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Book Review of Appetites: Why Women Want

Appetites: Why Women Want
raksha38 avatar reviewed on + 203 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1


I really did not care for this book at all. Basically, she tries to tie things like eating disorders, compulsive shopping, self-harm, and excessive drinking all together as a reaction to appetites that have been thwarted or shamed. That general idea seems sensible enough, but when she tries to expound on it, it becomes nonsensical or just plain frustrating. I couldn't recognize myself or anyone I know in what she was saying and the constant no-win mother-blaming became frankly offensive. Later in the book, she starts referencing psychoanalytic theorists directly, and the non-stop criticism of mothers (*every* kind of mother) without even a mention of fathers, much less an actual discussion of their roles in their daughters' lives, suddenly makes sense. Feh. Moving on.