Big Fat Love : A Novel

by Peter Sheridan

Philo is the last person you'd expect to see in a convent. Her mouth always gets her into trouble - whether it's profanities coming out or food going in. But when she appears on the nuns' doorstep fleeing from an abusive husband, they let her into their lives, and she ultimately becomes their saving grace.

Genres: Fiction, Ireland, Contemporary, Irish Literature

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Katy Daily]

Although this book wasn't that well written, I didn't hate it but would never recommend it. Men rarely can write well from a woman's point of view (let alone an overweight woman's point of view) and this book was no exception. It also offends me that liposuction was her salvation - really?

[Ishaana]

I think sometimes people who write screenplays bring out some amazing books like David Nicholls'"One Day" Hanif Kureishi's "The Buddha of Suburbia" and Peter Sheridan's "Big Fat Love" also known as "Every Inch of her"in the U.S
So I read this book around 4 years ago.. I was stuck in My boarding school hospital with fever or something I can't recall but when you are given that much silence and you have a book you read, its not very likely that the details will escape your memory. Sheridan has told us an honest story and you just cannot help but fall in love with Philo ..she is in every way delightful.. dealing with her weight problems and just being happy. As the book progresses however there are so many human layers which are stripped bare making this a really special read. Highly recommend this one for just about anyone.

[Ruby Paustian]

A very strange story.

[Rachel Anne Kieran]

This had the potential to be really negative and triggering, but instead was joyful, positive, and managed to mostly avoid the endemic fatphobia that informs the experience of the narrator. It is a remarkable story of pain and joy and their ability to co-exists, and a reminder that a joyful face can cover intense pain. It is also an important story of trauma-informed understanding of eating disorders, and considerations of systemic social change on patterns of abuse. I loved the sensitive way that the author addressed the lives of both the woman and the older humans in their story.

[Michelle]

I'm not sure what I thought about this book. I wasn't terribly drawn into it or attached to any of the characters, but it was OK...they were likable enough and I was pleased with the way it ended.

Maybe it was just difficult for me to relate to anyone.

That said, I did finish it without any delay, which is more than I can say for lots of books.

[Elizabeth]

Another book by an Irish author. Peter Sheridan really knows how to get into the mind of a woman. Philo, the main character in this novel, is obese, unhappy, and in need of getting out of an abusive relationship. So she decides to put her 5 children in orphanages and seeks asylum herself in a convent. She is a fun loving, brash, creative woman who teaches everyone she meets to embrace life. In doing so, she eventually comes to love herself. She also identifies where her weight issues stem from. Her mother is overweight, also. And she had a harrowing experience with an older man as a child. The book culminates in a showdown between Philo and that man which is unforgettable. The writing was a little choppy but I fell in love with Philo. I also fell in love with two secondary characters, Cap and Dina, who have been holding "vegetable wars" (each owned a vegetable shop and were enemies within their community) for years and suddenly discover true love (& great sex!) late in life. I think the book captured the Dublin atmosphere well.

[K M]

I really wanted to like this book, but found myself feeling rather ambivalent about it. The story seemed charming at some times - other times I felt that the author was just trying too hard to be amusing. Sometimes I liked the main character, Philo, but other times I found her actions not quite believable (sounds vague, but I don't want to give anything away). The plot line toward the end left me grimacing a bit. If I use a bit of selective memory, and forget certain parts, I suppose I can say that I enjoyed the book.

Oh, one more thing.... on the front cover you will find this quote, from The Scotsman: "A fierce-tongued Irish version of Alexander McCall Smith's Mma Ramotswe...you just can't help warming up to Philo." Though I read three of the Mma Ramotswe books quite some time ago, I don't recall that she was anything like Philo, except that she, too, was overweight. Hmmm...oh well.

[Leigh]

I sometimes am too generous with my star ratings when I just finish a book. This book leaves me somewhere in the lower or middle of my views on what to read. It never soars. It is not like the O'Carroll books which were superb. Sometimes plots bother me when they are a mesh of what could be and what was complete fiction. I have no way of knowing if the author was trying to thinly share something from his life which would be tragic or if it was his complete imagination in which case he needs to visit a therapist. I really don't mean to be harsh, but the points of humor were occasionally a bit comic but not necessarily funny. However, I don't think he needs my views to decide if he should continue to pursue this efforts at writing; anyone can self publish. That last comment was a bit of an attempt at his style of humor. Harsh and sneering. Don't get me wrong, I love a good snarky jab. I happen to think think that was why blogs were designed.

[Harvey]

- quirky, tender, and funny
- from the jacket: "Philo Nolan is the kind of woman whose presence fills a room - literally. Weighing in at over 240 pounds, tattooed and brash, and harbouring a weakness for booze, cigarettes, and junk food, she will not be ignored - not by her abusive husband, her five children, or the Sisters at the Good Shepherd Convent in Dublin where she has recently taken up residence...You just can't help warming to the good-natured honesty of someone who tells the startled nuns of the Good Shepherd "I love the f***ing peace and quiet here! I just f***ing love it!" But all those pounds conceal an unhappy secret, and Philo must face up to her past and take control of her life in order to get the kind of revenge that is sweeter than a Snicker's Bar. By turns comical and tender, moving and honest, Peter Sheridan's novel is an unforgettable portrait of a woman who touches everyone she meets."

[Dana Davis Sheridan]

Loved the Irishness of this book.

[Rebecca]

It's hard to find a book, with an overweight woman as the main character, who isn't presented as mean, stupid, or the comic relief. Philo is a sympathetic character, who certainly deserves more out of life than she was getting. She is presented as developed character, with more than one emotion. I didn't quite like the ending, the "get thin quick" scheme, because no doctor would ever do that, and I certainly was appalled by the biohazards being spilled everywhere. I think the novel would have been more meaningful without those parts. Still, it was a good read and I enjoyed it.

[Book Concierge]

Philomena is 5'6" and 250 lbs. She leaves her abusive husband and five childrena dn seeks asylum at a convent, where she starts working at the adult Day Center, and begins to shake things up. Two sworn enemies make amends, Philo beings working, gets her kids back, and confronts her demons. Her final act of revenge is both grotesque and somehow satisfying. Lots of questions remain at the end, although a few problems are too neatly solved.

My book club applauds Philo's "forward!" attitude regarding her life (and others'). We just fell in love with her.

[Hope]

I really liked the main character in this book. Even though the title of the book uses "fat" and she is described as fat, the goal of the book is not for her to lose weight and then she will be a good person. She IS a good person, albeit dysfunctional in her relationships with her parents, her husband, and yes, with food. Through the book she goes about doing good and being good for others and in doing so, learns a lot about herself.

[Marina Caner]

I addmit that I just started this book because it was on my "Want to read" list, saying "¡Hello, it's my turn!" from the shelve. In the end I have to say that I had a wonderful, wonderful time. What a story, well, stories! Big Fat Love depicts a particular and wonderful comunity, with taugh stories and raugh lifes but above all it tries to explain or to transmit a message: Never lose faith, never stop fighting for your dreams, your family or your friends! High five to Peter Sheridan!

[June Denton]

Easy to read with a lot of good points and a credible heroine. However, I found the depiction of everyone over 70 as geriatric patronising, and the sex scenes excruciating. Several events in the second half of the book are both unlikely and rather ridiculous, and I was not convinced of the likelihood of some of the medical details. Despite these failings it would be quite good as a 'feel good' holiday read.

[Veronica Galvin]

I loved this book from first to last page. The descriptions of people and places were wonderfully depicted. The love scene between the not so young couple was heart warming and quite vivid. Praise for Mr Seridan for brilliant work.

[Alyssa]

lighthearted, easy read, fairly entertaining type of book.

[Notdorothy]

Every Inch of Her by Peter Sheridan (2004)

[Laurie]

I gave 3 stars, but I may have liked it even more than that; read in 2006

[Marshaferz]

Couldn't get interested in the characters. This is overwritten and under plotted.

[Veronica]

I just could not get into this book. It really didn't help that the format is really different. The author is Scottish I believe, and there they use dashes instead of quotation marks for dialogue.

[Bonnie]

Very Good!-Nothing like my life but enjoyed if very much

[Naz Salam]

This book made me laugh and cry. Its amazing how words can bring on scenes in your mind's eyes and make one so absorbed into the characters of the book. Enjoyed reading every inch of this.

[Karen]

Bought a well-worn copy in a Galway charity shop. Great summer read. Oddly funny characters who I liked in spite of their unlikable qualities. Title renamed "Every Inch of Her" in US.

[Pjbookhoarder]

A very fun book with quirky characters and circumstances.

[Jam]

Really enjoyed it very original story never guessed the ending.

[Peter P.]

A gift, spoken in a lovely Dublin accent. Filled with real characters. With love and loss. With redemption and resolve. I cherished every page of it.

[Marisa]

Simply wonderful

[Lisa Bolin]

What a fabulous story! Warm, heartfelt, and sad at times, it is a wonderful tale of survival, community and growth.

[Lunabee]

Un libro dal titolo molto fuorviante. Infatti, la storia è ben scritta e non è piena dei cliché che vi si aspetterebbe leggendo il titolo. Uno spaccato dell'Irlanda della fine degli anni Novanta