One of the best books I've ever read
Heartwrenching, eye opening, beautiful, difficult. That is how I would describe The Girls at 17 Swann Street.
This story follows Anna and her battle with anorexia. She is spiraling downward and checks into a "rehab" of sorts for anorexics to get the help she needs to overcome her illness. It details her daily and hourly struggles with food and body image. Anna wants to save her marriage and eventually have a baby, so she is trying her hardest to get better. As she starts to cope with her illness and overcome some of her struggles, she lets her guard down. She starts to bond with the other girls in the program. Her struggles strengthen again when something awful happens to one of the girls she is close with, and it is an eye-opening experience for Anna, and helps her to see her illness in a different light. That is a sort of turning point in her recovery, and she starts making progress on her own.
This book outlines what I imagine a person battling an eating disorder and/or mental illness faces every single day. This was a fictional, albeit realistic, look into the internal battles others face to which we may be oblivious. I gave this book 5 stars, but to be honest, I think it deserves more. This is quite possibly one of the best books I have ever read. I felt all of the emotions with this one. I celebrated the accomplishments, felt the frustration and anger, and had my heart broken in half and pieced back together. This story gave me a book hangover and left me wishing there was just one more chapter. Definitely a book I will be re-reading in the future. Highly recommend!
This story follows Anna and her battle with anorexia. She is spiraling downward and checks into a "rehab" of sorts for anorexics to get the help she needs to overcome her illness. It details her daily and hourly struggles with food and body image. Anna wants to save her marriage and eventually have a baby, so she is trying her hardest to get better. As she starts to cope with her illness and overcome some of her struggles, she lets her guard down. She starts to bond with the other girls in the program. Her struggles strengthen again when something awful happens to one of the girls she is close with, and it is an eye-opening experience for Anna, and helps her to see her illness in a different light. That is a sort of turning point in her recovery, and she starts making progress on her own.
This book outlines what I imagine a person battling an eating disorder and/or mental illness faces every single day. This was a fictional, albeit realistic, look into the internal battles others face to which we may be oblivious. I gave this book 5 stars, but to be honest, I think it deserves more. This is quite possibly one of the best books I have ever read. I felt all of the emotions with this one. I celebrated the accomplishments, felt the frustration and anger, and had my heart broken in half and pieced back together. This story gave me a book hangover and left me wishing there was just one more chapter. Definitely a book I will be re-reading in the future. Highly recommend!