Dumplin' Kindle Edition

Dumplin’ tells the story of Willowdean Dickson, a teenage girl who is fat and doesn’t shy away from that. Her size is part of her but she knows that it isn’t all she is and she owns that. She’s confident (most of the time) and completely owns her personality: she’s a true Southern girl, down to her love of Dolly Parton and sweet tea. Willow and her best friend Ellen have grown up together, brought together first through force and then bonded for life over their love of a Dolly song. Although opposites in many ways, their personalities click and they’ve been through a lot together. High school brings a lot of challenges, especially for girls like Willow who aren’t the “typical” teenage girl and that’s the story that Dumplin’ tells, from a summer job and a “could he really like me?” crush to a beauty pageant revolution.Dumplin’ is easily one of my favorites so far this year. It’s a book that I know I will be going back to again and again. I’m already looking forward to re-reading it.One of the things that stood out most to me was how realistic Willowdean is. She’s the girl whose thoughts on having a bikini body are to put a bikini on your body, no matter what size you are. She stands up for herself and for other girls when they need it. But we also see that Willow isn’t confident 100% of the time. Actually, Willow has a lot of moments when she feels self-conscious. But what girl doesn’t at some point, no matter what size you are? I loved the way this was worked into the story.One example: During a kiss, she can’t help but think about if he’s disgusted by her back fat.It’s moments like these that make her so much more relatable than if she was just the “fat girl with confidence.” One of the most important pieces of the story is that Willow understands the pros and cons of her life (and body size) and what it could mean for the future and she faces them head on. She lost her Aunt Lucy recently to a heart attack and this is still a fresh wound for her but she’s not stopping it from letting it live her life. In some ways, it actually serves as a spur to action; Lucy reminds Willow she can’t be afraid to live while she’s here. The focus isn’t on Willowdean changing, but on her living and that is so important.While it plays a huge role, there is more to Dumplin’ than Willowdean and her body image. The relationships are so well written in this book. I loved Willow’s friendship with Ellen and the fact that it’s not perfect. These are girls who have grown up together and who know practically everything about the other. There is discomfort and disagreement, at times so bad that Ellen’s boyfriend has to be the messenger between the two for weeks on end. There’s bound to be tension at some point in relationships like this and Julie Murphy has captured it so well. Willow’s friendships with the pageant girls are special too: they’re the outcasts, the girls we normally don’t get to know well in books. Millie, Amanda, and Hannah come together with Willowdean in a brave move to show that they have just as much of a right to be on that pageant stage as anyone else and it’s awesome. Each girl has her own distinct personality and none of them are stuck in a box by stereotypes, which I loved.I haven’t even gotten to Willowdean’s relationship with Bo. I think what makes Bo so special is that he’s not perfect. Sure, he’s the hot guy who works with Willow, but he has his flaws too and we see them in full force. As he gets to know Willow, he’s honest with her about his past and also about the fact that he really likes her. As much as Willow really likes him back and is that confident girl most of the time, she’s uncomfortable with the reactions that she knows they’ll get and she stalls on making her decision about what to do. The way Julie Murphy leaves their relationship is perfect for them and will leave readers satisfied.This is not just a book for “fat” girls, but for anyone who has ever felt uncomfortable in their own body. Julie Murphy tells a realistic and relatable story that doesn’t dumb anything down. Dumplin’ will make you laugh, smile, swoon, and cry. It is inspirational and enjoyable and thought-provoking. Dumplin’ is a book that I know I’ll come back to over and over. I highly recommend it for everyone, no matter your size or gender or age or anything else.

Actual rating 4.5I enjoyed this book a lot, but there were a few things that kept me from loving it. I will say, and not to be cliche, I did not like the movie.The good.The characters had a realistic appeal to it. The characters weren't perfect or completely horrible, they were more complex like real people. None of the main characters came off as wholly good or wholly bad; they all had issues.I love the fact that the main character didn't become a thin beauty queen by the end and that her mom got a small taste of imperfection. Willowdean helping her mom with that dress somehow brought me to tears. I don't know if it was irony or compassion, but I was devastated that that scene was removed from the movie.I hate love triangles, but the one in this story intrigued me. It made me question the choices people make in relationships. Is it better to be with someone so you're not alone or do you risk rejection to be with someone you really care about?There are several different messages of acceptance in the book that were glossed over or lightly mentioned in the movie. I don't claim to be the most liberal person in the world but I did like most of the messages of acceptance in this book. There's a scene where the mc comes to the realization that she has been judgemental and discriminatory towards someone thin simply because she expected them to be that same way towards her (which they were, but that's not the point).Also, I absolutely adored the friends Willowdean made participating in the pageant. They were my favorite parts of the book.Lastly, I loved the ending.The bad.There was a lot of hypocrisy in this story. Some of it was addressed but some of it wasn't.The main character wasn't the most likable person. Bo admits, at one point, what a jerk of a person he was and is depicted as genuinely trying to be a better person. There were times I felt that Willowdean was only becoming a better person because all the people around her were changing and forcing her to change. It didn't feel like she made a conscious decision to be better; it just kind of happened.Overall, I adored this book. I even read it twice to see if I'd misunderstood or overlooked anything the first time. This was a fun read.Highly recommended to fans of women's fiction and strong female characters.

I haven't read it yet. But the quality of the book is super nice.

Llegó en perfecto estado! Estoy muy emocionado ya quiero leerlo!

I have to say that if you have never been an overweight girl who thinks she will never have the boy of her dreams, maybe you will not get this book. But all those feelings there, the fears, the doubts, they may work for you too. I don't know because I am just an overweight woman and was an overweight girl. And for me this book is just everything. All my feelings and all my pains out there making me feel seen. So I can only thank Ms. Murphy from the bottom of my heart. Thank you!

It's beautifully and captivatingly written. For it's not a coming of age story, but a becoming of self story. For the greatest lie of society is that we can only love ourselves when [fill in the blank]. We can truly love ourselves where we are at where ever we are in our life's journey.

Bei Romanen in denen es um Pummelfeen geht, erwarte ich eigentlich automatisch, dass diese sich besinnen, abnehmen und feststellen wie sehr sie sich all die Jahre selbst belogen haben, und das nichts so gut schmeckt, wie Schlanksein sich anfühlt. Wie erfrischend ist dagegen „Dumplin‘“. Dieser Figur nahm ich wirklich ab, dass sie sich in ihrem Körper wohlfühlt, dass es keine Rolle spielt welche BMI man hat, um im Leben Spaß zu haben. Ich mochte Willowdean von der ersten Minute an. Trotz der vom Schönheitswahn besessenen Umgebung versucht sie sich gar nicht erst den anderen Wettbewerbsteilnehmerinnen anzupassen, sondern zieht ihr eigenes Ding durch. Was die Hauptperson so sympathisch macht, sind ihre kleinen Fehler. Der Streit mit ihrer besten Freundin, wegen deren Teilnahme am Schönheitswettbewerb oder ihre Zweifel an sich selbst, als sie merkt, dass Bo sie zu mögen scheint, ihre Trauer um ihre Tante und ihr schwieriges Verhältnis mit ihrer Mutter. All das lässt die Figur lebensecht wirken. Natürlich gewinnt sie nicht die Misswahl, aber das wäre unrealistisch gewesen und hätte mir den Roman verhagelt. Willow tut dies ihrer Tante zu liebe, die nie den Mut hatte sich einer Jury zu stellen. Meine Lieblingsstelle ist die, wo sich die ungewöhnlichen Bewerberinnen Nachhilfe bei Dragqueens holen, ich musste sehr schmunzeln und zu gleich fand ich es sehr rührend. Im Hintergrund schwebt über allem der Soundtrack von Dolly Parton, denn sowohl Willowdean, als auch ihre beste Freundin sind große Fans des Countrystars. Was liegt da wohl näher als die Bühne mit einem Auftritt als Double zu rocken, getreu dem Motto: „Go big or go home“.Dieses Buch hat sich einen Platz in meinem Herzen erobert, vor allem dank der Hauptfigur. Am liebsten hätte ich mehr solcher Bücher, in der die Vielfalt zelebriert wird.