I really loved this book.

The book takes place during approximately two years of Candace Shapiro's life. Candace (who goes by Cannie) is a 28-year old reporter for the Philadelphia Enquirer. As the book begins, Cannie reads a column by her recently ex-boyfriend in a new women's magazine. The column is about her and declares that "loving a larger woman is an act of courage in our world." Cannie is humiliated and begins yet another weight loss program.

The rest of the book is an odd collection of conversations and experiences combined with periodic columns by the ex that hang together in a surprisingly tight manner. What makes this book a joy is Weiner's skill at writing dialog -- the characters in this book talk like I talk, and have conversations like those I have with my friends.

The action in the book gets a little over the top, and Cannie experiences what I believe must be the single worst 2-year period in the entire chick lit genre, as disaster and mishap follow hard on the heels of humiliation and frustration. But the believability of the words, spoken and unspoken, made it easy to overlook this problem.

It is tempting to see this book as an American Bridget Jones' Diary. However, Cannie is a much more believable character than Bridget -- I know people like Cannie, while I've never known anyone like Bridget. There's also more warmth and joy in this book. I highly recommend it.