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Title: Artichoke's Heart
ISBN: 0525479023
Author:
Suzanne Supplee
Publicate Date: 2008-06-12
Publish: 2008-06-12
List Price: $16.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $8.49
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $8.47
Amazon Merchant Price: $11.55
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Artichoke's Heart, great read
Suzanne Supplee was my son's first "real" girlfriend, so naturally her book was of interest to me. I told her it would take me awhile to read it because I'm fairly adicted to watching television! However, after picking up the book on a beautiful Saturday, I sat outside on my deck and didn't go in until I was finished! The relationship between Rosie and her mother was so real. Having lived in Columbia, TN, for many years, the references to the area brought back wonderful memories. The humor of this young girl who overcame taunts by classmates flowed through the book. I can hardly wait to give it to my granddaughter. I know she'll love it just like I did!
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2: A delectable story for any girl
"Artichoke's Heart" is a heartwarming story that is about much more than just a "big girl" finding her own way. Rosemary Goode is just like any other 16 year-old, dealing with insecurities and first crushes, but she's also a girl who is much wiser and wittier than the average teenager. All of Supplee's characters are real, and more importantly, relatable. The dynamic relationships between Rosemary and her family were humorous and captivating, and I was rooting for her the whole way through the book.
I couldn't put the book down and I look forward to more from Mrs. Supplee. The cover art was especially adorable and added to the book's wonderful charm.
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3: A Delightful Read
I would like to congratulate the author for getting in the head of every overweight (or over-conscious) young girl living today. Suzanne Supplee brings Rosemary to life with her honest portrayal of the inner workings of this young adolescent.
It is a beautiful piece with a beautiful message, and there isn't an ounce of suger-coating.
Well done. Highly recommended.
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4: Not just for young girls
I know this is a "young girl" book but this "old" girl (41) loved it, too! I met Suzanne Supplee at a writers meet and greet. She had an advance copy of this book and I fell in love with the cover! I asked, "What is it about?" She told me it was about an overweight teenager learning to love herself. My jaw dropped. Because the woman standing in front of me had first-hand knowledge of the dreaded words "size two". I said, "What do you know about being a fat girl? I thought the old adage was authors write about what they know." She said, "You don't have to be fat to be insecure." She had my attention then, so I ordered my copy in advance.
Written in the first-person, we follow Rosemary's trials and tribulations with her weight. While she works on the outside, she realizes the inside needs some reshaping, too. The transformation is wonderful to watch and you feel like Rosie's triumphs are yours as well.
I recommend this book for the young and old, skinny and fat girls because there is a little of "the fat girl" in all of us.
P.S. I do have to say "shame on you" to the graphic artist who designed the cover. Every time I picked this yummy looking book up I wanted some chocolate!
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5: Heart and Hope
There are many layers in Artichoke's Heart. Peel them away and you'll find a heartfelt story about family and friends, about self-esteem and healthful living.
The book covers about six months in the life of Rosemary, a fifteen year old girl who is just as aware of her weight as her classmates are, though she is more frustrated with her aunt's pointed remarks about it than those of her peers. Rosemary has grown up in a town where everyone knows everyone, and in a house with her hardworking single mother, who gave birth when she was a teenager herself. Rosemary works alongside her mom at Heavenly Hair, a salon that's always bustling with activity and gossip.
After a particularly indulgent holiday season, Rosemary finds herself pushing 200 pounds and can't comfortably fit into her clothes. She finally decides to lose weight. Though she begins with a crash diet, which worried me, then turned to Pounds-Away shakes and bars, I was relieved and glad when she got back on solid foods and learned to simply be conscious of her food and of portion size. Then, with the help of an unlikely new friend - Kay-Kay, popular, slender, and athletic - she starts to exercise regularly. The two girls go on morning runs together, sharing secrets and silliness, bonding quickly, and Rosemary starts using her treadmill for more than a laundry dump.
Rosemary's journey takes many paths. She starts seeing a therapist to discuss her health and her life. Her mother's illness shakes their world, worrying them both for obvious reasons, though neither is very good at expressing her concerns. Mother and daughter as well as aunt and grandmother reconnect in new ways. Rosemary's first serious boyfriend, Kyle, is kind, athletic, and likable. Her sixteenth birthday is memorable. The other women and men who work at Heavenly Hair are fun. That setting and those scenes will appeal to fans of Steel Magnolias and the poignant novel Beauty Shop for Rent ...fully equipped, inquire within by Laura Bowers. Artichoke's Heart is full of hope, with thoughts in the introduction and conclusion inspired by Emily Dickinson, which will hopefully in turn inspire readers to be healthy, happy, and whole.
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