Candy B. (candieb) reviewed Beautiful Stranger: A Memoir of an Obsession with Perfection on + 239 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
This STORY was very interesting. However, it could have been told better by another writer. This book is such a work of self-indulgence for the author. It nearly drove me crazy. Even in the book, you can hear her explaining herself away. Yes, She has a disease, but not once do you really hear her take responsibility for herself or her actions. She's selfish and it shows in her writing. The book is copyrighted 2004 so my hope is that in the past 4-5 years that she has had more time to heal and more time to think about her life back then. Perhaps she meant for this book to be that way, to show how she WAS, but it just infuriated me.
Interesting book, good subject, but would have been better with a really good editor to tone down Ms. Donahue's holier than thou and super indulgent rants.
Interesting book, good subject, but would have been better with a really good editor to tone down Ms. Donahue's holier than thou and super indulgent rants.
Jeannie H. (ilovebooksanddogs) -
Helpful Score: 1
I gave up on this book...I just couldn't get into it. I didn't find the subject matter that interesting.
Helpful Score: 1
Hope Donahue has a great sense of humor. Sure, it's a bit annoying hearing about her First World Problems at times. However, she has true wit, her eyes see what many people cannot. She illustrates with words, her life, her pain, her experience. Maybe she comes from a fancy world that most of us simply don't, but her experience is human, real and raw.
Strange book, Hard to really like Hope ,I understand she had a sickness but it is a totally self indulgent book. It is a quick read holds you'r attention but just leaves you shaking you'r head at the end.
Entertaining, if you like reading about someone who trashes her parents--
Leila (writer-reader) reviewed Beautiful Stranger: A Memoir of an Obsession with Perfection on + 5 more book reviews
This book is not easy to review, nor was it easy to read. That's not to say it's not well written or interesting, it definitely is! The book presents some shocking realities regarding the LA cosmetic surgery industry as well as mental illness. The author, Hope, is brutally honest and I commend her for this. She tells us her deepest, darkest thoughts, which are not endearing at all, yet she is still brave enough to voice them. The story is not really about the extremes that the author will go to in order to perfect outward beauty, although they are described in shocking detail. Rather, it is about the horrifying depths she will go to in order to try to fill an inner emptiness. Hope eventually goes to therapy which does help, and towards the end of the book she visits a psychiatrist who diagnoses obsessive compulsive disorder and she receives medication for this as well as for her depression. I imagine that the writing of this book, provided additional healing. The only thing I kept hoping was that she would be able to fill some of her emptiness, not with a wonderful husband, or four children, or medication, but with the genuine love and peace that comes from an inner spiritual journey. Although this wasn't the case in the book, this is my wish for Hope. I truly commend her for sharing her sincere story and I think it will be helpful to so many other woman.
Melissa P. (Lissa) reviewed Beautiful Stranger: A Memoir of an Obsession with Perfection on + 224 more book reviews
interesting - kinda jumped around
