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Artichoke's Heart
Blubber meets Steel Magnolias in this funny and honest story about body image and family.
Rosemary Goode is smart and funny and loyal and the best eyebrow waxer in Spring Hill, Tennessee. But only one thing seems to matter to anyone, including Rosemary: her weight. And when your mom runs the most successful (and gossipy) beauty shop in town, it can be hard to keep a low profile. Rosemary resolves to lose the weight, but her journey turns out to be about everything but the scale. Her life-changing, waist-shrinking year is captured with brutal honesty and humor, topped with an extralarge helping of Southern charm. A truly uncommon novel about an increasingly common problem.
276 pages, Hardcover
First published June 12, 2008
78 people are currently reading
2883 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Supplee
5 books94 followersSuzanne Supplee is the author of When Irish Guys Are Smiling, a Students Across the Seven Seas series book, and Artichoke’s Heart. Currently, Suzanne is working on her third book, untitled as of yet, but due out in the spring of 2010.
Suzanne is a graduate of Southern Illinois University, and she earned a masters degree in creative writing from Towson University in Maryland. For a number of years, she has worked as both a teacher and a writer.
Suzanne is married and has three daughters. Her favorite hobbies include exercise, reading, and, of course, writing
Suzanne is a graduate of Southern Illinois University, and she earned a masters degree in creative writing from Towson University in Maryland. For a number of years, she has worked as both a teacher and a writer.
Suzanne is married and has three daughters. Her favorite hobbies include exercise, reading, and, of course, writing
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 572 reviews
November 21, 2023
wait... artichoke hearts are made of designer chocolates?!? so that's why they are impossible to cook...
June 20, 2014
I liked this book but in the end it just made me sad and made me a tad bit sad about myself.
It just seemed to me though that at the end, she didn't save herself from her insecurities. In fact, it seemed to me that she grew worse. I wanted her to revel at her achievement, so I could feel good too as a reader; but she turned a little bit obsessed and it happened at the end, where I don't know what would happen next.
I got the message of the story. However, the execution is not something I would say as "feel-good". Yes, it wants to say that we can rise from this problem, but the way the author presents this message is something that I didn't really agree to. It was scary--the way Rosemary did her tactics to lose weight and in the end people reveled at her change instead of admonishing her to abandon her ways and start to shed fat in the good way. If I were part of the story I would have shaken her shoulders and told her to stop it. It feels like the birth of another problem. I feel the roots of eating disorder lying there somewhere.
This book hit close to home. I am kind of heavy now. My aunt also prods me to lose weight and even recommended diets for me. While I am touched by her concern about my weight, I also am annoyed and ashamed because I'm comfortable in my own skin. Let's not even add the light jokes some people I know tosses in. It was sad and I was not used to the treatment because I was thin when I was a kid. In a way I connected with Rosie here. That doesn't mean I've liked what she has done.
It was engaging and compelling. My main problem is that it didn't lift me up like I thought it would, which is a big problem for me. I really need something good to read to end this streak.
It just seemed to me though that at the end, she didn't save herself from her insecurities. In fact, it seemed to me that she grew worse. I wanted her to revel at her achievement, so I could feel good too as a reader; but she turned a little bit obsessed and it happened at the end, where I don't know what would happen next.
I got the message of the story. However, the execution is not something I would say as "feel-good". Yes, it wants to say that we can rise from this problem, but the way the author presents this message is something that I didn't really agree to. It was scary--the way Rosemary did her tactics to lose weight and in the end people reveled at her change instead of admonishing her to abandon her ways and start to shed fat in the good way. If I were part of the story I would have shaken her shoulders and told her to stop it. It feels like the birth of another problem. I feel the roots of eating disorder lying there somewhere.
This book hit close to home. I am kind of heavy now. My aunt also prods me to lose weight and even recommended diets for me. While I am touched by her concern about my weight, I also am annoyed and ashamed because I'm comfortable in my own skin. Let's not even add the light jokes some people I know tosses in. It was sad and I was not used to the treatment because I was thin when I was a kid. In a way I connected with Rosie here. That doesn't mean I've liked what she has done.
It was engaging and compelling. My main problem is that it didn't lift me up like I thought it would, which is a big problem for me. I really need something good to read to end this streak.
June 15, 2008
Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com
Rosemary Goode is smart, funny, and sassy, but no one seems to notice. All anyone sees is her weight - all 200 pounds of it. She doesn't fit in at school, she finds herself getting made fun of by the popular Bluebirds, and the only boyfriend she'll ever have is Mr. Hershey, or Mr. M&M.
At the start of a new year, Rosemary finds herself disappointed. Santa just brought her an unwanted treadmill for Christmas and her Aunt Mary gave her tickets to a "Healing the Fat Girl Within" Conference. On top of that, Rosemary's mother has sneakily set up counseling sessions for weight loss.
After a meltdown at her mother's gossipy salon, Rosemary decides she is going to lose the weight - on her terms. Rosemary tries various methods to lose weight, but it's a slow process. When Rosemary's mother is diagnosed with cancer, the distance between them grows even more and Rosemary tries to keep from turning back to food. Things start to look up when Kyle Cox, the school's newest football star, starts to take a notice in Rosemary. But how can popular, good-looking Kyle ever like a girl like Rosemary? And how will Rosemary bridge the ever-growing gap between her and her mother?
ARTICHOKE'S HEART is one of those books I wanted to stay in bed on a rainy day with and never stop reading. The cover and storyline may make you think this is light chick-lit, but the plot digs much deeper and carries a wide range of emotions that are great for any mood.
Rosemary is a fantastic character and her growth throughout the book is realistic. I was cheering her on the whole way through and felt as though I was on the journey with her. I also have to admit I had a bit of a crush on Kyle while reading this book! Author Suzanne Supplee put so much into her characters; they felt real and I didn't want to leave them. The Southern setting added an extra dose of charm to the story. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author in the future!
Rosemary Goode is smart, funny, and sassy, but no one seems to notice. All anyone sees is her weight - all 200 pounds of it. She doesn't fit in at school, she finds herself getting made fun of by the popular Bluebirds, and the only boyfriend she'll ever have is Mr. Hershey, or Mr. M&M.
At the start of a new year, Rosemary finds herself disappointed. Santa just brought her an unwanted treadmill for Christmas and her Aunt Mary gave her tickets to a "Healing the Fat Girl Within" Conference. On top of that, Rosemary's mother has sneakily set up counseling sessions for weight loss.
After a meltdown at her mother's gossipy salon, Rosemary decides she is going to lose the weight - on her terms. Rosemary tries various methods to lose weight, but it's a slow process. When Rosemary's mother is diagnosed with cancer, the distance between them grows even more and Rosemary tries to keep from turning back to food. Things start to look up when Kyle Cox, the school's newest football star, starts to take a notice in Rosemary. But how can popular, good-looking Kyle ever like a girl like Rosemary? And how will Rosemary bridge the ever-growing gap between her and her mother?
ARTICHOKE'S HEART is one of those books I wanted to stay in bed on a rainy day with and never stop reading. The cover and storyline may make you think this is light chick-lit, but the plot digs much deeper and carries a wide range of emotions that are great for any mood.
Rosemary is a fantastic character and her growth throughout the book is realistic. I was cheering her on the whole way through and felt as though I was on the journey with her. I also have to admit I had a bit of a crush on Kyle while reading this book! Author Suzanne Supplee put so much into her characters; they felt real and I didn't want to leave them. The Southern setting added an extra dose of charm to the story. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author in the future!
March 7, 2017
I inadvertently bought this book not realising that is was a Young Adult book (I do wish there was a clearer of categorising the books). However I finished it and I found myself empathising so much with Rosie. She is overweight, self conscious and without friends at school. The school cheerleaders, The Bluebirds, make her life a misery and to find comfort she eats. The reader goes through so much with Rosie, her battle to try and get thin, her mother becoming ill, her family constantly nagging her about her weight. The bullying is a thing that goes on in every school and for any reason possible, even if a person is 'normal' the bullies will still find something to use. This happens to one of the characters in the book, Rosie is kind to her and they become friends, this is such a support for both of the girls.
It is a coming of age story, a fight against bullying and a story of a girl coping with her mother's illness.
We do not have cheerleaders in this country much, but the girls who consider themselves 'pretty' and 'popular' still form groups like hyenas, circling their victim and tormenting them. I have to say that any time I read about cheerleaders they seem to be bitchy, I have no idea if this is the case.
I really enjoyed it although it was lighter than my usual reading material.
It is a coming of age story, a fight against bullying and a story of a girl coping with her mother's illness.
We do not have cheerleaders in this country much, but the girls who consider themselves 'pretty' and 'popular' still form groups like hyenas, circling their victim and tormenting them. I have to say that any time I read about cheerleaders they seem to be bitchy, I have no idea if this is the case.
I really enjoyed it although it was lighter than my usual reading material.
November 19, 2011
Okay, so this book was just really good.
In case you think this is another boring fat-girl book, it’s not. I’m not overweight, but I have my little things (procrastination…) that make me really horrible when I “indulge”, and so this book was still very relatable to me.
I loved every character and every moment of this book. Her mother’s personality was so realistic, and the dynamics of the aunt-mother-daughter relationship was so well presented. Also Kyle was completely perfect and a good example of looking beyond outside appearances.
I also started wishing my mother owned a beauty shop. How cool would that be?!
The detail in this book regarding how Rosemary feels about everything about her body, makes me wonder if the author was ever overweight. It is so perfect to how I would assume that would all go down.
There’s not much else to say, except, go read it. Because not only will in inspire you to tackle your own problems, but it will give insight into the world of overweight teenagers/teenagers with physical insecurities.
Suzanne breaks the mold of YA fiction with this story. Please keep writing!
Rating: 9/10
Content Warnings: Mild language, kissing, and some teenager thoughts on sex.
In case you think this is another boring fat-girl book, it’s not. I’m not overweight, but I have my little things (procrastination…) that make me really horrible when I “indulge”, and so this book was still very relatable to me.
I loved every character and every moment of this book. Her mother’s personality was so realistic, and the dynamics of the aunt-mother-daughter relationship was so well presented. Also Kyle was completely perfect and a good example of looking beyond outside appearances.
I also started wishing my mother owned a beauty shop. How cool would that be?!
The detail in this book regarding how Rosemary feels about everything about her body, makes me wonder if the author was ever overweight. It is so perfect to how I would assume that would all go down.
There’s not much else to say, except, go read it. Because not only will in inspire you to tackle your own problems, but it will give insight into the world of overweight teenagers/teenagers with physical insecurities.
Suzanne breaks the mold of YA fiction with this story. Please keep writing!
Rating: 9/10
Content Warnings: Mild language, kissing, and some teenager thoughts on sex.
July 27, 2008
Though there is a lot of sadness in this book (Rosemary's self-esteem is in the toilet because she is overweight, and her mom has cancer) there is also a lot of humor that made me keep cackling throughout the book.
*Spoiler alert*
I really love some of Rosemary's awesome comebacks to the snotty Bluebirds and love that she gets a boyfriend who loves her the way she is. There should be more Kyles in the world.
I don't love that she is dieting in a way that is dangerous and risky, consuming nothing but the liquid Pounds Away and seeming to escape the serious side effects that such drastic action could have in real life. It makes me so nervous for her.
*Spoiler alert*
I really love some of Rosemary's awesome comebacks to the snotty Bluebirds and love that she gets a boyfriend who loves her the way she is. There should be more Kyles in the world.
I don't love that she is dieting in a way that is dangerous and risky, consuming nothing but the liquid Pounds Away and seeming to escape the serious side effects that such drastic action could have in real life. It makes me so nervous for her.
September 3, 2008
Rosemary is just about to turn sixteen and she has been fat all her life. Her mom and her aunt are always needling her and gave her a treadmill for Christmas! It’s her life; why do they care what she looks like? But when her mom is diagnosed with cancer and a good friend has a heart-attack because of her weight, Rosemary realizes that she has to make a change. With the help of a Walgreen’s clerk, a shunned cheerleader, and the boy of her dreams, Rosemary gets herself on track and learns that the “perfect people” have lives just as screwed up as her own. This is a warm and funny story about one girl’s journey towards loving herself.
November 18, 2008
I picked up this book at the library because I was getting a cold and needed some YA fluff to pass my time. It had a positive review on the back from Carolyn Mackler, a YA author whose books I've really enjoyed, so I got it even though it seemed to be about a fat teenage girl's struggle to lose weight, a topic that few authors have ever handled in a way I can appreciate.
Although I thought the book was fairly well written and had good attention to setting, it was highly formulaic, and the main character, Rosemary, was not terribly sympathetic. She was characterized as an obsessive eater, with chocolate bars stashed all over her room, who regularly binged on things like an entire tuna casserole or a whole bag of chips and a whole jar of salsa. She also had rock-bottom self-esteem.
Her mom (single, had Rosemary at age 17) and her awful aunt (size two, always pointing out areas where others need to improve) constantly pressure her to lose weight, which she, understandably, resents. But then, Rosemary develops a crush on a cute and very large member of the football team, and begins to diet--first by giving herself food poisoning, then by starving herself on packaged diet foods that make her sick. The book has little criticism for her methods. When she loses 40 pounds, 20 percent of her body weight, in a month, she is lavished with praise and she seems pleased by everyone's attention--whereas I think most people who lose weight don't want to hear "You've lost weight! You look so good!" because of the way it invades our personal boundary and devalues the person we've always been. Only one person looks at her methods, not just her results--her new friend Kay-Kay, once one of the cruel and exclusive popular crowd, but now rejected by them for being too nice.
Rosemary's friendship with Kay-Kay is the part of the book that rings truest to me (although Kay-Kay's struggles with alcohol seem fake--really, who throws up after two wine coolers? And whose parents would have wine coolers on hand to steal?). I was actually really affected by a part of the book where Rosemary and Kay-Kay pee in the woods together (after Rosemary rescues drunken Kay-Kay from ridicule by the popular crowd and helps her while she pukes). Rosemary's friendship with Kay-Kay lets her ease out of her egocentrism a little bit and see that other people are imperfect too, just like she is.
The worst part of the book was that at the end, when Rosemary has everything she wants--a boyfriend who likes her just the way she is, a fit body that can run three miles, a best friend who supports her--instead of becoming comfortable with her body and happy about the person she is, she imagines herself reaching her goal weight of 120 pounds within a year (we never know how tall she is, but if her aunt is 5'6", then I imagine she is about the same) and working out at the gym every day on her lunch break after running every morning. It seems to me that rather than becoming healthier and more confident, she may have developed an eating disorder.
Although I thought the book was fairly well written and had good attention to setting, it was highly formulaic, and the main character, Rosemary, was not terribly sympathetic. She was characterized as an obsessive eater, with chocolate bars stashed all over her room, who regularly binged on things like an entire tuna casserole or a whole bag of chips and a whole jar of salsa. She also had rock-bottom self-esteem.
Her mom (single, had Rosemary at age 17) and her awful aunt (size two, always pointing out areas where others need to improve) constantly pressure her to lose weight, which she, understandably, resents. But then, Rosemary develops a crush on a cute and very large member of the football team, and begins to diet--first by giving herself food poisoning, then by starving herself on packaged diet foods that make her sick. The book has little criticism for her methods. When she loses 40 pounds, 20 percent of her body weight, in a month, she is lavished with praise and she seems pleased by everyone's attention--whereas I think most people who lose weight don't want to hear "You've lost weight! You look so good!" because of the way it invades our personal boundary and devalues the person we've always been. Only one person looks at her methods, not just her results--her new friend Kay-Kay, once one of the cruel and exclusive popular crowd, but now rejected by them for being too nice.
Rosemary's friendship with Kay-Kay is the part of the book that rings truest to me (although Kay-Kay's struggles with alcohol seem fake--really, who throws up after two wine coolers? And whose parents would have wine coolers on hand to steal?). I was actually really affected by a part of the book where Rosemary and Kay-Kay pee in the woods together (after Rosemary rescues drunken Kay-Kay from ridicule by the popular crowd and helps her while she pukes). Rosemary's friendship with Kay-Kay lets her ease out of her egocentrism a little bit and see that other people are imperfect too, just like she is.
The worst part of the book was that at the end, when Rosemary has everything she wants--a boyfriend who likes her just the way she is, a fit body that can run three miles, a best friend who supports her--instead of becoming comfortable with her body and happy about the person she is, she imagines herself reaching her goal weight of 120 pounds within a year (we never know how tall she is, but if her aunt is 5'6", then I imagine she is about the same) and working out at the gym every day on her lunch break after running every morning. It seems to me that rather than becoming healthier and more confident, she may have developed an eating disorder.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2021
Picking up this book, I did not know the extent of the fat shaming there was. I am an overweight person and I was overweight in high school. I could compare myself to Rosie on some aspects. But I do say that this has triggered me and my mental health has taken a beating from this book and the thoughts that have cropped back up. The first few pages felt like a slap in the face. The quarter mark had me putting this book down and just hating myself and crying. I did end up finishing the book and the ending was over really abruptly. I was not satisfied with how that car ride was.
Besides the overall weight issue, I also had the connection with Rosie and her intense and conflicting relationship with her aunt. Growing up, my mom and I always got into arguments. It felt like I was reading my journal whenever Rosie's aunt popped up or their arguments were the paragraphs I was reading.
I don't recommend this book if you are struggling with weight or eating habits. Some people say that they loved watching Rosie grow, but if you are similar to Rosie, I swear to you that this will be a literal punch in the gut.
Besides the overall weight issue, I also had the connection with Rosie and her intense and conflicting relationship with her aunt. Growing up, my mom and I always got into arguments. It felt like I was reading my journal whenever Rosie's aunt popped up or their arguments were the paragraphs I was reading.
I don't recommend this book if you are struggling with weight or eating habits. Some people say that they loved watching Rosie grow, but if you are similar to Rosie, I swear to you that this will be a literal punch in the gut.
January 20, 2014
Rosemary Goode is an overweight and unpopular teenager with no friends. She never really cared or thought about losing weight, until one day an incident happened that opened her eyes, and made her realise that she needs to change her life around. We also get to see the rocky relationship Rosemary has with her mum and her aunt, who continuously nag her about losing weight. The storyline goes on about her journey to lose weight, build her self-confidence, work on her relationship with her family, become a more social person and make friends.
Artichoke's Heart is a great story, and Rosemary is a very likeable character, and so it was easy to sympathise with her. What I really loved about this book is that it was realistic, especially the ending. Although it talks about serious issues, it was written in a light and easy way that makes it enjoyable to read.
Artichoke's Heart is a great story, and Rosemary is a very likeable character, and so it was easy to sympathise with her. What I really loved about this book is that it was realistic, especially the ending. Although it talks about serious issues, it was written in a light and easy way that makes it enjoyable to read.
March 24, 2010
This book truly angered me. While reading it, I felt certain that the author herself had never struggled with her weight (unlike the main character), but she also writes as though she's never been a teenager.
When the book opens, the main character Rosie is in high school and is "fat." She evidently does not have a single friend because she is fat. Everyone else in high school is part of a popular crowd. I found this incredibly unrealistic. While people who are overweight in high school are certainly subject to many social difficulties, the idea that she would be totally friendless does not ring true. It also makes her later forays into friendship ring false, because it's very hard to swallow that the people who do befriend her would be her friends if literally NO ONE ELSE LIKED HER AT ALL.
Rosie's weight is a main focus in the book. In the beginning, Rosie is constantly eating everything that isn't nailed down. I was irritated by the implication that all people who are fat are also very serious overeaters (to the point of hiding food and lying about it?) It made her weight something you felt unsympathetic about, and which seemed at odds with the book's goal of portraying a realistic likable character with weight issues. When Rosemary does turn to weight loss she uses a liquid Slim-Fastesque diet, and it is effective. There is no mention in the book of the incredible dangers of losing weight in a reckless manners (although they do make much mention of her flatulence issues from the diet, which somehow NEVER occur at embarrassing times).
As an educator, I become very concerned with the messages being sent out to young people. To me, this books says 1) If someone is fat, they are probably friendless. 2)If someone is fat, it is probably because they eat way too much and don't want to fix it. 3)Anyway you can lose weight is good, because hey, you're losing weight. This is not a message I would want a young girl to have.
When the book opens, the main character Rosie is in high school and is "fat." She evidently does not have a single friend because she is fat. Everyone else in high school is part of a popular crowd. I found this incredibly unrealistic. While people who are overweight in high school are certainly subject to many social difficulties, the idea that she would be totally friendless does not ring true. It also makes her later forays into friendship ring false, because it's very hard to swallow that the people who do befriend her would be her friends if literally NO ONE ELSE LIKED HER AT ALL.
Rosie's weight is a main focus in the book. In the beginning, Rosie is constantly eating everything that isn't nailed down. I was irritated by the implication that all people who are fat are also very serious overeaters (to the point of hiding food and lying about it?) It made her weight something you felt unsympathetic about, and which seemed at odds with the book's goal of portraying a realistic likable character with weight issues. When Rosemary does turn to weight loss she uses a liquid Slim-Fastesque diet, and it is effective. There is no mention in the book of the incredible dangers of losing weight in a reckless manners (although they do make much mention of her flatulence issues from the diet, which somehow NEVER occur at embarrassing times).
As an educator, I become very concerned with the messages being sent out to young people. To me, this books says 1) If someone is fat, they are probably friendless. 2)If someone is fat, it is probably because they eat way too much and don't want to fix it. 3)Anyway you can lose weight is good, because hey, you're losing weight. This is not a message I would want a young girl to have.
March 10, 2025
I have to give this book credit for being entertaining enough for my goldfish attention span. Now that that’s out of the way this book kinda sucked.
The main character clearly struggles with body image issues, multiple eating disorders, and probably depression. I think that the author did a not terrible, but disappointing representation of these issues. Plus, she had no personality outside of these issues and was somewhat one dimensional.
The main issue I have with this book is the absolutely atrocious plot line. I’ve never been one for romance but this surpassed my lack of expectations. The love interest literally said to her that he loves her because she knows the music he likes and likes him for who he is and then immediately starts trying to get down to pound town before the first I love you. He was nice though so he’s not the main plot problem.
The main problem I have with this plot is the weight loss journey. Not only does the FMC attempt weight loss in incredibly dangerous and health-decaying ways, but these things work. On top of that, the book comes to a conclusion when people accept her “for who she is” which is only after she lost 95 pounds in the span of a few months. So basically moral of the story is that to be accepted you have to lose weight? This was made ten times more stupid by the fact that the back cover proudly displays that she learns to love herself. Again, she only learns to love herself after dropping a dangerous amount of weight in a dangerous amount of time. Yucky plot line.
The main character clearly struggles with body image issues, multiple eating disorders, and probably depression. I think that the author did a not terrible, but disappointing representation of these issues. Plus, she had no personality outside of these issues and was somewhat one dimensional.
The main issue I have with this book is the absolutely atrocious plot line. I’ve never been one for romance but this surpassed my lack of expectations. The love interest literally said to her that he loves her because she knows the music he likes and likes him for who he is and then immediately starts trying to get down to pound town before the first I love you. He was nice though so he’s not the main plot problem.
The main problem I have with this plot is the weight loss journey. Not only does the FMC attempt weight loss in incredibly dangerous and health-decaying ways, but these things work. On top of that, the book comes to a conclusion when people accept her “for who she is” which is only after she lost 95 pounds in the span of a few months. So basically moral of the story is that to be accepted you have to lose weight? This was made ten times more stupid by the fact that the back cover proudly displays that she learns to love herself. Again, she only learns to love herself after dropping a dangerous amount of weight in a dangerous amount of time. Yucky plot line.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
February 2, 2010I think that Rosemary Goode should definitely encourage herself to lose weight but its sometimes hard. It's more of the "mind" work than to physically work. Its like quitting smoking. Sure, you really want to, but you're not really quitting until you actually DO.
So I see that Rosemary has been taking up to losing weight. Her methods include drinking this formula shake called Pounds-Away, and finally running on the "evil" treadmill her mother had bought for $700. I personally think that the running on treadmill thing is gold and that drinking the Pounds-Away shake can potentially harming your body. The reason I think Rosemary got this fat in the first place is because according to what I read, she eats to numb the feeling. And since that her mother doesn't really talk to her much, (I realized that her mother was pretty closed up; don't like to reveal much)Rosie might often feel unloved, leading to her eating disorder problem, and then becoming an addiction to be eating too much food.
I'm also glad Rosie is going to Dr. Wallace for therapy because she could really use someone to talk to, considering that her mother is also too busy dealing with her problems and hopes. In other words, I feel sorry for the mother too because she has to deal with her salon and cancer. That's right, cancer. Rosie's mother had developed Hodgkin's disease and has only told the mishap to her sister, Mary. I guessed that that is why Rosie also felt left out and angry at her aunt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2/1/10
So Rosemary gains a new friend, Kay-Kay and KayKay turns out to be a complete opposite of Rosemary. She was a Bluebird but got completely rejected for being the opposite of a Bluebird, nice. Kay Kay came from a single father family who's an alcholic/depressed but despite that, she's completely cheerful and upbeat. She's also extremely athletic and after she became really good friends with Rosie, she even persuaded Rosie to exercise with her in the morning. At first, Rosie couldn't do it... 3 miles? That was WAY beyond her. However though, Rosie managed to start running and losing more and more of her weight.
She also gets asked out by Kyle and finally even for prom. Turns out Kyle had liked her the whole time since the incident with the chair though she had clumsily slipped the words, i love you to him and she feels insecure. The next day though, Kyle responds and he loves her too. :)
She also talked to her mother and Aunt Mary and all is better.
She also stops going to Dr. Wallace, her usual therapist. Rosie doesn't need her anymore.
So I see that Rosemary has been taking up to losing weight. Her methods include drinking this formula shake called Pounds-Away, and finally running on the "evil" treadmill her mother had bought for $700. I personally think that the running on treadmill thing is gold and that drinking the Pounds-Away shake can potentially harming your body. The reason I think Rosemary got this fat in the first place is because according to what I read, she eats to numb the feeling. And since that her mother doesn't really talk to her much, (I realized that her mother was pretty closed up; don't like to reveal much)Rosie might often feel unloved, leading to her eating disorder problem, and then becoming an addiction to be eating too much food.
I'm also glad Rosie is going to Dr. Wallace for therapy because she could really use someone to talk to, considering that her mother is also too busy dealing with her problems and hopes. In other words, I feel sorry for the mother too because she has to deal with her salon and cancer. That's right, cancer. Rosie's mother had developed Hodgkin's disease and has only told the mishap to her sister, Mary. I guessed that that is why Rosie also felt left out and angry at her aunt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2/1/10
So Rosemary gains a new friend, Kay-Kay and KayKay turns out to be a complete opposite of Rosemary. She was a Bluebird but got completely rejected for being the opposite of a Bluebird, nice. Kay Kay came from a single father family who's an alcholic/depressed but despite that, she's completely cheerful and upbeat. She's also extremely athletic and after she became really good friends with Rosie, she even persuaded Rosie to exercise with her in the morning. At first, Rosie couldn't do it... 3 miles? That was WAY beyond her. However though, Rosie managed to start running and losing more and more of her weight.
She also gets asked out by Kyle and finally even for prom. Turns out Kyle had liked her the whole time since the incident with the chair though she had clumsily slipped the words, i love you to him and she feels insecure. The next day though, Kyle responds and he loves her too. :)
She also talked to her mother and Aunt Mary and all is better.
She also stops going to Dr. Wallace, her usual therapist. Rosie doesn't need her anymore.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2009
I liked this book, because it was real (down to earth). Suzanne Supplee wrote this book in a way, where the reader could relate, sympathize, and understand the situation the main character was coming from. I normally read books that help me to escape, for the love of entertainment, or just the love of reading. So, it was nice to read a book where I related to the main protagonist. I don't struggle with weight, but there were so many aspects of this book that anyone could grab a hold onto and see themselves in that situation.
Plus, I thought the dialogue was not over done, there were moments where it seems as if, I could have said those things, or had those words spoken to me. Most times, books are too exaggerated and over done.
In addition, I think it is a nice change to have normal stories about everyday people. Instead of these characters that are supposedly so beautiful words can not describe them or overly fantasized (I love those characters too, don't misconstrue my words).
Overall, I thought this book was funny, sarcastic in all the right places, written well, and real.
Plus, I thought the dialogue was not over done, there were moments where it seems as if, I could have said those things, or had those words spoken to me. Most times, books are too exaggerated and over done.
In addition, I think it is a nice change to have normal stories about everyday people. Instead of these characters that are supposedly so beautiful words can not describe them or overly fantasized (I love those characters too, don't misconstrue my words).
Overall, I thought this book was funny, sarcastic in all the right places, written well, and real.
July 22, 2011
The reason I love this YA book so much is because even though the plot is about a girl who is overweight, you can relate with her no matter what size you are. This truly is a great comfort book, it gives you all the mushy feelings of romance and the joy of hearing how the protagonist, Rosemary Goode, loses and gains control of her life. This book was actually a relatively realistic for a YA book, it wasn’t too perfect and by end of the book, Rose hasn’t all of a sudden gone popular and gotten to her ideal weight, showing readers that overcoming something like weight isn’t something that will just be a quick fix. Who’s never had a bully, or at least who’s never just felt self-conscious about them selves? I usually don’t get all mushy over a book but by the end I was nearly in tears (happy tears) over how she overcame such a big obstacle, I would highly reccomend it.I would have to say that a few things she did were disturbing, like the way she initially tries to lose weight, so I wouldn't recommend this if you are sensitive to those kind of things.
January 18, 2016
Very underwhelming...
EDIT!
I don’t really understand what the author’s message was. I went into this story thinking that this would be the story of a girl with weight struggles who finds a way to love and accept herself, and her body, all while growing and making changes on the inside and out. I mean it even says on the book “so begins a powerful year of transformation and self-discovery that surprisingly has little to do with the physical, and more to do with an honest look at how Rosemary (the main character) feels about herself.” I call bullshit. That is the biggest misrepresentation of a book that I have ever read.
Read the rest Here.
EDIT!
I don’t really understand what the author’s message was. I went into this story thinking that this would be the story of a girl with weight struggles who finds a way to love and accept herself, and her body, all while growing and making changes on the inside and out. I mean it even says on the book “so begins a powerful year of transformation and self-discovery that surprisingly has little to do with the physical, and more to do with an honest look at how Rosemary (the main character) feels about herself.” I call bullshit. That is the biggest misrepresentation of a book that I have ever read.
Read the rest Here.
February 6, 2021
fatphobic SHIT
November 27, 2025
3.5⭐️
You know, Rosemary is 16, and the depth of her thoughts and feelings makes sense for a 16-year-old girl. There were a lot of moments where I empathized with Rosemary, and although she definitely wasn’t perfect, it made her real. I started rooting for her and caring.
The concept of Rosemary and Kyle are cute. I will say that they don’t ever talk about anything of substance throughout the entire book though haha. Their conversations are never very long, and they don’t seem to really have anything in common besides they know some of the same oldies tunes. But the gestures are cute.
I did enjoy Rosemary’s friendship with Kay-Kay💖🥹 it was cute, and I love that they know how they can push each other.
There were a lot of different, complex relationships that Rosemary had to navigate: Kyle, Kay-Kay, her mom, her aunt, etc. The way Rosemary handled things and went about losing weight was not healthy. I’m surprised that she never fainted and that no one besides Kay-Kay knew…but I suppose it’s realistic to some extent. I think it’s cool that Rosemary is growing up and having ambitions, but how much she can handle and what she worries about in life are definitely accurate for a teenager who is still figuring out how to live life for the first time.
The message of this book is a little complex as someone who also has weight concerns though. On one hand, Rosemary’s determination to lose weight brings motivation. But also, she made progress for so long by just not eating. The therapy sessions were nice 😊 the message that we don’t have to wait to become skinnier to receive love is nice, but it’s also tough cause people only started celebrating her when she started to lose 40 pounds. It’s hard, but also, weight in itself is a hard topic, so maybe that’s the point. Maybe it’s not meant to have a message but to show a journey of how complex food and weight and the world is.
You know, Rosemary is 16, and the depth of her thoughts and feelings makes sense for a 16-year-old girl. There were a lot of moments where I empathized with Rosemary, and although she definitely wasn’t perfect, it made her real. I started rooting for her and caring.
The concept of Rosemary and Kyle are cute. I will say that they don’t ever talk about anything of substance throughout the entire book though haha. Their conversations are never very long, and they don’t seem to really have anything in common besides they know some of the same oldies tunes. But the gestures are cute.
I did enjoy Rosemary’s friendship with Kay-Kay💖🥹 it was cute, and I love that they know how they can push each other.
There were a lot of different, complex relationships that Rosemary had to navigate: Kyle, Kay-Kay, her mom, her aunt, etc. The way Rosemary handled things and went about losing weight was not healthy. I’m surprised that she never fainted and that no one besides Kay-Kay knew…but I suppose it’s realistic to some extent. I think it’s cool that Rosemary is growing up and having ambitions, but how much she can handle and what she worries about in life are definitely accurate for a teenager who is still figuring out how to live life for the first time.
The message of this book is a little complex as someone who also has weight concerns though. On one hand, Rosemary’s determination to lose weight brings motivation. But also, she made progress for so long by just not eating. The therapy sessions were nice 😊 the message that we don’t have to wait to become skinnier to receive love is nice, but it’s also tough cause people only started celebrating her when she started to lose 40 pounds. It’s hard, but also, weight in itself is a hard topic, so maybe that’s the point. Maybe it’s not meant to have a message but to show a journey of how complex food and weight and the world is.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2025
YA genre.
I actually found this book in the 1$ bin at a bookstore and decided to take a chance. As an adult reading the book it was hard to get past a lot of the self deprecation and bullying. As an overweight teenager I would have gobbled this up (no pun intended) and hopefully have taken it to heart and lost weight sooner.
However it is unrealistic at times and I wasn’t overly fond of the writing style. There were just too many characters with too many issues and so much anger all the time. I understand the meaning behind the book I just didn’t care for the way it ended. I needed a few more chapters to round it out perfectly.
I actually found this book in the 1$ bin at a bookstore and decided to take a chance. As an adult reading the book it was hard to get past a lot of the self deprecation and bullying. As an overweight teenager I would have gobbled this up (no pun intended) and hopefully have taken it to heart and lost weight sooner.
However it is unrealistic at times and I wasn’t overly fond of the writing style. There were just too many characters with too many issues and so much anger all the time. I understand the meaning behind the book I just didn’t care for the way it ended. I needed a few more chapters to round it out perfectly.
February 23, 2023
This was a cute, funny, witty YA story about an overweight high-school student. I loved the main character,she was super witty and I laughed out loud many times.
October 8, 2023
4.5 stars.
November 1, 2017
4.5*
I loved the first half of the book, then towards the end it got a little too cheesy and predictable. I honestly didn't really like Kyle, his personality is kind of lame
I loved the first half of the book, then towards the end it got a little too cheesy and predictable. I honestly didn't really like Kyle, his personality is kind of lame
February 22, 2018
Artichoke’s Heart
Rebecca Garner
February 23, 2018
English 12-1
1) Author’s Background: Suzanne Supplee grew up in Columbia, Tennessee, which relates to the setting in Spring Hill, Tennessee. She has written a collection of books which all seem to be for teenagers, preferably females. Also, her dad was killed, when she was six years old. In Artichoke’s Heart, Rosemary never met her dad, because when her mom was pregnant with her at 17, he left her when he found out.
2) Literary Time Period: Artichoke’s Heart was published in 2008. Suzanne Supplee wrote the book in the United States. She even grew up in Tennessee. Her writing the book relates to the setting in the book, which takes place in Tennessee. The book is written in the present tense, since there is nothing in the book that hints that it was written in the past.
3) Setting: The setting of Artichokes Heart is in the present, and mostly in Rosemary’s mother’s beauty shop, her school and home in the town of Spring Hill, Tennessee.
4) Characters: The main characters include Rosemary Goode, Rose Warren Goode, Aunt Mary, Kay-Kay Reese, Kyle Cox, Miss Bertha, and Dr. Wallace. The minor characters include Misty Winters, Grandma Georgia, and Mrs. McCutchin.
Rosemary Goode: Rosemary Goode is a 15 year old girl that is very overweight. Her mom had her when she was just 17 years old, and her father left after he found out he got her mom pregnant. So, Rosemary’s mother is trying to support the two of them while being single, and doesn’t give her daughter the attention she needs, causing her to eat her emotions away with food. She spends most of her time working at her mom’s salon, getting good grades, or eating unhealthy food. When she turns 16, she begins to see that she needs to get healthy, and says that her 16th birthday is the “last fat birthday” she will have. She starts losing weight and even gets a new boyfriend that does not care what she looks like,and a new friend that is very supportive of her weight problems and coaches her. At the end of the novel, she had lost a total of 50 pounds, and gained a new level of self confidence. She also gained a supportive boyfriend and bestfriend, and a closer relationship with her mother.
Rose Warren Goode: Rose Warren Goode is Rosemary’s mother that owns the most successful beauty shop in town, Heavenly Hair, that everyone in goes to. She was 17 years old when she had her daughter, so she now has to support the both of them, considering the Rosemary’s father left before Rose even gave birth. She gets Hodgkin’s Disease later in the book which causes an even bigger strain on her and her daughter’s relationship. Aunt Mary is her sister, which has always been very supportive of her especially when she was pregnant with Rosemary. Even though she has cancer, she continues to work at her salon, and do everything that a mother does for her child, against doctor’s orders. However, she becomes closer to her daughter by the end of the book and realizes that she was the reason Rosemary gained so much weight, and she didn’t do a thing to help her.
Aunt Mary: Aunt Mary is Rose Warren’s sister and Rosemary’s aunt. She doesn’t have the best relationship with her niece, considering she always has something negative to say about her weight. Evidently, she loves Rosemary very much, but doesn’t understand that she is hurting her self-esteem, instead of helping her. She is one of the reasons, it is so hard for Rosemary to want to lose weight. But, in the end, they make up, and treat each other with the respect that they both deserve from each other.
Kay-Kay Reese: Kay-Kay Reese is a runner that starts out in the Blue-bird clique, but soon realizes that she isn’t mean enough to be in it. She and Rosemary become friends and supports her when losing weight, and starts running with her in the mornings. Without Kay-Kay, Rosemary would had probably given up on the weight loss, and not had a best friend at the end of a book.
Kyle Cox: Kyle Cox is a football/basketball player that had weight problems when he was younger much like Rosemary. He had a crush on Rosemary, and vice versa. Eventually, he asks her out on dates and asks her to be his girlfriend. He asks her to prom and she says yes. He is obviously in love with Rosemary and doesn’t care what she looks likes, because he had the same weight problems as she did when he was younger before he started football and basketball. He and Rosemary are still dating at the end of the book.
Miss Bertha: Miss Bertha works at Heavenly Hair and has known Rosemary for all of her life. She isn’t related to Rosemary, but can be considered family, she helped Rose Warren raise Rosemary. She is a second grandma to Rosemary and isn’t very important to the story-line, but can still be considered a main character.
Dr. Wallace: Dr. Wallace is Rosemary’s counselor that Rose Warren sets her up with to try to get her to lose weight. She lets Rosemary talk to her about anything on her mind or is bothering her. They have meetings once a week, and Dr. Wallace helps Rosemary lose weight with counseling, she was once very overweight, and she doesn’t want the same thing to happen to Rosemary.
Misty Winters: Misty Winters is a very popular girl that is the leader of Bluebirds. She is the reason Rosemary got the nickname “artichoke,” and loves torturing Rosemary with insults about her weight. Rosemary finally realizes that Misty is not worth her time, and does not let the insults about her weight get to her anymore.
Grandma Georgia: Grandma Georgia is Rosemary’s grandma and Rose Warren’s mother. She lives in Florida and checks up on Rosemary and her mom frequently, when she calls them. She comes up to visit on Rosemary’s 16th birthday, and chipped in for buying the car with her two daughters (Rose and Mary), and Miss Bertha for Rosemary. She also gives her money to buy a prom dress, and has always supported her with her weight, never saying anything to criticize her or insult her.
Mrs. McCutchin: Mrs. McCutchin is an overweight lady that is a family friend of Rosemary, and often visits the salon for a haircut. She has a heart attack and this gives Rosemary courage to lose weight, because she doesn’t want to end up like that and never be able to change.
5) Theme: The themes of Artichoke’s Heart include struggle, criticism, and control of your life.
Struggle: Rosemary struggles with her weight throughout the whole novel. She also struggles with everyone around her criticizing her and insulting her about the weight, but they don’t help her try to get better. Her family is the worst about the insulting. They just tell her about how bad she looks, and how she needs to stop eating so much, and gaining the weight that she has. Rosemary is a very strong girl for not letting the insults define her life, and choosing to lose weight on her own.
Criticism: Criticism plays a huge part in the book. Rosemary gets criticized by her mother, Aunt Mary, Misty Winters, and anyone else at school that wants to make fun of her because they have nothing else better to do. It didn’t help her self-confidence one bit. The only person that never said one negative about her weight were Kyle and Kay-Kay.
Control of your life: You need to take control of your life, or it will take over you. Rosemary gets tired of the insults and being criticized for the way she looks, so she decides she will not be fat anymore, and is determined to lose weight, She takes control her life and goes on a diet with drinking Pounds Away at first, which is not a very healthy drink, and then eating very small portions of food and diet drinks after she realizes that the Pounds Away drink is not helping. She finally loses enough weight to physically show a difference for everyone to see.
6) Plot Summary: Artichoke’s Heart is about a 16 year old girl that is over-weight tipping the scale at 200 pounds. Everyone at school and her family continue to criticize her about it, except for her boyfriend and best friend. She finally decides that she needs to change her weight, before she has a heart attack or other health problems. She gets determined to lose weight, so throughout the book, she starts dieting, and loses about 50 pounds at the end of the book. She realizes that she shouldn’t care about what people think, and they should like her for who she is. At the end of the book, she is no longer criticized for the way she looks, and continues to rebuild her relationship with her mother.
7) Literary Devices: One literary device that is in Artichoke’s Heart is a flashback. Rosemary flashbacks to the day in sixth grade she started being called “artichoke.” Everyone was getting a new designer jacket for the winter, and Rosemary wanted one. But, no one had money to buy it for her. Her mother was still trying to pay off her salon, Aunt Mary was paying off paralegal school, and Grandma Georgia was trying to pay off her divorce with her third husband, Keith, the reason she moved to Florida in the first place. Another literary device would be suspense. There was a feeling of suspense when Rosemary’s mother got angry at Aunt Mary, and kicked her out of the house, because Aunt Mary told the doctor that Rose Warren was still working full-time and not in bed where he told her to stay to fight the cancer.
8)Memorable Quotes:
“Artichoke. I’m doing a story on adolescent obesity fort the school paper. I need a subject. Now what’s it like?”
Misty Winters says this to Rosemary as an insult to her about her weight. She loves to torment her about it, and was the person to start the trend of calling Rosemary “artichoke.”
“Maybe I am a ‘disgusting’ fat girl, but just once, I’d like Mother to stand up for me, to take my side of things instead of Aunt Mary’s all the time.
Rosemary thinks this when she is at the mall with her Aunt and Mother. Aunt Mary just called her a “disgusting fat girl,” and her mother does nothing but just sit there and stay quiet. She lets her sister call her own daughter those mean words. And, Rosemary can’t do a thing about it, because her Mother will just take Aunt Mary’s side.
Citations:
https://sites.google.com/site/articho...
https://sites.google.com/site/articho...
https://prezi.com/fe_o6o7ffowo/artich...
https://prezi.com/s3c__xx8ym7n/artich...
Rebecca Garner
February 23, 2018
English 12-1
1) Author’s Background: Suzanne Supplee grew up in Columbia, Tennessee, which relates to the setting in Spring Hill, Tennessee. She has written a collection of books which all seem to be for teenagers, preferably females. Also, her dad was killed, when she was six years old. In Artichoke’s Heart, Rosemary never met her dad, because when her mom was pregnant with her at 17, he left her when he found out.
2) Literary Time Period: Artichoke’s Heart was published in 2008. Suzanne Supplee wrote the book in the United States. She even grew up in Tennessee. Her writing the book relates to the setting in the book, which takes place in Tennessee. The book is written in the present tense, since there is nothing in the book that hints that it was written in the past.
3) Setting: The setting of Artichokes Heart is in the present, and mostly in Rosemary’s mother’s beauty shop, her school and home in the town of Spring Hill, Tennessee.
4) Characters: The main characters include Rosemary Goode, Rose Warren Goode, Aunt Mary, Kay-Kay Reese, Kyle Cox, Miss Bertha, and Dr. Wallace. The minor characters include Misty Winters, Grandma Georgia, and Mrs. McCutchin.
Rosemary Goode: Rosemary Goode is a 15 year old girl that is very overweight. Her mom had her when she was just 17 years old, and her father left after he found out he got her mom pregnant. So, Rosemary’s mother is trying to support the two of them while being single, and doesn’t give her daughter the attention she needs, causing her to eat her emotions away with food. She spends most of her time working at her mom’s salon, getting good grades, or eating unhealthy food. When she turns 16, she begins to see that she needs to get healthy, and says that her 16th birthday is the “last fat birthday” she will have. She starts losing weight and even gets a new boyfriend that does not care what she looks like,and a new friend that is very supportive of her weight problems and coaches her. At the end of the novel, she had lost a total of 50 pounds, and gained a new level of self confidence. She also gained a supportive boyfriend and bestfriend, and a closer relationship with her mother.
Rose Warren Goode: Rose Warren Goode is Rosemary’s mother that owns the most successful beauty shop in town, Heavenly Hair, that everyone in goes to. She was 17 years old when she had her daughter, so she now has to support the both of them, considering the Rosemary’s father left before Rose even gave birth. She gets Hodgkin’s Disease later in the book which causes an even bigger strain on her and her daughter’s relationship. Aunt Mary is her sister, which has always been very supportive of her especially when she was pregnant with Rosemary. Even though she has cancer, she continues to work at her salon, and do everything that a mother does for her child, against doctor’s orders. However, she becomes closer to her daughter by the end of the book and realizes that she was the reason Rosemary gained so much weight, and she didn’t do a thing to help her.
Aunt Mary: Aunt Mary is Rose Warren’s sister and Rosemary’s aunt. She doesn’t have the best relationship with her niece, considering she always has something negative to say about her weight. Evidently, she loves Rosemary very much, but doesn’t understand that she is hurting her self-esteem, instead of helping her. She is one of the reasons, it is so hard for Rosemary to want to lose weight. But, in the end, they make up, and treat each other with the respect that they both deserve from each other.
Kay-Kay Reese: Kay-Kay Reese is a runner that starts out in the Blue-bird clique, but soon realizes that she isn’t mean enough to be in it. She and Rosemary become friends and supports her when losing weight, and starts running with her in the mornings. Without Kay-Kay, Rosemary would had probably given up on the weight loss, and not had a best friend at the end of a book.
Kyle Cox: Kyle Cox is a football/basketball player that had weight problems when he was younger much like Rosemary. He had a crush on Rosemary, and vice versa. Eventually, he asks her out on dates and asks her to be his girlfriend. He asks her to prom and she says yes. He is obviously in love with Rosemary and doesn’t care what she looks likes, because he had the same weight problems as she did when he was younger before he started football and basketball. He and Rosemary are still dating at the end of the book.
Miss Bertha: Miss Bertha works at Heavenly Hair and has known Rosemary for all of her life. She isn’t related to Rosemary, but can be considered family, she helped Rose Warren raise Rosemary. She is a second grandma to Rosemary and isn’t very important to the story-line, but can still be considered a main character.
Dr. Wallace: Dr. Wallace is Rosemary’s counselor that Rose Warren sets her up with to try to get her to lose weight. She lets Rosemary talk to her about anything on her mind or is bothering her. They have meetings once a week, and Dr. Wallace helps Rosemary lose weight with counseling, she was once very overweight, and she doesn’t want the same thing to happen to Rosemary.
Misty Winters: Misty Winters is a very popular girl that is the leader of Bluebirds. She is the reason Rosemary got the nickname “artichoke,” and loves torturing Rosemary with insults about her weight. Rosemary finally realizes that Misty is not worth her time, and does not let the insults about her weight get to her anymore.
Grandma Georgia: Grandma Georgia is Rosemary’s grandma and Rose Warren’s mother. She lives in Florida and checks up on Rosemary and her mom frequently, when she calls them. She comes up to visit on Rosemary’s 16th birthday, and chipped in for buying the car with her two daughters (Rose and Mary), and Miss Bertha for Rosemary. She also gives her money to buy a prom dress, and has always supported her with her weight, never saying anything to criticize her or insult her.
Mrs. McCutchin: Mrs. McCutchin is an overweight lady that is a family friend of Rosemary, and often visits the salon for a haircut. She has a heart attack and this gives Rosemary courage to lose weight, because she doesn’t want to end up like that and never be able to change.
5) Theme: The themes of Artichoke’s Heart include struggle, criticism, and control of your life.
Struggle: Rosemary struggles with her weight throughout the whole novel. She also struggles with everyone around her criticizing her and insulting her about the weight, but they don’t help her try to get better. Her family is the worst about the insulting. They just tell her about how bad she looks, and how she needs to stop eating so much, and gaining the weight that she has. Rosemary is a very strong girl for not letting the insults define her life, and choosing to lose weight on her own.
Criticism: Criticism plays a huge part in the book. Rosemary gets criticized by her mother, Aunt Mary, Misty Winters, and anyone else at school that wants to make fun of her because they have nothing else better to do. It didn’t help her self-confidence one bit. The only person that never said one negative about her weight were Kyle and Kay-Kay.
Control of your life: You need to take control of your life, or it will take over you. Rosemary gets tired of the insults and being criticized for the way she looks, so she decides she will not be fat anymore, and is determined to lose weight, She takes control her life and goes on a diet with drinking Pounds Away at first, which is not a very healthy drink, and then eating very small portions of food and diet drinks after she realizes that the Pounds Away drink is not helping. She finally loses enough weight to physically show a difference for everyone to see.
6) Plot Summary: Artichoke’s Heart is about a 16 year old girl that is over-weight tipping the scale at 200 pounds. Everyone at school and her family continue to criticize her about it, except for her boyfriend and best friend. She finally decides that she needs to change her weight, before she has a heart attack or other health problems. She gets determined to lose weight, so throughout the book, she starts dieting, and loses about 50 pounds at the end of the book. She realizes that she shouldn’t care about what people think, and they should like her for who she is. At the end of the book, she is no longer criticized for the way she looks, and continues to rebuild her relationship with her mother.
7) Literary Devices: One literary device that is in Artichoke’s Heart is a flashback. Rosemary flashbacks to the day in sixth grade she started being called “artichoke.” Everyone was getting a new designer jacket for the winter, and Rosemary wanted one. But, no one had money to buy it for her. Her mother was still trying to pay off her salon, Aunt Mary was paying off paralegal school, and Grandma Georgia was trying to pay off her divorce with her third husband, Keith, the reason she moved to Florida in the first place. Another literary device would be suspense. There was a feeling of suspense when Rosemary’s mother got angry at Aunt Mary, and kicked her out of the house, because Aunt Mary told the doctor that Rose Warren was still working full-time and not in bed where he told her to stay to fight the cancer.
8)Memorable Quotes:
“Artichoke. I’m doing a story on adolescent obesity fort the school paper. I need a subject. Now what’s it like?”
Misty Winters says this to Rosemary as an insult to her about her weight. She loves to torment her about it, and was the person to start the trend of calling Rosemary “artichoke.”
“Maybe I am a ‘disgusting’ fat girl, but just once, I’d like Mother to stand up for me, to take my side of things instead of Aunt Mary’s all the time.
Rosemary thinks this when she is at the mall with her Aunt and Mother. Aunt Mary just called her a “disgusting fat girl,” and her mother does nothing but just sit there and stay quiet. She lets her sister call her own daughter those mean words. And, Rosemary can’t do a thing about it, because her Mother will just take Aunt Mary’s side.
Citations:
https://sites.google.com/site/articho...
https://sites.google.com/site/articho...
https://prezi.com/fe_o6o7ffowo/artich...
https://prezi.com/s3c__xx8ym7n/artich...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
November 30, 2018Rosemary Goode is a sassy, Emily Dickinson loving, and overweight teenager from a small town in Tennessee. She spends her days working at her single mother's beauty salon. Rosemary is an outcast at school and relies on food to fill her up with happiness. Her thin mom and aunt constantly nag her to lose weight, but Rosemary resents them. Her life get's turned upside down when the bad news of her moms cancer is revealed. When her weight exceeds 200 pounds, she makes it her goal to lose the weight, doing whatever it takes. In the novel, she begins to claim control of her life by losing weight, getting a loving boyfriend and an encouraging best friend, and gaining self confidence.
I chose this book mainly because of her name. It's one of the names I would like to name my future baby girl (in the FAR future). The yummy looking cover impacted my choice as well. Overall, I loved this book. It was a beautiful story and Rosemary's humor and wit kept a silly grin on my face. The book was strongly motivating and I would definitely reread it. I actually wish it was longer! However, the book, at times, was a bit too cheesy. Her boyfriend Kyle seemed too perfect. I would recommend this book to all girls, even if their weight isn't an issue, it's still a great book that shows we are stronger than we think.
I chose this book mainly because of her name. It's one of the names I would like to name my future baby girl (in the FAR future). The yummy looking cover impacted my choice as well. Overall, I loved this book. It was a beautiful story and Rosemary's humor and wit kept a silly grin on my face. The book was strongly motivating and I would definitely reread it. I actually wish it was longer! However, the book, at times, was a bit too cheesy. Her boyfriend Kyle seemed too perfect. I would recommend this book to all girls, even if their weight isn't an issue, it's still a great book that shows we are stronger than we think.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2011
I loved this book. It was so fun and quirky. As someone who has always had an issue with weight, I lost count of the number of times I would read something and think, “that’s exactly what happened to me!” or “I remember feeling that way.” Suzanne Supplee really knows how to get to the bottom of how a ‘fat girl’ feels.
This plot has been done before, but it didn’t feel like a repeat of anything I’ve ever read. The writing was fast paced and I really liked how the little things are skipped. Like, we didn’t go through every single class at school or every part of the goodbye at the end of a date. We just moved on to the next thing. Rosemary’s voice was great, she had a comeback every time someone said something smart to her (even if she didn’t always say them out loud). [The following quote was in a previous Teaser Tuesday, but I love it so much, I had to include it in the review.]
I liked the variety of characters – sure, there were the clichéd mean girls and the gay hairdresser, but there was also the friendly, quirky neighbor, the bossy aunt and the not-so-mean mean girl. Most of them were fully fleshed out with depth. Rosemary was more than just the fat girl. There was a reason she gained weight and many reasons she wouldn’t lose it. She had believeable interactions with her mom and aunt (who were so close Rose actually found herself jealous), the girls at school and the boy she had a crush on. There was a little romance, though I wouldn’t call it sexy hotness. More like tender sweetness. In the end, Rosemary learned the lesson we knew she was going to, but it wasn’t really shoved down your throat. She came to it gradually and with help.
The cover is perfect; how can you go wrong with chocolate? Plus, the little artichokes in the chocolate add that tie-in. And I’ve always thought brown and pink together are pretty. Girly without going overboard.
The Sum Up: A fun, fast read that was entertaining from start to finish. Great characters and dialogue made it extra special.
'As reviewed on The Busy Bibliophile.'
I thought about how, if you’re skinny, walking across the library probably isn’t a big deal. In fact, if you’re cute and petite like Kay-Kay Reese, it’s probably even fun—all that strutting and posing and sticking your good parts out. But, if you’re a fat girl, walking clear across the library is like crossing the interstate blindfolded.
This plot has been done before, but it didn’t feel like a repeat of anything I’ve ever read. The writing was fast paced and I really liked how the little things are skipped. Like, we didn’t go through every single class at school or every part of the goodbye at the end of a date. We just moved on to the next thing. Rosemary’s voice was great, she had a comeback every time someone said something smart to her (even if she didn’t always say them out loud). [The following quote was in a previous Teaser Tuesday, but I love it so much, I had to include it in the review.]
Right next to him was an empty chair. Quickly, before I lost the nerve, I plopped my barn ass into it. Big mistake. Warning! Chair on wheels! Rolling fat girl! Instead of sitting next to Kyle, I practically sat on Kyle. The computer table shook. Two seniors shot looks of pure hatred across the table. Even Mr. Lawrence glanced up from his newspaper.
I liked the variety of characters – sure, there were the clichéd mean girls and the gay hairdresser, but there was also the friendly, quirky neighbor, the bossy aunt and the not-so-mean mean girl. Most of them were fully fleshed out with depth. Rosemary was more than just the fat girl. There was a reason she gained weight and many reasons she wouldn’t lose it. She had believeable interactions with her mom and aunt (who were so close Rose actually found herself jealous), the girls at school and the boy she had a crush on. There was a little romance, though I wouldn’t call it sexy hotness. More like tender sweetness. In the end, Rosemary learned the lesson we knew she was going to, but it wasn’t really shoved down your throat. She came to it gradually and with help.
The cover is perfect; how can you go wrong with chocolate? Plus, the little artichokes in the chocolate add that tie-in. And I’ve always thought brown and pink together are pretty. Girly without going overboard.
The Sum Up: A fun, fast read that was entertaining from start to finish. Great characters and dialogue made it extra special.
'As reviewed on The Busy Bibliophile.'
December 4, 2012
I read Somebody Everybody Listens To, also by this author, and thought it was a fantastic home read. I read this book and was sort of disappointed.
Almost everybody struggles with weight issues at one point in their life. Whether you're overweight or underweight or just paranoid, you never feel perfect enough.
These were the main issues I had with this book:
1. Her self-esteem
2. Her boyfriend Kyle
3. The resolution
As Rosemary is overweight and has been made fun ever since she was a child, it would make sense that she has self esteem issues. She doesn't have any friends, and she's basically given up. Her only vice? Food. And the vicious cycle continues.
But as Rosemary starts losing weight she's supposed to go through character development. She's slow at first, like everybody would be, but then after losing almost fifty pounds she's still extremely negative, not to mention her extreme weight loss in such a short amount of time is insane. It's almost as if she refuses to look on the bright side, or she's obsessed with hating her body.
Eventually she does get a little better, but she only lost weight because of constant pestering from her relatives. And the first way she did it was by drinking these terribly unhealthy digestion smoothies.
Second, her boyfriend Kyle was really annoying. It seemed like the only reason he liked her was because she was overweight. He hadn't even gotten to know her yet, but just by seeing her eyes he began to like her? How is that even possible?
I also didn't like how the author tried really hard to make Kyle sound super sexy when he really wasn't. The details with he's a football player, he's accepting of her weight, he's hot, his voice warms Rosemary up all the way across the phone?--it was a little too much.
And lastly, the ending was not great. It should be about accepting yourself and learning to overlook the extra pounds because of your great personality, but Rosemary only got her happy ending because she lost a ton of weight. This goes to show nothing of those who are a little heavier and does not really connect to them.
Almost everybody struggles with weight issues at one point in their life. Whether you're overweight or underweight or just paranoid, you never feel perfect enough.
These were the main issues I had with this book:
1. Her self-esteem
2. Her boyfriend Kyle
3. The resolution
As Rosemary is overweight and has been made fun ever since she was a child, it would make sense that she has self esteem issues. She doesn't have any friends, and she's basically given up. Her only vice? Food. And the vicious cycle continues.
But as Rosemary starts losing weight she's supposed to go through character development. She's slow at first, like everybody would be, but then after losing almost fifty pounds she's still extremely negative, not to mention her extreme weight loss in such a short amount of time is insane. It's almost as if she refuses to look on the bright side, or she's obsessed with hating her body.
Eventually she does get a little better, but she only lost weight because of constant pestering from her relatives. And the first way she did it was by drinking these terribly unhealthy digestion smoothies.
Second, her boyfriend Kyle was really annoying. It seemed like the only reason he liked her was because she was overweight. He hadn't even gotten to know her yet, but just by seeing her eyes he began to like her? How is that even possible?
I also didn't like how the author tried really hard to make Kyle sound super sexy when he really wasn't. The details with he's a football player, he's accepting of her weight, he's hot, his voice warms Rosemary up all the way across the phone?--it was a little too much.
And lastly, the ending was not great. It should be about accepting yourself and learning to overlook the extra pounds because of your great personality, but Rosemary only got her happy ending because she lost a ton of weight. This goes to show nothing of those who are a little heavier and does not really connect to them.
October 10, 2010
Artichoke’s Heart by Suzanne Supplee tells the story of Rosemary Goode, an overweight teenager from the South. Rosemary is not comfortable in her own skin and has a serious love affair with all things chocolate. Rosemary gets through her days by working in her mother’s hair salon and looking forward to the next time she can indulge in junk food.
After Christmas break, everything changes. Rosemary’s Aunt Mary, who constantly harrasses her about her weight buys her a weight loss book and her mother buys her a treadmill.
Rosemary’s mother is diagnosed with cancer. Rosemary goes back to school and begins to have a crush on Kyle. Everything in Rosemary’s world has turned upside down. She even becomes friends with the once popular Kay-Kay, whose perfect body inspires Rosemary to get in shape.
This book took me a little while to get into, but once I did, I was hooked.
Rosemary was such a likable character because she was incredibly relateable. What teenage girl hasn’t doubted herself and her body? Everyone has struggled with their weight or appearance in at least some point in time. The story is told from Rosemary’s perspective and it was nice to get an inside look at Rosemary’s thoughts and feelings.
I loved each of the side stories and relationships throughout this book. Rosemary’s complicated relationship with her mother and her Aunt Mary, the romance between Rosemary and Kyle and the unlikely friendship between Rosemary and Kay-Kay made the book that much more interesting.
My only complaint about this book is that I was a little confused about when in time this story was taking place. I’m not from the South, so I attributed my confusion to the differences in culture, but the book felt a little old fashioned to me. I was kind of taken aback at the way Rosemary would say “I bought it on the Internet” as if the Internet was this new invention that you could buy things from. I’m not sure, but the book felt very old fashioned, when in reality, I think it was taking place in the present. Kyle seemed a little TOO gentlemen-like to me when I think about how guys today really act. Hey, maybe it’s a Southern thing though!
After Christmas break, everything changes. Rosemary’s Aunt Mary, who constantly harrasses her about her weight buys her a weight loss book and her mother buys her a treadmill.
Rosemary’s mother is diagnosed with cancer. Rosemary goes back to school and begins to have a crush on Kyle. Everything in Rosemary’s world has turned upside down. She even becomes friends with the once popular Kay-Kay, whose perfect body inspires Rosemary to get in shape.
This book took me a little while to get into, but once I did, I was hooked.
Rosemary was such a likable character because she was incredibly relateable. What teenage girl hasn’t doubted herself and her body? Everyone has struggled with their weight or appearance in at least some point in time. The story is told from Rosemary’s perspective and it was nice to get an inside look at Rosemary’s thoughts and feelings.
I loved each of the side stories and relationships throughout this book. Rosemary’s complicated relationship with her mother and her Aunt Mary, the romance between Rosemary and Kyle and the unlikely friendship between Rosemary and Kay-Kay made the book that much more interesting.
My only complaint about this book is that I was a little confused about when in time this story was taking place. I’m not from the South, so I attributed my confusion to the differences in culture, but the book felt a little old fashioned to me. I was kind of taken aback at the way Rosemary would say “I bought it on the Internet” as if the Internet was this new invention that you could buy things from. I’m not sure, but the book felt very old fashioned, when in reality, I think it was taking place in the present. Kyle seemed a little TOO gentlemen-like to me when I think about how guys today really act. Hey, maybe it’s a Southern thing though!
November 7, 2010
Overall I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. I expected this to be a toss up because novels that try to capture the "fat girl experience" hardly ever live up to what I think is "fat girl reality." This book really does, I think, portray a realistic situation where a girl is overweight (not by a ton) and she is mocked so she has self-confidence issues but the conflict is deeper than that because Rosie's family dynamic (her single mom ad her mom's Type-A, bossy, nosy sister) is partly to blame for Rosie's problems. The author really explored all aspects of Rosie's confidence issues in a way that I thought was very realistic. She begins to realize her weight is a problem, she sees a therapist, she meets a boy, she makes a real friend, she starts to exercise, she realizes her diet drinks are not good, she starts to manage her weight by healthy eating, etc. I thought it was all very normal, natural, and the character's evolution felt very organic.
I liked the supporting cast of characters as well. Rosie's mom, for one, is very complex and multi-dimensional. I loved Kyle. At times I thought he was a bit too perfect but he does actually seem like a kid who could exist somewhere. I really loved what he did at the end of the book to apologize. I also loved Kay-Kay's character and the fact that she was given some real problems. She's got ADD, her dad is depressed, she's turning to alcohol to solve her problems, etc. I even liked controlling, bitchy Aunt Mary because she also seemed so real. We all have an Aunt Mary somewhere in our family.
At times, I will admit, this book was a bit cheesy. Kyle seemed too perfect. The characters were a bit too corny. And what bothered me most is that I never really felt like the voice was that of a 16-year-old. This always read like a book that was written by an adult trying to get into the head of a 16-year-old. Still, somehow that did not ruin this for me. I enjoyed it for it was. It won't win awards but if you've ever struggled with your weight and want to read a feel-good book then I recommend this one!
I liked the supporting cast of characters as well. Rosie's mom, for one, is very complex and multi-dimensional. I loved Kyle. At times I thought he was a bit too perfect but he does actually seem like a kid who could exist somewhere. I really loved what he did at the end of the book to apologize. I also loved Kay-Kay's character and the fact that she was given some real problems. She's got ADD, her dad is depressed, she's turning to alcohol to solve her problems, etc. I even liked controlling, bitchy Aunt Mary because she also seemed so real. We all have an Aunt Mary somewhere in our family.
At times, I will admit, this book was a bit cheesy. Kyle seemed too perfect. The characters were a bit too corny. And what bothered me most is that I never really felt like the voice was that of a 16-year-old. This always read like a book that was written by an adult trying to get into the head of a 16-year-old. Still, somehow that did not ruin this for me. I enjoyed it for it was. It won't win awards but if you've ever struggled with your weight and want to read a feel-good book then I recommend this one!
December 10, 2015
The book Artichoke’s Heart by Suzanne Supplee was an absolutely fascinating book for its insightfulness through character empathy. For example, after humiliating and ungraciously rejecting the baked goods from kind Mrs. McCutchin, Rosemary’s thoughts are “I guess today I did both, although I was so upset about wounding a woman who had been nothing but nice to me my entire life, I came home and ate four chocolate bars and two bags of cheese curls. Not only am I fat, I’m stupid too” (Supplee 8). Here the main character, Rosemary Goode, reflected on what happened and tried to rationalize at first but starts self-degrading for having hurt sweet Mrs. McCutchin. The reader can empathize with Rosemary’s thoughts and reactions after the rude humiliation of another person unintentionally. Next, after finding out about an illness of the mother who is Rose Goode, her stubbornness is described through the grandmother in “‘Scared. I’m really scared.’ It felt good to say it. ‘Me too, Rose Garden,’ said Grandma Georgia. ‘I expect your mama is, too. Deep down. It’s in her genes that won’t let her admit it...’” (Supplee 73). Because of how Rose Goode wouldn’t admit to fear, the rest of the supporting Goode family worries. A lot would put themselves in the situation like this for the sake of not worrying others, trying to be fearless but on the inside freaking out and masking fear isn’t a feeling that’s uncommon. Lastly, Rosemary had made the three month relationship cumbersome with admission to prolonged feelings, “Before I knew it, the words I love you tumbled out. It was like I’d dropped a whole drawer of pots and pans. Kyle pulled away and blinked at me” (Supplee 254). Rosemary Goode was starting to panic, as the confession had left only awkwardness and discomfort. This is a relatable feeling for many people; it is recognized as fear because there is not an absolute certainty that the other person would feel the same. In conclusion, this was an amazing read because of the way the author Suzanne Supplee wrote the characters to be so expressive and unique.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2011
What a great read!
This is the story every overweight girl (and woman) wants to be able to tell - the year her life changed...she lost weight, found a boyfriend and a girl friend, and stopped allowing the nasty girls to control her. (OK - so an overweight woman's goals may be a bit different...)
Yes, it's a bit of a fairy tale. But, it's told so sweetly and so honestly that it is ok.
Rosemary is facing the worst Christmas ever, her skinny mom gave her a treadmill and her skinny aunt gave her tickets to a weight loss workshop. And Rosemary didn't ask for or want any of this. What she wanted was a date with her favorite guy...Mr. Hershey or Mr. M&M. But a chance conversation with an obese woman in her mom's salon forces Rosie to face what her life is and will be. When 300+ pound Mrs. McCrutchin says they look just alike, Rosie is freaked out...Really! She looks just like this huge woman?
As much as she is grossed out by that thought, food is her comfort. Especially as her mom and aunt become more and more secretive. Turns out her mom has cancer and her aunt is overprotective and more than a little mean. Rosie decides to start on a liquid diet without telling anyone.
And, the really cute guy, Kyle, notices her.
This is not a wake up one morning and life is wonderful, instead it's work. It's early morning workouts, gastric issues from liquid diets, the fear that any solid food will make all weight fly back on and the reality that the face looking back in the mirror might always seem like a fat girl.
You have to root for Rosie though. She is willing to try and she realizes that the life she has is not really a life. The first basketball game she attends in high school is by herself in the top row.
I really liked this - I would recommend it to all girls. So weight may not be their issue - but Rosie faces the demons in a way that would be helpful for any young gir.
This is the story every overweight girl (and woman) wants to be able to tell - the year her life changed...she lost weight, found a boyfriend and a girl friend, and stopped allowing the nasty girls to control her. (OK - so an overweight woman's goals may be a bit different...)
Yes, it's a bit of a fairy tale. But, it's told so sweetly and so honestly that it is ok.
Rosemary is facing the worst Christmas ever, her skinny mom gave her a treadmill and her skinny aunt gave her tickets to a weight loss workshop. And Rosemary didn't ask for or want any of this. What she wanted was a date with her favorite guy...Mr. Hershey or Mr. M&M. But a chance conversation with an obese woman in her mom's salon forces Rosie to face what her life is and will be. When 300+ pound Mrs. McCrutchin says they look just alike, Rosie is freaked out...Really! She looks just like this huge woman?
As much as she is grossed out by that thought, food is her comfort. Especially as her mom and aunt become more and more secretive. Turns out her mom has cancer and her aunt is overprotective and more than a little mean. Rosie decides to start on a liquid diet without telling anyone.
And, the really cute guy, Kyle, notices her.
This is not a wake up one morning and life is wonderful, instead it's work. It's early morning workouts, gastric issues from liquid diets, the fear that any solid food will make all weight fly back on and the reality that the face looking back in the mirror might always seem like a fat girl.
You have to root for Rosie though. She is willing to try and she realizes that the life she has is not really a life. The first basketball game she attends in high school is by herself in the top row.
I really liked this - I would recommend it to all girls. So weight may not be their issue - but Rosie faces the demons in a way that would be helpful for any young gir.
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