Myrtle of Willendorf

by Rebecca O'Connell

College isn't much more fun for Myrtle than high school was. At least in high school she had her weird friend Margie, who wasn't going to win any popularity contests or beauty pageants either. Now an art student at college, Myrtle has only food and her sense of humor to rely on. Her roommate, Jada, with her boyfriend and her long neck and her dancer's body and her healthy eating habits, is no help at all. Over the course of a few painful weeks in summer, Myrtle finds a path, discovering, through her painting and a prehistoric stone figure known as the Venus of Willendorf, a new sense of self and a different kind of beauty.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction

128 pages, Hardcover

First published June 19, 1996

Reviews

[Ashley Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in less than a day, I love that Myrtle is a fat girl that isn't trying to stop being fat, we all need to accept ourselves just the way we are.
Otherwise this is a good quick read, not a masterpiece, but fun for an afternoon on the couch.
If you don't like to read about menstruation, don't pick this up.

[Becky Shaknovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fantastic intro to feminism for girls.

[SraPanadera · Rating 1 out of 5]

TF actually is this?!? Seriously, like how is this a novel? How did this get published? If I could give negative stars, I would. The only non-negative thing I can say about this is that it is very short and I'm pretty sure I paid less than a dollar for it (if anything). Basically, several very unlikeable people do shitty things to themselves, each other, and a couple other unfortunate folks who would do better to steer well clear of the lot of them.

[Kressel Housman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was written by my childhood friend, so naturally I was biased in its favor. It's a true-to-life coming of age story about a woman who's not that thrilled with her physical appearance. I think we've all been there. She's also got a quirky bunch of friends and meets a pretty cool guy, and they help her get through that difficult first year at college.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Myrtle, an obese girl with a compulsive eating disorder, struggles to conform to modern concepts of beauty before discovering a path for herself through artistic expression.

[Noreen Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

fat feminist fiction for the high school early college crowd. fast read good but left me (like Mrytle)wanting more.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, took my 40 minutes but I liked it a lot. Anyone who knows me will know why ;)