Tough read. ( )

Young girl suffers from anorexia, best friend dies. Struggles with her relationship with her divorced parents. Excellent insights into the mind of a teen girl. Very engaging. ( )

I have to say that the audio version of this was nothing short of GENIUS. I completely forgot about the reader, and slipped easily into the story. The narration was excellent, as were the special effects added in. In short, it was brilliant, and I can't say enough about it.

As for the story, it was of course, gut-wrenching. I, myself, have never suffered with anorexia, but have seen it firsthand. The helplessness you feel in reaching out to the person you love is monumental. Wintergirls really highlighted why that occurs. The person suffering from the disease is willing to do just about anything (including die) in order to maintain control over their own life. Regardless of whether they love you or not, they must have control at all times. Food is only the means of exhibiting the control.

I really felt for Lia, and kept waiting to see how Anderson dealt with this character. It was obvious that Lia hated that her family kept intervening, and wouldn't change for them. In the end, she had to make that choice. This did send my emotions reeling. You want easy answers, but it's obvious that there really aren't any. Eventually, Lia would have to choose how she wanted to live her life, and putting that trust in her as the reader was painful to sit back and watch.

Overall, I give Wintergirls a definite high recommendation. The emotional range and depth that Anderson reaches with these characters are amazing. Top it off with the wonderful performance on this audio book, and you have a winning combination. ( )

I read this nearly two weeks ago, and I've been struggling what to write as a review ever since. The best I can come up with is what other reviewers have already said - that it's amazingly powerful. I went through a (admittedly minor) bout with an eating disorder in high school, and it was truly scary to read what felt like some of my own thoughts from then in this book. Serious kudos to the author for so successfully showing her readers what eating disorders are like. ( )

A powerful, intimate book about anorexia, cutting and a friendship gone off in a strange, though probably not unusual, direction. ( )