Big Brother
Shriver, LionelSomewhere along the way Pandora has lost sight of her brother Edison. And now here he is - very much her bigger brother weighing in at over 180kgs, a larger than life house guest. At that weight it's not only the seams of his clothing that are stretched to the limit. However, the pressing question is, can Pandora save Edison before it's too late?
The combination of intelligent and thoughtful characters with an exploration of the West's complex relationship with food produces both challenging and satisfying fare.
Comments from Groups
A very lively discussion - most enjoyed the book. An interesting topic and great writing. Many would like to read more of Lionel Shriver. Gisborne 005Most of our group felt that it was a rather intense book to read. However, they found the subject interesting and the final pages shocking - but on reflection, predictable. A good discussion. Palmerston North 004
We all found this book difficult to engage with at first, too wordy. It dealt with some interesting concepts and led to a long discussion on food, the diet industry, obesity, family, culture, and a lot of memories! We all felt cheated and let down by the ending, although some felt it may have been the author's way of dealing with her own brother's weight problem - exploring different things she could have done to help him. Nelson 015
Very divergent responses from different members of the group. Some liked the ending, others not. It prompted a good discussion re management of obesity - from the public health to individual management options. Auckland 076
Some of the group really liked this book, others found it a bit long. The topic of obesity stimulated a lot of discussion. The twist at the end was seen as a bit of a let-down. On the whole, not a book that grabbed everyone but it had some positive literary merit, and was well written... Auckland 037
We had mixed views about how much we found the story readable. Most thought it was long-winded and repetitive in places. We did find some of the themes interesting eg. relationships with food; the psychology of food and eating, and different family relationships...Lower Hutt 008
We enjoyed the book - had a thought- provoking discussion on obesity. Auckland 223
373
2013