Cathy Alter's life is anything but charming. Her love life
sucks, her body is less than ideal, and her home could
actually use a little sprucing as well. At the ripe old age
of thirty -- seven, an epiphany comes to her in the form of
magazines. Each month she vows to use her "self -- help"
articles to reformulate her life. One goal per month and she
is on her way. The journey is hysterical and the tips
actually work. While working on herself, she essentially
finds the means within her own being to be a better person.
She also finds her prince, and this Cinderella is living the
dream.
I couldn't put it down. This book is amazing. In the
beginning, it was apparent that Cathy didn't like herself
and to be quite frank, neither did I. She was an accident
waiting to happen. Through her honest, painstaking efforts,
she revamped everything about her and this "vamp come clean"
actually ends up being someone I would love to get to know
better. I cheered for her, laughed with her, sympathized in
her struggles and altogether got to feel like I was on the
journey of a lifetime with a new friend. What a wonderful
writer -- raw and vulnerable to her readers. Her struggles
are of a modern day woman. Any breathing female could
benefit from her tips and be a better person from just
reading her book. A laugh out loud adventure one month at a
time. I will never look at magazines the same again. Great
Book -- Kudos to Cathy on a great work both in literature and
in life. You go girl!
By age thirty-seven, Cathy Alter had made a mess of her
life. With a failed marriage already under her belt, she was
continuing down the path of poor decisions, one paved with a
steady stream of junk food, unpaid bills, questionable
friends, and highly inappropriate men. So she sat down and
asked herself what she truly wanted. A decent guy. A
nicer home. More protein. When she took a closer look at
her wants, she noticed something that seemed very familiar
-- with the addition of exclamation points, her list could
easily be transformed into the cover lines on every women's
magazine: Find the love you deserve! Paint to the rescue!
Eggs-actly perfect meals!
So Cathy gave over her life to
the glossies for the next twelve months, resolving to follow
their advice without question. By the end of her
subscriptions, she would get rid of upper-arm jiggle, crawl
out of debt, host the perfect dinner party, run a mile
without puking, engage in better bathtub booty, ask for a
raise, and rehaul her apartment.
Well, at least that was
the premise of her social experiment. What actually happened
was much less about cosmetic change and much more about
internal transformation. Singular in its voice and yet
completely universal, Up for Renewal will appeal to
all who have ever wondered if they could actually make their
life over.
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