- Hardcover: 298 pages
- Publisher: Gollancz; 1st edition (27 Dec 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0575074205
- ISBN-13: 978-0575074200
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.4 x 3.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 266,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Fat (Gollancz S.F.)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"Both hilarious and intelligent. Fat is an ambitious picture of a society where greed fights a never-ending battle with the struggle for a slim, well-toned body. The fashion in which Rob Grant juggles his characters as they pursue their disparate destinies has the invention of a novelist from a very different generation: Evelyn Waugh." (Barry Forshaw THE EXPRESS )
"If there's a message here, it's to throw away the diet book and embrace your sexy swagger. Considering Rob Grant is a fat bloke himself, his portrayal of Hayleigh and her anorexia is a complete triumph. She's the real heart of the story and Grant charts her rapid decline with both insight and humour." (Henry Sutton DAILY MIRROR )
"Grant's made a leap forward as an author here. Thought-provoking, moving and hilarious." (Guy Haley SFX )
"Incisive, bitingly funny and thought provoking. Grant is a funny writer with a knack for some wicked one-liners. A novel that should make everyone sit up and think." (BIRMINGHAM POST )
"You could accuse Rob Grant of having an axe to grind. He is, after all, no stick insect himself. But in the bitingly satirical FAT, he raise so many thought-provoking points about body image and the scare stories we're given about health issues, you have to admit he's done his homework. Besides which, when a book's this funny, what's wrong with a bit of axe grinding?" (Dave Golder BBC FOCUS )
"A roller coaster ride with plenty of laughs and much to recommend it." (WOOD & VALE )
Grant crafts a good read out of a subject clearly close to his heart. A satirical bite worthy of Ben Elton." (Dean Patrick DREAMWATCH )
"Though vaguely similar in approach to Ben Elton's novels, it is a funny book. He crushes the cholesterol lie, the salt myth, the BMI con and a few other epidemiological scams based on shoddy statistics and rubbishy thinking - all for our own good, of course." (Andrew McKie THE TELEGRAPH )
"A tasty trim novel that hasn't been superfluously fleshed out." (Ed Perkins The Daily Echo )
"Grant's knack of injecting humour into the bleakest scenario makes for a read that's as addictive as an MSG-laced takeaway." (IRISH MAIL ON SUNDAY )
"There's plenty of food for thought to chew over here: while it may not satisfy the appetite for 'Red Dwarf' fans, it's way beyond mere fast food fiction. An interesting read." (VENUE )
"If there's a message here, it's to throw away the diet book and embrace your sexy swagger. Considering Rob Grant is a fat bloke himself, his portrayal of Hayleigh and her anorexia is a complete triumph. She's the real heart of the story and Grant charts her rapid decline with both insight and humour." (Henry Sutton DAILY MIRROR )
"Grant's made a leap forward as an author here. Thought-provoking, moving and hilarious." (Guy Haley SFX )
"Incisive, bitingly funny and thought provoking. Grant is a funny writer with a knack for some wicked one-liners. A novel that should make everyone sit up and think." (BIRMINGHAM POST )
"You could accuse Rob Grant of having an axe to grind. He is, after all, no stick insect himself. But in the bitingly satirical FAT, he raise so many thought-provoking points about body image and the scare stories we're given about health issues, you have to admit he's done his homework. Besides which, when a book's this funny, what's wrong with a bit of axe grinding?" (Dave Golder BBC FOCUS )
"A roller coaster ride with plenty of laughs and much to recommend it." (WOOD & VALE )
Grant crafts a good read out of a subject clearly close to his heart. A satirical bite worthy of Ben Elton." (Dean Patrick DREAMWATCH )
"Though vaguely similar in approach to Ben Elton's novels, it is a funny book. He crushes the cholesterol lie, the salt myth, the BMI con and a few other epidemiological scams based on shoddy statistics and rubbishy thinking - all for our own good, of course." (Andrew McKie THE TELEGRAPH )
"A tasty trim novel that hasn't been superfluously fleshed out." (Ed Perkins The Daily Echo )
"Grant's knack of injecting humour into the bleakest scenario makes for a read that's as addictive as an MSG-laced takeaway." (IRISH MAIL ON SUNDAY )
"There's plenty of food for thought to chew over here: while it may not satisfy the appetite for 'Red Dwarf' fans, it's way beyond mere fast food fiction. An interesting read." (VENUE )
WOOD & VALE
"A roller coaster ride with plenty of laughs and much to recommend it."
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Although there weren't as many laughs as i expected i still liked the book. This book highlights how much pressure society is under to be slim and gives you a more lighthearted perspective.
There are three main characters in the book. One is overwieght, one has an eating disorder and another is involved in the media and selling ideas for wieght loss. The book is well constructed and thought prevoking, although with the humour being in shorter supply than expected i can understand why this book has several negative reviews.
There are three main characters in the book. One is overwieght, one has an eating disorder and another is involved in the media and selling ideas for wieght loss. The book is well constructed and thought prevoking, although with the humour being in shorter supply than expected i can understand why this book has several negative reviews.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Being one half of the team that wrote Red Dwarf, you'd expect nothing less than to be chortling right to the end of this book. Didn't really quite turn out that way. True, Grant's book is probably the 'lightest' read of all the books coming out lately which seem to dwell on characters who are physically larger than life. But... To be honest, the only bit that made me laugh was the caption giving his bio under his image on the back cover...
"Fat" follows 3 people all waging some war with weight. I will admit this book (unintentionally?) gave a very interesting and thought provoking insight into the morbidly obese. I also learnt some very interesting facts about boiling an egg... But the two 'extreme' characters were so extreme it got, well, tedious reading them as they went through this 'moment' in their lives as Grant went into painfully nitty gritty detail. For a funny book, it was to nitty gritty. Interesting, but ultimately, not very funny.
As to the 3rd character, well this character was clearly a vehicle for 'setting the record straight.' And I would have been fine with that as well (having read it all before), if it hasn't been written so, well, chest-thumping and pulpit pounding. It does strike me that a lot of western governments are focusing on using things which ultimately aren't the doom and end of the planet as a way to provoke fear in us. And weight is one of those issues... I mean, when it comes to weight, what I don't understand is why no one is questioning all the chemicals and hormones the big companies are putting into our food as a source of why we can't shift weight like we used to a generation ago??? Is there a bigger cover up - by trying to shift the blame onto us not 'exercising enough' and not'eating healthy' - are the big companies trying to dodge that bullet of 'gosh guys, maybe if you (big company) didn't put growth hormone in all cows and chickens, we might not be porking out so much?? Well, that question wasn't addressed at all!
But I digress, that isn't what Rob Grant was trying to display in this book. In the end, all he seems to have produced a quite readable, admitedly unputdownable book - but I would attribute that more to the old "end the chapter in a cliffhanger' technique than any true desire to keep turning pages. I guess its tough in a way - if you don't have a serious weight issue, in a way you can't really relate to the characters - largely because you get every thought spelt out in painful detail - and so even if there is humour in what Grant is writing about, you don't really care to much about the characters. I might have cared more if Grant had created more outrageous circumstances surrounding the characters - and not dwelled so much on the inner agonising of the characters.
"Fat" follows 3 people all waging some war with weight. I will admit this book (unintentionally?) gave a very interesting and thought provoking insight into the morbidly obese. I also learnt some very interesting facts about boiling an egg... But the two 'extreme' characters were so extreme it got, well, tedious reading them as they went through this 'moment' in their lives as Grant went into painfully nitty gritty detail. For a funny book, it was to nitty gritty. Interesting, but ultimately, not very funny.
As to the 3rd character, well this character was clearly a vehicle for 'setting the record straight.' And I would have been fine with that as well (having read it all before), if it hasn't been written so, well, chest-thumping and pulpit pounding. It does strike me that a lot of western governments are focusing on using things which ultimately aren't the doom and end of the planet as a way to provoke fear in us. And weight is one of those issues... I mean, when it comes to weight, what I don't understand is why no one is questioning all the chemicals and hormones the big companies are putting into our food as a source of why we can't shift weight like we used to a generation ago??? Is there a bigger cover up - by trying to shift the blame onto us not 'exercising enough' and not'eating healthy' - are the big companies trying to dodge that bullet of 'gosh guys, maybe if you (big company) didn't put growth hormone in all cows and chickens, we might not be porking out so much?? Well, that question wasn't addressed at all!
But I digress, that isn't what Rob Grant was trying to display in this book. In the end, all he seems to have produced a quite readable, admitedly unputdownable book - but I would attribute that more to the old "end the chapter in a cliffhanger' technique than any true desire to keep turning pages. I guess its tough in a way - if you don't have a serious weight issue, in a way you can't really relate to the characters - largely because you get every thought spelt out in painful detail - and so even if there is humour in what Grant is writing about, you don't really care to much about the characters. I might have cared more if Grant had created more outrageous circumstances surrounding the characters - and not dwelled so much on the inner agonising of the characters.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A broad satire of New Labours inconsistent and ill-informed attitudes to healthcare, 'Fat' shows Grant developing as an author from 'Incompetence: The novel is funny and readable, but the characters (particularly the PR man) are mere sketches and similiarly the the novel feels rushed, half-finished: I got to the end feeling that a couple of vital chapters had gone astray.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Don't count this in the same realm as Red Dwarf
I recently have had a Rob Grant 'fest', reading all his red Dwarf books, then Incompetence, and then this. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Rikaitch
His previous book was really good
His previous book was really good, so I am looking forward to reading this one when I get the chance. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Davey Boy
Well funny, innit?
Grant's near future story centres around the gravitas of one's weight. The demand from the government is for people to be thin and the overweight populace has become second class... Read more
Published 24 months ago by Mr. G. Battle
Slick satire with stock characters
Grenville Roberts is an overweight television chef with anger management problems. After he develops a crush on a production assistant he resolves to do something about his... Read more
Published on 16 April 2010 by quippe
hmmm
I picked this up from within the 'comedy' section of a well known bookstore. I flicked it open in the shop and read a couple of paragraphs and decided I'd give it a go. Read more
Published on 4 April 2010 by C. E. MCKEOWN
Fat-tastic
This is the first Rob Grant novel I've read and it's great!! It's not often that I laugh out loud at a book, I've certainly giggled at lots but this made me shriek with laughter a... Read more
Published on 15 Jan 2010 by Joanne Taylor
Enjoyable
Liked the beginning and the end. Loses a little something in the middle though. Overall an enjoyable read. Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2009 by jason_morgan_stanley
Good but not as great as Incompitence
This was a good book, some very funny parts, but not as funny as Incompitence.
Published on 19 Aug 2009 by Mr. Cja Carr
Fat
I am sorry but I didn't find any funny in this book.
However I did enjoy reading it.
There were several sub-plots that didn't have a conclusion and one of the... Read more
However I did enjoy reading it.
There were several sub-plots that didn't have a conclusion and one of the... Read more
Published on 3 Aug 2009 by A. Wilson
Hilarious, and a real reality check
Great book, very funny and quite an eye opener. It really draws light to the shallowness of our society, and does make you ponder what the future will bring. Read more
Published on 17 July 2009 by Law Student
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
