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Diary of a Dieting Madhouse The Novel edition by Paige Singleton Contemporary Romance eBooks

Download As PDF : Diary of a Dieting Madhouse The Novel edition by Paige Singleton Contemporary Romance eBooks

Diary of a Dieting Madhouse The Novel edition by Paige Singleton Contemporary Romance eBooks

Diary of a Dieting Madhouse is a modern day adaptation of Pride & Prejudice set in Dallas, TX, punctuated with amusing office politics ala Bridget Jones' Diary. The elements of classism, prejudice, and well-intentioned (and mal-intentioned) meddling themes from P&P play out in the modern setting of a Law firm amusingly called Knight & Daye. In place of two parents and a gaggle of sisters, the main character Rowan Faine is orphaned and has only one younger sister, Coco, to take the role of troublesome Lydia Bennet and a loyal coworker, Madelyn, to play the role of Elizabeth's seemingly perfect older sister Jane Bennet. Even though the parallels between characters are identifiable, the author does a wonderful job of making her own characters (and their journeys) truly their own and certainly not straight adaptations. A very nice twist and subplot in this book is the backstory on Madelyn, a self-appointed savior of abused and abandoned animals. Both her trailer park origins and her own pride serve to create an inner parallel to the main story between aloof attorney Grey Feris and proud-to-be-a-secretary Rowan.
My only complaint, other than a few minor editing issues, is that at times the main character and prose would border on a little too judgmental against the non-Vegan lifestyle but this might be due to my own beliefs being about as opposite as one can get from that worldview. However, I think the fact that I still empathized and cared about Rowan and Madelyn's journeys is a testament to the skill the author had at making her characters both real and sympathetic as well as providing their reasoning behind the choices they made. The humor peppered throughout the tale made a nice counterbalance to some heavy themes about animal cruelty.
Overall, this book was an absolute delight to read and I would certainly recommend it to fellow romance enthusiasts and Austen-ites.


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Diary of a Dieting Madhouse The Novel edition by Paige Singleton Contemporary Romance eBooks Reviews

First, I will say that Singelton can write genuinely witty dialogue. There were many times, while reading Diary of a Dieting Madhouse, that I laughed out loud or thought, "well done!". Also, I liked the plot idea of a Pride and Prejudice theme with a vegan diet angle, though the vegan diet, despite being part of the title, seemed to be an afterthought. The diet seems to be a catalyst for some of the plot. I find one of the main characters, Rowan, possesses a snarky, biting humor that is amusing but quickly transitions into a litany of whining, complaining, and constant criticism. The "strong women are bitches" trope has been done to death, so I was sorry to see it repeated here. Additionally, her thoughts and comments are so, SO, redundant, that they are often repeated verbatim from chapter to chapter. WHAT did Grey see in her? And just when did their relationship develop? Beyond one drunken encounter, there simply was nothing there. And Grey? He was so inscrutable and deadpan, he was like a chunk of driftwood. The few signs of life I could discern were often unpleasant. His fixation with whether or not Rowan might fall off the fat wagon was less than noble. It was only towards the end that we start to see that he might have a better half. I would have liked more inner dialogue from him, so I could understand his motivations better, and the book needed a LOT more dialogue between Rowan and Grey.
The plot needs to be tighter with natural transitions from one dilemma to the other and with enough detail that the reader can follow along. Singelton can write, but the book feels like a rough draft about half way through, and it needs a good rewrite and editor. I almost gave it two stars because it loses shape halfway through, but I gave it three stars for making me genuinely laugh in parts.
Review by D. Donovan, Senior eBook Reviewer, Midwest Book Review 'Donovan's Shelf'

The novel centers around Rowan Faine, who compulsively overeats to compensate for the shambles her life has become when her parents' death in a car accident left her responsible for her unruly younger sister and saddled with a job that offers free food to its employees. Constantly challenged by management issues with her sister and with the attorneys she works for, Rowan is thrown off balance by a brash new young attorney. Grey Faris and Rowan clash repeatedly, and it doesn't help that she overhears him call her 'fat.' When she embarks on a weight-loss program (by converting to a vegan diet) with the aid of her best friend and coworker Madelyn, the dynamics of her relationship with Grey change; but surprisingly, it's not because of her weight loss alone.

To call this novel a 'romance' would do it a vast injustice a host of plots and subplots create far more than one-dimensional protagonists or purposes, and romance is only one facet of a comedy of errors that entwines Rowan and her circle.

Rowan's observations of her world are biting and to the point "Colin epitomized everything she disliked about lawyers. Disorganized and unwilling to utilize modern technology, he created arbitrary deadlines to make himself appear important. Although not very bright, he was in a position of power." And they reflect her ability to cut through the chase and perceive underlying motivations, attitudes, and personas in those around her.

The point of romance is that the participants teach each other about love, life, and different perspectives. Rowan's playfulness eventually reaches out to Grey, and in Hawaii he discovers that perhaps his life hasn't been everything he's wanted "The time had gone by so quickly. He realized that for the first time in a long time, he was actually having fun. Most of his life had been spent going to school, working or being a parent to his sister. He hadn't had much of a chance to be silly and enjoy himself, with no obligations or strings." When Grey proves himself to be a kind, generous man underneath the aggressive persona, Rowan is finally able to open up to the possibilities of not just the relationship, but the wider world.

From dieting to transformed worldviews under one cover? Surely that takes romance, chutzpah and a unique protagonist who doesn't 'settle' for the mundane. That is the spark and life of Diary, which neatly juxtaposes emails, story lines and memos to sprinkle delight and change throughout its evolving plot. Fans of food, friendships, and love will find this a heart-warming tale of transformation.
Diary of a Dieting Madhouse is a modern day adaptation of Pride & Prejudice set in Dallas, TX, punctuated with amusing office politics ala Bridget Jones' Diary. The elements of classism, prejudice, and well-intentioned (and mal-intentioned) meddling themes from P&P play out in the modern setting of a Law firm amusingly called Knight & Daye. In place of two parents and a gaggle of sisters, the main character Rowan Faine is orphaned and has only one younger sister, Coco, to take the role of troublesome Lydia Bennet and a loyal coworker, Madelyn, to play the role of Elizabeth's seemingly perfect older sister Jane Bennet. Even though the parallels between characters are identifiable, the author does a wonderful job of making her own characters (and their journeys) truly their own and certainly not straight adaptations. A very nice twist and subplot in this book is the backstory on Madelyn, a self-appointed savior of abused and abandoned animals. Both her trailer park origins and her own pride serve to create an inner parallel to the main story between aloof attorney Grey Feris and proud-to-be-a-secretary Rowan.
My only complaint, other than a few minor editing issues, is that at times the main character and prose would border on a little too judgmental against the non-Vegan lifestyle but this might be due to my own beliefs being about as opposite as one can get from that worldview. However, I think the fact that I still empathized and cared about Rowan and Madelyn's journeys is a testament to the skill the author had at making her characters both real and sympathetic as well as providing their reasoning behind the choices they made. The humor peppered throughout the tale made a nice counterbalance to some heavy themes about animal cruelty.
Overall, this book was an absolute delight to read and I would certainly recommend it to fellow romance enthusiasts and Austen-ites.