Misadventures Of Fatwoman

by Julie Elizabeth Powell

Andi has always been anxious about her weight and like many women, thinks that unless she is thin, she has no value.

Follow her 'misadventures' and see if this is true or will she find there are more important things that makes a person who and what they are?



Cover Design: Julie Elizabeth Powell
Stage photo by Stuart Miles from freedigitalphotos.net
Silhouette by sattva from freedigitalphotos.net

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary

206 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 28, 2011

About the author

Hello everyone. If you haven't guessed by now I have a passion for words and have numerous books published in a variety of genres and lengths, in addition to short story anthologies with other authors in the Mind's Eye Series.

Several of my stories are also included within several box sets with Paper Gold Publishing.

Audiobooks are also available at Audible.

UK - http://www.audible.co.uk/search/ref=a...

USA - http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_m...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_s...

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_...

http://julizpow.wix.com/julieelizabet...

http://www.freewebs.com/julizpow

http://www.lulu.com/julizpow

http://www.amazon.com/Julie-Elizabeth...

https://www.facebook.com/julieelizabe...

https://www.facebook.com/GoneByJulieE...

https://twitter.com/starjewelz

I cannot ignore my dreams, so many of them, with names and places and ideas that spark my imagination and compel me to write; to create stories, whether fantasy or horror, or mystery or psychological thriller or murder or even humour and adventure. So, my garden is sown, flourishing, with all manner of growth, and still the dreams come.


Julie Elizabeth Powell, my soul lingering within my imagination; maybe you’ll join me?

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book Julie Elizabeth Powell exposes all of the insecurities most women feel. The main character, Andi, is overweight so most of her feelings of inadequacy are based around her size and whether she measures up to other women. She fears that she may not be attractive enough and that her partner will leave her; having suffered a previous marriage breakdown, she feels paranoid. I'm sure that plenty of women will be able to relate to Andi for so many different reasons. With the media bombarding us with images of what a perfect woman should look like, this book digs deeper and reveals that there is so much more to a person than what is on the outside. Full of believable characters and hilarious scenes, this a fast-paced and satisfying read. The only slight criticism I have is that in some parts I felt the book might have been better written in the first person as it was so detailed in regard to Andi's thoughts and feelings. This didn't affect my enjoyment of the story though. A fun and entertaining read.

[Suzan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved the narrator Melanie Fraser she is a narrator that I will look for again. I thought this book was funny and well written. My problem was with Andi. I'm not sure what size Andi is but she has a really bad body image. I understand this. I have never had a weight problem and am a size 4 but I feel like I am a size 18. So I can relate but my problem was not one chapter in the whole book doesn't have Andi not dwelling on this. It was just to much for me.
I received this book for free with the understanding that I would give an honest review.

[Arlena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author: Julie Elizabeth Powell
Published By: J.E.P.
Age Recommend: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Raven Rating: 5
Blog Review For: GMTA
Review:

"Misadventures of Fatwoman" by Julie E. Powell was indeed a wonderful read. This novel was so very important to me and I just could not put it down until I was finished with it.The story was dealing with Andi who was over weight and had been since childhood. Andi has dealt with ridicule all during her life and this has caused her tosuffers from low self esteem.

Even though she is in a good marriage Andi feels paranoid due to the fact that her first husband had wandering eyes. Was there a reason for this? What did she find in Rays'(husband) coat pocket? What happens when Andi finally finds out about the coat? Was her husband cheating on her? You will have to pick up this fast paced good read to find out.

This novel deals with there being much more to a person than is what is on the outside and with the insecurities of just how most women do feel made this novel really take on like a real life story.

The relationship with Andis' husband and children are very mixed with how she truly feels and thinks about herself. The talent show that was put on gave some real confidence that Andi needed and having a good friend like Sally was a very helpful in motivating Andi.

"Misadventures of Fatwoman" was very emotional and humorous read. We can see that a large woman has many struggles that they face every single day of there life. Now how Andi is able to handles this will be .....well you pick up this good read and see for yourself
how it turns out. I definitely would recommend this as a good read.


Read more: http://www.greatmindsthinkaloud.probo...

[Fiona Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet again a book where I can totally relate to the lead character!

This book is all about the life of Andi, a married mum of 2, ready to turn 40, and her misadventures in the run up to this occasion.

Andi is fat, although to be honest when she lists her weight as 9lbs 2ozs I was thinking to myself "Fat? That's so not fat, I will show you fat!"

Throughout the book she struggles to remain positive in the face of other people's perceptions of her. She attends a weekly 'fat club', dreads that long walk up to the scales to be told how much, if anything, she has lost that week. It was 1lb by the way!

She struggles too with her relationships with husband, daughter, ex husband and friends. This book is about her daily belief that she is not worthy of very much.

The author does an amazing job of getting inside Andi's head and bringing her thoughts out onto the page. Andi is such an easy character to empathise with for those of us who do struggle with weight and self esteem issues. She outwardly gives the impression of being happy and jolly, yet inside she isn't, and not even her best friend and husband know the depth of her doubts in herself.

A great read which has so much humour within it I laughed out loud a few times. I can recognise myself in so many of the situations Andi finds herself in.
One particular part which made me laugh, as well as wonder how she found the guts to do it, involves a costume she wears near the end of the book. I won't say anything more than this - I want one!! So so funny.

A thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Kitty Muse Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrea May Wallace, nee Worthing (once Stafford) has a good life. Her husband, Ray, is crazy about her, as are her kids, Meg and Ben. She has a great job and good, supportive friends.
She has only one naysayer, one person who dooms her to living in an internal hell of self-degradation.
And that one person is Andrea May Wallace.
She’s not sure when it started, this whole getting-large thing. She had been very active as a child, adventurous even. But in school, everything changed. From then until the present, she second-guesses every movement, every motive…simply because she is not the size she wants to be. It doesn’t help that her first husband, John, was everything she never wanted, and proved it time and again.
Now, this sounds rather depressing, but the narration is light-hearted and humorous, as if it is being told by a person who has finally gotten over it all and is looking back with a healed heart. First dates, weight-loss meetings, trying on clothes—all those adventures someone who is not a super-model must go through—all told with a fantastic blend of humor and heartbreak.
Take this classroom scenario: “Love notes would pass amongst the class faster than pigeons coming home to roost…Her pigeon must have died, shot down by some heady farmer while muttering something about ‘ice cubes and Hell’.”
Humor and heartache, entwined into a fantastic tale.
Ms. Powell, ever the consummate storyteller, has done it again! Bravo!!

[Vero · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book in 2 days while i was tanning by the pool. It is a perfect light read but real at the same time. Most light reads are pure fiction with happy endings and no real struggle for the main character. In Missadventures of Fatwoman we meet Andi, who is a n overweight woman and of course all her insecurities would link back to her weight. Andi goes through the same problems relates to insecurities as any other woman and that is why the book felt so real and relatable.

This was definetly a character driven book. All the characters were entertaining but it based specially on Andi. Her friends and family appear as a support character and they were perfect. I loved the interactions she had with all the characters and her best friend Sally. I thought the interactions were written beautifully because they added to the story.

I loved the plot as it was easy to follow yet reflected the reality of many woman, not just overweight ones. I loved the message and how our heroin understood it herself over the course of the book. It does show that women dont get 100% over their insecurities but learn to accept that they are not perfect as no one is.

Loved it and cant wait to read something else by Julie Elizabeth Powell

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Misadventures of Fatwoman (Julie Elizabeth Powell)

This is the story of Andi, an average woman who happens to be overweight. She struggles with low self esteem, and is trying to raise a family. She has issues with security and fidelity, since her first husband had cheated on her numerous times.

Emotional at times, yet humorous, we see the struggles a large woman has in society. We can feel Andis emotions as she is ridiculed and scorned. We can also see the struggles in every day life, in simple tasks as sitting on a stool or fitting in a washroom stall.

Another great read by Julie Elizabeth Powell
I look forward to reading Of Sound Mind The Star Realm& Invasion

[Julie Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Misadventures of Fatwoman by Julie Elizabeth Powell:
Andi recalls her life as a baby, always eating and then as a child in school and
all the terrors of being big and going on a date.
Even as a young mother she would go on diets to help lose weight and they never worked.
Although her daughter makes fun of her she continues to go to the Fat Club meetings.
Episodes of falling before she got to meet up with her first date and spilling everything
from her purse, roller skating and falling, were some things that continued to happen to
her because of her weight and loss of balance.
She still volunteered at the local senior center teaching them how to use computers. She
also got up before everybody else and swam, liking the feeling of the water.
Things are looking up, she's lost a few pounds and even found a new dress that looked good
on her as her husband accepted an award and money at work. Their cruise was coming up soon
and she'd be 40. Talent show, would it give her the confidence she needed.
Her friend Sally is a lifesaver with help for the costume and motivation.
She doesn't trust her husband when she found a button from a hotel. She confronts him with
the information.

[Gae-Lynn Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

MISADVENTURES OF FATWOMAN is a hilarious story with a great message. Andi is Fatwoman, an almost 40 year old struggling with her weight, fears about her marriage, and with how she thinks others perceive her. Ms. Powell takes us through all the horrors Andi faces, including small dressing rooms, a mammogram (they're horrendous no matter how big you are!), and catty comments from others. By the end of the story, Andi's starting to trust her own value despite how she feels about her appearance, and to believe what those who love her tell her: that she's beautiful inside and out - a message most of us can learn from.

I don't know whether she realizes it or not, but Ms. Powell writes with such insight about a woman's brain that the emotions Andi feels could be due not to her weight, but to any of the imperfections women label themselves with, and with very few changes to the story, the book could've been titled: Misadventures of Skinnywoman, Bignosewoman, Littleboobwoman, Spottyfacewoman!

A great read not only for the story and the laughs, but for the reminder that beauty is not only skin deep. Five stars!

[251 Things To Do · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powell dwells deeply into the psychological development and nature of the main character. I believe this is a fairly accurate representation of the mindset of many women, especially my mom, and the effect of the pressures of societies idea of the unrealistic ‘perfect woman.’ Not only is the protagonist insecure about her figure as a middle-aged woman, but this all started back as soon as she hit puberty around 14. Imagine the wasted repeated thought patterns that tormented her all throughout those years! And this is an accurate portrayal of all women… skinny, large, wide, etc. The main character is simply another victim to societies pressure to be and act a certain way, and comically the author delivers this firm message.

Imagine what women could do with their brain power, if they weren’t so distracted to look a certain way! How wonderful would it be to ban makeup in North America. Now that is food for thought. A wonderful entertaining read! You can finish this in the afternoon, and it will surely provide a few laughs and a positive boost of self-esteem.

[Shanna Tidwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a world full of body shaming it's really sad to read a book about a woman who hates her body so much. I actually couldn't even tell what the size of the main character was. Characters tell her that she's beautiful and her husband thinks she's irresistible..... yet all she can talk about is how fat every single part of her body is. I wanted to love this book but I just liked it. I've been every size from a size 3 to a size 18 and I know how hard it is to love my body. I know how often I criticize every part of it. So while that was truthful and honest you still wanted her to realize how fabulous she was. I don't think that there was a single chapter that she didn't talk about her weight.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Boom.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars -for the story
3 stars - for the narration
Learning to love yourself and the body your in.

Andi has low self esteem about her appearance/weight. Something many woman can relate to at one time or another in their life. Woman are their own worst enemies when it comes to self criticism.

While there are some funny and humorous situations in the story, honestly I expected this to be more humorous. I just felt sad for Andi, no one should berate themselves that much. The sadness I felt for Andi and her self esteem issues through out the majority of the book depressed me.

Melanie Fraser did a good job with the narration. Great voices for all the characters male and female. Pleasant voice.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom.com

[Book-shelf Shelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliantly funny book of a woman coming to terms with her size. Although i could never actually picture Andi as huge like the book indicated, but then i think i was more reading her personality which is that of a lovely genuine person who is caring and wonderful.
The humour in the book was brilliant and as a fellow fat-woman i totally agreed with the fighting urge for the forbidden goodies and the comments from some people. A very good book to make you realize that you are not alone on that diet.

[Georgiann Hennelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Andi's story, an average women who has weight issues. She struggles with trying to raise a family and low self esteem. She has trust issues since her first husband cheated on her. At times an emotional rad, yet humorous, as we see all the struggles a large women faces in society.We feel her emotions as she is scorned and ridiculed.We also see her struggles in everyday life. A truly fascinating read. I look forward to reading more by this author Julie Elizabeth Powell

[Billie Kowalewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this. I was expecting more of a comedy, and though it was funny at times this story took on a different tone and underlying message that I did not see coming. Even though, I was expecting something different I was not at all disappointed by what I read.This is a heartwarming story most of us can relate too about a woman and her struggles with her weight and self image. This author shed light on an issue in such a way that was easily relatable, and heartwarming, and will give your own self-esteam a boost as your read it. You will not be disappointed by this story either. This is a quick read, that will leave you feeling good, and will stay with you long after you read it.

[Carole Mckee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific Story

I just love reading any story where the man sees the woman and not her size. Andi is very self- conscious about het size, to a point where she is obsessIve. Lucky for her she has a husband who isn't. Between Ray and her best friend, Andi is developing a great sense of self-esteem. Such an uplifting story. Loved it.

[Beth M. Honeycutt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really entertaining story and a fast read. In fact, I read it all in one sitting one afternoon and really enjoyed it. The main character is really wonderful and someone that most women can relate to. You find yourself really rooting for her and hoping she realizes how much she's loved and valued by those around her. I found myself liking the supporting characters as well--they all felt like real people to me. I especially loved Andi's best friend and her husband and how supportive both of them were of Andi. I loved the humor in the book, too. Andi gets into all kinds of scrapes and many situations I could totally identify with. The one at the doctor's office made me laugh. This is a great book that deals with the gap between how we see ourselves--especially those of us that struggle with our weight--versus how others see us, and the challenge of letting our self-esteem be determined by who we are, rather than how we look.

I'd definitely recommend this book!

[Luzmaria Morneault-welton · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an inspirational story of an overweight woman and all things she has to deal with being overweight and the things she has tried to lose weight. Although the story is about weight issues I believe it's much more than that. We all have issues or things we don't like about ourselves and wish we could change. Or the fact that if your issues are physical others can be cruel in what they say. I thought the message was a great one. In my eyes I took it as we're all great as long as we're happy with ourselves and don't take things for granted. If that was not the authors intended message, that's how I took it so I thank her. Great book for people of all ages who need a pick me up or just want to enjoy a happy tale.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”

The female protagonist Andi, suffers from low self esteem. She has a great husband, good kids and a wonderful job. She is over weight, so she sees herself as lacking. A lot of women have this problem as society as a whole judges for "differences." The author did a great job showcasing this with a bit of humor too.


The narration was well done.The characters were well portrayed.

[Elaine Ivey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. I felt so in touch with Andi. I felt her pain and angst. I really enjoyed this book and I think you will too.

[Margo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a great book, but well narrate

[Melanie Page · Rating 1 out of 5]

Full review at Grab the Lapels.

Here is an excerpt:

What about that cover? Andi’s job is to teach people who live in a home for those with physical disabilities how to use computers. When the funding doesn’t come through, she decides to put on a talent show to raise money. Though everyone in the house tells Andi she is charismatic, Andi refuses to be the MC. She’s too fat, of course. Imagine that: a house full of people who cannot fully use their bodies have to beg a fat woman, who has no issues with mobility, to see her body as valuable.