cover image 150 Pounds

150 Pounds

Kate Rockland. St. Martin’s/Dunne, $24.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-312-57601-1

Bloggers find common ground on beauty in Rockland’s second novel (after Falling Is Like This). For an episode on health and fitness, Oprah invites two bloggers on opposite ends of the body image debate to discuss views, and things turn heated. Shoshana’s blog, Fat and Fabulous, dedicated to being “healthy at any size,” shows that being big shouldn’t detract from enjoying life. Meanwhile, at Skinny Chick, Alexis chronicles the strict diet and exercise plan that keeps her in a size zero, and warns about the health hazards that await if readers don’t follow suit. After Oprah, Alexis and Shoshana go their separate ways and are in time forced to question their views. Alexis’s rigid routine is disrupted when she falls for a handsome chef; Shoshana inherits an orchard and sheds pounds with physical labor and locavorism. When their paths cross again, they have more in common than they originally thought. Though Rockland does an excellent job of subverting chick lit tropes, character trajectories are easy to predict and her prose is too often leaden with exposition. Still, the uplifting message and quirky humor should satisfy readers of all sizes. Agent: The Fischer-Harbage Agency. (Jan.)