Big Girl by Danielle Steel

Danielle Steel, prolific and widely-read, is without doubt the queen of light fiction. Her latest, "Big Girl", delves into the universal problem of eating disorders.

Victoria Dawson was born to parents who considered appearance all-important. Pudgy and unattractive, her father compared her to old Queen Victoria, even labeling her with the name. Throughout childhood, Victoria's hearty appetite kept her chubby, and her father took every opportunity to comment and joke about her weight.

Then, when Victoria was seven, another sister was born. Little Gracie grew to be beautiful and lithe, the apple of her parents eye. Remarkably, instead of exhibiting jealousy, Victoria adores her sister. However, her father's cruel comments increase, even calling Victoria their "tester cake", meaning they had to make two tries to get it right.

Finally Victoria escapes to college, although her education and career choices never meet her father's approval. During her college years, Victoria is caught in a cycle of yo-yo dieting and binge eating. She is a successful student but feels unattractive and insecure.

She chooses a career in teaching, and lands a job in an elite New York private school. She loves her job, finds compatible room-mates, and finds a therapist who gives her insight into the reasons for her eating habits. However, when her sister becomes engaged, the frenzy of the wedding plans nearly become Victoria's undoing.

While "Big Girl" deals with a timely and sensitive subject, the book itself is unremarkable. The story-line becomes repetitious and eventually boring. Readers will probably stick it out just to see how things end, but truthfully, only the first few and last chapters are of much interest. The reminder that parents often unwittingly damage their children's self-esteem makes this novel somewhat worthwhile. On a scale of 1 to 10, I rate it a 3.