Review - Dumplin’

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

5 out of 5 gnomes

So much awesomeness packed into a tiny book package. I just couldn’t put this book down. I read at every free opportunity and just fell in love with it all. The characters, the humor, the crazy situations, the drama, it all equals one heck of a good time.

Willowdean/Will is quite a fierce and funny character. You’ll think she’s super confident at first and that’s definitely how the world sees her then she really starts to doubt herself. That’s when things start to implode with her friend and her mom.  

As you read you’ll probably start to miss Lucy as much as Willowdean does. Her aunt seems to be the glue that was holding the family together. It is great learning about her though especially when Willow and some friends check out a Dolly Parton night at a very entertaining club.

The other great aspect of this book is how Dolly Parton music permeates the story. Willow’s aunt loved Parton and it’s part of how she met her best friend Ellen too.

The Clover City pageant is crazy but I really like how it was betrayed and the mini revolution that forms around it this year.

Of course this book deals a lot with body image and I love seeing not the norm in characters from Willodean to her friends all of them are different. A lot of this hits close to home too especially Millie because like Willowdean I can remember thinking, well at least I’m fat but not that fat. That’s why I’m glad that this book is out there. It shows that you should really put yourself out there in the world and go for your dreams.

Whether you’re fat, skinny or somewhere in between this book should be a must read. I for one can’t wait to see this in movie form because if done right it would be a sight to behold.