Hello Readers,
Dumplin had been on my to read pile for ages and I’m not
going to lie to you guys I totally saw the film first, I’m sorry. In my mind, the fact the film made me
instantly pick up the book showed what a wonderful job the filmmakers did of
translating Julie’s work to the screen. I also now have an unhealthy obsession
with Dolly Parton she is the cheerleader and moral support I didn’t know I
needed in my life.
Dolly Parton, Drag Queens and a story that pulls on your
heartstrings, making you think about the importance of self-esteem and
self-confidence and how it affects daily life and the power we all have when we
feel truly ourselves. Do I really, need another reason to like this book. It was
so easy to like and that is down to Julie’s writing.
Dumplin' is about a girl called Willowdean and she is fat and she
knows it (her words). She doesn't go on unnecessary diets to change herself and is
comfortable enough to slip on a swimsuit and go swimming with her bestie.
Willowdean has been told by her mother her whole life that if she could just
lose a few lbs she could compete in the Beauty pageant she runs. Will is such a
relatable character, I don't take much to understand where she’s coming from or
how she's feeling, and I also thought her struggle with how to think about her
body is something that many people need to hear. I loved how she took no
prisoners and called the bullies out it was so refreshing.
Willowdean doesn't care about her weight and she decides
to show her mother and the world this by taking part in the Pageant that her
mother won so many years ago. Little did Willowdean know that other girls in
her class would enter, they would make waves, be laughed at, but most of all
they would become friends and they would prove that they are people who deserve
respect. I grew to love this group of girls and the effect they had on
Willowdean.
The storyline and characters were all thoroughly
enjoyable I was invested in learning about how the pageant was panning out and
how Willowdean's relationships were falling apart and being put back
together. I loved all the characters,
they were all unique and quirky and themselves and they all stood out from each
other, which is really hard to achieve. They all had something to add to the
table, they all meant something to Will and they all gave us an important
lesson to take away.
Throughout the book, Julie highlights the often-unnoticed
ways a person’s weight can exclude them from certain places, cultures, and
experiences. Clothes powerfully measure these systems of exclusion: Fitting
into clothes becomes a metaphor for fitting into society. Dumplin exposes the
ways we fail to accommodate all body types. Supposedly, public places can pinch
certain bodies reminding overweight people that the space wasn’t designed for
them. Julie questions common assumptions about beauty and allure, focusing on
how people can find different looks attractive.
This is a book about confidence, friendship, and being
comfortable in your own skin. It’s a book about teenage, growing up, and
growing apart.
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