Jemima J

May 29, 2000
Yet another take on the singles scene, and from yet another British writer, this jaunty novel has one slightly new focus--the Internet as a dating device. "Bored, fat and unhappy" Jemima Jones is a hack writer on a small London paper, whose weight precludes both promotion (which she richly deserves, because she's smart) and getting together with the man of her dreams: kind, modest and gorgeous reporter Ben Williams. The Web opens a new world to Jemima, and when she begins an online correspondence with L.A. gym owner Brad, identifying herself as JJ, her friend Geraldine encourages her to send Brad a doctored photo of what she would look like if she were thin. Jemima joins a gym, goes on a diet and even becomes a blonde, preparing to accept Brad's invitation to come to L.A. Lucky JJ: Brad turns out to be a hunk, and the sex is great... but JJ senses that something is wrong. Meanwhile, Ben has become a celebrity "presenter" on British TV, but while the whole country goes gaga over his looks, he too feels that something is missing. By the time several coincidences produce a dreams-come-true ending, readers are fond of plucky Jemima, but somewhat tired out by her adventures. Green's determination to provide texture results in too many scenes that brim with London and L.A. local color, but fail to add verve to the narrative. Outside of Geraldine, who, surprisingly, is both beautiful and a true friend, the other characters tend to be stereotypes: Jemima's roommates, airheads on the make; the predatory female TV producer; the editor who offers Jemima a promotion once she is blonde and svelte. Though the concept is clever and nicely handled, the broad humor lacks true comic brio. (As the online initiated would say: it's not LOL.) Green does, however, capture the nuances and neuroses of the singles scene with a gimlet eye and an uninhibited voice. A bestseller in England, the book should also hook female readers here as they relate to Green's frank comments about body size and social acceptability.

January 1, 2000
Chubby Jemima must face the music after passing herself off as rake-thin to her newfound e-mail love. A best seller in Britain.

Copyright 2000 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2000
Over the past few years, novels about single women in their twenties and thirties looking for love and success have become steadily more plentiful. Green's entry into the field is one of the best to come along. Jemima Jones is 100 pounds overweight and feels that her size is holding her back. Her boss at the "Kilburn Herald" doesn't promote her, and the handsome deputy news editor, Ben Williams, whom she adores, thinks of her only as a friend. So Jemima turns to the Internet, where she meets Brad, a hunk who runs a gym in Los Angeles--if she can believe what he says. But when she sees Ben with another woman, Jemima decides she's had enough. She joins a gym, starts dieting, and soon she's losing weight rapidly, until she weighs only 121 pounds. She's now a stunning beauty, but she's still insecure about herself. However, with the encouragement of her friend Geraldine, she goes to L.A. to meet Brad. He turns out to be everything he promised, at least on the surface, but is he the man of Jemima's dreams? The book has an almost fairy-tale quality as Jemima discovers that while being thin helps, it doesn't automatically guarantee that one will find true love. Charming, witty, good-hearted fun. ((Reviewed April 1, 2000))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)

April 15, 2000
Green's superficial novel tells readers that although beauty isn't everything (the right man will love you for who you are, not your looks), a sensible diet and regular exercise can turn any fat and ugly duckling into a slim, tanned, well-dressed, and exceedingly attractive swan. Jemima Jones, 100 pounds overweight and possessing a definite inferiority complex about her appearance, has a desperate crush on Ben, the devastatingly handsome deputy news editor of the small London paper where they both work. After taking an Internet class, Jemima strikes up an e-mail relationship with Brad, a health club owner in Southern California, giving her the impetus to go on a successful diet and exercise regimen. Many pounds lighter, she visits Brad in Santa Monica, where she discovers that he is too gorgeous for words, that sex with him is better than her fantasies, but that he is really in love with Jenny, his immensely overweight secretary. Meanwhile, Ben, now a famous television star, comes to Santa Monica on work and, once he sets eyes on Jemima, realizes that he loves her, always did, and always will. Is this ridiculous, or what? In Green's hands, the "overweight Bridget Jones" subgenre of British fiction does not look promising. Not recommended. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/00.]--Nancy Pearl, Washington Ctr. for the Book, Seattle

Copyright 2000 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.