Book Review: The Makedown

When Anna Norton hit the age of ten, she went from average into a "steep descent into ugly." (p.3) She developed cystic acne, unruly eyebrows, greasy hair, and gained a lot of weight. This wreaked havoc on her self-esteem and thus her existence was not pleasant. She makes a move from Ohio to New York and aided by the guidance of her "Fairy Godmother" and employer she makes a remarkable transformation and snags herself a handsome boyfriend. This is where the Makedown part enters the picture. The word "makedown" is defined as " the lessening of external beauty and innate confidence as a means of leveling the playing field." Anna wants to try to change her boyfriend Ben from hot into not-so-hot to make the other women who are vying after him to go away. Is it worth it?

I really enjoyed the author Gitty Daneshvari's writing style. My favorite parts of the book were the descriptive passages in the beginning before Anna begins her 180 degree makeover. Everything is so detailed that I can vividly picture all of the situations in my mind.

"The Makedown" is a very fast and light read. It is absolutely hilarious! The story line is fun and unique and it is hard not to want to finish the book in one sitting. Daneshvari is a very talented author and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.