Originally posted on my blog: http://libraryladyhylary.blogspot.com ! Check it out for more reviews!Junior in high school, Lara Ardeche, has the perfect life. Beautiful, popular and thin, Lara has spent her life competing in and winning beauty pageants. Her beautiful, thin mother and handsome father adore her, as does her cool boyfriend Jett and her best friend, Molly. Lara's life becomes even better when she is elected homecoming queen, despite the fact that she's just a junior. In the months following her homecoming victory, however, Lara's life becomes a living hell as she inexplicably begins to gain weight very rapidly. As she grows bigger and bigger, her popular friends abandon her, and Lara tries everything to get back to her former thin self. Matters are only worsened by her "perfect" parents who constantly pressure her to diet. After rigorous medical testing, Lara finally discovers that a rare metabolic disorder is the cause of her weight gain, a disorder for which there is no cure. As Lara's life continues to fall apart, she discovers that perhaps things were not as perfect as she had imagined, even when she was thin.Life in the Fat Lane provides a unique view of the teenage obsession with appearance as Lara Ardeche experiences both sides of the coin. Beginning the novel as a thin, beautiful and popular homecoming queen, the reader sees the benefits of fitting in with society's ideal image. As Lara gains weight rapidly, eventually ending up a size 24, the emotional torment she experiences illustrates the loneliness of being "different." As the reader transitions with Lara from beauty queen to "freak," Bennett takes the audience on the heartbreaking journey with her character. Secondary to Lara's weight disorder but equally heartbreaking is the breakdown of Lara's parents' marriage. Lara's mother provides a clear image of the future Lara may have had as a thin, beautiful woman, particularly the fact that this future is far from perfect. Overall, Life in the Fat Lane is a realistic look at what happens when the lie of perfection fails, and how to overcome the realization that apperances aren't everything.I enjoyed this novel quite a bit because it took a different perspective on a common topic: dealing with obesity in high school. Instead of having spent her life overweight, Lara Ardeche transitions from beautiful and perfect to living "in the fat lane." I thought this was interesting, and I'm sure will resonate with readers who have experienced weight fluctuations.
This books focuses on a Homecoming Queen who has a rare disease that makes her gain weight even if she doesn't eat. Lara is a 16 and super popular. She's not mean, but she is passive and lets people make fun of others without sticking up enough for them. Her best friend is overweight, but she still loves her. She fines her lazy though because she could control her weight with diet and exorcize. When Lara starts putting on the pounds, she tried everything to get them off. When she can't lose the weight, she goes to the doctor and after several visits learns she has an incurable disease.Things start to take a turn for the worst when she becomes the fattest girl in school. Even her family blames her for her weigh gain and for embarrassing them. Lara is a sympathetic character, and I did cry several times during this book, but she is still flawed. We get to see her come to accept herself in the final chapter, but she still has a negative view of fat people.I loved the sub-characters in this book. The true message of the book was delivered through their words. The AIDs comparison said it best. I also liked the story her piano teacher told about the cookie. I laughed so hard I was convulsing on the couch. I also loved Jett. He stuck be her and really did love her. Molly was so sweet. Anyone would be lucky to have her as a best friend.Other than weight struggles, this book handles family issues as well. It made me think of Naomi and her mom in the new version of 90210 even though this book was written well before that show. The plot line just deepened the story.In the end, I thought it wrapped up nicely and was definitely a coming of age story where the character is still on her journey at the end of the book. The ending was hopeful and satisfying though. I don't think I'll ever reread this story. It was like a really good Lifetime movie. It pulls on the heart strings because you are discovering things with her, but it wouldn't have the same effect the second time around. Nevertheless, this will be a book that remains a part of my book collection. I would definitely recommend to my teenager if I had one.
What do You think about Life In The Fat Lane (1999)?
Wow, lots of angry reviews. I reread it today just to make sure, but my original opinion stands. This book did a great job of showing how it feels to go from thin and gorgeous to hopelessly overweight (and from Molly on the side, you also get what it's like being the overweight friend of someone much slimmer). The idea of succumbing to a disease where you literally cannot stop gaining weight adds an extra layer of horror, while making you grateful that at least you don't have that problem. Lara is a likable character throughout, never mean, just honest. The writing is vivid and some scenes have stayed with me for years, like Lara raiding the fridge after realizing the diet's doing no good, or realizing that Jett loves her but isn't "in love with" her anymore (HEARTBREAK). I also love that even though this book was published in the late 90s, her mother is a dated cliche, with a mindset of "how to be a good wife/proper woman" evidently unchanged her entire life - I can definitely see that happening. So many issues in this family, it's a delicious soap opera to have for a backdrop while the real story unfolds.
—Stephanie A.
I love a good eating disorder (ED from here on out) story. Let's get that fact out of the way first. I find the psychology of them endlessly fascinating and one day, I hope to work with and help those that suffer from EDs.Perhaps my more-than-casual interest in EDs colored my perception of this novel too strongly. Maybe author, Cherie Bennett, did not intend to address EDs at all, though much of the story centers around typical disordered thoughts and some characters are governed by what is usua
—lanie
Okay, the only reason this book is getting two stars is because it kept me entertained enough to keep turning the pages, but having said that, I pretty much hated this book. I've read a lot of fat books in my day, and this is the first one where I was left completely uninspired. There was no humor, no irony, and really no message at all. I really don't like the idea of teenage girls reading this book, because either way I think this book could actually egg on the stereotype that girls are only valuable if they are thin. Even when the character in the book is at her biggest, she is still unable to forgive her fellow chubby classmates for being chubby. There was no repentance, no realization of inner-beauty, no acceptance of self. And the girls who were skinny, including her mother, were total self-destructive hags who were completely miserable in their own right. The only likeable character was the protagonist's "fat friend" who was a size fourteen (excuse me?), who's genuine kindness and loyalty was lost in her discriptions like "tree trunk thighs" and "fat butt." I understand that we are in a "skinny era," and I can kind of see where the author was coming from in writing the story, but in the end it left me just feeling sad and a bit assaulted!
—Teresa
