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Cardboard: A woman left for dead
Cardboard: A woman left for dead is recognized as one of the most compelling portraits of an eating disorder and an outstanding example of its genre. It is also winner of the National Book Council's Award for New Writers.
When we first meet Lucy she cannot understand what is wrong with her. Ashen, thin and with a thready heartbeat, she is finding it increasingly difficult to eat. The tour leader, on a tight schedule, decides she is merely homesick. And lying on her bed she is left to fend for herself.
Alone in her tiny hotel room, Lucy wonders what she should do? Is she really sick or just homesick? Reluctantly, she decides to fly to an English speaking country. And to her embarrassment is taken off the plane in a wheelchair.
Admitted to intensive care, Lucy is now a 'patient'. And undergoing a range of advised treatments - some harsh and ineffective, others intelligent and insightful - unknowingly enters into a dynamic and powerful struggle over the ownership of her identity, her life story.
An astute observer, Lucy invites the reader to make sense of what it means to be 'ill'. To understand why eating has become so impossible. Life so impossible. And as she fleshes out her journey towards a secure, full-bodied and robust recovery demands her distress be understood. Demands it be put into her own words. Her own voice.
Exquisitely written and winningly readable this novel will reach out to everyone who has struggled with the big questions: Who am? What do I want? How dangerous are my desires?
"A psychological and intellectual tour de force"
Liz Ferrier, Advisory Editor, m/c - a journal of media and culture
"The complexity of the character Lucy's world is a tour de force of tight thinking and probing insights into the complexity of human behavior . . . she reminds me of Rodion Raskolnikov in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment."
Michael Bailey, reviewer
"One of the best novels ever to be published in Australia"
Amanda Lohrey, novelist
When we first meet Lucy she cannot understand what is wrong with her. Ashen, thin and with a thready heartbeat, she is finding it increasingly difficult to eat. The tour leader, on a tight schedule, decides she is merely homesick. And lying on her bed she is left to fend for herself.
Alone in her tiny hotel room, Lucy wonders what she should do? Is she really sick or just homesick? Reluctantly, she decides to fly to an English speaking country. And to her embarrassment is taken off the plane in a wheelchair.
Admitted to intensive care, Lucy is now a 'patient'. And undergoing a range of advised treatments - some harsh and ineffective, others intelligent and insightful - unknowingly enters into a dynamic and powerful struggle over the ownership of her identity, her life story.
An astute observer, Lucy invites the reader to make sense of what it means to be 'ill'. To understand why eating has become so impossible. Life so impossible. And as she fleshes out her journey towards a secure, full-bodied and robust recovery demands her distress be understood. Demands it be put into her own words. Her own voice.
Exquisitely written and winningly readable this novel will reach out to everyone who has struggled with the big questions: Who am? What do I want? How dangerous are my desires?
"A psychological and intellectual tour de force"
Liz Ferrier, Advisory Editor, m/c - a journal of media and culture
"The complexity of the character Lucy's world is a tour de force of tight thinking and probing insights into the complexity of human behavior . . . she reminds me of Rodion Raskolnikov in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment."
Michael Bailey, reviewer
"One of the best novels ever to be published in Australia"
Amanda Lohrey, novelist
366 pages, Paperback
First published January 11, 2010
3 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Fiona Place
6 books18 followersFiona Place has always been interested in women, language and identity. Her short stories, poetry and essays appear in various literary journals and anthologies. Her first novel Cardboard: A Woman Left for Dead won the National Book Council award for New Writers in 1990. She has also worked as a financial commentator for various fund managers and major newspapers. Her focus on making investment and economic concepts accessible to the general reader. Today she combines motherhood with her work as a writer and an advocate for children with intellectual disabilities. Her essays on motherhood and genetics appear in peer-reviewed journals and other publications.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 8, 2010
This is the first time I read a novel written both in prose and poetry. At first it had a disjointed feel to it but the more I read it the more I realized that it represented Lucinda's world—fragmented, broken and interrupted. I found this novel brilliant and powerful. At times it was so hard to read because it was a window into the mind of a young woman and her constant battle with anorexia, self-destructive behaviour, death, and the need to be loved. But it was also so compelling that at times I couldn't put it down.
Lucinda is a bright girl who is plagued with guilt and depression, sees herself as ugly and selfish, craves others' approval and yearns to be loved. As I began to read her story, I quickly realized it was unlike most novels. It read like a monologue (which took some time to get used to) with very little dialogue. I felt like I was in Lucinda's head, feeling her pain and experiencing her distorted view of life. She tells her story through flashbacks which sometimes was confusing. I also found it a little too long, especially since the topic was serious and affecting. It was heartbreaking to read how Lucinda had no sense of belonging, like she was suspended in the world all alone, with parents incapable and unwilling to love her.
Fiona Place's writing is lyrical and filled with meaning. I stopped several times to reread the poetry and expressions so as to get the sense of what her character was living. Although the prose is written in 1st person, the poetry is written in 3rd. The poetry related Lucinda's fear, panic and pain in a way that came across differently from the prose alone.
The second half of the book had a different feel to it as Lucinda fights to break the self-destructive cycle. Her anger is more acute, there is more dialogue with lots of f-words. She deals with an unconventional psychiatrist who helps to shake her out of her bubble of pain and suicidal behaviour. The reader gets a chance to see her in a different light as she begins to accept herself as a woman and starts behaving as one. This shift in writing perfectly conveys the change in Lucinda as she embarks on her journey to recovery. Although sad, this story is hopeful and the ending satisfying.
Cardboard delves deep into the world of psychiatric care and the manipulative conduct both from the patients and staff. It was fascinating to read. If you enjoy literature that explores the psyche of women's behaviour when dealing with depression and emotional needs, you will not be disappointed with this book. It is an amazing journey.
Lucinda is a bright girl who is plagued with guilt and depression, sees herself as ugly and selfish, craves others' approval and yearns to be loved. As I began to read her story, I quickly realized it was unlike most novels. It read like a monologue (which took some time to get used to) with very little dialogue. I felt like I was in Lucinda's head, feeling her pain and experiencing her distorted view of life. She tells her story through flashbacks which sometimes was confusing. I also found it a little too long, especially since the topic was serious and affecting. It was heartbreaking to read how Lucinda had no sense of belonging, like she was suspended in the world all alone, with parents incapable and unwilling to love her.
Fiona Place's writing is lyrical and filled with meaning. I stopped several times to reread the poetry and expressions so as to get the sense of what her character was living. Although the prose is written in 1st person, the poetry is written in 3rd. The poetry related Lucinda's fear, panic and pain in a way that came across differently from the prose alone.
The second half of the book had a different feel to it as Lucinda fights to break the self-destructive cycle. Her anger is more acute, there is more dialogue with lots of f-words. She deals with an unconventional psychiatrist who helps to shake her out of her bubble of pain and suicidal behaviour. The reader gets a chance to see her in a different light as she begins to accept herself as a woman and starts behaving as one. This shift in writing perfectly conveys the change in Lucinda as she embarks on her journey to recovery. Although sad, this story is hopeful and the ending satisfying.
Cardboard delves deep into the world of psychiatric care and the manipulative conduct both from the patients and staff. It was fascinating to read. If you enjoy literature that explores the psyche of women's behaviour when dealing with depression and emotional needs, you will not be disappointed with this book. It is an amazing journey.
May 19, 2010
The best descriptive I can give 'Cardboard: A woman left for dead' is different. Fiona Place does a fantastic job creating an air of confusion and dissociation for her main character; so much so that it took me several chapters to adapt to her writing style. I realise that Place wanted to ensure that the reader understood that one of the underlying factors associated with anorexia is the person's inability to relate to others and accept change or things they feel are out of their control. However, as a reader I was sometimes confused as to whether an event was currently happening, had happened in her mind five or ten minutes ago, or if the mental conversation had occurred years ago. I sometimes found myself wishing it were a little less confused.
I did find myself enjoying the prose that the main character either wrote in her journal or thought to her self. It reminded me of the soliloquies from Shakespeare to a certain extent.
As a whole I did enjoy the book. 'Cardboard' definitely gave me a different outlook about anorexia and it left me with a lot to think about. There were aspects of the book that frustrated me, but I found that it was those sections that I would think about after reading.
I would recommend the book, but I would caution that it is not an easy or fast read, so give yourself time before you begin.
I did find myself enjoying the prose that the main character either wrote in her journal or thought to her self. It reminded me of the soliloquies from Shakespeare to a certain extent.
As a whole I did enjoy the book. 'Cardboard' definitely gave me a different outlook about anorexia and it left me with a lot to think about. There were aspects of the book that frustrated me, but I found that it was those sections that I would think about after reading.
I would recommend the book, but I would caution that it is not an easy or fast read, so give yourself time before you begin.
April 13, 2010
I'd like to thank Fiona Place and GoodReads Giveaways for providing me with a copy to read.
It does have some poetry in it, to represent the turmoil the main character is feeling I believe and I say I believe because it's not made particularly clear but it's how I took it.
This book really hit home for me. It's about a young woman who is experiencing the devastating effects of anorexia nervosa and how it not only destroys you but your relationship with everyone around you.
The main character is wanting help so badly but is scared everyone will think she's crazy. She wants her parents to show they understand her but they are too busy not understanding why she just can't see how good her life is and how lucky she is.
The book starts with her getting told she will be hospitalized and she is so happy that she may finally get the help needed but when she tells her parents they pretty much freeze her out. It sounded all too familiar to me.
A great read if a bit hard to understand if you've not been there but anyone who knows of someone maybe in a similar situation, please pay attention or it may get to be too late.
Great job, Ms. Place!
It does have some poetry in it, to represent the turmoil the main character is feeling I believe and I say I believe because it's not made particularly clear but it's how I took it.
This book really hit home for me. It's about a young woman who is experiencing the devastating effects of anorexia nervosa and how it not only destroys you but your relationship with everyone around you.
The main character is wanting help so badly but is scared everyone will think she's crazy. She wants her parents to show they understand her but they are too busy not understanding why she just can't see how good her life is and how lucky she is.
The book starts with her getting told she will be hospitalized and she is so happy that she may finally get the help needed but when she tells her parents they pretty much freeze her out. It sounded all too familiar to me.
A great read if a bit hard to understand if you've not been there but anyone who knows of someone maybe in a similar situation, please pay attention or it may get to be too late.
Great job, Ms. Place!
April 3, 2010
An uncontrolable book. So wonderful.
The drama and internal dialogue of a patient toward their doctors and other authority was so spot on.
The drama and internal dialogue of a patient toward their doctors and other authority was so spot on.
September 18, 2017
Hard read but beautifully written.
June 19, 2011
When Fiona contacted me about reviewing Cardboard, I was a little hesitant because it covers such a sensitive subject - anorexia. As I'm sure we all have, I had a couple of friends during high school that struggled with eating disorders so I decided that I would give this book a chance.
It's been a long time since I've read a book that really put me into a life I've never known, into the shoes of someone whose path I've never traveled, and into a mind that I could both relate to and not understand at all. That's what Cardboard did for me. The book is written in what feels like stream of consciousness narrative from a woman who struggles with anorexia, which leads to other psychological and social disorders (e.g., afraid of employment, afraid of relationships with men). Parts of the narrative are written in paragraph form and other pieces are written in short chunks of what really feels like a random thought in the woman's mind. The different types of narrative mixed together perfectly matched what I imagined the main character's mind to be like. I love modern literature, and this fascinated me.
This is also one of those books that is both hard to read and hard to put down. I kept getting caught up in Lucy's almost recovery and then heartbroken as she continued to falter on that path. Even though it was fiction, the story felt very real, like it was written about someone in particular or from the author's own personal experiences. And even though I personally don't have an eating disorder or suffer from any other psychological disorders (that I know of), I could relate to Lucy's desire for control and her nervousness and fear when she sensed a loss of control. I probably wouldn't pick this book up to read again but I'm glad I read it in the first place because it was eye-opening, insightful, and definitely worth reading. 5 stars
It's been a long time since I've read a book that really put me into a life I've never known, into the shoes of someone whose path I've never traveled, and into a mind that I could both relate to and not understand at all. That's what Cardboard did for me. The book is written in what feels like stream of consciousness narrative from a woman who struggles with anorexia, which leads to other psychological and social disorders (e.g., afraid of employment, afraid of relationships with men). Parts of the narrative are written in paragraph form and other pieces are written in short chunks of what really feels like a random thought in the woman's mind. The different types of narrative mixed together perfectly matched what I imagined the main character's mind to be like. I love modern literature, and this fascinated me.
This is also one of those books that is both hard to read and hard to put down. I kept getting caught up in Lucy's almost recovery and then heartbroken as she continued to falter on that path. Even though it was fiction, the story felt very real, like it was written about someone in particular or from the author's own personal experiences. And even though I personally don't have an eating disorder or suffer from any other psychological disorders (that I know of), I could relate to Lucy's desire for control and her nervousness and fear when she sensed a loss of control. I probably wouldn't pick this book up to read again but I'm glad I read it in the first place because it was eye-opening, insightful, and definitely worth reading. 5 stars
October 10, 2015
Lucy, a young woman in her mid-twenties, is in and out of hospitals for her Anorexia and Panic Disorders. This story chronicles her journey with a cast of different psychiatrists with whom she has very strange relationships, doctors, fellow patients, and even her parents, who seem careless about her. Lucy tries to come to grips with her problems involving her health, parents, and friendships, but continually struggles.
This book is very disorienting, complex, confusing, intriguing – definitely experimental. It is written in both prose and poetry, and has random words beginning with capital letters – a very unique writing style that I’ve not seen too often. I’d say it’s somewhat like stream of consciousness. The story is told from Lucy’s perspective, and I believe the disorienting and confusing style of writing really meshes well with her personality and goes along with it. Lucy suffers from an eating disorder, and also what she refers to as Panic, which causes her own mind to be a complex and disorienting place to be in, which is absolutely reflected in the writing style.
While I was confused a lot of the time while reading, it really enabled me to get a glimpse into the mind of someone like Lucy who suffers from multiple mental health disorders – all the confusion and complexities. It was very psychological, sad, frustrating, and even hopeful at times. I’d recommend this book if you’re looking for something very different, and if you’re interested in both psychological and eating disorders.
This book is very disorienting, complex, confusing, intriguing – definitely experimental. It is written in both prose and poetry, and has random words beginning with capital letters – a very unique writing style that I’ve not seen too often. I’d say it’s somewhat like stream of consciousness. The story is told from Lucy’s perspective, and I believe the disorienting and confusing style of writing really meshes well with her personality and goes along with it. Lucy suffers from an eating disorder, and also what she refers to as Panic, which causes her own mind to be a complex and disorienting place to be in, which is absolutely reflected in the writing style.
While I was confused a lot of the time while reading, it really enabled me to get a glimpse into the mind of someone like Lucy who suffers from multiple mental health disorders – all the confusion and complexities. It was very psychological, sad, frustrating, and even hopeful at times. I’d recommend this book if you’re looking for something very different, and if you’re interested in both psychological and eating disorders.
May 12, 2010
This is a stark look at a woman with an illness. I say illness because after reading it, I'm not all together convince the anorexia is the illness rather than a symptom of the illness. To me Lucy seemed to have a big issue with control, she felt she had none whatsoever so not eating was one thing she could control. She could make herself waste away to nothing, she had the power to control that.
I do have to say, some of the doctors in this book annoyed the heck out of me at times. It didn't seem they had much interest in helping Lucy and some of the treatments seemed barbaric. But I don't pretend to know anything about the treatment for anorexia, so I could be way off base here. It is just the feeling I got while reading it.
The book illustrates Lucy's journey through her illness and the struggles she encounters along the way. It uses a mixture of written word and prose. So anyone who enjoys reading prose, I think you will enjoy it. I found it to be an interesting and compelling read.(author for review)
I do have to say, some of the doctors in this book annoyed the heck out of me at times. It didn't seem they had much interest in helping Lucy and some of the treatments seemed barbaric. But I don't pretend to know anything about the treatment for anorexia, so I could be way off base here. It is just the feeling I got while reading it.
The book illustrates Lucy's journey through her illness and the struggles she encounters along the way. It uses a mixture of written word and prose. So anyone who enjoys reading prose, I think you will enjoy it. I found it to be an interesting and compelling read.(author for review)
June 16, 2012
This was a hard book to find. Our library and the entire Nassau County library system didn't have it. I usually never buy books but ended up buying this one.
It was ok. The part poetry style of writing isn't really my thing, and I ended up skimming the second half of this book. I am sure that the author captured the thought processes of someone suffering from anorexia though. I just didn't enjoy it that much.
It was ok. The part poetry style of writing isn't really my thing, and I ended up skimming the second half of this book. I am sure that the author captured the thought processes of someone suffering from anorexia though. I just didn't enjoy it that much.
January 20, 2011
This is a stark look at a woman with an illness it is written both in words and poetry.This is the first i,ve read a book written this way. She is suffering from anorexia nervosa it tells the story of a young women who is experiencing the devastasting effects of anorexia nervosa and how it not only destroys you but your relationships with others.
November 13, 2014
I wanted to like this, I did. But most of the time I felt I was just going through the motions, not really caring or wanting anything from the protagonist. I also felt confused, not because it was difficult to understand, but because Place repeated the same ideas over and over that they eventually lost their meaning.
March 26, 2010
Although I could identify with some of the narrator's feelings and analogies, I found myself confused and empty the majority of the time while reading.
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January 28, 2011I didn't finish this book. Just couldn't get into it. Sent it too a friend who loves books about disorders.
April 2, 2010
A poignant story of a woman struggling with anorexia and her recovery. The book contained a little too much poetry for my tastes. But all in all it was a good, thought provoking read.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews