighthearted debut traverses territory familiar to chick-lit fans--a young woman lets self-doubt undermine an opportunity for romance. A lifelong battle with her weight, a disastrous dating life, and a going-nowhere job have taken their toll on Maggie's self-esteem. To make matters worse, her best friend, Olivia--once a fellow plus-size shopper--has a new svelte body thanks to gastric bypass surgery and a handsome surgeon fiance to boot. A great boyfriend and the perfect job are within Maggie's reach, but first she has to feel like she deserves them. Palmer's likable characters and snappy dialogue make this novel stand out from the crowd, and it's sure to attract fans of Jennifer Weiner and other authors who offer slightly imperfect heroines. Palmer manages to infuse a message of self--acceptance that isn't heavy-handed or cloying. This quick-witted author is sure to develop a following. Aleksandra Kostovski
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"...has all the qualities of the ideal best friend: reflective yet riotous, sardonic yet compassionate... -- -Amanda Stern, author of THE LONG HAUL

"Delicious... A jellyroll full of fun with only half the calories." -- -Denver Post

"Engaging and pognant and heartbreakingly real, Palmer's tale of ...just what size happily-ever-after wears is a winning conversation." -- -- Jennifer Weiner, author of GOOD IN BED

"Kudos to Liza Palmer for tackling the life and loves of a 'before,' striking a breezy tone without being trivial.' -- -People Magazine

"Liza Palmer has created, to borrow her own heroine Maggie's phrase, a 'pink pastry box o'magic.'" -- -Gayle Brandeis, author of FRUITFLESH and THE BOOK OF DEAD BIRDS

"Touching, funny, and oh, so human... This is a conversation I felt luck to be a part of!" -- -Caren Lissner, Author of CARRIE PILBY

Customer Reviews

Could NOT put it down.
I want to have coffee with this, Liza Palmer, because she wrote my life story. I want to know how she knew me before I had ever even heard of her.

This book was incredible, not just because of the subject, but how she writes. It was a conversation (thus the title), you followed every train of thought that "Maggie" had, and Palmer did not skip one detail. I was floored reading this and how accurate it was FOR ME as a person. Shopping in the notorious "women's section" is hard enough, especially when you think you are going through all of these emotions by yourself. How she handles herself was so truthful. I believe that this book has and will continue to break down barriers that overweight individuals set up for themselves.

Entertaining...and inspiring
It all starts with a note from Maggie's landlord, announcing that Maggie's little home is about to be bulldozed-and she has 48 hours to move out. The timing couldn't be worse for Maggie, who's preparing to be the maid of honor when her best friend, Olivia, marries a handsome surgeon in a matter of weeks. But the note somehow sparks a chain reaction in Maggie's life.

With her move to her cute new cottage, Maggie begins to face the changes and take charge of her life. That means calling about that internship at the museum and finally doing something about her crush on Domenic, the dishwasher at the café. It also means facing the fact that, Olivia, her Best Friend Forever might not be the best of friends anymore.

Conversations with the Fat Girl is one of those books that you won't want to put down. Palmer's style is relaxed and easy-going-just like a chat with a good friend. Her voice is witty and honest-and, at times, cynical and just plain sad. Maggie is such a loveable and realistic character that you'll instantly get caught up in her story-and you'll be able to relate, no matter what your size. You'll laugh with her, you'll commiserate with her, and you'll cheer her on from the first page to the last. The story may not be entirely original or unpredictable, but it's so truthful and well-written that none of that matters. It's a powerful novel that will make you laugh while challenging you to take a look at your own life, too. It'll inspire you and entertain you.

great book
Maggie is wonderful - and I have to believe that every chubby girl out there has the same sort of internal dialogue with herself, and I think most overweight girls, have had a skinny friend ( whether or not said friend was fat is a different matter - mine was.) who builds herself by making her chubby friend feel bad.

I disagree with the reviews that say that Maggie's last act with Olivia was vindictive -- and that she should have taken the high road... My first question is WHY should she do that... Olivia was pretty abusive from page one, and why should her behavior go unchecked. People treat you the way you teach them to treat you. It is often said that there are no victims - only volunteers in these situations, and I do not see Maggie's act as vindictive ... I see it first as empowering to herself - and I think she did it not out of a spirit of revenge - but to remind Olivia not only of who she was - not in a physical sense, but in a physical sense. Maggie was reminding her that there was a time when they were really friends - and they really loved each other.

I think that while there is a love interest in this book, it really is a love story between friends - and what it is like to lose that. I also think it is a book about empowerment, and how Maggie took back her life - and discovered it was worth living