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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