3.5 Losing Self/Fighting to Reclaim It Stars
* * * 1/2 Spoiler Free
This book first caught my eye because the main character was a ballet dancer. At first, with the cover, it looked like it might be about a ballet company and all of the challenges. Then I read more of the blurb and realized it was about anorexia. Last year I read a book about Karen and Richard Carpenter. It covered their career and also Karen's involvement with this disorder. Understanding this was told by someone in the throes of this disease, it gave me the correct mindset to take it all in.

Ana was a ballet dancer in Paris, France and loved the hard work and dedication it required.She was doing well with the company and also found love. Matthias was taken with her mind, her zest for life; he fell in love and they married. Living in Paris was everything for the both of them. They had a simple life of enjoying all of the little cafes, tasting the croissants, having wonderful picnics and being there for each other. They didn't have much but what they had was real.

Then life threw a curveball. Ana damaged her knee causing a break in her career. Matthias received a huge employment opportunity and it was in America. With all of these elements, the move to middle America seemed the right thing to do.

The move was a challenge for Ana. She was physically able to dance once again but could not find any company openings. She was left without focus and with Matthias at work. Alone, Ana slowly seemed to lose herself...She lost her desire for all the things she had loved...real vanilla ice cream, pizza, meat, cheese...things which had such happy memories from when she first was courted by Matthias. She then became Vegan...apples being a mainstay.

Eventually, Ana finds herself entering 17 Swann Street, a rehab/treatment center for those suffering from eating disorders. She had shrunk to 88 lbs. and had been confronted with the reality of how extremely severe her situation was.

This is where we start this book. Ana is entering the center. She is there because of her husband, her family, and her idea that she will be able to get through this as she has a handle on it. But deep down inside, she knows there is something which will not allow her to be who she once was... that person seems to have disappeared.

We are there when she is first confronted by the staff and also receives specific guidance from another "client" who gives her a list of insider rules... a way to survive. Ana does have a secret weapon, though... The undying love of Matthias.

This is a very complicated journey and story. The idea of living through this and having someone who is afflicted with this horrible disease give tremendous insight into the mindset and inability to overcome the games the mind plays. Having the very nourishment we need to survive become the very poison to avoid shows how dangerous this can be. I cannot say whether the representation of how these rehabs work with insurance companies is accurate, however, one would hope the patients would be able to receive all of the treatment they need to overcome this.

This type of situation does not affect only the person suffering; it works its way into all of the relationships they have. It tears at the core of their love and tests the strength of everyone. It is heartbreaking.

This book had all of the elements needed to understand what kind of fight this undertaking is. We all need knowledge and empathy for those who are fighting these kinds of disorders. It is not like a switch can be turned off and everything will be ok.
It is like a cancer of the mind where it finds a spot then feeds on itself and grows to the point where the person is taken over and has to fight for their lives.

A journey on a difficult rode.

A gifted copy was provided by St. Martin's Press for an honest review.

I tried really hard to get into this book but just couldn't It felt like it could be a trigger for those with eating disorders or other self harm issues.

This novel portrays the struggle of protagonist Anna as she goes through therapy for her eating disorder at a clinic. It very realistically showed the internal struggles an eating disorder can bring, while explaining very well these thoughts to reader who don't know them. It is heart-wrenching to see these girls suffer, and all the more delightful to see them slowly making progress. The self-denial and pretending to be fine that Anna was caught in got me the most: she is just lying to herself, not accepting therapy because she can't realize that she is indeed sick. It was very well written. I have just two structural notes that caused the 4/5 star rating: one, I would have loved to see more diversity in the eating disorders at the clinic, other than anorexia and bulimia (or at least a short explanation as to why you can't treat all of them in the same place). Secondly, I found the beginning was a bit too slow, with all the denial and everything, but the ending was too fast as progress suddenly skyrocketed.

I expected this to be about a teen girl's battle with anorexia but was surprised to find out the woman was in her 20s. It was told in an almost lyrical narrative and turned out to be a combo of love story and her journey to recovery.

This would be a great recommendation for older teens who don't necessarily want a book considered "young adult" or "teen," and for anyone who has known anyone with this kind of disease.

Thanks to the publisher for the advance reading copy.

I actually read a young adult story around eating disorders a month ago, and it fell a little flat to me. I was interested in reading more around this topic and the next thing I knew, The Girls at 17 Swann Street showed up at my door. I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this several months before the release date. I thought I would just read over page one and then put it down until closer to release. Wow, was I wrong. The next thing I knew, I was almost 200 pages into the story.

This is written in what a poetic style. I was not really sure if I was going to like the writing, but I ended up loving it. I can see how others may not be a fan, but for me it brought something different and unique to the story. You also get different chapters of Meal Plans, Treatments Plans, and Questionnaires as you follow along with Anna during her battle with Anorexia. You also get glances into the life of both Anna and her husband leading up to Anna entering treatment. Her story was painful and heartbreaking as you see her start to battle that she is fighting.

I liked the other girls who were also at 17 Swann Street, as you also get to learn a little about their stories and the battles they are facing. I enjoyed how they supported one another.

This did get a little repetitive in the middle, and there was not much action. I wanted more around the flashbacks of Anna and her life as well. I ended up only skimming some of these sections to get back to her in treatment.

Overall, this was really good and I enjoyed it. I would give the first half of this book five stars.

I have no words to describe this book. My review wouldn't do it justice. But I'll try.

It's powerful. Painful. Raw. Real. I couldn't read this in public because it made me cry ugly tears every time I read about the challenges and emotions the girls at 17 Swann Street went through, especially Anna.

It was disturbing and uncomfortable getting to be so up close with an anorexic. The writing was so powerful I felt as though I was reading a memoir. You know it's a good book when reading a fiction feels like a non-fiction, in this case, a biography.

I felt every fibre of Anna's being trying to face and fight the demons of anorexia. I empathized with her when she wanted to give in and give up. It was tiring. But I was glad she didn't. And the love and support that surrounded her - from the girls at Swann Street to her boyfriend Matthias and her dad, touched me immensely.

I'm still thinking about the girls at 17 Swann Street today. I hope they're coping fine and that Emm is having a walk with Anna right now...

This book should be read by all females! And dads! And boyfriends! In fact, everyone.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Full review will be posted on my blog and Goodreads, and shared on Twitter and Litsy, closer to publication day.

Wow this book was unlike any books I’ve read this year so far. I began reading this book completely blind and I mean that I had not read anything about what this book was about previously. The author of this book writes about a topic that I’ve read about and studied about but I have never been able to relate to as someone who has suffered from the other side of the weight struggle and eating disorder arena. To read this book at first was honestly a little tough for me because in the beginning I felt disconnected from this character. Yet as I kept reading the book I found myself able to connect with her and found her relatable to me. I was so drawn into this story and how she had come to be there that I realized that this book was so much more.

This book was an enjoyable easy read. It details Anna's struggle with anorexia and how her life transforms when she is forced into inpatient treatment at 17 Swann Street.

I enjoyed (this doesn't feel like the right word) getting to see what its like being in the mind of someone who is anorexic and seeing why they make the decisions that they make regarding food. However, there's virtually no background on most of the other one dimensional characters, aside from Anna, so I wasn't able to really get into the book as much as I would have liked.

3.5
Some people didn’t like the writing style in this book but I really did! I loved getting in Anna’s head. This story was complex and Anna and her relationships were well layered. Anna is a kind character and it was easy to feel sympathy for her struggles. The women she encounters in treatment add to the overall story and knowledge of this dreadful disease. Through this story you learn how much everyone associated with the sickness suffers, not just the patient. There were some good moments also, not all bleak. The ending felt real, hopeful but realistic. I would recommend this story and read more by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and St. Martin’s Press for a copy in exchange for a review.

I never thought I would so enjoy a book about eating disorders, but I never expected a book about eating disorders to be so thoroughly engaging - an understated story of a life and death struggle. I simply could not put it down. The characters are so well-drawn and completely fleshed out as to effortlessly provide an interior view of eating disorders - and in doing so provide understanding and empathy for a topic that is so difficult to understand. I would recommend this book for anyone and everyone.

This book is truly amazing. Yes, it is about eating disorders, but so much more. It is about control, strength and the ability that food has to control out thoughts and minds.

Eating disorders are a serious mental illness and the author does a great job and describing this is a real, raw, poignant, often heartbreaking way.

A MUST READ!

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC.

Story about the battle with anorexia in an ex-dancer and the treatment center she is stuck in. I did not
really love the characters and felt they were one-dimensional a little bit.

Excellent book. I am a therapist and I have worked with individuals with eating disorders. I thought this book did a great job with the portrayal.

This book portrays a candid look at eating disorders. An invaluable book for anybody who has concerns about themselves or someone they know. It has made an indelible impression.

A beautifully written novel dealing with the struggle of eating disorders among young women. Difficult but important.

The Girls at 17 Swann Street is a painstaking look at the world of anorexia nervosa. What a hideous disease it is.

It takes place in a recovery home with Anna, a former ballet dancer, and several other girls revealing their stories bit by bit. The major portion of the book takes place in about a six-week period with flashbacks to other parts of Anna’s life, both before and during her life with Matthias.

While the whole concept of living with anorexia is foreign to me, I was absolutely mesmerized by this book. I could hardly put it down, even when my eyes were on the verge of closing. It clearly depicts the struggles, ever present, of the anorexic. It is not a disease to be taken lightly or scoffed at with comments like, “Just eat!”

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It captured me. Well done, Ms. Zgheib. Thank you to you and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review your book.

I’ve made it 100 pages in and will not be finishing. The writing is had to read at times with the way she does speaking parts. I have zero interest in the character because it’s only about her eating disorder. I rolled my eyes at naming a character with anorexia “Anna”. Two stars because maybe someone will have interest in the subject and it wasn’t comically bad writing, it just isn’t for me.

This was a somewhat tough read because eating disorders are a tough subject. But I was immediately taken in by the characters and wanted each one to succeed in defeating their diseases.

Wow!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, I received an ARC of "The Girls at 17 Swann Street." It sounded promising based on the synopsis and I looked forward to giving it a shot.

This book was nothing short of compelling.

I had trouble putting it down and the characters stayed with me, not only the main character but the other girls in the house, Anna's husband Matthias, and even "Direct Care"- the somewhat ominous and initially confusing name given to the Staff at 17 Swann Street. At first I did not get at all why a character would be given such a name, but somehow it worked, and worked well.

I can't speak to how true or "on point" this book is from the perspective of what it might be like to be anorexic (or to put it more properly, a person with anorexia, or bulimia) although Lord knows I struggle some with weight and food, but I honestly enjoyed reading this book and I also felt like I learned something as well.

Highly recommend!

4 plus stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a ARC of The Girls at 17 Swann Street. All opinions in this review are solely my own and I received no compensation.

A job offer he cannot refuse brings Matthias and his wife Anna from Paris to America. While he goes to work every day, Anna sits alone at home doing nothing. In France, she had been a ballet dancer until an injury made her stop. In the US, she is nothing and she is getting fatter day by day. She starts to work out, plans longer runs and eats less. Until she doesn’t eat anymore. That’s when Matthias brings her so 17 Swann Street to cure her anorexia. Accepting the illness is hard for Anna, butr finding a way back into life is even harder.

Yara Zgheib focusses in her novel on Anna’s stay at Swann Street. What happened before is told in flashbacks and fragments, it takes some time until you get the full picture of what lead the young woman there. But much more importantly than the Why is the question how and if she can be cured. The rules are strict, yet, that’s what they have got to be. And it is all but easy for Anna.

To me, Anna as well as the other girls are portrayed in quite an authentic way. It is easy to follow their thoughts, even though it’s the thoughts of girls who are ill and suffering from an eating disorder. They have their own logic and demons that they have to fight. I guess people who have never been confronted with this disorder can better understand what is going on the head of a person suffering from it after having read the novel. Yara Zgheib doesn’t embellish the hard way back to life and she doesn’t conceal relapses either. But she gives hope that there is a life after anorexia and that there are reasons why you should keep fighting it. A wonderfully written novel which hopefully gives some a goal worth living for.