Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs

by Cheryl Peck

Naughty cats, quirky family members, and experiences as a large gay woman in the heartland of Cheryl Peck has a potpourri of poignant -- and laugh-out-loud hilarious -- stories to tell about growing up, love, and loss.
With self-deprecating humor and compassionate insight, she remembers the time she hit her baby sister in the head with a rock, how her father taught her to swim by throwing her into deep water, and the day when -- while weighing in at 300 pounds -- she became an inspirational goddess at her local gym.
Filled with universal stories about a daughter's love for her parents and the eternal quest for finding meaning in it all, this book reveals many seemingly unremarkable moments that make up a life -- the weighty events that, like fat girls sitting on lawn chairs, just won't let go.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Humor, Essays, LGBT, Queer, Poetry

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Cheryl Peck lives with her cat, Babycakes, in Three Rivers, Michigan, where she rarely sits on lawn chairs. Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs was her first book. She printed the first edition through a friend's publishing and vermicomposting company (Flower Press) in August 2002, figuring that she could always use unsold copies for worm bedding. Her second book, Revenge of the Paste Eaters: Memoirs of a Mistfit was published in 2005.

Reviews

[J.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my. If the cover doesn't clue you in to what kind of book this is ~ check out the cat in the wig & specks ~ then you're in for a wild ride. This book is a trip. Ms. Peck has a sharp sense of humor and isn't above poking fun at anyone, including herself.

Originally self-published for her friends, her family, and her cat (a woman after my own heart!), this book is a fun romp through someone else's life. She pulls no punches in recounting the way she terrorized her younger sisters and peers by being driven to be the "first, fastest, loudest and best" in everything, and it's so refreshing to read about an overweight woman who isn't trying to fit into the heroin-chick mold everyone else strives to fill. She has no qualms telling it like it is, makes no excuses and offers no apologies, and you can't help but love her for that.

In regards to the title, she says, "No self-respecting fat girl ever really trusts a lawn chair." She tackles everything from weight issues to peeing in the woods ~ nothing is sacred to her, nothing is out of bounds. And cat lovers will enjoy the few essays written from the point of view of Babycakes, her spoiled feline friend.

One of the better memoirs I've read in a while. So many women will relate to Ms. Peck, regardless of their own personal sexuality. I look forward to reading more of her work.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

some stories were entertaining... but overall the collection didnt really grab me.

[Ubalstecha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cheryl Peck is a middle-aged, overweight lesbian with a sarcastic sense of humour. In her first book, we have a collection of essays that recount vignettes from her own life. These range from stories of her growing up living near a gravel pit to the imagined flights of fancy of her cat.

This is a humourous collection that, while it have you laughing out loud, will leave you with a smile on your face. Essays are very short, so they make a great bathroom read.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lesbian Cheryl Peck is able to write about lesbian issues without getting up on a high horse or a soap box or whatever else one might get up on. (??) Her essays ring true.... Everyday stuff is hysterically funny when it comes from Cheryl's pen! Fabulous!

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is one of the funniest books I've ever read. You don't have to have struggle with lawn chairs to like this book.

[Melanie Page · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, Peck’s Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs reads like a good candidate for a memoir class, one in which a smart teacher would point Peck toward the gold to be meaningfully mined and away from the you-had-to-be-there tales you tell friends at dinner.

Full review at Grab the Lapels.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

If this book had not been stashed in my actual beach bag, it would have never gotten finished. However, since I only take kind of beat-up used copies of books to the beach and I was a couple of hours from home, this is what I read while tanning.
The title caught my eye in a thrift store and the price tag of 17 cents had me like "why not?".
This book wasn't very funny to me. I think that Miss Peck might be one of those people that are funny in person, as they are telling a story but the humor doesn't translate to well to paper. I honestly can't tell.
The shorts written about Babycakes and from his point of view were relate-able to most people that have ever had a cat and I, as a big girl, understand the fear of lawn chairs, so that essay was slightly enjoyable. The rest of the book was kind of just dribble and mindless ramblings. As soon as you thought that Peck was going to touch on something remotely serious, she shifted gears and reverted back to what she calls humor. The essays were out of order to me. After reading over half the book and dealing with names like Wee One, Least Wee and Unwee, you get a story that explains who those people are and why they are called so. We learn that her mom was a square dancer caller, several times and she repeats herself through out the book many times. I was bored and disinterested before I hit the half-way point.
A better editor would have benefited this book in a major way.

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is something I came across when I searched for "fat" in my library catalog. A lot of the books that came up were (obviously) about losing fat, this was another that was about being fat. It was not activisty, which is good and bad. It started slow, but there are bits in there worth reading, like the title piece, as well as the one about the bat in her house, and the cat using Skinnerian psychology on her housemate. I'd look forward to reading her next offering (Revenge of the Paste Eaters), but I don't think I'd buy either one of them - my memoir/humor money will be spent on Laurie Notaro.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

In a word: meh.

Which is quite a shame, because I was all geared up and ready to support the living hell out of this book. Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs? The gay Erma Bombeck? SIGN. ME. UP.

But overall, the stories Cheryl Peck chooses to tell are neither worth your time nor delivered in a way that MAKE them worth your time. You can tell she is a subtle funny, a funny that would make her a delight in person, but the humor just doesn't translate in this collection. If you found yourself disappointed here, I can steer you to some blogs with the kind of content you're looking for with a much better grasp on storytelling.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book ended too soon. I read her second book first, happening on it by chance, after only living in the Midwest for a few years. Having been here now for almost 10 years, I can appreciate the life stories, the style, and the family portrait so much more. I think her second book, Revenge of the Paste Eaters, has more laugh out loud moments, or, perhaps my family has gotten even more ridiculous, so her adventures just aren't as zany.

[Sara Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny autobiographical stories about a woman's past and childhood as an overweight girl. It has stories about her cat that are hilarious, about sibling rivalry, forbidden parent stuff, imaginary friends, and the like. Its by Cheryl Peck and is actually the second book of hers I have. The other is called "Revenge of the Paste Eaters" and is the same set up. Actually this one came before "Revenge..." but I saw that one first in the book store.

[Sue Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a pushover for animals and especially cats, I saw the cover and that was that----almost. I also used to be a fat girl. For me, the cover was better than the book. I didn't fine most of the little stories about her life funny. I did love the parts about her cat. I think perhaps she would do better writing a book about the cat. I don't want to give the book away though because I do love the cover. Maybe I will cut the cover in half and frame the picture of the silly cat.

[Anne Mulder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is SO funny. It is little pieces of her life (each a short chapter) and poems. She shares her home with her cats and the black hole in her basement that eats socks. The stories range from childhood memories (remembered by the lesser siblings as happening differently)to current life events. The name of the story comes from her friend and the friends bargain lawn chair.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely delightful series of essays, about life from the author's particular slant of remembrances. Some are laugh out loud funny, others are deeply moving and will stay with you long after you've read them. My top 3: Moomeries; The Atlantic & Pacific Trading Company; and Cranes. Ms. Peck has a wry and unique voice.

[Allie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hated it. Got 60 pages in and quit, expected to LOL but this book let me down in a major way.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

*yawn*

[Lizzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some parts were funny, some parts I didn't care for. But Peck does seem like she would be a good friend to have in real life.

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

Took me forever to read - and I love short stories. Maybe that's the reason I even finished it. While most of the stories were interesting I found the author's habit of giving people stupid nicknames irritating and off-putting. (Weeone and Unwee for God's sake!) Her brothers don't rank enough to even warrant names. I am assuming all this is for anonymity, but there are ways around it. The only person with a real name is Bob - a ramdom one time roommate.
My favorite "person" in the entire book is her cat - now that's a book I'd read...

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me awhile to get through this one, as I sometimes found myself getting lost in who the author was referring to. I didn't always fully follow the story and wasn't fully engaged in the reading, so often I'd find myself putting the book down after only a few minutes. But ultimately I enjoyed it and even laughed out loud from time to time. I appreciated her honesty.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book of essays, which is something I’ve never read before. I’m glad I read this though. I enjoyed most of them, and some made me think back on things that happened in the past in my own family.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms. Peck's essays on her childhood and what she has learned from it hit all the right notes for me. I had some laughs and remained interested through all of the essays when they hit more serious notes. I would read more of her essays.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious

[Amber Mayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fat chick who knows the value of a sturdy lawn chair, this book really spoke to me! Hilarity at it's best, almost peed my pants laughing.

[Stacey]

Didn't get through it. Not worth my time

[behsforensics]

Cutting is for Batting a Thousand
(From Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs)
By Cheryl Peck

Another cutting is for Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs:
Queen of the Gym
By Cheryl Peck

Look at Star Bright
Peck, Cheryl

[Educating Drew · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay to preface this post, I'm not really quite sure why Fat Girls was on my TBR list. I don't know about you, but I have an enormous ongoing list (set up in an Excel spreadsheet, so if I'm in the mood to read Literature I can scan those selections rather than general Fiction, or Young Adult, or even Non!) So, anyway, I'm at the library with a couple of titles from the list and I pick up this one. I barely glance at the back, because you know, I've already at some point thought about it - it had in the past for some reason grabbed my attention. I also knew that I had not followed through yet with reading any non fiction. The cover, which is of a orange cat with a purple wig, bright lime green glasses, flower necklace and (wait for it...) its tongue sticking out seemed to be appealing in the "Oh well, I'll start my non-fiction off with a cheesy collection of personal anecdotes. It might be enough to ease me in."

So I began reading it. And it was awful. The book is sectioned off into about 25 or 30 anecdotes with titles such as "Of Cats and Men" or "Tales from the Duck Side". ( I should point out that there are titles that are quite simple such as "Disobedience").

The stories within are quite trite: my least favorite is "Staring at the Light" which takes on the voice of her cat Babycakes and his dislike of momma staring at this bright light emanating from a source that he can't figure out. His final antic to grab momma's attention from the warm heater is hacking in a way that appears to be emergency level, only to calm down once the attention is back on him.

So why did I continue reading this book? Because it seemed as if everyone in amazon world ruled it a "heck ya" this book is hysterical. I began asking myself "what's your problem; *obviously* you're missing something." So I trudged on.

Intermixed within the short anecdotes were a small collection of poems. In some ways the poetry was the only redeeming quality. Initially I thought of them as an annoyance, but the further that I read and the clearer the voice became, the more I appreciated them. They spoke beautiful emotion. The final one coming to mind as the most poignant. Peck shares her emotions of her mother's cancer eating away at her body.

So that's about that. I trudged through with very little reward. I am however using this book toward completing the TBR challenge. One of the categories is "Cover" - a cover that you find to be the most amazing, or the most hideous. I can't decide how I feel about this cover. It is both hideous and yet, quite funny looking. It is definitely an attention grabber and a conversation beginner.

[Merredith · Rating 1 out of 5]

the whole dont judge a book by its cover thing.. i got this book because i love that color green, and orange cats. then i realized it was a memoir by an author i already didnt like her last book. i enjoy short story memoir funny whatever books but didnt like cheryl's writing style. i kept this in my work desk drawer for reading emergencies, when i had nothing else to read, but i finally realized i havent read it in probably a yr and im just not going to ever finish it, despite the cute cover. something about her writing style, or her life, or i'm not sure, but it just never appeals to me, while similar books by other authors really do.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe I was expecting too much, but I
wasn't crazy about the book. An essay here and there was wonderful,
but there were too many that just seemed like the ramblings of that
talkative person seated next to you on the plane who won't let you
get back to your book. Perhaps she needed a better editor.

The essays I liked, however, I really liked. My favorite essay from
the book was questionably "The Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company". In
this essay, Peck tells about her grandmother with such love that I
wish I'd known her. Well, I suppose in a way I have.

[buppyspek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a thing for books about self-proclaimed "Fat Girls." And humorous essays about these fat girls? Even better.

After reading about half of Cheryl Peck's stories in Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs, I've come to the conclusion that she's not quite as amusing as I wanted her to be, and I've struggled with finding the motivation to pick up the book and read the rest of the essays. However, "Queen of the Gym" was worth the price of the book by itself.

[Vicki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh (I'm shrugging right now). It's written in small bursts and some of the observations are very wry and maybe sometimes covering something sort of sad, but in a way that you don't really think about the sadness, so that's good. It's just not as wacky as the packaging would have you believe. I guess that's all.