Imagine if you woke up one day and you were suddenly the
most beautiful woman in town. In the mirror, your
reflection hasn't change, but you slowly realize that the
entire societal standard of beauty has been readjusted with
your body as the new ideal.
For Ronnie Tremayne, a depressed and binge-eating size 28,
the world shifts overnight into an alternate reality where
bulges are beautiful and fat is fantastic. Ronnie has
always wanted to design high-end fashions but has settled
for working retail at Luscious Landing -- a plus size
boutique that's now a huge success.
In a blur of cream sauce, weight-gain coaches, opulent
buffets, and straining waistbands, Ronnie's formerly
disapproving mother is suddenly her biggest supporter and
dozens of similarly obese men are suddenly sending her
flowers and wooing her with dinner, drinks and sex. In this
reality where gigantic is gorgeous, all of her dreams in
business and pleasure seem to be coming true, but as Ronnie
gets busier and more popular, her appetite decreases. If
she can't keep her weight up though, she'll risk her
success in this new reality, because where plus-sizes are
the ideal, the "skinnies" are viewed disparagingly as
people who just can't control their eating enough to gain
some weight. And in both realities, why does the
affectionate men's clothing store owner next door seem
oblivious to her body size, whether she's thin or fat, and
whether fat or thin is in?
While this original concept is slightly unbelievable, the
author uses the opportunity to make an excellent point
about societal discrimination based on body type and size.
As Ronnie and I both discovered the limitations of her new
reality, I was surprised by some of the quirky twists that
Ms. Waggener took in her transition between normality and
ALTERNATE BEAUTY. The descriptions of fat rolls, flabby
arms and loose skin after weight loss were disconcertingly
realistic to this size-18 reader, but an escape into the
world of "big is beautiful" was both fun and insightful.
Not surprisingly, this enjoyable book's final message is
one of acceptance and self-confidence for any body size or
situation.
She couldn’t change the way the world looked at her, so she
changed the world....Ronnie Tremayne is a big girl with big
dreams: she wants to be a fashion designer. But as her
model-thin mother never fails to remind her, in fashion,
image is everything–and Ronnie is a size 28. When she
learns that her job managing a plus-size boutique is in
jeopardy because her weight is “disturbing” to the
clientele, Ronnie loses control. After a late-night binge,
she dozes off wishing for a world where fat is beautiful.
When she awakens the next morning…it is.
Now the ideal woman, Ronnie is thrust into the spotlight.
She attends the best parties. She has her mother’s
approval. Her boss invests in her clothing line. And the
men! But as her appetite for life grows, Ronnie’s
appetite for food shrinks. She soon becomes unrecognizable–
inside and out. And while navigating the giddy highs and
miserable lows of this so-called perfect world, Ronnie
discovers what she should have known all along:
it’s not the size of your body that matters, but the size
of your heart.
Wise, witty, and compassionate, this stunning debut novel
speaks to anyone who has ever engaged in the battle of the
bulge–or the exasperatingly elusive pursuit of perfection.
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