Waisted

By: Randy Susan Meyers

Narrated by: Robin Eller, Amanda Ronconi

Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's Summary

In this provocative, wildly entertaining, and compelling novel, seven women enrolled in an extreme-weight-loss documentary discover self-love and sisterhood as they enact a daring revenge against the exploitative filmmakers.

Alice and Daphne, both successful working mothers, both accomplished and seemingly steady, harbor the same secret: Obsession with their weight overshadows concerns about their children, husbands, work - and everything else of importance in their lives. Scales terrify them. 

Daphne, plump in a family of model-thin women, learned at her mother’s knee that only slimness earns admiration. Alice, break-up skinny when she met her husband, risks losing her marriage if she keeps gaining weight. 

The two women meet at Privation. Located in a remote Vermont mansion, the program promises fast, dramatic weight loss, and Alice, Daphne, and five other women are desperate enough to leave behind their families for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The catch? They must agree to always be on camera; afterward, the world will see Waisted: The Documentary. 

The women soon discover the filmmakers have trapped them in a cruel experiment. With each pound lost, they edge deeper into obsession and instability...until they decide to take matters into their own hands. 

A compulsively listenable and ultimately poignant examination of body image, family, and friendship, Waisted features Randy Susan Meyers’ signature “engaging and sharp” (Publishers Weekly) prose and is perfect for fans of Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, Dietland by Sarai Walker, The First Wives Club by Olivia Goldsmith, and Hunger by Roxane Gay.

©2019 Randy Susan Meyers (P)2019 Simon & Schuster

It’s OK

I really wanted to love this book. It does have a lot of interesting and usable insights as each character goes through their personal journey to self discovery. I found there to be far too much superfluous dialogue and a huge hole in the narrative that I won’t divulge in consideration of those who have yet to read or listen to the book.

It has a lot of promise, and it could have used a better editing process.

I believe what annoyed me the most, and all due apologies to Robin Elles and Amanda Ronconi, was the inconsistent narration. This is all due to the direction they received, I’m sure. There were parts that could barely be heard as the tone was kept so low, almost at a conspirational, whispered level. As if a great secret was being revealed. There were none. It was ANNOYING. I appreciate that the producers and director were attempting to convey an inner dialogue at times. You failed.

I nearly stopped several times and gave up due to the periodic, inane dialogue and the annoying whispered portions.

I think with a good edit, this could be a better book. I get what it is trying to say, and in some parts it does a good job. But if I were the author, I’d insist on a new production of the audio book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Flat narration

As someone who has lost 110 pounds, I could relate to much of what the women felt. However, I almost gave up on this book due to narration. One of the characters was portrayed with a whispery, monotone voice, which was distracting and annoying. Also, there were a few strange pronunciations that again, distracted from the story. I think that the emotional range could have been much greater with different narration.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Good story, but not worth the narration

This is a good story, with an interesting premise and realistic characters. However, one of the narrators is so irritating, it was hard to listen. Her voice was so quiet and breathy, it seemed like she was whispering. If this was done for effect, it did not work. It was just annoying and almost made me give up on the book entirely. If I had to do it all over again, I'd read the book, not listen to it.