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katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting companion piece to Shriver's Big Brother.
Two interconnecting stories are told. The first is that of 500 pound former English professor Arthur Opp, who has been receiving letters from a former student for years and one day gets a phone call from her asking him to meet and help her teenage son. Arthur hasn't been out of his house in a decade.
The second story is Kel's, the son of Arthur's student, a high school senior hoping to earn a Major League Baseball place rather than go to college. We learn his mother is an alcoholic, and ill and that Kel is almost her carer.
How these two come closer and closer to meeting, and their stories do, is well told and quite hard to put down.
Arthur, just like the Big Brother of Shriver's book, needs help to change his situation, and the potential muse arrives in the form of petite cleaner Yolanda, also my favourite character.
Both stories are interesting, Arthur's more so for me, though I really didn't see why he would always say "&" for "and" as well as "O" instead of "Oh". My little bugbear.
A sad story in places, as well as uplifting. And though some people don't like the ending, I thought it was quite right for the story and had no problem with it whatsoever.
I think I still prefer Shriver's take on obesity, but Heft is still an enjoyable and worthwhile read.
Two interconnecting stories are told. The first is that of 500 pound former English professor Arthur Opp, who has been receiving letters from a former student for years and one day gets a phone call from her asking him to meet and help her teenage son. Arthur hasn't been out of his house in a decade.
The second story is Kel's, the son of Arthur's student, a high school senior hoping to earn a Major League Baseball place rather than go to college. We learn his mother is an alcoholic, and ill and that Kel is almost her carer.
How these two come closer and closer to meeting, and their stories do, is well told and quite hard to put down.
Arthur, just like the Big Brother of Shriver's book, needs help to change his situation, and the potential muse arrives in the form of petite cleaner Yolanda, also my favourite character.
Both stories are interesting, Arthur's more so for me, though I really didn't see why he would always say "&" for "and" as well as "O" instead of "Oh". My little bugbear.
A sad story in places, as well as uplifting. And though some people don't like the ending, I thought it was quite right for the story and had no problem with it whatsoever.
I think I still prefer Shriver's take on obesity, but Heft is still an enjoyable and worthwhile read.
katieinca's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't sure from the summary that this would be up my alley, this book about these two dudes, a 550-lb shut-in living off his family money, this high school academic underachiever who's all about sports. But Moore writes them in this very intimate way, and through them delves into parental abandonment, addiction, loss, need, and guilt in a way that kind of pokes at you. It was a very sweet book without being sugary. And you know I wouldn't like it if there weren't funny bits.
So I'm really glad my local bookshop bribed me to read it with cupcakes and wine, and my internal monologue is going to be polluted with Arthur's "O"s and "&"s for some time to come.
So I'm really glad my local bookshop bribed me to read it with cupcakes and wine, and my internal monologue is going to be polluted with Arthur's "O"s and "&"s for some time to come.
colleengeedrumm's review against another edition
5.0
A book from my TBR I have had on since 2/2/2013. Really good. Never heard of it or this author but for GR. Thank you. Loved it. Even the ending - so perfect.
The horrible wrongness. The wrongness of doing something like that to me.
The horrible wrongness. The wrongness of doing something like that to me.
celjla212's review against another edition
5.0
I liked this book a lot. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I really was hooked from the first chapter and I ended up finishing it in just a couple of days. Ms. Moore's writing style flows easily and is real--there aren't a lot of wasted words or superfluous adjectives.
I actually went through the range of emotions that both of the main characters did. When Arthur described his situation and reasons for his life as it is now, I felt such pity for him. In a way, I wanted to scream, "You could have changed this!" but I came to understand his fragile state of mind and the front he put on. His escaping from the weight of his life was not possible to do alone. Kel was also a great character. As an 18 year old kid, yes, he made a few stupid decisions, but with the way his life was going you can hardly fault him for it.
I think the main reason I liked this novel so much was that while I was reading it, I just kept thinking, "Yes, this is real life." Ms. Moore has a gift for creating very real, raw characters and telling their life stories in a way that makes you feel for them. I would give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars, only because by the end I was hoping for something, ANYTHING good to happen, and a bit more of closure and a happy ending. But, of course, that's not always real life.
I actually went through the range of emotions that both of the main characters did. When Arthur described his situation and reasons for his life as it is now, I felt such pity for him. In a way, I wanted to scream, "You could have changed this!" but I came to understand his fragile state of mind and the front he put on. His escaping from the weight of his life was not possible to do alone. Kel was also a great character. As an 18 year old kid, yes, he made a few stupid decisions, but with the way his life was going you can hardly fault him for it.
I think the main reason I liked this novel so much was that while I was reading it, I just kept thinking, "Yes, this is real life." Ms. Moore has a gift for creating very real, raw characters and telling their life stories in a way that makes you feel for them. I would give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars, only because by the end I was hoping for something, ANYTHING good to happen, and a bit more of closure and a happy ending. But, of course, that's not always real life.
karinlib's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the author's characters were wonderful. I stormed through the book because I cared so much about each of the characters. The use of "O" for Oh, and & for and was a little distracting, but besides that the writing was superb.
aspenbrown06's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
minimicropup's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Energy: Nuanced. Expressive. Raw.
The Scene: šŗšø A New Jersey town (I think), near Manhattan, NY
The POVs: We follow two POVs. One is of a sensitive (perhaps overly so) professor who turned to food for comfort and became increasingly isolated after an accusation at work. The other is of an 18-year-old whose mother knew the former professor; they are trying to manage their motherās illnesses while finding a way to expedite the start of their adult life when tragedy strikes.
š¬ Tale-Telling: Audio brought the story to life, I would recommend it over text only. Arthurās narrator used deep, sometimes labored breathing to mirror the characterās emotions. Kels narration was sometimes jarring because itās written like an 18 year-old non-writer wrote it. The switch to his perspective would have been hard for me to read because itās so simplistic and staccato, but his narrator captured that as a reflection of his youth and education by speaking with different emotion and tone.
š„ Characters: Arthur, Yolanda, and Kels were loveable characters for me, while I found Charlene selfish and insufferable (I still wanted to read about her though). I loved the evolution of Arthur from perceived pretentiousness to a raw admission of his vulnerabilities. Kels was initially easy to dismiss as a stereotype, until we see why deeply hurt youth may start acting out from a place of fear and stress.
š¤ Reader Role: Weāre part bystander, partā¦friend? The characters kind of give personal essays asking us to understand them and feel their pain and triumphs. If you're drawn into their world, putting this book down becomes a challenge. If not, I imagine it would be so boring!
šŗļø Ambiance: The ambiance was crafted with emotional details. It was vibe heavy where each setting was āfeltā rather than described by detail.
š„ Fuel: The unfolding of characters' livesāpondering over the 'what ifs' and 'what will be's. Why are the characters the way they are? Will they rise above or self-destruct?
š Journey: A slow, steadily plodding story that justā¦ends. It captured life's complexities through its characters', with the the butterfly effect of decisions and their repercussions. The open-ended conclusion wasnāt horrible, parts of it I liked since it was left to reader interpretation whether itās a sad or happy ending. But there is so little closure ā we donāt know anything about some of the key mysteries for the characters and we arenāt sure how they end up just as a key moment is about to occur. It ended so abruptly I checked to see if my audiobook was broken.
----
š Howls: That endingā¦.I need to talk to someone about that ending.
š© Tail Wags: The realism. The way tragedy and sadness were balanced with moments of hope and happiness. The portrayal of the characters.
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Mood Reading Match-Up:
- Contemporary fiction with tragedies, slice of life snapshots, experiences
- Heart wrenching and heartwarming character studies and plots
- Moments of what-could-have-been romance and friendships
- Themes of comfort, addiction, connection, childhood trauma, rejection, perception, struggle and resilience, belonging and acceptance.
Content Heads-Up: Unhealthy obesity (medical, challenges, experience). 9/11 (brief recall). Mental illness (depression). Medical (autoimmune). Alcoholism, pharmaceutical drug abuse. Suicide, suicide attempts and thoughts. Parental rejection (of adult child). Parental neglect (physical). Loss of a parent. Loss of a friend.
Rep: White, Latina, and ambiguous Americans. Heterosexual.
š Format: Library Audio
My musings š powered by puppy snuggles š¶ refined by my AI bookworm bestie āØ
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Death of parent
Moderate: Abandonment, Mental illness, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse
Minor: Fatphobia
alittlegreyfish's review against another edition
4.0
I blew through this audiobook. I thought the narration was great. It was a moving exploration of loneliness and isolation. I enjoyed the interspersed letter format and I liked that it only switched between two POVs. I found Kellerās final chapters sad but appropriately so. I desperately wanted another chapter at the end but can definitely appreciate that it ended where it did.
kimball_hansen's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I almost turned this book off at the beginning because it was so slow. Glad I finished it.
The characters in this book are pathetic/depressing.
The ending was ok. I'd like a sequel so I know what else happens. I don't understand how Charlene doesn't know who the dang father is. And Kell is so lucky to have his girlfriend take him back. He better not ruin it again for them.
The characters in this book are pathetic/depressing.
The ending was ok. I'd like a sequel so I know what else happens. I don't understand how Charlene doesn't know who the dang father is. And Kell is so lucky to have his girlfriend take him back. He better not ruin it again for them.
triciaralph's review against another edition
3.0
interesting book. a different style of writing and of characters. i did like how their lives intertwine but at times the connection isn't believable. i did like it though - it was a fast read, i couldn't put it down because i wanted to know what happens to the characters. i felt a little sorry for them, all with dire circumstances.