Dietland

By: Sarai Walker

Narrated by: Lauren Henderson

Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's Summary

The diet revolution is here. And it’s armed.

Plum Kettle does her best not to be noticed, because when you’re fat, to be noticed is to be judged. Or mocked. Or worse. She works answering fan mail for a popular teen magazine and is biding her time until her weight loss surgery. Only then can her 'true life' as a thin person finally begin.

But when Plum notices she’s being followed by a mysterious woman in colourful tights and combat boots, she finds herself falling down a rabbit hole into the world of Calliope House, a community of women who live life on their own terms. Reluctant but intrigued, Plum agrees to a series of challenges that force her to deal with the real costs of becoming 'beautiful'.

At the same time, a dangerous guerilla group begins to terrorise a world that mistreats women, and as Plum grapples with her personal struggles, she becomes entangled in a sinister plot. The consequences are explosive.

Part coming-of-age story, part revenge fantasy, Dietland is a bold, original, and funny debut title that takes on the beauty industry, gender inequality, and our weight-loss obsession from the inside out - and with fists flying.

©2015 Sarai Walker (P)2015 Bolinda

Critic Reviews

"Sarai Walker has written a call to arms. Devious, subversive, delightful, Dietland is a SCUM Manifesto set to a pop music beat and Plum Kettle is a feminist hero for the modern age." (Alice Sebold)

"Part Fight Club, part feminist manifesto, an offbeat and genre-bending novel that aims high - and delivers." ( Kirkus)

Not What I Expected

There's a lot more to this book than meets the eye. It starts with Plum and her plan to lose weight (lots of it - she's obese) so that her life can begin. Elsewhere, men are being murdered in a gruesome way. Who is responsible, and what's the motive? Plum gets involved with a group of women whose mission is to show her that she can start living now - whatever her size, and there follows a story of friendship, sisterhood and strength, with themes of objectification, porn and revenge, and of course, the lucrative Diet Industry. It's a book that will make you think about the way in which women are treated in the 21st century and the lessons that Plum learns about living in a society where you are judged on the way you look. Great characters, quirky plotline, and a few sections that will make you want to turn your head away. The plot gathers speed as it goes on. Not the amusing frothy holiday read I was expecting, but gripping and thought provoking. Well worth a listen.

Brilliant!

Absolutely gripping story and very interesting and believable characters. It brought up some really interesting issues and made me think about diet industry and media. We'll have loads to talk about at my book group!

a little long

I struggled to finish the book too man hating for me, plum was very angry!

Anticlimactic

I thought I would enjoy this more. I found myself constantly frustrated with the main character who I found I just could not relate to. I enjoyed the Jennifer storyline, however, it fizzled out at the end and overall I found it disappointing. I made myself keep going with this book because a friend had highly recommended it, but I wish I hadn't wasted the time.

terrible

terrible waste of time. not sure why this is called the female version of fight club. obesity is a disease and should be dealt with not embraced