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Feeling for Bones
Pressurized family dynamics and a dysfunctional church experience force 16-year-old Olivia to seek her own reality. Hounded by the distorted reflections of mirrors, car doors, and shop windows, she sets things in order by papering her bedroom wall with glossy clippings from glamour magazines. Olivia's baggy clothes and exhaustive calorie scrutiny can't cover up the fact that she is allowing her body to wither away. As she encounters small town prying--and a tighter-than-comfortable rental house--Olivia's escape becomes her art. And her goal becomes the impossible perfection of the airbrushed models on her wall.
Feeling for Bones is Olivia's story as her struggles become more than physical and she is finally led to the answers she was running from all along.
This novel opens a window to the thought processes and struggles of teen and college-aged women who struggle with eating disorders. Young women will find a friend who thinks like they do and mothers will find a compatriot in the battle to help their daughters deal with body image.
Feeling for Bones is Olivia's story as her struggles become more than physical and she is finally led to the answers she was running from all along.
This novel opens a window to the thought processes and struggles of teen and college-aged women who struggle with eating disorders. Young women will find a friend who thinks like they do and mothers will find a compatriot in the battle to help their daughters deal with body image.
350 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2007
17 people are currently reading
2867 people want to read
About the author
Bethany Pierce
4 books21 followersBethany Pierce was born in Mount Vernon, Ohio to a Nazarene minister and an elementary school art teacher who encouraged the reading of books by storing the television on a microwave stand in the hall closet. In 2001 she enrolled in Miami University’s College of Art to study painting, staying a fifth year to complete a Master’s degree in creative writing.
Her artwork has been exhibited in Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Austin. Publishers Weekly named her first book, Feeling for Bones, one of the top books of 2007.
Presently, Bethany lives in Charlottesville, Virginia where she continues to write and paint as a member of the McGuffey Art Center.
Her artwork has been exhibited in Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Austin. Publishers Weekly named her first book, Feeling for Bones, one of the top books of 2007.
Presently, Bethany lives in Charlottesville, Virginia where she continues to write and paint as a member of the McGuffey Art Center.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
March 27, 2011
First half of the book setup for an intriguing family dynamic and a young girl plagued by an eating disorder. However, the second half of the book was anticlimactic. The ending was awful and didn't fit with the story line. I read some comments before reading this book and they mentioned the "Christian" element to this author's writing style. Well until the last 2 chapters, it really wasn't apparent. However, the last 2 chapters were nothing but a tribute to the author's Christian roots and didn't fit with the plot of the book AT ALL. Eating disorders are not just magically cured overnight. While I think the faith aspect of the ending was believable, the rest was not.
It was a quick read and obviously held my interested long enough that I couldn't justify walking away, but I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
It was a quick read and obviously held my interested long enough that I couldn't justify walking away, but I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
October 20, 2009
I picked this book up from the library based on the cover and title and proved the cliche about books and their covers. I was expecting a crime novel... you know... bones. Instead, I got a great story about a girl battling with her faith and anorexia... you know... bones. I love a good story about the human struggle, and this was exactly that. It was a quick and easy but compelling read.
December 16, 2015
This book is pretty terrible. I'm a fan of the genre where the main character has deep physiological issues and must spend the novel learning how to cope or getting help or coming to some important revelation that signals the beginning of a healing process. I'm good with that basic plot structure and find it generally effective and entertaining. So, when I sat down to read this novel I had a pretty realistic set of expectations about what kind of plot, characters, and genre tropes I was likely to find. This novel took the basic plot, threw some tropes down on top of it, crammed it all together, and is pretending like it's a story. It's really pretty bad. The main character doesn't have much depth. Her relationships with her family and with her friends are pretty shallow and under-developed, and there is very little emotional investment in the story.
Ultimately, the main character is a girl with an eating disorder which is hardly ever discussed and is pretty easily dismissed. It's pretty much a non-issue. There is really no emotional investment in that internal conflict and it gets resolved at the end by Jesus. I don't mind spiritualism or the idea that a character could have a religious experience or revelation that could lead to a series positive changes; I think that can absolutely work. I do, however, have an issue with lazy storytelling and an author using religion as a literal deus-ex-machina. Things are bad, but that's okay because in the last three pages the main character realizes Jesus loves her and it magically solves her eating disorder. Lazy, lazy, lazy writing. Seriously -- don't bother with this novel.
Ultimately, the main character is a girl with an eating disorder which is hardly ever discussed and is pretty easily dismissed. It's pretty much a non-issue. There is really no emotional investment in that internal conflict and it gets resolved at the end by Jesus. I don't mind spiritualism or the idea that a character could have a religious experience or revelation that could lead to a series positive changes; I think that can absolutely work. I do, however, have an issue with lazy storytelling and an author using religion as a literal deus-ex-machina. Things are bad, but that's okay because in the last three pages the main character realizes Jesus loves her and it magically solves her eating disorder. Lazy, lazy, lazy writing. Seriously -- don't bother with this novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2015
I thought this book was very well-written, solid plot and character development, but my favorite aspect was the imagery. Pierce is able to make even the most mundane events or observations shine with precise descriptions. My least favorite aspect of the book occurs near the end, although the turns of events are logical and true to the characters' personalities. All in all, I was fascinated by the life of the main character (her struggles, her relationships, her aspirations), but the religious undertones felt somewhat forced (and at times too forceful).
November 22, 2009
There were some good quotes in this book. I only wish I had written them down before returning the book back to the library.
It was Christian-based without being overly preachy though I skimmed some parts near the end. I liked the confluence of events and characters in Olivia's life -- they were sources of instability and stress, but also of support. It left with loose strings, about herself and other characters so it wasn't all neatly packaged.
It was Christian-based without being overly preachy though I skimmed some parts near the end. I liked the confluence of events and characters in Olivia's life -- they were sources of instability and stress, but also of support. It left with loose strings, about herself and other characters so it wasn't all neatly packaged.
December 9, 2018
3 stars.
Not my usual type of eating disorder books that I like as there was only fragments of focus on the main characters actual eating disorder. Still, the story was good enough that I did enjoy it despite that issue. I wouldn't recommend this if you are looking for a story that talks heavily on a characters eating disorder.
Not my usual type of eating disorder books that I like as there was only fragments of focus on the main characters actual eating disorder. Still, the story was good enough that I did enjoy it despite that issue. I wouldn't recommend this if you are looking for a story that talks heavily on a characters eating disorder.
October 31, 2019
The prose in this book is magical and it doesn't come across as preachy.
February 14, 2015
At first glance the cover of Feeling for Bones doesn't make sense. A branch, possibly from a rose bush, stretches thin and gnarled across the paper, its sharp thorns protruding from the limbs. But when we immerse ourselves in the story understanding dawns.
Olivia is sixteen-years-old when her minister father loses his job and the family moves into a ramshackle house on Great-aunt Margaret's property. Everyone tries to adjust, but it's not easy. With so much out of her control, Olivia controls the only thing she can--her body.
"Food was the first thing I thought of when I woke up in the morning, the last thing to occupy my mind before sleep."
Feeling for Bones is the intimate and brutally honest portrait of one girl's struggle to overcome a disorder she doesn't want to admit exists. With the world screaming at her from every airbrushed photo and rail-thin model, we see how easy it is for Olivia, and girls like her, to fall into the pit that is anorexia. You can never be too thin, even if you have to hide your shrinking figure from your family under baggy clothes. Through Olivia's eyes the eating disorder is exposed for what it is--an evil deception our enemy uses to destroy lives. We watch Olivia tiptoe into the kitchen after everyone is asleep and pour a handful of dry cereal into her palm. In the privacy of her bedroom she savors each one, "hiding in the darkness with the wariness of a criminal."
But Feeling for Bones isn't a doom and gloom type of story. There's hope between the pages. Without preaching, Pierce shows us that true freedom and healing can only come through Christ.
Pierce knows of what she writes. She lived many of Olivia's experiences (including her budding artistic abilities), and Pierce started writing the novel as a teen herself. But it would take years before she gained the distance needed to finish. Finally, through the lense of age, she realized she was no longer writing her own story--she was writing Olivia's. With the depth of a survivor, Pierce has penned a novel worthy of any prize given to literature. Her prose is beautiful like poetry, and her specific details and use of simile are impressive.
The sweet sister relationship Olivia has with her much younger sibling is also worth noting. They have their spats, but through several tender moments their true feelings for each other surface. Olivia's mom and dad aren't your stereotypical we're-so-busy-we-don't-care parents, either. They've been distracted by the move and financial pressures, and that's why Olivia has managed to hide her disorder for so long. But once her parents know, her Mom especially isn't willing to stand by and watch Olivia continue on that destructive path, and she makes sure Olivia knows it.
It's hard to classify Feeling for Bones. Because the main character is a teenager some might call it YA fiction. Certainly teens will relate to Olivia because she is young, but the experiences and lessons Olivia learns are universal, like Scout's in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Olivia is every person who's looked in a mirror and wished they were someone else. She's Everyone who's ever faced a situation beyond their control.
"People told me I looked pale and tired, that I looked skinny. I did not see that. I saw a lot of white flesh and too much of it, bloating on my body in all the wrong places."
That branch on the cover? It makes sense now. The branch is Olivia. Will she see her potential and realize before it's too late how badly she's hurting herself? But even more importantly, will she let herself be saved from a compulsion that has the potential to kill?
Olivia is sixteen-years-old when her minister father loses his job and the family moves into a ramshackle house on Great-aunt Margaret's property. Everyone tries to adjust, but it's not easy. With so much out of her control, Olivia controls the only thing she can--her body.
"Food was the first thing I thought of when I woke up in the morning, the last thing to occupy my mind before sleep."
Feeling for Bones is the intimate and brutally honest portrait of one girl's struggle to overcome a disorder she doesn't want to admit exists. With the world screaming at her from every airbrushed photo and rail-thin model, we see how easy it is for Olivia, and girls like her, to fall into the pit that is anorexia. You can never be too thin, even if you have to hide your shrinking figure from your family under baggy clothes. Through Olivia's eyes the eating disorder is exposed for what it is--an evil deception our enemy uses to destroy lives. We watch Olivia tiptoe into the kitchen after everyone is asleep and pour a handful of dry cereal into her palm. In the privacy of her bedroom she savors each one, "hiding in the darkness with the wariness of a criminal."
But Feeling for Bones isn't a doom and gloom type of story. There's hope between the pages. Without preaching, Pierce shows us that true freedom and healing can only come through Christ.
Pierce knows of what she writes. She lived many of Olivia's experiences (including her budding artistic abilities), and Pierce started writing the novel as a teen herself. But it would take years before she gained the distance needed to finish. Finally, through the lense of age, she realized she was no longer writing her own story--she was writing Olivia's. With the depth of a survivor, Pierce has penned a novel worthy of any prize given to literature. Her prose is beautiful like poetry, and her specific details and use of simile are impressive.
The sweet sister relationship Olivia has with her much younger sibling is also worth noting. They have their spats, but through several tender moments their true feelings for each other surface. Olivia's mom and dad aren't your stereotypical we're-so-busy-we-don't-care parents, either. They've been distracted by the move and financial pressures, and that's why Olivia has managed to hide her disorder for so long. But once her parents know, her Mom especially isn't willing to stand by and watch Olivia continue on that destructive path, and she makes sure Olivia knows it.
It's hard to classify Feeling for Bones. Because the main character is a teenager some might call it YA fiction. Certainly teens will relate to Olivia because she is young, but the experiences and lessons Olivia learns are universal, like Scout's in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Olivia is every person who's looked in a mirror and wished they were someone else. She's Everyone who's ever faced a situation beyond their control.
"People told me I looked pale and tired, that I looked skinny. I did not see that. I saw a lot of white flesh and too much of it, bloating on my body in all the wrong places."
That branch on the cover? It makes sense now. The branch is Olivia. Will she see her potential and realize before it's too late how badly she's hurting herself? But even more importantly, will she let herself be saved from a compulsion that has the potential to kill?
February 8, 2016
"I am small in this universe, infinitesimal inside infinity. But size is never the measure of worth."
I originally picked up this book because I was intrigued by its premise - a girl with a Christian upbringing battles an eating disorder. It's a premise I could sympathize with considering it mirrored my own life story. However, the Christianity portrayed in this book was often legalistic & ceremonial, and Olivia struggled against it. It's only when Olivia starts looking to God to save her rather than the rituals & practices of religion that she really learns about the Christian faith.
I wouldn't call this a book about a girl with an eating disorder. This was more the story of a girl trying to find herself who just happened to have an eating disorder. I didn't love this book. Nor did I read it strictly for its entertainment value. Instead, I found myself continuing to turn pages because I appreciated the authenticity of the story.
The book is filled with detailed imagery which was often appreciated but sometimes almost too much. I could tell that an artist wrote the book from the wordy illustration, like the author was painting the pages with words. While the attention to detail sometimes enriched the story, at other times it filled the pages to the point of distraction.
I appreciated how the eating disorder was described in the book. Unlike other books I've read about the subject, the story did not glamorize eating disorders in any way. There was no sense of a "special club" for those struggling or special attention given to Olivia. Rather, it dwelt on how lonely & all-consuming the disorder is. It wasn't all about the weight loss, but instead the loss of hours spent thinking about food & the next meal. "I'd spent every ounce of mental power counting calories in my food & the hours between meals." It controlled her life in a completely debilitating way - which is quite an accurate description of an eating disorder.
Similarly, Olivia's desire for recovery was accurately depicted in how she pushes against the counting and the rules that control her life. How she just wants to eat "normal". "I can eat when I'm hungry, that's the new rule. But it should be something normal. Normal people ate ice cream & cookies for late-night snacks, not plain slices of wheat bread or sixty-calorie apples." Even in her aspiration to be normal, she can't shake the control and calm that rules give her.
I do wish Olivia would have talked to someone about her struggles by the end of the book. It would have been nice to see her reach out for help. However, I do think that by keeping it hidden, the reader is able to see how ostracizing the eating disorder can be.
Overall, it's not a book I rank 3 stars because of its entertainment value. Instead, I liked it for its honest portrayal of an eating disorder, and the journey one takes to make their faith personal.
November 29, 2015
I read this book in 2010 and liked it quite a bit. Several months later, I read reviews that referred to it as "Christian fiction", and I blinked and looked around: What? Really? Huh.
So, naturally, I read it again to see for myself - and, hey, what do you know? Christian fiction.
As Olivia's world crumbles around her, she takes charge of the only thing she can - her body. Things aren't quite right at home, they aren't quite right at school, and she doesn't have a lot of ways to remedy that.
I think what worked for me in this book was that Olivia didn't quite fit the normal eating-disorder mold - or, rather, didn't fit a lot of the stereotypes. She's not a "poor little rich girl". She's not starving herself to fit in or look good in her jeans, and honestly, she's a bit naive about the whole thing. Also, bonus points for Olivia's relationship with her younger sister, Callapher: she loves Callapher, but is also (realistically) annoyed by her.
I'm still not sure about the Christian-fiction aspect. It's subtle enough that I missed it on the first go (clearly), but present enough that it was hard to miss on the second pass. I wonder whether I would have liked the book even more if a) Olivia had turned elsewhere for answers or b) there hadn't been such a high correlation between good characters and religious characters.
So, naturally, I read it again to see for myself - and, hey, what do you know? Christian fiction.
As Olivia's world crumbles around her, she takes charge of the only thing she can - her body. Things aren't quite right at home, they aren't quite right at school, and she doesn't have a lot of ways to remedy that.
I think what worked for me in this book was that Olivia didn't quite fit the normal eating-disorder mold - or, rather, didn't fit a lot of the stereotypes. She's not a "poor little rich girl". She's not starving herself to fit in or look good in her jeans, and honestly, she's a bit naive about the whole thing. Also, bonus points for Olivia's relationship with her younger sister, Callapher: she loves Callapher, but is also (realistically) annoyed by her.
I'm still not sure about the Christian-fiction aspect. It's subtle enough that I missed it on the first go (clearly), but present enough that it was hard to miss on the second pass. I wonder whether I would have liked the book even more if a) Olivia had turned elsewhere for answers or b) there hadn't been such a high correlation between good characters and religious characters.
October 21, 2012
I have mixed feelings about this book.
When I first started reading it, I thought it was supposed to be a memoir. Through that lens, the voice bothered me because there were times when it would depart from its usual narrative and become far too lofty and metaphorical. Then I realized it was fiction, but the prose still felt half rushed and half forced.
In terms of the story-line, I was disappointed. I picked up the book expecting a certain level of "troubled adolescent angst" and instead I got a whole slew of things that didn't seem to fit together, or at least not in this context. I get it--life is complex. A girl's life can have happiness, depression, boys, best friends, little siblings, family drama, anorexia, depression, school problems, religion, etc. However, for the way this book is advertised, I feel like the author should've stuck to one or two major topics and fleshed them out better. In the end, I didn't feel like any of the many topics were resolved.
Still, there were some golden passages within that I really found relevant and thought provoking (no, I'm not talking about any of the rather irrelevant Christian/Bible parts) so it wasn't a complete bust.
What I will say, to finish this off, is that if you don't want to be preached at to any degree, don't read this book.
When I first started reading it, I thought it was supposed to be a memoir. Through that lens, the voice bothered me because there were times when it would depart from its usual narrative and become far too lofty and metaphorical. Then I realized it was fiction, but the prose still felt half rushed and half forced.
In terms of the story-line, I was disappointed. I picked up the book expecting a certain level of "troubled adolescent angst" and instead I got a whole slew of things that didn't seem to fit together, or at least not in this context. I get it--life is complex. A girl's life can have happiness, depression, boys, best friends, little siblings, family drama, anorexia, depression, school problems, religion, etc. However, for the way this book is advertised, I feel like the author should've stuck to one or two major topics and fleshed them out better. In the end, I didn't feel like any of the many topics were resolved.
Still, there were some golden passages within that I really found relevant and thought provoking (no, I'm not talking about any of the rather irrelevant Christian/Bible parts) so it wasn't a complete bust.
What I will say, to finish this off, is that if you don't want to be preached at to any degree, don't read this book.
September 20, 2011
This book is a look into the mind of a teen girl, Olivia, who suffers from anorexia. The way she perceives herself and those around her is sometimes distorted, but her perspective changes as the book resolves itself.
At the beginning of the book, Olivia and her family are moving from their home because her dad lost his job as a pastor. Olivia relates how she keeps track of how many calories she eats, what types of food are "good" or "bad", and how, when she eats more than the restricted amount she normally allows herself, she feels like there is a hard rock in her stomach. There are a string of eccentric, yet loveable supporting characters. Throughout this book her parents try to help her eat normally sometimes succeeding and sometimes just putting pressure on Olivia. As Olivia is able to pour herself into her art and realizes how gifted she is, she starts to understand how not eating is affecting her life.
I enjoyed this story for the most part. I thought that some of the story lines were not wrapped up very well (e.g. Olivia & Matthew's relationship). Some of the dream sequences were a bit confusing as well. I enjoyed the character development and family relationships and friendships built in this story.
At the beginning of the book, Olivia and her family are moving from their home because her dad lost his job as a pastor. Olivia relates how she keeps track of how many calories she eats, what types of food are "good" or "bad", and how, when she eats more than the restricted amount she normally allows herself, she feels like there is a hard rock in her stomach. There are a string of eccentric, yet loveable supporting characters. Throughout this book her parents try to help her eat normally sometimes succeeding and sometimes just putting pressure on Olivia. As Olivia is able to pour herself into her art and realizes how gifted she is, she starts to understand how not eating is affecting her life.
I enjoyed this story for the most part. I thought that some of the story lines were not wrapped up very well (e.g. Olivia & Matthew's relationship). Some of the dream sequences were a bit confusing as well. I enjoyed the character development and family relationships and friendships built in this story.
January 9, 2016
#uuuuuuuuugh
Fiction about eating disorders is my guilty pleasure and I rarely expect much from it. I believe it's very hard to write fiction about eating disorders (and mental illness in general) because it's one of these conditions, where... you know, the truth is almost too hard to imagine, even for a very talented author.
And there's so many clichés in Feeling for Bones - stuff like 'the beautiful best friend who's secretly insecure', 'I can't decide if I like this guy because I'm so insecure' and 'my teacher discovered that I'm a freaking artist' is only a handful of those - and I was ready to forgive Feeling for Bones for it, not only because it after all is my guilty pleasure, but it is actually very well written.
But.
But.
the big #uuuuuuugh
the ending.
I hated it. When I started to realise what was going on I got so mad - it's been years since I've been so mad at a book...
It just seemed to me that Bethany Pierce suddenly realised 'hey, I'm actually Christian, don't forget that' and therefore decided to ruin it all. ugh.
Fiction about eating disorders is my guilty pleasure and I rarely expect much from it. I believe it's very hard to write fiction about eating disorders (and mental illness in general) because it's one of these conditions, where... you know, the truth is almost too hard to imagine, even for a very talented author.
And there's so many clichés in Feeling for Bones - stuff like 'the beautiful best friend who's secretly insecure', 'I can't decide if I like this guy because I'm so insecure' and 'my teacher discovered that I'm a freaking artist' is only a handful of those - and I was ready to forgive Feeling for Bones for it, not only because it after all is my guilty pleasure, but it is actually very well written.
But.
But.
the big #uuuuuuugh
the ending.
I hated it. When I started to realise what was going on I got so mad - it's been years since I've been so mad at a book...
It just seemed to me that Bethany Pierce suddenly realised 'hey, I'm actually Christian, don't forget that' and therefore decided to ruin it all. ugh.
January 22, 2015
I cannot rave about this book enough. I lent it to my friends--each from different backgrounds and ages--and each connected deeply with this book.
The characters in Pierce's novel are utterly human, complete with both flaws and beauty. As someone who went through some eating struggles similar to Olivia's, her words and perspective rang true. Describing her surroundings in terms such as "sunken," "bloated," or "bird-like" was such an accurate way of depicting a anorexia-tainted perspective and revealed how those with eating disorders can view everything in terms of their own struggle.
On the other hand, I would not necessarily recommend this book to someone currently with an eating disorder or with eating disorder tendencies. I think it could potentially be a trigger for those thoughts. It depends on the person. However, I would unblinkingly recommend this book to family members of someone struggling with an eating disorder because it is educational.
And to book lovers who are not necessarily interested in eating disorders? Read it. Buy it. Seriously. This is not a book to miss. It's unforgettable.
The characters in Pierce's novel are utterly human, complete with both flaws and beauty. As someone who went through some eating struggles similar to Olivia's, her words and perspective rang true. Describing her surroundings in terms such as "sunken," "bloated," or "bird-like" was such an accurate way of depicting a anorexia-tainted perspective and revealed how those with eating disorders can view everything in terms of their own struggle.
On the other hand, I would not necessarily recommend this book to someone currently with an eating disorder or with eating disorder tendencies. I think it could potentially be a trigger for those thoughts. It depends on the person. However, I would unblinkingly recommend this book to family members of someone struggling with an eating disorder because it is educational.
And to book lovers who are not necessarily interested in eating disorders? Read it. Buy it. Seriously. This is not a book to miss. It's unforgettable.
May 29, 2015
This is a decent book but it lacks something. I found myself skimming at times, especially later in the book, as it seemed that some long passages did nothing to further plot or character development. I think that she got some things right - the psychological part works, and the first tentative relationship with it's mixed emotions and unsteady footing is believable despite there being no resolution. I also enjoyed the dynamics of Mollie and Olivia's friendship, about how it deepens and we later learn that they both admire each other for different reasons. For me, the most relevant passage was this:
"People should just stop expecting so much - if they just got used to the reality of each other and let go of their fantasies, they wouldn't be so set up for failure. Fantasy is always better than reality. It's not worth it, all that expectation."
Anyhow, this is a worthwhile read for those interested in coming of age, quasi-memoir, and religion.
"People should just stop expecting so much - if they just got used to the reality of each other and let go of their fantasies, they wouldn't be so set up for failure. Fantasy is always better than reality. It's not worth it, all that expectation."
Anyhow, this is a worthwhile read for those interested in coming of age, quasi-memoir, and religion.
November 17, 2011
The premise of this book is a good one: family dynamics, religion, financial struggle and body image all come into play in "Feeling for Bones." But the story is so slow and fragmented, that nothing ever seems to happen or be resolved. Every time something 'exciting' happens, that story line is squashed. There are a few events in this book that could make for a good novel,but they're not explored. Unfortunately, the author has chosen to turn a teenager's battle with anorexia into a religious conflict. We learn very little about the root of the problem - in fact, the most character development we see is in the minor characters of the novel. And it seems like when she was tired of writing, the author wrapped up the entire story in a nice little blanket of religious revelation and poof - problem solved. I'm happy I only paid $0.89 for this one.
September 17, 2012
This was a disappointment to say the least. I feel the author had some great ideas for a novel, but didn't allow them to fully flourish. For starters, the concept behind the plot, anorexia, is intriguing and carries a lot of weight. Unfortunately, it fell flat. I also think the character development could have drastically been improved. There were details in the book that I couldn't quite understand why they were included because they seemed unnecessary and disruptive to the flow of the book. I found myself skimming pages out of desperation just so I could actually finish the book. While I do realize this book is the author's first, I doubt I will be reading any of her future works. Save your time and money folks, feeling for bones is just a way to get you feeling frustrated. Fast.
June 25, 2013
Well, I admit that after reading some very raving reviews for this book, I harbored some high hopes. I also found the anorexia topic an interesting one for fiction. But the way the book danced around this issue, was downright strange - there was not subtle leading into it, as the book opens with the main character fully displaying this disorder. Her naivete of what the disorder actually was pretty shocking, too - as well as unbelievable. I was also surprised at just how secular this Christian fiction novel was. It was very well written, but I just couldn't really identify with any of the characters, and felt like I was waiting for something to be revealed which never was... The whole book just felt as though it was missing something. By the end, I was thoroughly disappointed.
May 23, 2010
Okay, I got about thirty pages into ostensibly another girl struggling with an eating disorder story before the churchy, preachy Christian element started to make me nervous. Don't get me wrong, stories about faith and a loss of faith are generally some of my favorites but this just made me nauseous. Firstly, the writing is not the best--just cheesy with unconvincing dialogue, etc. Secondly, I found it disconcerting that Olivia, already in the throes of this terrible disease by the time the narrative begins, as a character is ultimately unable to carry the novel. She's not interesting making the book uninteresting as well. All of that compounded with the creepy Christian stuff...I'm putting it down at page 121.
Bring on the Roller Derby.
Bring on the Roller Derby.
March 4, 2011
This introspective novel takes you through one girls journey. At 16, Olivia Monahan is uprooted from her home when a scandal in the local church costs her father his ministry. The family retreats to the seclusion of a small Pennsylvanian town, where a host of rich characters all play part in Olivia's struggle to understand her disillusionment with Christianity and gather courage to fight the eating disorder threatening her health. [return]This was good, it alternates between happy episodes and positive characters in Olivia's life, and the crisises brought on not only by Olivia's problems but also her friends and her families. Parts of it, especially the ending, are almost mystical. Read this one when you are in the mood for reflection.
March 21, 2014
This is actually. the. absolute. WORST. book i have ever read. ever. there is not one thing about this book that i could compliment other than how nice the cover looks and the pictures of the branches before each chapter start. other than that, the whole entire thing was just. a fantastic mess. it was so hard to read. i kept pushing hoping the next chapter would get better and it never did. there is no "problem" to keep reading for you to find out how it was solved. it was just super boring. it's not at all a book about a girl with an eating disorder. its not even a girl with a family. not a girl with a crush. there is NOTHING to read about. it's just words that tell no story. would not recommend to anyone.
April 29, 2008
I just picked this book off the shelf with no idea what it would be about, but it turned out pretty good. The book is written from the perspective of a girl who is struggling with anorexia, but that is just part of what is going on. Her dad was a minister who lost his job and they had to move to a small town near her eccentric great aunt. I liked the descriptions in this book, very poetic, and I really liked that everything wasn't neatly tied up at the end. I would have liked to see a little more dealing with the father and his leaving the ministry, but overall I would say it is a good book, probably best suited for high school/college girls than me, but that's usually what I read! Ha!
October 11, 2011
This book was odd. THe first half sounded promising and then once I got through the second half, I felt like I wasn't even reading the same book. I felt like there was nothing important that happened in the second half and it just fell flat. I skimmed the last two chapters because I was bored and I feel like this book wasn't really about anything. It touched on eating disorders, art, and family dynamics but there are much better eating disorder books out there than this one. I felt like there was no resolution to Olivia's problem and I couldn't even get a good sense that the disorder was that serious, based on the writing.
May 21, 2013
I was definitely disappointed with this book. I thought it would be interesting to read a book on a girl with an eating disorder from a Christian perspective, but I was sorely mistaken...
The book dragged, I didn't feel any real emotional connection with the main character, and I just felt it was rather boring and didn't portray an eating disorder very well (maybe I'm biased from reading Wintergirls). The only meriting factor was the ending. The author decided to use some rather beautifully written lines, but honestly I was a bit shocked because she had written nothing like that in the rest of the book. All in all, I'd say don't bother reading unless you have nothing else...
The book dragged, I didn't feel any real emotional connection with the main character, and I just felt it was rather boring and didn't portray an eating disorder very well (maybe I'm biased from reading Wintergirls). The only meriting factor was the ending. The author decided to use some rather beautifully written lines, but honestly I was a bit shocked because she had written nothing like that in the rest of the book. All in all, I'd say don't bother reading unless you have nothing else...
September 23, 2011
Feeling for Bones is a slightly disturbing novel about a teenage girl and her struggle with an eating disorder. It also touches on the issue of her father having lost his job under circumstances involving child molestation. Perhaps the fact it deals with 2 difficult subject matters is why I found this book a bit more depressing than the fiction I normally enjoy. There are certainly some positive events included and this author's writing style is readable. In our local district library this book was tagged with the "inspirational" sticker that tends to draw my eye.
March 11, 2016
I wanted to like this book. I really did. The book had several potentially great but underdeveloped plot lines. Considering the book's title, I was expecting far more of the character's experience of anorexia, and it just wasn't there.
I don't feel like anything was settled at the end, but rather.. she found Jesus, okay, the end. The ending seemed totally out of place, and left me feeling unsatisfied.
But it gets two stars because I did love the characters and the actual writing was good as well. Just lacking a plot here.
I don't feel like anything was settled at the end, but rather.. she found Jesus, okay, the end. The ending seemed totally out of place, and left me feeling unsatisfied.
But it gets two stars because I did love the characters and the actual writing was good as well. Just lacking a plot here.
January 7, 2016
this book seemed to be tackling the topic of eating disorders but most of the book had nothing to do with anorexia. i felt a bit misled by the description. I've personally read a lot of books about eating disorders and this one doesn't even come close to comparing. a lot of the storyline seemed unimportant and the ending was horrible. if you have an eating disorder you'll know how unrealistic the story was overall, but particularly the ending which implies that one can simply will themselves to recover by the grace of God. I hated this book.
August 21, 2009
This was a very interesting read. I think it really opened my eyes about anorexia and eating disorders in general. With the main character being a minister's daughter, it also has a lot of religious issues entwined throughout the book. I think it was an interesting place to find a character in, someone who is trying to find herself and find this God that everyone is telling her about while trying to fight this anorexia demon in her.
April 26, 2010
This is the first fiction I've read about a Christian with an eating disorder, and I think the author does a good job of capturing the character's struggle: the guilt, the doubt, the whole if-you-were-a-good-Christian-you-wouldn't-be-like-this thing. I also really like the other characters and think they are well-developed. I didn't care much for the ending, which wrapped up a little too neatly and quickly in my opinion. Overall, a good one.
October 28, 2010
This was a nice, easy read about a teenage girl with typical high school troubles- family, friends, love- only on top of that she has anorexia. I did not find it preachy at all, as other readers have complained about. The character's dad happens to be a minister, and she wonders about faith- just like most every teenager does.
The author started writing this book in high school, and I think that is reflected in the realistic way high school is portrayed in the book.
The author started writing this book in high school, and I think that is reflected in the realistic way high school is portrayed in the book.
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