G315 Book Review of My foot is too big for the glass slipper; a guide to the less than perfect life
Author: Gabrielle Reece, Karen Karbo
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publishing Date: 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4516-9269-3
Summary:
So you got the guy on the big white horse, and the beautiful little mermaids, and the picket fence, and your life isn't . . . perfect in every imaginable way?
You're not alone. In 1997, Gabrielle Reece married the man of her dreams—professional surfer Laird Hamilton—in a flawless Hawaiian ceremony. Naturally, the couple filed for divorce four years later.
In the end they worked it out, but not without the ups and downs, minor hiccups, and major setbacks that beset every modern family. With hilarious stories, wise insights, and concrete takeaways on topics ranging from navigating relationship issues to aging gracefully to getting smart about food, My Foot Is Too Big for the Glass Slipper is the brutally honest, wickedly funny, and deeply helpful portrait of the humor, grace, and humility it takes to survive the happily ever after.
Other Works:
She has written another book titled Big Girl in the Middle
Background:
She is an athlete and is a volleyball star. She also used to model and is about 6'3. She is married to Laird Hamilton, otherwise known as Weatherman and has two daughters with him, and one daughter is from Laird's previous marriage.
Theme:
Don't expect perfection in life, but do the best you can.
Addressed Problems:
From what I understood, married life is about balance and learning how to manage the balance. She gives some tips and advice on how to look good as well as what it takes for her to create some sort of order out of chaos.
Summary of Content:
The author seemed to cover all sorts of relevant issues for marriage, thus its a little hard to pick out important tidbits. I guess she was a little over the book.
Thesis:
"I wrote this book because there was so much I didn't know when I embarked on the journey of marriage and motherhood, and it struck me that there's so much people are afraid to say. I wanted to say everything that's worked for me. Unvarnished. No holds barred. Honest." (xvi)
Main Points:
*A note on the submissive thing
*So you've got the guy on the big white horse
* Enter little mermaids
*The care and feeding of Mr Charming
*The secret to everything
*The Key to life in the kingdom of food
*Lose the pea
*Beauty and our inner beast
*its about time
*keeping the happily ever after
*Don't get impaled on the white picket fence
*Be the queen
Why its interesting and informative/not:
The things I did find interesting in the book are the ones I felt that she didn't really expand upon. A lot of things that were recommended, although I imagine will be useful and helpful, I can see why some people found them unappetizing. (Not saying I did, but I can see why.) Beyond the reason why sometimes old fashioned roles work, there doesn't seem to be anything new. (I did admit that I was shocked with the way she is with her girls.)
Supports Thesis:
The book certainly accomplished what it set out to do: its brutally honest, and she makes no apologies or regrets for the way she is, which is a rarity.
Addressing the Issues:
Women seem to have a lot of desires, and it seems there's a lot of unhappiness within the group over towards everything as well as put-downs and so forth. While her book won't change the world, but she seems to agree with a lot of people that say we should be supportive instead of catty and so forth.
Ideas in book vs larger ideas:
Not all marriages are made alike, and each have different issues. I personally think that this book will apply to anyone who might be married to someone like Laird. While I do agree on some issues, that guys love to feel needed, and they enjoy compliments, but each man is created differently.
Agree/Disagree:
I personally am not married, thus its not for me to say whether or not I agree. In some cases her advice is applicable, but in others, I'm not sure. I think it depends on personality of both partners and their willingness of acceptance. Some men might be happy to be in domestic setting, while others might be happier to be like Laird. Women are the same. Some might be happy in domestic setting while others might be happier in the office. But still, communication between spouses is very important for marriage to survive.
Sources:
She mainly used her personal life as a source and nothing else.
Conclusion:
This was a "meh" book for me. There were some gems I admit, but I felt the writing style tended to be abrasive. Many writers often detail their writing journey, why and how they became writers, but this author didn't really detail that journey and for some odd reason when I read this, I was reminded of Christina's George books about how publishing houses look for "celebrity" written books and how most of these aren't well written.
Quick notes: I won this book on goodreads.com thus this review will appear in its entirety on goodreads as well as the blog.
3 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
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