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The Makedown
Anna Norton used to be fat. Anna Norton used to be a fat, nerdy, overeater with low self esteem. When she moves from suburban Ohio to Manhattan at age 23, her life does a total 180. With guidance from her boss, an unlikely Fairy Godmother in the form of a chic caterer and excellent cook, Anna loses all the weight and--though still not quite Kate Moss--finally drops her inferiority complex, brushes the crumbs off her skirt, and enters the world of feeling good, looking good, and...finally having sex.
When Anna meets Ben, the man of her dreams (and of every other person's dreams who isn't blind) she almost can't believe she is dating the Ken Doll. Deep down, she is still the chubby nerd who wrote in a diary called Hello Fatty . But not everything is perfect; her hot boyfriend is a huge flirt, and every leggy blond who crosses his path is a threat to Anna. She just can't escape the feeling that Ben is way out of her league and that everyone thinks she is dating up and he's dating down. It gets so bad, she decides she will do anything to make these women go away.
Enter the Makedown. The reverse makeover. As Anna was made up, so will Ben be made down. Where she went from shabby to chic, he will go from prince to frog. Anna will sabotage his hotness for the sake of her own sanity, and to bring this man into more of what she considers her own league. Enter Nair to induce premature balding, Sears catalogs to inspire bad dressing, and secret additions of cream to her cooking and SKOR bars in granola bar wrappers to induce weight gain. Hilarity ensues, but in the end, Anna must find out if Ben's makedown will save their relationship, or end it.
When Anna meets Ben, the man of her dreams (and of every other person's dreams who isn't blind) she almost can't believe she is dating the Ken Doll. Deep down, she is still the chubby nerd who wrote in a diary called Hello Fatty . But not everything is perfect; her hot boyfriend is a huge flirt, and every leggy blond who crosses his path is a threat to Anna. She just can't escape the feeling that Ben is way out of her league and that everyone thinks she is dating up and he's dating down. It gets so bad, she decides she will do anything to make these women go away.
Enter the Makedown. The reverse makeover. As Anna was made up, so will Ben be made down. Where she went from shabby to chic, he will go from prince to frog. Anna will sabotage his hotness for the sake of her own sanity, and to bring this man into more of what she considers her own league. Enter Nair to induce premature balding, Sears catalogs to inspire bad dressing, and secret additions of cream to her cooking and SKOR bars in granola bar wrappers to induce weight gain. Hilarity ensues, but in the end, Anna must find out if Ben's makedown will save their relationship, or end it.
320 pages, Paperback
First published February 6, 2009
85 people want to read
About the author
Gitty Daneshvari
36 books206 followersGitty Daneshvari was born in Los Angeles to an Iranian father and an American mother. As a child she talked incessantly, feeling the need to comment on everything around her. While at first charmed by her verbose nature, her family soon tired of the constant commenting. This is how she found writing — it was better than talking since she didn't even need anyone else to do it with.
She currently lives in New York City and yes she still talks too much.
She currently lives in New York City and yes she still talks too much.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
April 9, 2009
I enjoyed the writing style of The Makedown (only found one mistake an editor should have caught) and I think the author has a wonderful sense of humor. I also identified with the main character Anna at first. Overall, this started off as a fun read and I kept thinking I'd probably end up rating it 4-stars. The story went downhill for me when Anna leaves for New York. That's when the reader realizes Anna is a vile and insipid creature.
Anna is fat, unattractive and unpopular. She keeps a Hello Fatty journal and dreams that someday her Fairy Godmother, or FG, will rescue her, taking her away from herself and her dysfunctional family. Finally, when no FG ever shows up, she decides a new environment will do her good and off she goes to New York.
Now here I must get a little nitpicky: You cannot afford an apartment, even one with a shared bathroom, on your own in New York making minimum wage! Also, as fat as Anna and those around her make her out to be, there is no way she'd fit into clothes from the Gap! Please, non-fat authors, do some research. Anna is described as being overly fat. Let's say she was a size 18 and could still wear clothes at the Gap, there are many, many size 18 ladies out there. Anna wouldn't stick out as fat/obese in high school or college-- c'mon, have you seen how much American teenagers eat!?! (I was one of them, I know. And I couldn't fit in clothes from the Gap, in case you're wondering.)
Okay, moving on.
Anna takes a minimum wage job in New York and can afford ordering take-out every night in her expensive New York apartment. She finally meets her FG in the form of her boss, a former fatty or "FF". The FF FG is like hey Anna WTF and orders her to drop some LBS pronto!
FG has Anna walking the streets of NY in an effort to help her lose weight. Admirable to want to help your friend get more healthy. But got self-serving and creepy when FG calls every fast food place in the neighborhood and orders them not to deliver to Anna. Yeah right! No self respecting New Yorker would listen to that crap. They'd tell FG to F-off and hang up on her.
So Anna loses weight and finds a boyfriend. A hot boyfriend. She does nothing but lie and manipulate him throughout the relationship and the rest of the book. I hate liars so I hated Anna. Makes it hard to like a book when you despise everyone in it. Anna and Ben's relationship is shallow and cringe-inducing. They have nothing in common. He doesn't even know she's an ex-fatty. She decides to take him down a few notches and so starts The Makedown. Anna is a complete psycho. Her behavior is outrageous and when she finally learns her lesson there is no feeling of closure for the reader. I still disliked her and Ben in the end. And there is no message of don't change to please others or be happy with who you are. Makes it seem like in order to be truly happy a fat person must lose weight.
Anna is fat, unattractive and unpopular. She keeps a Hello Fatty journal and dreams that someday her Fairy Godmother, or FG, will rescue her, taking her away from herself and her dysfunctional family. Finally, when no FG ever shows up, she decides a new environment will do her good and off she goes to New York.
Now here I must get a little nitpicky: You cannot afford an apartment, even one with a shared bathroom, on your own in New York making minimum wage! Also, as fat as Anna and those around her make her out to be, there is no way she'd fit into clothes from the Gap! Please, non-fat authors, do some research. Anna is described as being overly fat. Let's say she was a size 18 and could still wear clothes at the Gap, there are many, many size 18 ladies out there. Anna wouldn't stick out as fat/obese in high school or college-- c'mon, have you seen how much American teenagers eat!?! (I was one of them, I know. And I couldn't fit in clothes from the Gap, in case you're wondering.)
Okay, moving on.
Anna takes a minimum wage job in New York and can afford ordering take-out every night in her expensive New York apartment. She finally meets her FG in the form of her boss, a former fatty or "FF". The FF FG is like hey Anna WTF and orders her to drop some LBS pronto!
FG has Anna walking the streets of NY in an effort to help her lose weight. Admirable to want to help your friend get more healthy. But got self-serving and creepy when FG calls every fast food place in the neighborhood and orders them not to deliver to Anna. Yeah right! No self respecting New Yorker would listen to that crap. They'd tell FG to F-off and hang up on her.
So Anna loses weight and finds a boyfriend. A hot boyfriend. She does nothing but lie and manipulate him throughout the relationship and the rest of the book. I hate liars so I hated Anna. Makes it hard to like a book when you despise everyone in it. Anna and Ben's relationship is shallow and cringe-inducing. They have nothing in common. He doesn't even know she's an ex-fatty. She decides to take him down a few notches and so starts The Makedown. Anna is a complete psycho. Her behavior is outrageous and when she finally learns her lesson there is no feeling of closure for the reader. I still disliked her and Ben in the end. And there is no message of don't change to please others or be happy with who you are. Makes it seem like in order to be truly happy a fat person must lose weight.
April 2, 2009
This was a POS book. This book was full of shallow, superficial, and ignorant content. The characters were ridiculous, aside from being completely hateful. As I read it I seriously hoped that Anna N. would have gained back all the weight that she had lost to see if she could gain back the heart that she lost when she lost all her weight. I cannot believe for one minute that any one found this book to be anything more than one star. I rated it one star because there is nothing lower than that but honestly if there was a negative 5 stars that would be my rating. It is a sad pathetic book, about a sad pathetic person looking to make every one else feel shitty about themselves because they are that dissatisfied with their own sad pittiful life. I HATE THIS BOOK!
As far as the way it was written. I can't really recall because I spent so much time hating the characters and the plot. I give her credit for some how keeping my attention long enough to finish reading the damn book. That is something I have come to painfully regret.
If you are wanting to read this DON'T. It's a bad read.
As far as the way it was written. I can't really recall because I spent so much time hating the characters and the plot. I give her credit for some how keeping my attention long enough to finish reading the damn book. That is something I have come to painfully regret.
If you are wanting to read this DON'T. It's a bad read.
November 24, 2008
Anna Norton is possibly the most hateful character I've ever encountered in fiction--certainly the most hateful I've been expected to identify with as the heroine. So loathsome is this character that I can't help but feel shocked and offended that the nerds, the "fatties", the social outcasts of the world, are supposed to see her as a champion of their cause. Quoth the promotional material of this book: "every woman can relate to her insecurities and body image issues." Sure. Of course they can. If every woman is a spiteful, deluded, undermining bitch determined to make everyone else feel as shitty about themselves as she does. Seriously, this character is CRAZY.
This book is pure, unredeeming bile. I don't know why anyone would enjoy reading it. I certainly didn't.
This book is pure, unredeeming bile. I don't know why anyone would enjoy reading it. I certainly didn't.
May 12, 2009
There are so many problems with this book, I don't know where to start. The writing at the beginning doesn't sound as if it's from a novelist but like a high schooler trying to use as many big, stilted words as she can. There are no sympathetic characters in the novel at all - not even the narrator, who commits the most egregious crime of all, the Makedown - and that doesn't even take place until MUCH later in the book! Anna's own transformation isn't exactly plausible, I think because her personality isn't really overhauled. And then there are the weird Hello Fatty letters Anna writes to herself throughout the book. Just don't pick this one up!
March 24, 2009
VERY funny book. I laughed the whole way through. These characters are just...completely ludicrous. But lovable. And the premise of the story is just one complete act of desperation. It's almost painful to read at some points, but so funny I couldn't put it down.
December 31, 2022
I enjoyed this book. It was a fun fast read.
The deep seated issues of the main character really came out! I was appalled by her actions. But it shows how deep her insecurities were rooted. And the object of her ill-placed attentions learned a thing or two by the end of the book I think. Fun read.
The deep seated issues of the main character really came out! I was appalled by her actions. But it shows how deep her insecurities were rooted. And the object of her ill-placed attentions learned a thing or two by the end of the book I think. Fun read.
February 23, 2009
The Makedown is a very interesting book and definitely more than chick lit. I could relate to it in some ways, I could definitely weigh less than I do and I love junk food. I was very interested to see Anna's transformation from a totally socially awkward over-eater to a thin more confident women.
Before I started reading I was unsure where the book would start. Would it start right at the Makedown and hint to the past and Anna's transformation or start before that? Thankfully it starts when Anna is very young and gives snippets of her life until she graduates from college and then the story settles down and proceeds from there. So by the time the actual makedown starts we have a real sense of Anna and her hopes and fears.
I think my favorite part of the book was right up until she started dating her Mr. Wonderful, Ben (I couldn't really see his appeal beyond his physical attractiveness). Then I felt like she became a totally different person (which sometimes does happen to people) and not in a really good way. I admit it was pretty funny to read about how she tried to prevent her boyfriend from flirting and being flirted with but after awhile it did get kind of sad, though Anna did realize her mistake and tried to fix it.
Her banter and relationship with her FG (Fairy Godmother) was great. I was really interested to see how she was going to kick her junk food addiction and lose all her extra weight, some pretty drastic measures had to be taken for it to happen. I thought the book could have done without the Epilogue but besides that I thought it ended how it should have.
I would definitely suggest this book, it's funny, hopeful and a bit out of the ordinary!
Before I started reading I was unsure where the book would start. Would it start right at the Makedown and hint to the past and Anna's transformation or start before that? Thankfully it starts when Anna is very young and gives snippets of her life until she graduates from college and then the story settles down and proceeds from there. So by the time the actual makedown starts we have a real sense of Anna and her hopes and fears.
I think my favorite part of the book was right up until she started dating her Mr. Wonderful, Ben (I couldn't really see his appeal beyond his physical attractiveness). Then I felt like she became a totally different person (which sometimes does happen to people) and not in a really good way. I admit it was pretty funny to read about how she tried to prevent her boyfriend from flirting and being flirted with but after awhile it did get kind of sad, though Anna did realize her mistake and tried to fix it.
Her banter and relationship with her FG (Fairy Godmother) was great. I was really interested to see how she was going to kick her junk food addiction and lose all her extra weight, some pretty drastic measures had to be taken for it to happen. I thought the book could have done without the Epilogue but besides that I thought it ended how it should have.
I would definitely suggest this book, it's funny, hopeful and a bit out of the ordinary!
March 26, 2009
I don't know what people are thinking when they gush over this trash. It was horrific. The characters are shallow, selfish, self-involved and pathetic. They have zero appeal and garner zero sympathy.
I don't know where the author got her ignorant ideas of the behavior of fat people from, but eating a few candy bars and changing clothes is not going to make a person lose IQ points and regress into a whiny juvenile.
As for the main character, holy crap, she's absurd and unfunny. The author is trying far too hard to make things seem amusing and falls FAR short. People do not go around saying things like "I'm an FF" for "former fatty" or another one, "FG" for "fairy godmother".
I seriously wanted to just throw this book at the wall and set it on fire it was so exasperating and bad. I really wish I could get a refund. I bought this book because someone recommended it on Twitter and announced it was being made into a movie. Well, all I can hope for is this thing tanks so hard that Hollywood, and this author, think twice about attempting to put forth such stereotypical, ignorant, bigoted crap.
Then there's all the stuff about being a "good" Democrat and vegetarian vs. her mother the "bad" racist Republican. Really, stupid, unoriginal stereotypes everywhere in this thing.
Want a good chick lit book that is entertaining and fun? Try reading Notes From The Backseat (Red Dress Ink).
I don't know where the author got her ignorant ideas of the behavior of fat people from, but eating a few candy bars and changing clothes is not going to make a person lose IQ points and regress into a whiny juvenile.
As for the main character, holy crap, she's absurd and unfunny. The author is trying far too hard to make things seem amusing and falls FAR short. People do not go around saying things like "I'm an FF" for "former fatty" or another one, "FG" for "fairy godmother".
I seriously wanted to just throw this book at the wall and set it on fire it was so exasperating and bad. I really wish I could get a refund. I bought this book because someone recommended it on Twitter and announced it was being made into a movie. Well, all I can hope for is this thing tanks so hard that Hollywood, and this author, think twice about attempting to put forth such stereotypical, ignorant, bigoted crap.
Then there's all the stuff about being a "good" Democrat and vegetarian vs. her mother the "bad" racist Republican. Really, stupid, unoriginal stereotypes everywhere in this thing.
Want a good chick lit book that is entertaining and fun? Try reading Notes From The Backseat (Red Dress Ink).
February 8, 2012
"I twirl my imaginary mustache as a reward for being so diabolically smart"- Anna Norton. HAHAHA.
Okay, I will just come out and say it: I. LOVE. THE. UNDERDOG. No, not the old cartoon but the downtrodden, the nerdy, the pimply, the chubby, the mildly smelly. I love them. When I was reading this book I felt such a warm feeling for the character Anna Norton (who was likable even at her worst. She was just so hilarious) and such a feeling of empathy (I was chub-ster back in my heyday, too) that at times I felt I was listening to a close friend. I laughed, I was at the edge of my seat, and I got the warm fuzzy feeling I always get when I'm watching a romantic comedy starring the talents of Sandra Bullock, Drew Barrymore or J. Lo. All this from a book! Admittedly, the extremes taken in the story are a bit questionable and even morally-ambiguous BUT Anna really doesn't mean much harm...and it just goes to show you how self-esteem issues and insecurities can really, REALLY sabotage even the best of relationships. All in all, a fun and quick read and I would recommend it to anyone who has ever been felt self-conscious or nerdy.
P.S I got the feeling I was watching Janeane Garofalo in "The Truth about Cats & Dogs" (one of my all-time favorite chick-flicks) always a good thing.
Okay, I will just come out and say it: I. LOVE. THE. UNDERDOG. No, not the old cartoon but the downtrodden, the nerdy, the pimply, the chubby, the mildly smelly. I love them. When I was reading this book I felt such a warm feeling for the character Anna Norton (who was likable even at her worst. She was just so hilarious) and such a feeling of empathy (I was chub-ster back in my heyday, too) that at times I felt I was listening to a close friend. I laughed, I was at the edge of my seat, and I got the warm fuzzy feeling I always get when I'm watching a romantic comedy starring the talents of Sandra Bullock, Drew Barrymore or J. Lo. All this from a book! Admittedly, the extremes taken in the story are a bit questionable and even morally-ambiguous BUT Anna really doesn't mean much harm...and it just goes to show you how self-esteem issues and insecurities can really, REALLY sabotage even the best of relationships. All in all, a fun and quick read and I would recommend it to anyone who has ever been felt self-conscious or nerdy.
P.S I got the feeling I was watching Janeane Garofalo in "The Truth about Cats & Dogs" (one of my all-time favorite chick-flicks) always a good thing.
September 2, 2009
Well, a lot of people didn't like this book...but I think for what it's suppose to be, it was flawless.
The humor is always spot on and not heavy handed, that alone calls for 5 stars because SO few authors can actually do that. The main character is a fat ugly girl turned thin average girl who remains a fat and ugly girl on the inside, which those of us who watch Oprah know is an epidemic. The book is really neurotic and so I can understand that someone who is a fan of chick-lit wouldn't like the book. It's an easy, quick, effortless read, but it isn't a “breezy” Gossip Girl type of story.
If you think chick-lit is stereotypical drivel, this book would appeal to you. If you have gone your whole academic career with no friends, this book would appeal to you. If you like fat chicks, this book would appeal to you.
The humor is always spot on and not heavy handed, that alone calls for 5 stars because SO few authors can actually do that. The main character is a fat ugly girl turned thin average girl who remains a fat and ugly girl on the inside, which those of us who watch Oprah know is an epidemic. The book is really neurotic and so I can understand that someone who is a fan of chick-lit wouldn't like the book. It's an easy, quick, effortless read, but it isn't a “breezy” Gossip Girl type of story.
If you think chick-lit is stereotypical drivel, this book would appeal to you. If you have gone your whole academic career with no friends, this book would appeal to you. If you like fat chicks, this book would appeal to you.
July 25, 2017
The most recent reviews of this book did make me think twice about reading it. I bought this book at the Dollar Tree for, yes, $1. However, I did think this book was good, its' all about a girl's journey to being happy. I don't think any girl can say they felt perfect in high school and college, I know most of my friends and I didn't. There was a self-deprecating humor throughout and there were times where I cringed from Anna's actions, but every action had to happen in order to become the perfect Anna for her :)
May 28, 2009
There were some great humourous passages in this book and it was a very quick read. However, the main character is quite unlikeable. I don't think that she ever realized that her choices were the result of her poor character. In the end, she seemed to just accept that the outcomes of her actions were what was meant to be. She never seems to realize that she did the opposite of what Janice did for her. I can see this story being made into a movie.
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July 25, 2011I couldn't put this book down.... fast enough!!! The main character was a horrible, paranoid and all around psychotic person who thought nothing about destroying another persons life just to satisfy her own insecurities. I seriously hope that this isn't the type of books this author puts out; while her writing was good, the subject matter was less than stellar. This isn't chick lit.... hopefully no woman would ever go to these lengths to keep something that didn't belong to her.
April 27, 2016
It was a good book,but very cringe-worthy. Your sympathy for Anna Norton quickly dissolves as soon as she starts the make down. She turns beautiful, gorgeous, sexy Ben into a chubby, gruff,version of himself. It's torturous while hilarious at the same time. My least favorite character was her real life FG. I also disliked her mother's racist jokes, although her conclusion after her ex's son is born is funny.
April 17, 2009
I enjoyed this book. It was a fun fast read.
The deep seated issues of the main character really came out! I was appalled by her actions. But it shows how deep her insecurities were rooted. And the object of her ill-placed attentions learned a thing or two by the end of the book I think. Fun read.
The deep seated issues of the main character really came out! I was appalled by her actions. But it shows how deep her insecurities were rooted. And the object of her ill-placed attentions learned a thing or two by the end of the book I think. Fun read.
August 17, 2009
The Makedown (July)
Anna Norton is an ex-fatty who decides to makedown her gorgeous boyfriend because she was felt too insecure when other woman flirted with him. In destroying him she also destroyed her relationship and had to come to terms with her own insecurities….it was an interesting and light summer read.
Anna Norton is an ex-fatty who decides to makedown her gorgeous boyfriend because she was felt too insecure when other woman flirted with him. In destroying him she also destroyed her relationship and had to come to terms with her own insecurities….it was an interesting and light summer read.
March 4, 2009
While The Makedown may sound like a quirky romantic comedy, it’s actually a long, uncomfortable study in insecurity and superficiality.
Read the full review at http://www.nightsandweekends.com/arti...
Read the full review at http://www.nightsandweekends.com/arti...
May 15, 2009
Seriously laugh out loud, spit take funny. Not your average paint by numbers chick lit, Daneshvari writes with an intelligence and pop culture savvy wit I haven't seen before. Enjoyable, hilarious read!
March 8, 2010
Oh man. This book started out so well! Hilarious and honest. But then of course she gets skinny and insane and unlikeable. I also don't understand why she was sooo in love with Ben. He kind of sucked.
July 27, 2011
Cute book! A definite good beach read. I enjoyed the storyline. I actually thought it was going to end up far more predictable than it did (although parts of it were DEFINITELY predictable), but all in all it was a great little, no brainer, fun, beach read book.
September 13, 2013
Excellent read a very funny book. It's sad at times when the title character refers to herself as Hello Fatty in her diary. It speaks of how society is so appearance conscious. Ms. Anna finally accepts her own issues about eating and exercise and relationships.
April 13, 2009
It is like candy. I have been reading so many heavy, serious books that I needed something light and entertaining, so this did the trick!
April 11, 2009
Quick easy read but with that lacks depth. Going from "fatty" to skinny in a few pages is a bit much. I'd put this in the categories of library and beach.
May 1, 2009
So far I am appalled, but want to see if it gets better. I want to like it, being a "fattie" but so far, she's missing the mark. finished this and really didn't like it. felt like wasted time.
June 17, 2009
Trying to be good chick-lit, but I didn't like it. Fat girl loses weight but still only looks average. Finds a guy who is still out of her league and tries to make him fat and ugly. Dumb.
July 16, 2009
The characters in this book were really not at all likable.
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July 28, 2011Very entertaining...good ending.
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July 29, 2011Fun, quick, well-written chick lit! Similar to Jennifer Weiner. I went to the school with the author and her sister. Kudos to you Gitty for writing a novel. I am impressed!
August 16, 2013
Not a review- but for some reason, my library has this book shelved with Sci-Fi. I grabbed the book off the shelves without knowing anything about it, so I excepted sci-fi, not a rom-com.
August 3, 2016
Actually I enjoyed this book, but not from the beginning. It was boring with no flow, but it got much better the more I've read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews