I was intrigued by the storyline of this book. I thought it would deal more with the pressures of being a ballerina. What I got was a real, heartbreaking, honest look inside a disease that’s difficult for most people to understand. This is a great book to open up discussions for what people are going through. How isolated they must feel.
How easily Anna could pluck food groups away until she was left with popcorn and apples. She was trying to be in control of her body while in reality Anorexia had already taken control of her...filling her head with all the wrong things.
I’ll think about this book for a while. I’ll hope for those struggling with eating disorders. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

4.5 Stars: The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib (Out February 5, 2019)

Suffering from anorexia, Anna's husband brings her to Swann Street for treatment. There Anna goes through therapy and a difficult eating routine. Every move she makes is monitored, including when she can use the bathroom. As readers, we are there with these girls hearing about what has brought them to this house on Swann Street.

When I first read about this book, I did not request it due to fear of it being too graphic for me. When the publisher reached out and asked about a blog tour, I changed my mind. I am so happy I did. I read the book in two sittings and was fully vested in not just Anna, but Matthias (her husband) and every other girl there.

What I Loved: Well written, without stereotyping this illness or giving so much detail just to shock the reader, Zgheib takes us on Anna's journey of recovery. Never suffering from this disease myself, it was heartbreaking to read about what women who struggle with eating disorders go through. EVERY single character. Not one character felt forced or unnecessary.

What I did not Love: I loved Anna's backstory, but the Phillipe part did not seem as necessary. The ballet competitiveness was placed well, but that relationship not so much. Also, the ending seemed a little abrupt. I think the book could have had 50 more pages to give me a more detailed forward in time-- not to make everything neat and clean but to tell more about the recovery process 6 months later.

"I do not suffer from anorexia, I have anorexia. The two states are not the same. I know my anorexia, I understand it better than the world around me."


I was immediately captivated by the lyrical writing and the tone of this novel the second I started reading it. It is a hard book to set down, not because of the plot, but because of the writing itself. The support that the girls give one another lightens my heard when reading about such a heavy subject. I devoured this book in a day. The writing is incredible and while it was sad, it was also full of hope. Most of all, it was real.


"It is too late. I no longer know how to live without anorexia. I do not know who I am without it."


While Anna is a fictitious character she truly comes to life in this book. Her struggle with anorexia is one that many people struggle with and it is a horrifying reality. This book really opened my eyes to what it really is like to be an adult woman who is terrified of food. I have read other novels about eating disorders before and none have felt as genuine as The Girls at 17 Swann Street. I think part of that is because it is written from personal experience, but also because the writing is so incredible.


"There were signs. There are always signs for those who know to look for them. They just never flash in red neon, warning: Danger: Risk of Death."


Yara Zgheib shines light on an incredibly heavy topic, but also filled this book with enough hope and happy moments to keep it from being depressing. This book is so important, especially for those who relate to it's content of eating disorders. WHile reading it I cried, I smiled, I hoped and most of all, I rooted for the girls in the story to get better. Terribly sad, but absolutely riveting, The Girls at 17 Swann Street was a book that I had a hard time setting down once I had started it.


"I know you tried, Anna. I know you really did, but if you could have fixed this you would have. If this were 'just a problem' you and I would not be sitting here."


This is a story based on personal experience that needed to be told. After reading it I felt like I understood more about eating disorders than I thought possible. When a book is written that represent mental or physical illness, I think it is important to be shown truthfully, but also tactfully and Yara Zgheib manages this balance perfectly. I am left stunned that this is her debut novel. All I can say is to give this book a chance. It is important, and it is real.


"Anorexia is the same girl with the same story, told over and over again. It does not matter what she is called; her name designates nothing. My name is Anna but anorexia got rid of it, my feelings, body, husband, life."

Strongly written, poignant storyline and memorable characters makes this debut novel one to share. Heartfelt and emotional story about the life of an anorexic and the people in her life, before, during and after treatment.

I have to say that this book really brought things into clarity for me on the facts of anorexia, as well as other eating disorders and all of its other problems. I will not forget this book because I was so emotionally invested in this book from the first chapter.

Anna is a woman in her mid twenties, who is being driven to 17 Swann Street to enter a treatment program for anorexia. Here we read about her and other girls. Anna is admitted weighing 88 pounds. It is sad to see how these girls suffer so much just to get food down, and he restricted life they are about to live.

The plot moves rapidly through this book, and through it all we see what the eating disorders do to Anna's body, mind and spirit, and the others as well. This book was heartbreaking with a sad outcome for some of the girls.

This book also explores how their disease has touched lives of their families, friends, parents, children, spouses. This disease has far reaching consequences for loved ones, and shame from the ones who are suffering from it. and losses they to suffer.

I am glad I read this book and learned about the subject of eating disorders, I had never given it much thought, and I think everyone should read this. I gave this book 5 stars!

It’s kind of hard to say I liked this book, but I thought it was well done. It was well written and sad and lovely all at the same time. The formatting was strange, not sure if it was just my ARC copy, but otherwise I would recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy of this book.

I requested this novel, because I was intrigued by the main character's backstory -- that she had once been a professional dancer but now due to a struggle with anorexia, had lost her career. This is not, however, a book about a dancer. It is a book about a patient in a fight for her life -- a battle being waged by a woman against herself.

The beauty of this book is its raw and unapologetic depiction of anorexia. It gives the reader access to the thought processes of someone consumed by their illness in a sort of stream of consciousness rumination as she navigates her way through treatment. It reveals the inner workings of the mind of someone suffering from an eating disorder, all the twisted logic and despair. (I also appreciated that Anna came from a loving family and had, for all intents and purposes, a perfect marriage. This disease does not discriminate.)

I do wish there had been more about her dancing. Ballet is what sparks this fire. And it is also what she ultimately sacrifices. But there is very little about her life outside of her disease (beyond her relationship with her husband).

A compelling and quick read.

(Note: this book is not for anyone who might be triggered by the use of specific weight and BMI measurements.)

This is a powerful, raw story of anorexia, of how it takes hold and won't let go. It's also the story of recovery, and though there isn't a "happy ending," it's full of hope. The first person account elicits emotion and understanding in a way that medical explanations can't. The juxtaposition of Anna's story against the clinical forms and assessments and the third person flashbacks provides a balance to the narrative. This is not an easy read, but I'm glad I picked it up. It will stay with me for some time.

Fascinating look at anorexia and one young woman's fight to fight her way out òf it hold over her. 17 Swan Avenue is a treatment center for young women with anorexia...the book reads very much like Anna's diary...and is a riveting story of her fight to get back to "normal". Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

This book was extremely difficult to read but very eye opening to the awful disease of anorexia. I have a family member struggling with this currently and it breaks my heart to know that she struggles with this every day.

The Girls at 17 Swann Street

A beautiful yet haunting tale of Anna’s struggle to eat and to survive.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
SUMMARY
Anna Roux was a professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to St. Louis, Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears —imperfection, failure, loneliness—she spirals down anorexia and depression until she weighs a mere 88 pounds. Forced to seek treatment she is admitted as a patient at 17 Swann Street, a peach, pink house, where pale, fragile women with life-threatening eating disorders live. Anna, together with the other women in the house must fight their demons every minute of every day to survive. Many do not make it.

REVIEW
Anorexia is a difficult subject to read about. Particular if you know someone that has suffered from it. But this book is worth the read. I walked away with a much better appreciation and understanding and I am so glad I read it. THE GIRLS AT 17 SWANN STREET is a beautiful, yet haunting story of Anna’s struggle to eat and her struggle to survive.

The story is about Anna’s journey as an inpatient and the women she encounters there. The other patients like Emm, Valerie and Julia help show the many faces eating disorders can hide behind. My favorite part was Anna’s amazing relationships with the men in her life. Both her gorgeous husband, Matthias, and her devoted Parisienne father. The descriptive writing captures Anna relationships in such a way as to give you hope for her. Anna is loved and she loves. I loved Anna phone calls to her father in Paris when she was allowed out of the house for a group walk in the mornings. I loved the advice her father had shared with her as a child that resonants even more so today, ‘Keep walking Anna. Don’t stop. Keep walking, Anna.’

The Girls at 17 Swann Street is Yara Zgheib’s debut novel. She is a Fulbright scholar with a masters degree in Security Studies and a PhD in International Diplomacy. She is a writer for several US and European magazines. Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Yara Zgheib for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher St. Martin’s Press
Published February 5, 2019
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

I give The Girls at 17 Swann Street 4 stars. I read this in about 24 hours because I could not put it down! I forgot how enthralling books like this are for me. When I was in high school, some of the most memorable books for me were books like The Bell Jar, The Virgin Suicides, James Frey books, (this was before the truth came out), books about teens who had been committed for various struggles, and even a book about Munchhausen by proxy. But I cannot say I’ve ever read a book where the main character suffers from an eating disorder, and oh my goodness, it was so believable I had to set it down and take a breather. Her character is written in such a real way, the way it was in her head, I panicked with her, my heart raced or stopped with her and I was truly worried about her. I found that this book was well-researched, I enjoyed the fact that there were definitions, but not in a Lemony Snicket kind of way, (explaination for children), and I found the chart notes to be fascinating and helpful to give context to the story. I also found the format to make the book easier to read. All in all I really did enjoy this book and recommend it to anyone that may want to learn more about treatment for eating disorders in a fictional story.
Trigger warnings: there is talk about traumatic pasts, clinical explanations about eating disorders, but in a delicate way, and discussion about self-harm and suicide.

This book took me by surprise by how incredibly honest Anna was. I’ve seen documentaries but I honestly never have read a story about this illness. I am so glad this story is coming out and told by one character’s truth. While I don’t know how close to accuracy this is, I said WTF several times. Girls at 17 Swann St helped me understand what someone suffering is thinking and going through. I appreciate the author putting me in Anna’s head. I felt for her family, but getting Anna’s side helped put a bigger picture together and made me see a new perspective, everything isn’t just black and white. I will admit the ending felt rushed and I am happy for Anna, that’s one part that I felt could’ve been a little more.

Anna Roux was a touching and honest character. She's a woman who has anorexia and weighs just 88 pounds. She's been checked into a full time residential program at 17 Swann Street.
The plot was fast paced and the chapters were short with lots of dialog. The women in treatment with Anna show many different sides to eating disorders and the terrible toll the disease takes on their bodies and spirits. The anorexia has affected Anna’s marriage and relationships with her father and sister. They are all understandably devastated.
I learned a lot about the subject and have gained a new understanding and sympathy for the women who suffer with this illness. It's a candid and uncomfortable story but it was hopeful too.

Interesting topic: Anorexia

Anna Roux age 26 is brought to 17 Swann Street by her husband to be treated for anorexia.

At 17 Swann Street there are lots of rules and everything is monitored. There are 7 women currently at the center. 5 of them including Anna are anorexic. The other 2 are bulimic.

Anna soon makes friends with Valerie, Emm and Julia. Emm has been at the center 4 years (this is her 4th stint).

Meal times brings out everyone's great struggles, everyone must eat what they're given . After 3 refusals to eat a feeding tube is placed in them.

The meals are prepared to gain weight: to gain 2-4 pounds each week per person.

Anna is given the choice to plan all her meals once a week. There are 3 meals and 3 snacks that are to be eaten every day.at 2-3 hour intervals. If a meal or snack is unfinished then it is served at the next meal or snack in addition to the food prepared for the meal or snack

She can choose 7 substitute meal choices for the week.

Valerie curs herself in addition to being anorexic and one day after getting a hold of a pair of scissors she is taken away by ambulance. Anna later learns Valerie has died.

Anna gets more privileges as she "cooperates" . One day she hides what she deems as an "excessive" amount of cream cheese in her napkin and throws it away. Unfortunately that is discovered, so she is given a liquid nutritional supplement to drink to make up for not eating the calories in the cream cheese..


The next day she refuses her meals and her snacks thereby warranting feeding tube be placed in her.

The nutritionist tells Anna she must eat an alarming number of calories per day, ,more than she would eat if she were healthy since she's been starving her body and she has to repair the damage to done to it.


Julia tries to sneak some sweetener packages and becomes combatant. She hits one of the staff and is taken away from the center

During her time at the center Anna's husband continues to visit her.

After reaching her lowest point Anna decides to get better and as she does she is allowed to eat out with her husband once a week but she is given instructions on what she must eat.

She improves enough to be able to leave the center and go to a daily treatment center only from 8 am to 6 pm and allowed to have dinner and a snack at home and sleep at home..


At the end of the book, which is 6 months in the future we see Anna and her husband preparing to fly to Paris.

Lindas Book Obsession Reviews “The Girls at 17 Swann Street” by Yara Zgheib, St. Martin’s Press, Publishing February 5, 2019

Yara Zgheib, Author of “The Girls at 17 Swann Street” has written a poignant, heart-wrenching, emotional, enthralling novel. The author has an amazing way of writing a novel and describing the characters that is feels so realistic in every way. The Genres for this story are Fiction and Women’s Fiction, but it reads so much like a biography or non-fiction book. The timeline of the story is in the present , but goes to the past and future when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The author describes her characters as dysfunctional, troubled, complex, and complicated. This is a story of sisterhood, emotional support, growth, loss, love, hope and faith.

“The Girls at 17 Swann Street” is a novel of all kind of women with the most extreme of eating disorders that have to make a choice to live or die. When they enter 17 Swann Street, they are signing many of their rights away. There is almost no where else to go.

Anna Roux is one of the main characters, and has entered 17 Swann Street at 88 pounds. She is begging her loving husband to take her home. Many of her bodily functions have shut down, and there is a plan set in place to restore her health. Anna was once a professional dancer, who never felt good enough. Anna is confronted with all kinds of restrictions. She is given 6 meals a day that she has to eat, or there are unpleasant consequences. As a patient , Anna has a team working with her. She also becomes vested in some of the other girls that are there.

Unfortunately as the statistics show, a high percentage of the girls are not able to make it. This is an important book that describes honestly what happens in the world of people with anorexia, bulimia and other eating disorders. I would highly recommend this book for readers who have experienced or know someone who has had an eating disorder, or want to try to understand more about this. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

The Girls at 17 Swann Street was written by Yara Zgheib, a debut author. The book however does not read like a new author. It is very well written with a strong emotional impact. The characters are likable and the story brought their stories into the light. I liked how the author was able to weave in statistics about eating disorders to help educate her readers while embroiling them into a story with so many nuances.

Anorexia, an eating disorder is the crisis of Anna Roux. She has been living with the disorder for years as she slowly removes food from her daily menu, until she is living on apples and popcorn. The story of Anna’s life before Swann Street is revealed slowly in every other chapter. The other chapters are about Anna’s daily existence dealing with treatment for anorexia. As a ballet dancer, Anna was always working on staying in shape with cutting down her eating and over exercising...from here it is a slippery slope into 17 Swan Street.

While the novel is labeled a piece of fiction, it is clear that the author knows her information. I would encourage people to read this book. I had no intention of reading it in one day, but I did not want to put it down and devoured the book in one sitting. Yara Zgheib’s novel, The Girls at 17 Swann Street, is an excellent, poignant read.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.


First this book is not yet released, you can pre-order on Amazon or wherever you get books from. It will be released Feb 5, 2019.


Second I fully admit this would not be a book I would normally seek or pick out to read. Usually my book clubs get me out of my wheelhouse, but this time I was emailed with per-approval for the ARC. So I thought why not. I didn't bother to look at the synopsis or even glance at what it would be about.



Anna has just been admitted to 17 Swann Street, she has anorexia, recently she has started passing out as her weight has dropped to a dangerous level. She does not want to be there, but her husband has made her. All of her family is concerned about the weight loss since they moved to America. Anna isn't be honest about her eating or what has got her here.



As she begins to get to know the other women at 17 Swann Street, Anna has to start confronting her choices and begin considering does she actually want to recover or will this kill her. Along the way the friends she made will make their choices as well and some of those will profoundly affect her.



Normally I am vague because it is a mystery and too many clues will give things away, in this case this is a book you should read and immerse yourself in. It isn't a fun book, and it brought me to tears several times. This a deep dive into the head of a young woman who is anorexic and all of the little things that led her down a path that almost killed her. It is very heartbreaking and realistic. I read it all in one sitting. I couldn't put it down even though I didn't always like the writing style. It also strikes at the core of something all women can relate too whether they eat the way they should or if they are struggling with less than healthy choices. I related so much on her thoughts about body issues and it was worse for her as a dancer, because those thoughts were reinforced by people around her initially setting the groundwork for what was to come later.



Even if this isn't something you would normally read I think you should read it anyway!

The storyline deals with the serious subject anorexia. Anna is the protagonist and the story follows her journey through a treatment center. I felt the story was a bit slow and repetitive, however, it did hold my attention. The story is well written and gave insight into the struggles with mental disorders.

*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*

As someone who has never struggled with an eating disorder, I wasn't sure what to expect going into this novel. I tend to veer toward the other end of the spectrum (where I eat way too much), so I was quite surprised when I found that I related to some of the main characters obsessions with food. I didn't expect that so much of a book about people struggling with anorexia would focus on food. But, after reading the story it makes a lot of sense. 

The main character, Anna, struggles with so much more than just food. She also struggles with maintaining her emotional state. I had no idea that anorexia can mess with how you handle stress, and that your mood can swing wildly from happy to angry to depressed. I also didn't know that it could cause so many systems of your body to shut down, including your hormones and your heart. She was also exhausted and cold most of the time, which I did not know was a side-effect of anorexia. Anna just could not see the problems she was facing. Throughout, she continually claimed that she only had a little problem with her weight and that she was just trying to be healthy. Her view of herself was completely skewed. 

Being placed in that mindset was heartbreaking and terrifying. There were also thoughts that were uncomfortably familiar to me, as a woman trying to conform to the ideals of society in regard to physical appearance. The fact that so many women feel so much pressure to look a certain way and so turn to these methods to reach that ideal is frustrating and, again, heartbreaking. 

Walking through this struggle with Anna was exhausting, but quite enlightening. It was a really hard book to read, but also an important one. I think it is good to be able to look at this disease from the perspective of someone actively working to overcome it. It helps you to feel empathy for them, and might give you the tools to potentially help someone in your own life, even yourself.