Good In Bed by Jennifer Weiner

Just around the time this blog was set up, I was almost at the end of reading "Good in Bed" by Jennifer Weiner. Of course, I did manage to finish it before Z assigned the first book. I must admit that this was the first chick-lit novel that I wanted to read back when I was in college, but I never got around to read it until now.

If you haven't read the book yet, I advice you to skip reading so as not to spoil your fun.

Plot Summary

(Taken from cover)

For twenty-eight years, things have been tripping along nicely for Cannie Shapiro. Sure, her mother has come charging out of the closet, and her father has long since dropped out of her world. But she loves her friends, her rat terrier, Nifkin, and her job as pop culture reporter for The Philadelphia Examiner. She's even made a tenuous peace with her plus-size body.

But the day she opens up a national women's magazine and sees the words "Loving a Larger Woman" above her ex-boyfriend's byline, Cannie is plunged into misery...and the most amazing year of her life. From Philadelphia to Hollywood and back home again, she charts a new course for herself: mourning her losses, facing her past, and figuring out who she is and who she can become.

My View(s):

I found "Good in Bed" to be a delightful read. The fact that Cannie is a plus-sized lady gave me that "real" texture to the storyline. Her feelings towards her weight is something that I can relate to, as well as her constant battle with it.

The characters were greatly developed over the course of the story. I really believe that at some point Cannie and her experiences were based heavily on Weiner's personal life, and that is what gives the story great points which many people can relate to.

Cannie narrates pretty much throughout the whole book, which enables readers to see and feel what she is going through, how she feels, what she sees, and even her jokes.

Being plus-sized myself (I think I am much bigger than Cannie though), I can "hugely" relate to her feels and self-consciousness, and that need to prove something to the world.

I do not know about others, but the part that touched me the most was when the sole of Cannie's running shoes came off, and somebody helped her, and taped her sole back on using packaging tape. She had been walking then, to the point where she had no idea where she was, and she had not taken a bath for days, and she lost considerable weight. I believe she was at the height of her anger, frustration, and grief then, and she needed a lot of help. Who would have thought that somebody like the person who helped her would be integral to making her realize certain things. This part proves to be a pivotal point in the story as things finally start falling into place.

In a way, the novel had its "fairy tale" leaning where girl somewhat gets a better man in the end, but somehow the way Jennifer Weiner wrote Cannie makes one see a whole other "heroine" out there. Sometimes we just imagine sexy women with long flowing locks and doe eyes tempting men here and there - or even stories of models and their escapades. But not this book... its not quite common for me.

Overall, I would suggest it for those who need a boost in life, love, and even for the soul. Makes one think, really...