Book Review: "Big Girl" by Danielle Steel

Cover Description
In this heartfelt and incisive new novel, Danielle Steel celebrates the virtues of unconventional beauty while exploring deeply resonant issues of weight, self-image, sisterhood, and family.

A chubby little girl with blond hair, blue eyes, and ordinary looks, Victoria Dawson has always felt out of place in her family, especially in body-conscious L.A. Her father, Jim, is tall and slender, and her mother, Christina, is a fine-boned, dark-haired beauty. Both are self-centered, outspoken, and disappointed by their daughter’s looks. When Victoria is six, she sees a photograph of Queen Victoria, and her father has always said she looks just like her. After the birth of Victoria’s perfect younger sister, Gracie, her father liked to refer to his firstborn as “our tester cake.” With Gracie, everyone agreed that Jim and Christina got it right.

While her parents and sister can eat anything and not gain an ounce, Victoria must watch everything she eats, as well as endure her father’s belittling comments about her body and see her academic achievements go unacknowledged. Ice cream and over sized helpings of all the wrong foods give her comfort, but only briefly. The one thing she knows is that she has to get away from home, and after college in Chicago, she moves to New York City.

Landing her dream job as a high school teacher, Victoria loves working with her students and wages war on her weight at the gym. Despite tension with her parents, Victoria remains close to her sister. And though they couldn’t be more different in looks, they love each other unconditionally. But regardless of her accomplishments, Victoria’s parents know just what to say to bring her down. She will always be her father’s “big girl,” and her mother’s constant disapproval is equally unkind.

When Grace announces her engagement to a man who is an exact replica of their narcissistic father, Victoria worries about her sister’s future happiness, and with no man of her own, she feels like a failure once again. As the wedding draws near, a chance encounter, an act of stunning betrayal, and a family confrontation lead to a turning point.

Behind Victoria is a lifetime of hurt and neglect she has tried to forget, and even ice cream can no longer dull the pain. Ahead is a challenge and a risk: to accept herself as she is, celebrate it, and claim the victories she has fought so hard for and deserves. Big girl or not, she is terrific and discovers that herself.


Hannah BeDell's Review:
My husband bought me the book for a "just because" present which I love! I just finished reading it today in my comfy window seating while my husband did chores and errands and helped care for children and I had a break from reading while going out to a restaurant. After I read it I took a bath because I was rather disappointed. I though surely this woman who sounds smart would stand up for herself and face those remarks of unworthy notice easily. I thought they had no grounds since those characters were not fully believable. Even though I know of parents with children who were big boned and tried to "fix" them. But those parents did not just ridiculed in an UN-believable fashion.

Big girl is not about her size in this book, it sounded more about money or freedom. The "big girl" seems to think she is so poor but if you can afford everything she has in this story you are far from poor. It had a good story line to learn more on how you may be a "big girl" going off on your own and doing things your own way, after and if you had parents with enough money for college in the first place. That seemed like a big flaw there, with a major dependant issue upon who was denying you the love you needed in the first place. Finding the right people was a big part of the book too. Although it did emphasize on size a lot but that said being 20 lbs. or 25 lbs. over your weight is normal. While with American society now a days if you focus on work or anything before your own health. I'm guilty of that at times. I thought this book was insightful for freedom and weight-watchers was mentioned a lot. I wonder if they paid money for that? But my big sister uses them and has lost and kept off way more than 20 or 25 lbs.

Book Points for parts I learned, grew and loved....
Now I am joining a gym, not for anyone but myself like her.
Getting a treadmill at home, again.
I loved and have started the assignment ideas:
Write a short story after a Summer vacation ~ About what you would have wanted your Summer vacation to be like
What you want to be when you grow up ~ I like this because you are always learning even after school (living life is consistent with learning)
Write lyrics for your own song and play it on instrument for extra fun too

It was a good turn pager because it changes up every once in a while and gave me some good ideas for new learning. It ended with a saying of how it's good to be happy where you are now. Look ahead and do not stand by, LIVE!

Who likes Laundry?

My thoughts are on how to keep laundry down to a minimum.

I love it once it is done, as everyone does.

Once I start doing something, I love to finish. I have problems getting started for anything mundane therefore chores are not my forte`. That is why I have specific times frames that remind me to work on chores.

I only wish to clean things over and over that I actually want to use.

I have challenged myself to start living the best I can wearing and helping my family wear only their favorite clothing of good looking combined with comfort for this fall.

For me and my family we are still trying to figure out what works best... usually using specific towels for each person and washing those towels with the corresponding person's clothing (using gentle detergent) My husband and I just turn on our built-in heater to air dry when we have time... I catch up on reading... very relaxing.

Encourage

Hugs and Kisses from family is wonderful encouragement! We loved it when my neices K. and R. visited us when our baby was only 1 week old.


Encouragement is a great way of loving one another.

God encourages us to live to love.

Consistent words of encouragement is needed for the human mind.

Every kind of positive encouragement is essential for children to know.

Encourage is part of a Love languages: Positive Touch and Words of Affirmation

Encouragement Mission

Have I Encouraged today?

Learn Ideas

• Love: Listen and be open to loved ones ideas
• Exercise: Inspire how to live by example
• Area: Surround yourself with encouragement
• Relax: Writing your thoughts, review them weekly (even better with your spouse or someone you trust)
• Nutrition: Make mutually satisfiying plans ahead of time

Labeling for Moving

First, I am going to create labels and keep things organized.... while I feed my baby.

Labels:

1. Kitchen
2. Dining rm
3. Pantry
4. Office
5. Bedrooms (O=Ours/J/Z/M)
6. Bathrooms (1 or 2)
7. Entry ways
8. Laundry rm
9. Living rm
10. Other Closets
11. Garage
12. Storage
13. Yard

I changed and feed the baby all good, now I am going to apply the labels to boxes.  Wish me the best... it is quite a task.  My husband is making Dinner while I do labels, he is a good man!

* Updated: Feb. 27th 2010
I ended up getting labels ready but putting them on will be later right when we move in March.

** Updated Mar. 6th 2010
My husband applied labels to the boxes! We are doing great... preparing

New baby experience with Pros & Cons

It has been a dozen days since I had my third child, Marc! We have much to be thankful for... the process went rather smooth...
Feb 8th 2010: Our daughter Jasmine turned 3 years old at 9am and Our baby Marc was born at 9pm

Our Day started with great anticipation for the call from the hospital.  We decided to sleep in and I decided to pack for the hospital visit once we got the call. They said they may call any time between 4 and 8 am but even as late as noon.  They called at 11am... I quickly gathered a little bag of needs, knowing from the past what would be needed or useful.  Books, Bathroom bag, My clothes for returning home and the newborn clothes. My husband was a wonderful coach from every moment through out the labor. He did start getting nervous since I started cursing from the wretched pain after 6 cm dialated, so my mom took over at the hieght of it and comforting through the worst part.  All of this was kind of blurry since they gave me IV medicine that made me dizzy feeling and plus God's gift to women is that we forget some of the process.  I do recall how sweet my husband was being.  From him going back and forth getting new wet washclothes, great massages and kisses and holding my hand.  Also while we were at the hospital my dad was wonderful about watching our children!

Pros:

• Good Dr. and nurses
• Healthy 9.5 lbs. baby boy
• Plenty of help before, during and after Marc's birth
• Loving and Supportive family
• Natural Delivery
• Free of illness through-out labor
• Inducing helped schedule
• Good insurance coverage
• Enjoy and able to breastfeed well
• Labor was a little under 8 hours

Cons:

• Induced labor contractions were more intense
• One odd nurse who was rude and hiding a cold
• Vicatin pain medicine caused allergic reaction of rashes on my feet, hands and belly (ceasing now)

Books

My favorite books right now are Romantic Novels and Lifestyle/Inspirational books.
I have read Deadly Illusions and now I'm reading Deadly Kisses, They are wonderful books!!
I read the Holy Bible and my Daily word too.

My mom and dad for got me this book with a great Daily plan! Be-You-tiful Plan (Beautiful Day, Click to See and Print your own copy to refer to!) all through-out the day! I Love reading books like these but this one is more useful then most I have read, it is choc full of good information and some awesome humor too.  It seems as though, It covers every aspect of being Beautiful. I have put a lot of sticky notes on places I want to look at again and again. I am learning a lot.... I Love to learn! Here is the Book online: http://books.simonandschuster.com/You-Being-Beautiful/Mehmet-C-Oz/9781416572343

Order of Priorities

1) God..... every way

2) Spouse..... every moment

3) Children..... every day

4) Family..... every oppurtunity

5) Friends..... every opening

6) Everyone else..... whenever God places them in my life