Romance Reviews Today – 09.20.2005 issue

Maggie can’t remember a time when she wasn’t fat. She is always planning to start a new diet and exercise regimen, but somehow the time never arrives. Her weight rules her world. At twenty-seven years old, she is going to be maid of honor at her best friend Olivia’s wedding, and hopes to look slim and trim in her beautiful dress, so dieting is a must. She usually wears long sweaters to cover her bulk, and is always uncomfortable with herself. Olivia, who used to be fat, had gastric-bypass surgery, and is now thin, blond, and marrying a local physician. Maggie and Olivia’s relationship is changing. Is Olivia pretending to be somebody other than who she is, or just becoming a different person?

Although Maggie has a degree in art history and museum preservation, she has been working at a local coffee shop and is interested in the bus boy, Dominic. She has never had a boyfriend, and although she would desperately like to have a relationship, she is afraid of rejection. Her sister gives her information about a job for a Getty Museum internship, but will Maggie pursue this ideal job? Or will she let her low self-esteem keep her dispensing coffee?

Funny and poignant, CONVERSATIONS WITH THE FAT GIRL is a story that many of us can relate to in our size 2 Twiggy world. Maggie agonizes over every pound and feels totally inadequate. She lives in her glorious daydreams. Written in first person, the story is funny, but sad at the same time. Any relationships Maggie has had only led to rejection and humiliation. The secondary characters enhance the story. Olivia is changing in personality as well as body, not wanting to remember anything about having been fat; Dominic is a good friend and maybe something more; and Maggie’s family is very supportive.

A debut imprint for Warner Books and the author, CONVERSATIONS WITH THE FAT GIRL is a terrific beginning. It is a story of friendship, love, and self-discovery. The writing is very good, with snappy dialogue that will make readers laugh as they commiserate with Maggie and cheer her on. Kudos to 5 SPOT and Liza Palmer. This is a book that readers won’t want to miss.

Entertainment Weekly - September 9, 2005 Issue
Marilyn Heyman • Overall Grade - B

SECTION: BOOKS/CHICK LIT 101: LADIES WHO LAUNCH; Pg. 147
LENGTH: 372 words
HEADLINE: CHICK LIT 101: LADIES WHO LAUNCH
BYLINE: Jennifer Armstrong; Clarissa Cruz

CONVERSATIONS WITH THE FAT GIRL Liza Palmer (5 Spot, $ 12.95) Overweight Maggie and Olivia are best friends...until Olivia gets gastric bypass surgery and embarks on a size 2 life.

Source of Angst: Olivia asks Maggie to be maid of honor at her wedding, forcing Maggie to hang out with Olivia's insufferable new friends.

Career Move:Sick of her dead-end job, Maggie applies for an internship at the Getty Museum.

Lowdown: The story takes a more interesting turn once Maggie stops wallowing. And the descriptions of Olivia's catty pals are priceless.

From Gothic Revue – reviewed by Sue Shackles

This is a book all women should read.

Conversations with the Fat Girl is right up there with Bridget Jones’ Diary in the author’s ability to take her protagonists and have them turn the mirror on the reader. Who hasn’t been on one side of this equation or another at some point in their life?

As a character, Maggie is at once endearing and hilariously self-deprecating, while at the same time making you want to envelop her in a big hug and feed her low carb cookies with no trans fat. In trying to become invisible to others, she has lost sight of herself and who she is. Her battle to reveal herself – including her Area – her euphemistic term for her unsightly belly bulge, is smart, funny and incredibly honest. If you’re not rooting for her by the end of the story then you have no soul.

Liza Palmer is an astonishingly good writer with a terrific grasp of character and voice. She had a tightrope to walk with Maggie and Olivia who could easily have become caricatures, and in the case of Maggie, a consummate doormat for whom it was difficult to engender sympathy or sisterhood. She walked that tightrope with brilliant ease, molding her characters until they popped off the pages. Let’s hope we hear more from this wonderful author soon.