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Book Reviews of Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs

Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs
Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs
Author: Cheryl Peck
ISBN-13: 9780446692298
ISBN-10: 0446692298
Publication Date: 1/1/2004
Pages: 224
Rating:
  • Currently 3.1/5 Stars.
 90

3.1 stars, based on 90 ratings
Publisher: Warner Books
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

20 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

checkingmypulse avatar reviewed Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs on
Helpful Score: 8
Eh. Honestly, this book was pretty disappointing. I had high expectations, thinking I was going to experience the like of Laurie Notaro or Augusten Burroughs in the pages, but no go. I skimmed through most of the essays. They weren't funny. They were sometimes sad, but mostly boring. The title makes you think this is going to be sarcastic and witty, but it's not.
reviewed Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs on + 31 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
This book was awful. I started it and could only get about 60 pages in before I had to give up. I expected to LOL but unfortunately this book let me down.
sues avatar reviewed Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs on + 94 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Humorous, but not overly so, nor terribly insightful, as it tries to be. I prefer Laurie Notaro when it comes to LOL essays.
Bernie avatar reviewed Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs on
Helpful Score: 3
A good quick read. The cover is my favorite part.
skywaywaver avatar reviewed Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs on + 148 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Just so-so...the title makes it out to be better than it was. A fast read, reminded me of Laurie Notaro's writing, although a bit more serious.
reviewed Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs on + 37 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Read it in two days. Amusing, but I wouldn't say funny.
reviewed Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs on + 31 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
An endless collection of 3 or 4 pages of "laughs". Wears very thin after the first half dozen stories
reviewed Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs on
Helpful Score: 1
This book wa a delight to read. The brief essays each had a smile even though one was bitter sweet. A wonderful feel good read!
reviewed Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs on
Helpful Score: 1
I'm not sure how this book ended up on my shelf but when I got around to reading it I was not disappointed. I enjoyed the short stories and often found myself laughing out loud.
reviewed Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs on + 115 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Great book- funny, insightful, with the absolute BEST cover photo I've ever enjoyed on a book! I almost just kept it for that!
reviewed Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs on + 49 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoyed this book. It was a fast, easy read.
reviewed Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs on + 7 more book reviews
some smart and fun anecdotes interspersed with bits of poetry.
reviewed Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs on + 34 more book reviews
"FAT GIRLS is a gay Erma Bombeck meets A Girl Named Zippy in a hilarious collection of true stories about the misadventures of a woman of size." - - Kathy Patrick, Founder, The Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs.

Kathy, you nailed it, what more can I say?
reviewed Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs on + 16 more book reviews
All I can say is ha ha ha. Very funny book.
reviewed Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs on + 5 more book reviews
Fun and light-hearted. The stories that Cheryl Peck tells are very funny and enjoyable for everyone.
im-no-angel avatar reviewed Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs on + 44 more book reviews
very funny
reviewed Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs on + 87 more book reviews
funny memoir -- "naughty cats, quirky family, large gay woman in the american heartland"
reviewed Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs on + 36 more book reviews
Cheryl Peck has many stories to tell-of her naughty cat, her quirky family, and her experiences as a large gay woman in the American heartland. Now in a potpourri of real tales by turns poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, Cheryl talks about family and growing up, love and loss. With self-deprecating humor and compassionate insight, she remembers the time she hit her baby sister in the back of the head with a rock, how her father taught her how to swim by throwing her into deep water, and the day when-while weighing in a 300 pounds-she became an inspirational goddess at her local gym. Filled with universal stories about a daughter's love for her parents and the eternal quest for finding meaning in it all, this book reveals many seemingly unremarkable moments that make a life-the weighty events that, like fat girls sitting on lawn chairs, just won't let go.
reviewed Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs on
From Publishers Weekly:
As is evident from this book's cover-featuring a cat in lime-green glasses and purple wig, posing with its tongue sticking out-Peck's debut collection of humorous personal essays and poems is nothing if not irreverent. These warmhearted reminiscences cover everything from Peck's childhood (when she was driven to be the "first, fastest, loudest and best" and therefore hated by her peers and feared by her four younger siblings) to her experiences as a gay woman of size.

In the title story, the 50-something Peck explains how she came to conclude that "no self-respecting fat girl ever really trusts a lawn chair,"
A few of her essays fall flat.

Cat lovers will appreciate the goofy narratives told by her cat, Babycakes, but the author's self-deprecating wit and ability to see the drama in everyday situations make this collection so inviting.
rainbowbrite98 avatar reviewed Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs on
Boring. Lame. Lackluster. Poorly written. If you want an amusing book of essays, I suggest reading Laurie Notaro or Jen Lancaster's writing. Peck's life is nothing worth reading about.