Thursday, Mar 26, 2009

Book Review: B as in Beauty

Author:             Alberto Ferreras

Publisher:          Grand Central/Hachette

ISBN:               978-0-446-69789-7

Website:           http://www.albertoferreras.com/

 Type:              Fiction:Chick Lit

Pages:             352

Release Date:    April 24, 2009

Purchase:        $10.28 @ Amazon.com (HERE)

The Story

“Beauty Maria Zavala – you can call her B – hates her size and worse, hates that others judge her for it.  But everything changes when her new tax accountant turns out to be a modern-day fairy godmother.  Armed with same old curves but a whole new attitude, B is ready to show the world what Beauty is all about.”

(Above excerpt is from the back cover of B as in Beauty)

The Review

I must start off by telling you that the most shocking thing about this book, for me, is that it is written by a man.  I would have SWORN that it was written by a woman.  Beauty, aka “B,” is the heroine and narrator of this novel and, if you are a woman, you would completely assume that this narrative was written by a woman.  How this author was able to write, in first person, from a “curvy” woman’s perspective is beyond me.  However, by the way that the men in this novel react to her, I can envision this book being written by one in the male species.  Don’t get me wrong…. I have nothing against men.  I love men, actually.  But, to think that they actually understand the insecurities and dreams of a woman is hard for me to grasp.  Let me give you an example.  Ferreras writes:

“Life for a married man might be tough, but life for a married woman is hell.  Woman have to work and take care of the house and take care of the kids and stay young and stay thin and pretty.  Nowadays we have to be housewives, mothers, professionals, and models: that’s four full-time jobs right there.  Oh!  And please try to save an hour a day for yoga, so you can alleviate some of the stress of this insane lifestyle.  I see women walking in and out of the gym with a baby in one hand and a Blackberry in the other one.  I have yet to meet a man who can juggle all the responsibilities that we handle.”

See?  That doesn’t sound like a man’s authorship, does it?  I applaud Ferreras for putting himself into the character of B and really trying to relate to what women struggle against.  Now, I’m not trying to be sexist.  I have read many men’s authorship of woman’s point of view and vice verse.  But, this is Chick Lit.  Chick Lit has a certain tongue-in-cheek voice that appears to emerge from the woman’s mind.  So far, I have only really seen this type of writing from female authors.  So, I have to give props to Ferreras for really surprising me with this read and blowing my stereotype.

Now that I’m off of that topic, which borders on being sexist, which I hate… (shame, tisk tisk) I didn’t have a ton of hope for this book when I started it.  After a few chapters, I was in Chick Lit Heaven.  I really enjoyed the spin on this book.  How B came to love herself was odd… yet, a fun read.  The storyline kept me hooked and I wanted to see B progress from somebody who never really loved herself to a woman who became comfortable in her own skin.  It was quirky, a bit funny, and a good adventure. 

On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale:”

I’d recommend this book to Chick Lit enthusiasts.  There is some material in here that is borderline on the “naughty scale.”  You’ve got to have an open mind and, better yet, a curious one, to enjoy this book.   But, I did.  Let me give you an example why:

“When I met Simon I never imagined that he could be that kind of guy, and I’m not embarressed to admit that I was wrong.  It takes time to get to know somebody, and if I had dismissed him on that first night, I would have never been able to witness this side of him.”

-and-

“Women go through men, and men go through women, is if we were going through shoes: too high, too low, too tight, too loose, too white, too dark.  We’re not taking the time to get to know anybody.”

It is because of these types of endearing lines that I felt connected to the book and a bit like a hopeless romantic realist (if there is such a thing).  Therefore, I am going to rate this book, genre: Fiction:Chick Lit an  8 OUT OF 10.  It’s a great poolside, airplane ride, or escape the kids screaming read.

My heartfelt thanks to Miriam and Hachette for this escaping read. 

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