Von Wahrheit, Schönheit und Ziegenkäse

by Megan Frazer Blakemore

Dara Cohen war so ein süßes kleines Mädchen! Rotwangig und mit bezauberndem Lächeln wurde sie sogar "Little Miss Maine". Das ist zehn Jahre her, und Dara ist nicht nur größer geworden, sondern auch breiter. Ziemlich viel breiter.
Ihre Welt ist also ohnehin schon kompliziert genug. Dann entdeckt sie, dass sie eine ältere Schwester namens Rachel hat - das haben ihre Eltern ihr nie erzählt! Kurz entschlossen macht Dara ihre Schwester ausfindig, die mit ein paar ungewöhnlichen Freunden auf einer Ziegenfarm lebt. Und dort lernt Dara nicht nur, wie Käse gemacht wird.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Teen, LGBT

388 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 7, 2009

About the author

Megan Frazer Blakemore is an author for children and young adults. She lives with her husband and children in Maine. She has worked in both school and public libraries, and is currently pursuing a doctorate in library science at Simmons SLIS.

Reviews

[oliviasbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars altogether. At the age of nine Dara Cohen, former Little Miss Maine, found out by chance that she had an older sister who left home for good half a year before Dara's birth. Dara's mother refused to discuss the matter stating that Rachel had been a bad person whose criminal actions against her own family made any attempt at revoking contact unnegotiable. Until Dara got seventeen, obese and into the center of her parents' idea of parental behavior in a family crisis, she had swallowed her mother's vague explanations unquestioned. But when Dara criticizes her parents' dislike of her obesity in a multi-media-autobiography project for school and experiences their scornful lashing out for pointing out their flaws first hand, she sees Rachel's flight from home in a new light. If her parents decided to take her out of school instead of acknowledging to have problems to accept her weight gain, how bad can Rachel's 'crime' possibly have been? It takes Dara a lot of courage to locate her unknown sister on a goat farm and ask her to take her in for the rest of the term and the following summer holidays. It takes some hesitant dancing around each other to detect the things that connect them, to talk about the past and their family and to grow a strong sisterly bond between them. And finally it takes some kissing, some swimming, some singing and some goat cheese to make Dara become comfortable around herself and to determinedly go for the things she wants from life.
I especially liked about „Truth and Beauty“ that
- Dara is beautiful although she is overweight. And in spite of losing a handful of pounds because oft lugging around goat shit and eating homemade food, Dara neither decides to diet nor is any resolution made that hints at future weight loss. The lurking message is rather „(Re)Think Thin“, her presentation’s working title.
- The characters are painted multi-faceted and multi-colored instead of just black and white.
- Although being gay and the hardship of dealing with intolerance, prejudices and unaccepting family members are depicted in a way to make you think, the homosexual characters themselves are not without flaws or prejudices. Being the target of prejudices does not make you automatically someone who treats everybody else correctly.
- The romance is not all-encompassing. We do not experience Dana mooning uncontrollably over her love interest. We just see her forming a friendship, being surprised by Milo's attraction to her, starting to fantasize a little about kissing and then just kissing him. No talk of being boyfriend-and-girlfriend or HEA. Just some rather stressfree teenage attraction.
- Some questions remain unanswered. We never learn what happened to Bette.
- The ending presents no fairytale solution. Dara‘s and Rachel’s parents do not break down tearfully and admit they should not have let their daughter go and should have tried to reach out to her instead. They do not apologize to Dara for blaming her for her weight gain and her making family problems public. They stay who they are. They piss everybody off right until the last page. But the novel shows us that you can make do in spite oft that. Dara and Rachel have become a family. And they will be happy.

Yes, I recommend this book.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com

What would you do if you found out that you actually have an older sister that you have never even met or knew about?

This is what happened to Dara. She accidentally found out that she had a sister who was seventeen years older than herself. Her parents don't speak of her and no one else will say anything except her uncle.

Dara has a debacle at school and decides that she needs to meet Rachel and goes to find her in Massachusetts. She finds her on a goat farm which makes cheese. Dara stays on the farm with Rachel and finds another family - and herself - in the process.

This was an interesting book filled with wonderful, diverse characters. There are a number of gay characters written in a realistic, loving way. The main character wasn't a skinny-minnie, and the fascination that society has with thinness was also explored.

The relationship between Dara and Rachel is awkward, as it should be, and endearing as well. It really makes a case to teens to be who you want to be and not what society or others want you to be.

This book was one that I kept wanting to return to while I was on vacation, which tells me that it is well-written and one that many should like. So do yourself a favor and pick up Megan Frazer's debut, SECRETS OF TRUTH AND BEAUTY.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

actually 1 1/2 stars. this could have been a really interesting/good book. the main character won a little miss something or other beauty pageant as a young girl but then gained weight as she grew older and as a teenager no one can believe it. she makes some video for a class assignment criticizing society's perception of weight and beauty that gets "misunderstood" by her teacher and parents. they think she has deep seated issues with her mother/parents because of her weight. and then we also find out that she has some much older long lost sister who ran away from home before she was even born. so the main girl runs off to find refuge with her on a goat farm. (as i'm writing this all out the book is sounding crazier and crazier.) she stays with her for a while, makes some friends, overcomes some of her issues and in the end decides she wants to live there forever. and ultimately her parents decide to let her finish out high school there. and yes, the whole ending wrapped up almost that quickly with it's resolution. oh, which came after she competed in and won some local beauty pageant she entered to re-make her project for school. again, this had potential. BUT, to throw it all off some more -- the big mystery about this goat farm/runaway sister is that she's a lesbian. and i guess the farm was some kind of safe haven for other run away girls like that back in the day. so, yeah. that's that. the thing that bothered me the most about this aspect of the book is that it just seemed like it tried way too hard to make it seem like the homosexuality wasn't the main deal of the book. like it was just a side note and oh so normal. anyway, i wouldn't really recommend this book because i doubt anyone i know would really want to read it and that's about all i have to say about that.

[Steph | bookedinsaigon · Rating 4 out of 5]

SECRETS OF TRUTH AND BEAUTY is a surprisingly sweet read with strong undertones of Sarah Dessen’s work. At times a little choppy, the novel is overall a nice and quick read, perfect for those days when you want a little slice of optimism in the face of hardship.

Characters are strong in this book, but Dara is by far the most well-drawn and most likable. Unlike many other protagonists in books that deal with weight, Dara is not constantly apologetic of it, and undergoes a very real struggle to not let her weight define who she is. Dara’s infuriatingly controlling mother is the perfect foil to her growth in self-esteem; you’ll want to step right into the story and give Mrs. Cohen a good hard slap in the face. We can relate all too well to Dara’s struggle to love herself, when other important people in her life cannot seem to love her as she is.

When the plot moves to the goat farm, the story loses a bit of its footing and credibility as we are introduced to a number of characters that are never quite fully fleshed out. In the second half of the book there is a bit of wavering as to the story’s main conflict. Is it still about Dara’s learning to work with the body she has? But wait! What about that slightly weird arc regarding homosexuality? And what is UP with the romance that comes out of nowhere? The numerous elements introduced to us in the back half of the story conflicted with one another and made for some confusion.

Still, I definitely enjoyed SECRETS OF TRUTH AND BEAUTY. Dara is a darling protagonist, and you will not be able to resist cheering for her as she learns how to believe in herself and not let others’ words affect her so deeply.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dara is an achiever. She has carved out academics as her venue for success because event though she is pretty, talented and has some great friends at her posh school she is f.a.t.
As a little kid she was Young Miss Maine, she has a great singing voice and stage presence. Her mother has focused on those moments as the shining time for Dara and all Dara's other qualities pale, making f.a.t. Dara a disappointment to Mom. Add to this a startling discovery Dara made as a child- and has kept secret for almost a decade; Dara has an older sister, Rachel who has been completely erased from the family.
When Dara inadvertently (or perhaps accidentally on purpose?) embarrasses her mother with an edgy autobiographical/social commentary on societal perceptions of weight and personal value, Dara is pulled from school and given the ultimatum to participate in counseling before returning.
Following her own yearning, Dara locates her long lost sister and asks to visit. Surprised, nervous and elated at her sister's automatic willingness to have her come, Dara embarks on a season of self discovery.
Oh yeah, lots of ink about family and school reactions to coming out gay. I love the conversation between Owen and Dara, who become wonderful friends at Rachel's farm.
"Too bad you're gay."
"Too bad you're a girl."

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dara is a high school student that gets into trouble when she decides to use her presentation in class as a platform for how society views fat and thin. Her parents believe she used the autobiography assignment to punish them, the school counselor believes she has unresolved anger and an unhealthy view of herself and Dara feels, she feels, well, she isn't sure of where she is. Dara decides to do something drastic and her older sister, whom she never met since she was a teen when Dara was born and a bit of a black sheep, comes into play. A book of self-discovery. A book of starting new relationships and be out on your own.
Favorite quote:"Peopl are predictable, Dara. Once you get to know someone, it's easy to know what they want."

[Simona · Rating 1 out of 5]

What I wanted: a book about the history of a lesbian goat farm and the creation of queer spaces and chosen family across generations
What I got: a disney-fied storyline with flat characters, a self-absorbed and angst-y teenage narrator, and a problematic obsession with weight/appearance.

(I can't believe that the author wrote a person of color saying that weight stigma was worse than racism. They are both horrible and should not be compared.)

[Kathy Heare Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a hardback copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway. I am under no obligation to leave a review or rating and do so voluntarily. So that others may also enjoy this book, I am paying it forward by donating it to my local library.

[Hilary Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Secrets of Truth and Beauty was a fun read; Dara is an interesting character, and there was a lot to like about her journey. I do wish there had been a bit more time spent on the problems between Rachel and her parents, but overall, I enjoyed this book.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

title: horrible
cover: even worse
but this book will always have a special place in my heart

[Literameer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vor 10 Jahren war Dara Cohen die „Little Miss Maine“. Heute ist sie jedoch scheinbar weit entfernt davon, irgendeine Miss Wahl zu gewinnen. Denn die ehemalige little Miss Maine ist nicht nur älter, sondern vor allem auch breiter geworden. Als Dara ihr Übergewicht für ein Schul-Projekt thematisiert, läuft alles aus dem Ruder. Kurz entschlossen nimmt Dara Kontakt zu ihrer Schwester Rachel auf, welche ihre Eltern ihr bislang verheimlicht haben. Sie besucht Rachel, die mit Freunden auf einer Ziegenfarm lebt. Und dort lernt Dara nicht nur, wie man Ziegenkäse herstellt…

Megan Frazers Roman hat mich von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite gefesselt und fasziniert. Die Geschichte wird aus Daras Perspektive erzählt, so dass man von Anfang an ein gutes Gefühl für Dara erhält. Dara ist offen, selbstkritisch, klug, humorvoll und richtig liebenswert. Doch auch die weiteren Charaktere hat die Autorin wirklich gut dargestellt, und man merkt, dass sie ein gutes Gespür für Menschen hat.

Daras Geschichte hat mich sehr berührt und an einigen Stellen hätte ich beinahe die ein oder andere Träne verloren. Auf den ersten Blick scheint Daras größtes Problem ihr Übergewicht zu sein, und die Autorin schildert die Probleme eines dicken Mädchens sehr authentisch. Schaut man jedoch genauer hin, wird schnell klar, dass das Übergewicht nicht Daras einziges Problem ist. Da sind auch noch ihre Eltern, die einerseits lieblos erscheinen und andererseits nicht in der Lage sind Dara loszulassen und zu akzeptieren, dass Dara alt genug ist um selbstständig zu denken und eigene Entscheidungen zu treffen. Zudem muss Dara ihr Selbstbewusstsein neu entdecken und auch sich selbst und ihren Platz im Leben neu finden.

Nun könnte man denken, dass Dara mit all diesen Dingen genug zu tun hat, doch da ist auch noch Rachel, ihre Schwester. Als Leser beobachtet man die beiden dabei, wie sie sich kennenlernen und einander annähern. Und auch Rachels Vergangenheit war nicht ganz einfach und während des Lesens wurde ich sehr neugierig darauf, was wohl passiert sein mag.

Neben Dara, Rachel und natürlich den Ziegen lernt man auch die anderen Bewohner der Jezabel Ziegenfarm kennen. Auch sie wurden von der Autorin mit viel Gefühl und Geschick für menschliche Nöte dargestellt.

Stellenweise ist die Geschichte recht vorhersehbar, doch das hat mich kein bisschen gestört. Die erzählte Geschichte hat mir richtig gut gefallen und es hat mir auch gefallen, wie die Geschichte den Schönheits- und Schlankheitswahn sowie Kinder-Misswahlen deutlich kritisiert, ohne dabei den moralischen Zeigefinger zu penetrant zu zeigen. Die Geschichte ist sehr vielfältig und facettenreich und hinterlässt nach dem Lesen ein wohliges Gefühl in der Herzgegend.

Fazit:

„Von Wahrheit, Schönheit und Ziegenkäse“ ist eine emotionale und intelligente Geschichte mit liebenswerten Charakteren und einer tollen Moral. Ich hätte gerne noch mehr Zeit mit den Protagonisten auf der Ziegenfarm verbracht und war etwas traurig, als ich das Buch beendet habe. Dieses Buch habe ich sicher nicht zum letzten Mal gelesen und ich hoffe auch, dass es noch weitere Bücher von Megan Frazer geben wird.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this was difficult because I had to let go of my knee jerk reactions about size. For example, anything below a size 14 isn’t fat to me. I’m not saying that folks don’t feel fat at size 14. And I can’t say that the world (at least in the U.S.) doesn’t see them as fat. Women between size 16-18 are bigger but not fat. These folks are definitely viewed as fat. Anything above that and there is not hope for you. You are just a death sentence waiting to happen, so say the doctors with the term “morbidly obese.” So when I read stories about people struggling with weight prejudice and they are under a size 14, I get pissed. So here I am reading this child’s story thinking, “Well, this is annoying.”

It’s a good story. And overall, I really enjoyed reading it. I think the author really gets at the heart of people’s conflicted feelings about people being fat. The medical and dieting industries have spent an enormous amount of time and money convincing the public that fat = unhealthy. People can’t help but hate fatness and those people who are fat. Any little bit of fat makes thinner folks ostracize and police others and themselves. I wanted this to be a book that acknowledged that unhealthy behaviors are the problem not fatness. For me that’s not what this book is about.

At it’s core, this book reinforces the idea that thinness not health is the answer. You may be fat, talented and attractive but you should always strive to be thin. Yes, the author highlights that she started eating healthier foods and working on the farm kept her active. That is great and I advocate/support/promote her actions. But when do we deal with Dara’s internalized body hate? She says she doesn’t have any problems with her body but her thoughts contradict her. She doesn’t have to a fat positive character but I would love for her to acknowledge her feelings about herself and her body.

And what’s the deal with her parents? Dad might as well not exist as a character and mom is so one dimension which is unfortunate since she is the main source of her children’s issues. Her parents were created to be hated. I wanted to know that there was a reason for her mother’s need to control. And why is her weight so important to her mother? Was she really trying to control her daughters and run their lives for them or is it an overprotective streak?

I want to reiterate that if you read this book and focus on the ambivalence of fatness and the difficulty of mother-daughter relationships then this book is a really good book because it highlights that confusion. But if you are looking for a story where healthy fatness wins against the odds then this isn’t the book for you. I still highly recommend reading it because it is worth it. Following Dara’s struggle is heartbreaking and empowering because in the end she is making the choices about how to live her life.

[Maryann Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found myself not being able to put this book down. From the first day till the moment I stopped reading this book, I found myself trying to fit in any amount of time I could spare to read this lovely book. From in between classes, during free periods and breaks and even in front of my teachers in class. Needless to say, I gave up my studying time just to finish it. I simply was pulled in by this book and the story.

This book is all about acceptance. Finding who you really are. Cliche, I know. Pretty much, every book aims to achieve that but many fail. What they do is, they add in, say, a vampire or something and write about how the girl's life will never be the same and how she must accept that and along the way, finds out who she was meant to be. It becomes a hit and teenage girls all around the world shriek about how they can relate so much to it. This book is something that is really relatable. It's real. It could happen to anyone.

In this modern society we live in, fitting in is something many try to do but, to no avail. No matter how hard you try, you can never please anyone. Dara Cohen, for example. Being crowned "Little Miss Maine" at the age of seven did absolutely nothing for her seventeen-years-old teenage, fat self. Rachel Cohen, for another example. Dara's lesbian, elder sister she knew nothing about until finding out at the tender age of nine. Their parents did not accept them for who they were. They did not accept Dara for being slightly bigger than the other girls. They did not accept Rachel for being attracted to the same sex. Their own parents. Who else are we able to turn to when we don't have our own family on our side?

Throughout reading this book, a certain quote was constantly at the back of my mind. If I'm not mistaken, it was something Marilyn Monroe said. It went somewhat like this, "We are all not born ugly. It's society that makes us ugly." I have always stood by this statement. But after reading this book, I have never felt this much of truth in a simple quote like this ever before.

It's society that makes us ugly and it's society who blames us for being ugly. But, this book will bring you back to your senses. It will make you feel beautiful. It will tell you that it's okay. It's okay to be fat. It's okay to be gay or lesbian. It's okay to be short/too tall. It's okay to not be perfect. It's okay to be you. What's not okay? It's not okay to let society define you. WE should define society.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dara was a cute little 7-year-old. Cute enough to win the title of Little Miss Maine(even though it was a talent contest. Dara's talent was and is singing. She just doesn't think she's quite so cute anymore, and definitely not little. After winning Dara started to gain a lot of weight and is now quite large. After she makes an autobiography project out of clips and voice overs of her pageant, things start to go downhill. Nobody got that the project wasn't meant to be just about her and it was more a comment on culture. When her guidance counselor and family pull her out of school and tell her she needs to go to counseling, she decides it's time to meet her sister. The sister she only found out about because one day she stumbled upon her birth certificate. Her sister lives on a goat farm and makes cheese. She lives in a house filled with many different people, who might just be who she needs to feel more like herself again.

This book wasn't bad at all. It just wasn't something I was really into. It was definitely a great book for other teens though, who may be struggling with identity issues. There were a few places in the book that didn't sound quite right; either a sentence was funny or the voices didn't seem authentic, but all in all this was an enjoyable read. If you do decide to read this you may want to brush up on your music however, as there are many older musical references such as The Mamas and the Papas, that some of you younger folk might not get. *laughs* I really liked how strange the family dynamics were with Dara, her sister and their parents. It gave you a different family setting then one you would normally read about. There were many things I wanted resolved or at least some sort of further development on, but I guess you can only really find out so much from one book and one person's point of view. The ending was your typical happy ending. Moral infused conclusion brought to you by the main character. But it ended the book well enough. It was a good empowering book that I would recommend you pick up at some point and read.

First Line:
"It started with Mr. Fitz."

Favorite Line:
"'Nein!' he yelled at the goats. 'Sprechen sie Deutsch!'"

[Sane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Secrets of Truth and Beauty did not have one of the most original plots I have ever seen: girl has trouble at home, stays somewhere else temporarily, and discovers things about her life that she never realized. The Secrets of Truth and Beauty was pretty much your typical coming of age story. In this case the girl in question is Dara.
Dara had a strong voice and was overall a very likeable character. I really felt bad for her having to deal with her parents and all of her issues with her weight. Stories about overweight young adults who are miserable until they get skinny annoy the heck out of me so, I was worried that Megan Frazer might take that route. Thankfully, she does not. Dara always stays true to herself and I loved that about her.
My favorite parts of the book were when Dara goes to live on the farmhouse with her long lost sister Rachel. I just loved the whole setting. It was entertaining reading about how to make goat cheese. I love goat cheese, so it was fun to about how it is made. It made me want to go out and pick up some feta asap, but I digress. The relationship with Dara and Rachel is rocky at first, but after a while they start to learn more about it other and to get along. I enjoyed watching Rachel and Dara’s relationship develop over the summer.
I should also mention that there are gay people in this book. The back of the book mentioned nothing about this so, it was a nice surprise. I’m always happy when I find a book that has such a diverse group of characters. It turns out that the farmhouse that Dara’s sister runs is also a famous shelter for gay adolescence. One of the guys Dara meets there is Owen. Owen was kicked out by his parents for being gay. Dara and Owen become fast friends. While I enjoyed reading about their friendship, I was less than thrilled about the romantic relationship that develops between Dara and Owen’s younger brother. Their whole romance just came out of nowhere. I would have liked to see more of something between them or nothing at all.
The ending was pleasant though it felt a bit rushed. I expected a happy ending, but it was almost a little too happy.

[Abby Sevy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Secrets of Truth and Beauty is by Megan Frazer. This book is amazing! I love how it is so easy to relate to, especially for teenagers. Although I think it is probably easier to relate to for teenagers, I also believe that adults can relate to it too because it's extremely detailed and well written.
This book is about a young girl named Dara Cohen. Dara is a Junior at Portland Academy when her English teacher assigns her an autobiography project. She isn't to worried about it, especially when everyone in class wants her do to it over her winning the Little Miss Maine beauty pagent when she was 7 years old.
The only problem with this is that she's fat. She didn't used to be but she is now. She isn't 500 pounds or anything ridiculous like that, but she's definitely over weight. She doesn't have a problem with this but her mom does, and always has.
Her weight became a problem when she discovered a secret. It was a secret her parents kept from her and honestly, she just didn't understand it. It first happened when she was 7. Her mom made a slight mistake, who was Rachel? Then when she was 9 she found the birth certificate. She couldn't believe her parents had not told her something so important! When she presents her autobiography she almost decided to do it about Rachel, but she didn't really know that much about her. When she presents her autobiography over the Little Miss Maine Pagent, everything in her life goes haywire. She just didn't understand why everybody was misunderstanding it. Although this is one of the worst things that could have happened to her, in the end she decides that it could also have been the best. She finally got to meet Rachel, and she even got a new best friend and a boyfriend.
This book has the perfect set up. It shows a girl who is misunderstood, and for all of the wrong reasons. I think that anyone in highschool can relate to this book. Megan Frazer did an amazing job in detailing the book, and giving it the perfect background and setting. I would definitely recommend this book to my peers because I think that they could relate to it.

[Kait · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dara Cohen can't believe her luck. After one misinterpreted English project gets her kicked out of school and practically ignored at home, she decides it's time to meet the sister she has never known. Her parents aren't exactly happy about her decision but she has made up her mind. Surprisingly, her sister seems more than willing to have her.

Once there, Dara sees no reason why her parents would have kicked her sister out. She is the perfect host and an even better worker at the goat farm. She seems like the perfect person to Dara but old secrets are well hidden.

Then there are the other residents of the farm. Owen, a gay high schooler, whose parents couldn't accept him, Sascha, a big lumberjack type, and Belinda, the silent owner of the farm. No matter how weird they all seem, they are the first people that seem to accept Dara for who she is and how she looks.

Is this the family that Dara has always wanted? Will Dara's parents ever change their feelings toward Rachel and allow her back into their lives and hearts?

The story of Dara was a little bit typical but the subplots to the story help balance that out. I wasn't expecting anything serious in Secrets of Truth and Beauty but it was a good surprise. Dara has a lot of mixed feelings towards her family and herself. They are shown throughout the book and they develop very well.

Another thing this book addressed was homosexuality. That definitely came out of nowhere for me. Owen was a great character and the topic was addressed amazingly well. It wasn't overdone but it really felt like it was important to the story and people in today's society. Megan Frazer both addressed how some adults react to their children coming out and how teenagers sometimes inadvertently insult homosexuals with their remarks. It was just such a great thing for her to weave into the story.

Overall, Secrets of Truth And Beauty was a great story, while a little bit predictable. This is another title that is going on my list of summer books to reread.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get a sneak peak at the ARC for SECRETS OF TRUTH AND BEAUTY. I was planning to read a few chapters before bed to get started, but soon, I knew I wouldn't be able put it down until I saw where teen narrator Dara's journey would take her.

After a misunderstood school project lands her in the guidance counselor's office just before the end of her junior year, Dara's parents pull her out of school to save face. Frustrated by the adults in her life and struggling to uncover the truth about the older sister her parents have kept from her, Dara tracks down her sister on a Massachusetts goat farm, packs her bags, and sets off to find the truth.

I became so lost in her story -- the details of her new life on the farm, the older sister she meets for the first time, the successive choices she's faced with all summer, the new friends, family, and way of life she connects with. Dara's voice is raw and real without being overly sentimental or melancholy, and I became attached to her instantly, wanting her to be okay, hoping her decisions and actions would lead her to find her own sense of truth and beauty -- to figure out what that meant for her and to find a way to feel it inside.

With writing that flowed from one chapter to the next, SECRETS OF TRUTH AND BEAUTY tackles the issues of self-esteem, broken families, family secrets, and cultural prejudices to which all of us, on some level, can relate. Dara is a quiet storm of a character, suffering in silence at times, then calling forth her inner strength to fight and overcome the judgment and secrets that seem to permeate her life at home and in school.

I was sad when I reached the last page because I wanted to be with Dara just a little longer. I literally sighed at the end -- it felt like the last day of summer, climbing into bed the night before the first day of school, reflecting on all that had happened and all that was yet to come.

A wonderful, heartfelt story.

[Lindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story about an overweight girl coming to terms with her parents' limitations and her own beauty and strength. At 7, Dara is crowned Little Miss Maine; at 9 she discovers that she has a sister her parents have never mentioned; at 17, a new friend helps her find her way. This is clearly a first novel, but the quality of the story and characters overcomes all.

[Adriana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I thought this book was overall well-written and enjoyable to read. However, I thought it could have been better. Dara Cohen was crowned Little Miss Maine when she was 7 years old. Now 17, she has gained weight and no longer feels like she reflects any sort of pageant winner. Her family and classmates agree, and when a misinterpreted video auto-biography expels her from school and estranges her from her family, she decides it is the perfect time to seek out her long lost (and disowned) older sister. Her sister Rachel operates Jezebel Goat Farm, which is not only a producer of goat cheese, but also a haven for lesbians that has existed for decades. Dara is hopeful that the missing link that is her sister will fill in what she is missing at home. In the end it turns out more like Dara filling in a space at Jezebel and the town of Hollis, when she inadvertently becomes a beauty queen contender once again. Around page 280 I suddenly thought that I had figured out the big secret as to why Dara's sister Rachel had left home. My "enquiring mind" jumped to the conclusion that Rachel was not Dara's sister, but actually her mother, and that Dara's "mom" was actually her grandmother. And it mostly made sense. I thought it made a much more plausible reason for Dara's parents to kick Rachel out. If they thought that she would hurt the baby or hurt herself, they probably thought it best to keep Dara as their own and leave Rachel out in the cold, disowning her as their daughter for her sin and her "evil" ways. But alas, I was mistaken, and Rachel leaves home simply for being a lesbian and setting some pictures on fire. Boring. I guess I'm just a sucker for soap-opera-like drama. Still enjoyed it though.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was quite hesitant to read Secrets of Truth and Beauty at first because it really didn't seem like a book that I would enjoy. I was wrong.

What I enjoyed and admired about Secrets of Truth and Beauty was the Dara's ability and courage to finally go after the thing she wanted. She didn't let misunderstanding and other things control her life. She went to find her sister and in the process, found herself as well.

The plot was very riveting. An ex-pageant winner turned into a "fat" girl who seeks out her long-lost sister and finds love and acceptance. A very original and interesting storyline.

The character, Owen, I found disconcerting. At first, I admired him, even loved him, but around the middle, I kind of realized that he was kind of a jerk. He only really cared about himself and there were times when I felt as if he was disgusted with Dara despite the way how he sometimes encouraged her and helped her.

And also, even though I admire Dara's courage to seek out and find what she's looking for, there were also times when I felt as if she put up with way too many crap. She's too nice at times and would give excuses for the way people acted to her. This was especially true for the way she acted around Owen. Like I said before, he would sometimes say rude things to her and even hinted that she need to slim down (which she did, but a guy shouldn't say that even though he's gay...) and Dara just brushed it away. If it was me, I would be very...offended.

Anyway, overall, I felt that Secrets of Truth and Beauty was a very in-depth novel that allowed readers to take a look at what real beauty is defined as.

[Yan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Secrets of Truth and Beauty was an enjoyable read that strayed a bit from the norm. While the original topic was about her weight, the plot also divided to that and homosexuality.

Dara grew up not knowing anything about her sister so when she decided to make an abrupt visit, she is shocked to find that her sister is a lesbian. And the farm that she resides is the place where gays can find escape from the harsher reality.

My favorite parts are when Owen comes into the scene. Slightly flamboyant, he brings excitement and happiness to the book. He exudes comfort into an otherwise awkward situation. Milo, however, Owen’s younger brother, is an enigma when it comes to Dara and him. I guess I wanted to see something more happening between the two before any serious takes place. In the end we were left with a cliffhanger between the two.

As for the family aspect I thought it was good, a bit too clean for me at the end—much too perfect in a sense, complete resignation from the parents that had originally been so against Dara. Her sister, Rachel, proved to be quite an interesting character to read. Her development through the years from hard-core troubled teen to cool, calm, collected was intriguing as the reader goes through the diaries that were provided. I loved how the road to acceptance was bumpy.

Overall: A nice spin on weight issues along with the surprise twist of including gays.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before, starting this I was excepting a typical feel good novel, and I got that. Plus, a lot more.

Dara was the typical "Fat girl" though she had many other qualities that made her quite likable and someone you could relate to. Sure, she sometimes felt insecure about her weight and got a little annoying about it at times. Though, she also was a funny and heartwarming person, that I liked a lot. Owen, a teenage boy who lived on Dara's aunt farm, was another great character, too.

The plot was okay, but not completely original or fantastic. I liked how you slowly got told about what happened with Rachel, Dara's older sister, and their parents. I must admit, I was quite surprised by what really happened. Then, the Beauty Show and Farm parts of the book were cute and great adds to the story.

Megan's writing made Secrets of Truth and Beauty a compelling read. I look forward to reading more by her.

Overall, Secrets of Truth and Beauty was a great novel with a fantastic message of " Learn to love who you are and do not focus on the bad qualities" By the way, Megan, if you are reading this, can you please write a sequel? I'm dying to know what happens next! :)

Grade: A-

[hollyishere · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've recently started to watch the tv program Toddlers & Tiaras, I have to say I see Secrets of Truth and Beauty as a look at the types of lives the stars of this show will face 15 or so years on.

The protagonist was a beauty pageant star as a kid and is now cursed by parents who ignore her and keep secrets. She also happens to be overweight now, she resents the fact that her other classmates have no idea what her childhood was like and is presented with a perfect opportunity to announce this amazing fact - a class video project. Unfortunately the video she puts together alerts the teachers of her issues and is forced to face the problem when her parents are notified.

Also brewing behind the scenes is the fact that her parents have an estranged daughter they never talk about, the protagonist finds out a bit more about her and sets off to find out what really happened. She ends up staying with her sister at a Women's Hippie Camp. I have to say at this point the GLBT factor was pretty much shoved in our face and was cringe worthy to read so I stopped reading at this point. I have since read a couple really great GLBT novels (Will Grayson, Will Grayson for one) and it doesn't always have to be cringe worthy to read, so just keep an eye out for the better versions.

[Rakisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Secrets of Truth and Beauty is a multi-layered coming of age story of 17-year-old Dara Cohen. Once a junior pageant winner, Dara is now an overweight teen with some very deep-seeded self-loathing and dysfunctional parents. When an English assignment is misinterpreted, she is removed from school and forced to go to therapy. Striking out on her own, Dara tracks down the long lost sister she never had and spends the summer working with her on a goat cheese farm. During the summer, Dara makes a good friend; finds love; and self acceptance.

At first, Dara constantly insists that she is not constantly obsessing about her weight or hates her body. As we get deeper into Dara's inner conversations, the more it is revealed that the opposite is true. Her inner conversations with herself include put downs, insults, and isolating herself from things that she would like to do. A misconstrued comment from her newly acquired gay BFF about Mama Cass from the Mamas and the Papas acts as a catalyst for Dara to become the person she has been keeping hidden out of fear of being ridiculed for her weight.

This book is engaging, well written, and thoughtful. It has a high readability level. Once you're into the story, it is hard to put down.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dara was once Miss Maine... when she was seven. Now she's a junior, and overweight. When her teacher assigns an autobiography project, she decides to do it on her life in pageants and how society looks at weight. She never considered herself upset or angry about her weight, but her project lands her in therapy and her parents freak out.

Finally, Dara's had it. She decides to find her sister Rachel, who left before she was born. Dara's parents never talk about Rachel. So Dara ends up on a goat farm for lesbians in western Massachusetts with an eclectic group of people: beautiful (and gay) Owen, silent Belinda, and even more mysteries about Rachel's past than before. Over the course of the summer, Dara begins to learn about acceptance and self-worth.

This was a breezy, fast read. Dara's past as a pageant winner was an interesting contrast to her current, insecure self, and I liked seeing her confidence re-emerge through the story. Her relationships with her parents and sister were difficult and realistic. The ending was a little sad that Dara didn't return home with her parents, but her choice made sense... I guess I just couldn't imagine doing that. All in all, this was sweet and fun with a very likable protagonist.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

At its heart, this is a coming-of-age story about accepting oneself and looking beyond exterior labels to the person beneath, moving past one's history to create something new. The culmination isn't a big surprise, but where this book shines is in the characterizations: in lesser books, the Fat Girl's goal would be to lose weight to win over the boys; the gay characters would either be on a crusade to end discrimination everywhere or become the Fat Girl's Cause To End All Discrimination. Here, though? Yes, Dara is a Fat Girl, but it's not her whole identity. Yes, her friend is gay; yes, her sister is gay, but "gay" is not who they are, or even what they are. What could be labels as a shorthand to personality are more background details; they could just as easily have been "redheads" or "Canadian" for all it mattered. And that's an excellent thing--while they occasionally discussed the problems of being stereotyped for what they were, in Frazer's hands they were never treated as stereotypes.

(Disclosure: Meg and I went to library school together and I'm pleased to call her my friend--and chagrined that it took me this long to get around to reading her excellent book!)

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like most of this book. Some of the characters annoyed me but it was a pretty quick read. Dara is assigned a project for a class to get the class to learn about her. She makes a video of her when she was younger, when she was in pageants, and she had a voice over about what she looks like now. She isn't as skinny as she used to be and her mother makes a point of acknowledging it. Through out the years, Dara knew she has a sister that disappeared and after she is suspended from school for her project, which she meant no harm, she decides to visit her. Through out the novel, readers learn that Rachel left because their parents didn't approve of her being a lesbian and her troubles with being a bad girl, etc. In the end, Dara decides to live with Rachel and not go back to her old town. She also meets Owen, and thinks he's hot but he's gay. He lives with Rachel but Dara meets his freshman year old brother and they get together. Overall, Dara learns about herself and that image doesn't matter. I didn't like her mother's character but that was probably how Frazer Blakemore wanted her to be portrayed. Overall a pretty good book but not amazing.

[Lkmadigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when your life seems to have peaked at seven years old?

Dara was Little Miss Maine at seven; now seventeen, she has abundant hips and breasts, and a consciousness that she doesn't fit the prevailing American ideal of female beauty.

When her clever portrayal of society's obsession with beauty lands her in the school counselor's office, Dara is judged to be "depressed and angry" by her controlling mother and ineffectual father. They take her out of school for the remainder of the semester. Rather than stick around and endure their attempts to fix her, Dara decides it's time to meet her sister, a woman who lives on a goat farm in Massachusetts ... and who disappeared from the family when she was seventeen, just before Dara was born.

This is a lush, lovely book - I almost feel like I could find these people if I just had the address of the farm in Massachusetts! That's how alive the characters are.

I can't wait to put this book into the hands of every teen girl I know.

[Jody Bachelder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A disclaimer here -- I've met the author, Megan Frazer, because she's on a library committee with me so I was predisposed to like this book. But she really deserves the 4 stars. High school junior Dara has some issues with a controlling mother, a disconnected father, and a few extra pounds. Okay, more than a few. There is also the fact that she has an older sister whom her parents never told Dara about until she stumbled upon a folder about her. Due to an incident involving a school project, Dara decides she needs a break from these less-than-ideal parents and calls up her sister, Rachel. It turns out that Rachel runs a goat farm which is a haven for lesbian women (they've also expanded to include a gorgeous gay teen). Slowly Dara and her sister open up to each other, and Dara finds that "family" doesn't necessarily mean mother and father. Can she learn to accept who she is when she feels that she is less than perfect?