Review/recenzija: Julie Murphy: Dumplin'/Gospo�ica Knedlica
??????Recenzija na hrvatskom nalazi se ispod recenzije na engleskom. ?
I'm just gonna start this review by being a little brat and say that I don't like the covers of this book. They make me think the book's about an old opera singer. Ha ha.
Well, it's not.
Down below, in the Croatian review, you can see the covers our publishers chose, and they're sooo much better. If nothing else, at least we know there's no opera singer involved ??
Today I'm writing about Dumplin', a young adult novel by Julie Murphy.
Willowdean is more than aware of her looks and she's fine with her extra pounds. She's OK with never being a bikini model and no matter what others say, she's happy looking like she does.
That is, until she falls for Bo. And until he falls for her too. While being with Bo, Will becomes conscious of all of her imperfections and can't understand why a perfect guy like Bo would ever be with a overweight girl like herself.
With every intention of proving to herself and others that she has every right to be called beautiful, no matter the way she looks, she enters Miss Clover City beauty pageant.
But along with Will, a few other girls enter too, and every one of them is in a way different and unique in their physical appearance. Turns out they only needed somebody to inspire them, and Will was just the girl for the job.
The characters of this novel put the old saying "The beauty is in the eye of the beholder" (Plato) on a test. The definition of obesity and thinness will always vary depending on multiple factors, the almost completely subjective criteria of the person asked being the most important of all. Only a few of us would go and calculate our IBM (if you feel brave enough, you can do it here) or think whether it benefits our health, before putting something tasty into our mouths. We all judge from the perspective of what we think it's right.
This novel takes us into the world of a young girl who has enough self-assurance to live a life where mean comments don't hurt her or make her feel down. For me, she's a real heroine, and it's because she stands against the socially inflicted rules that could easily destroy even the most self-confident of us.
In Dumplin', the one who represents the society at its worst, is Wills mother. God, that woman kills my mood like a pro! I understand that parents react with welfare of their child first on their mind, but bad moves are sometimes made even with the best intentions behind them. And that doesn't make them excusable. The way Will's mother behaves, makes me think about her priorities, I'd even say, her feelings.
After Will enters the pageant, does she help her? Does she root for her? Support her?
I don't think so.
I've found some scenes where she declares her love only when Will helps her look good. For me, that's an ultimate villain of this story.
Willowdean starts doubting herself and her beauty in a moment of greatest weakness, while spending time with the boy she likes, but still, she keeps fighting. Her goal is to prove that perfection is a matter of opinion, and everybody deserves to be nominated.
In the end, Will gets to prove her point. She gets to prove we're all beautiful in our own way, the thin and overweight, tall and short, we're perfect just the way we are. Her doing that also makes us proud to be who we are. It makes us be happy while looking at the mirror even though there are those details we would maybe, just maybe, one day want to change.
I'm not the one to justify the state of obvious obesity and I'll never claim it's good to be so skinny all the bones are showing, but I also wouldn't say this book is about looks. I'd say the point is to demonstrate how even the properly and decently stated opinion on somebody's physical appearance can have the wrong consequences. Here, again, I'd offer Will's mother as an example.
It's often forgotten that our expectations don't always align with those of others, but that those too are worth of our attention, understanding and support. Especially if we're talking about children and young people.
Dumplin' is a story of friendship, self-questioning and bravery. It's a story about growing up. I would recommend it to all of the young and older people who know the feeling of being different. You're awesome!
Rose ?
In the end, Will gets to prove her point. She gets to prove we're all beautiful in our own way, the thin and overweight, tall and short, we're perfect just the way we are. Her doing that also makes us proud to be who we are. It makes us be happy while looking at the mirror even though there are those details we would maybe, just maybe, one day want to change.
I'm not the one to justify the state of obvious obesity and I'll never claim it's good to be so skinny all the bones are showing, but I also wouldn't say this book is about looks. I'd say the point is to demonstrate how even the properly and decently stated opinion on somebody's physical appearance can have the wrong consequences. Here, again, I'd offer Will's mother as an example.
It's often forgotten that our expectations don't always align with those of others, but that those too are worth of our attention, understanding and support. Especially if we're talking about children and young people.
Dumplin' is a story of friendship, self-questioning and bravery. It's a story about growing up. I would recommend it to all of the young and older people who know the feeling of being different. You're awesome!
Rose ?
Priznajem, ovoj knjizi me privukla naslovnica (dok mi je originalna upravo grozna :P)i nisam provjeravala o �emu se to�no radi prije �itanja. Da sam trebala �itati englesku verziju, nikad mi ne bi zapela za oko, tako da svaka �ast Znanje, odajem priznanje na trudu. Gledajte te plave okice! Pa tko ne bi po�elio otkriti �to se iza njih skriva?
Danas pi�em o romanu Gospo�ica Knedlica, koji bih svrstala u young adult �anr (12 do 18 godina), ali koji bih preporu�ila i starijim generacijama jer sam u njemu prona�la nekoliko divnih pou�nih detalja.
Willowdean je svjesna svakog kilograma vi�ka na svom tijelu i sasvim se dobro nosi s njima. Jasno joj je da nikad ne�e biti mr�avica, niti se to uop�e trudi postati. Voli sebe i svoje tijelo.
A onda se zatreska u Boa i on se, kojeg li �uda, zatreska u nju. I sva ta samouvjerenost odjednom pada u vodu.
Dok ju on ljubi, Will je svjesna svog sala i svoje debljine pa odjednom gubi tlo pod nogama. Kako bi zadr�ala kontrolu nad svojom �ivotom, dokazala se sama sebi i svima koji je �udno gledaju jer je druga�ija, Will se prijavljuje na natjecanje ljepote Miss Teen Blue Bonnet. Ali Will niti ne sluti da �e postati uzorom nekoliko posebnih djevojaka kojima je Willina hrabrost potaknula njihovu vlastitu.
Likovi ovog romana izazivaju onu dobru staru Platonovu: "Ljepota je u o�ima promatra�a". Mr�avost i debljina izazivat �e polemike dok je svijeta i vijeka zato �to svatko od nas ima vlastite kriterije oko toga koliko je to predebelo i kako izgleda premr�avo. Rijetki od nas se zamaraju ra�unanjem indeksa tjelesne mase (�to mo�ete, ako se osje�ate hrabro, napraviti ovdje), razmi�ljamo ide li ne�to u korist na�em zdravlju prije nego �to to strpamo u usta i svi sudimo prema vlastitim shva�anjima i razmi�ljanjima. Objektivnost je �esto puta samo fantomski argument kojim sami sebe zavaravamo.
U ovom romanu ulazimo u svijet mlade djevojke koja ima dovoljno samopouzdanja da �ivi ispunjen �ivot, a heroinom ju smatram jer se tako mlada uspijeva sama boriti protiv dru�tveno nametnutih pravila kojom ju okolina ugnjetava.
U Gospo�ici Knedlici, dru�tvo prvenstveno utjelovljuje njezina majka- �ena koja mi je dizala tlak sa svakim pojavljivanjem. Shva�am da je roditelju dobrobit djeteta uvijek na prvome mjestu, ali lo�i koraci se ponekad poduzimaju upravo s dobrom namjerom, �to ih automatski ne �ini opravdanima. Primjer toga, jasan kao dan, je Willowdeanina mama. Ona Will �eli dobro, ali pona�anje joj je u potpunoj suprotnosti s namjerama.
"(...)Toliko toga propu�ta�." Korakne prema meni. "De�ke i izlaske. Takve stvari."
Prije�em rukama po licu. "Ma ne mogu vjerovati. Evo ti jedna vijest, mama: mu�karci ne�e rije�iti moje probleme."
"Knedlice, volim te. I nadam se da �u se mo�i tobom ponositi."
"Vrijeme je za polazak. Bit �u u autu", objavi. Potom nagne glavu ustranu. "Tvoja kosa. Lijepo izgleda."
Uz gornje izjave doti�ne �ene, re�i �u samo jo� ovo: kad se Will prijavi za natjecanje, njezina majka prstom ne mrdne da joj pomogne.
Koja to vrsta roditelja tra�i od djeteta da u ne�emu pobijedi kako bi se njime mogla ponositi? Kakva majka �e djetetu re�i da ga voli samo zato jer je ono napravilo ne�to �to ide isklju�ivo njoj u korist? Za mene, taj lik je izvor ve�ine problema s kojima se Will kroz roman bori.
Koja to vrsta roditelja tra�i od djeteta da u ne�emu pobijedi kako bi se njime mogla ponositi? Kakva majka �e djetetu re�i da ga voli samo zato jer je ono napravilo ne�to �to ide isklju�ivo njoj u korist? Za mene, taj lik je izvor ve�ine problema s kojima se Will kroz roman bori.
Willowdean po�inje sumnjati u sebe u trenutku slabosti, kad se zaljubi, ali unato� tome, i dalje se nastavlja boriti. Ona ima cilj dokazati da je savr�enstvo trivijalna stvar, a svatko zaslu�uje priliku.
Djevojke koje se prijavljuju moraju se dovoljno ponositi sobom da misle kako se zaslu�uju natjecati. Ta vrsta nepokolebljivog samopouzdanja izaziva mi nelagodu.
Ne zaslu�uje� pobijediti ni u �emu niti sudjelovati u bilo kakvom izboru sve dok se ne potrudi�.
Kad bi barem postojala nekakva �arolija kojom bih mogla premostiti ponor izme�u osobe kakva jesam i one kakvom bih voljela biti.
Postoji to ne�to u kupa�im kostimima �to te nagoni na pomisao kako mora� zaslu�iti pravo da ih nosi�. A to je pogre�no. Zbilja, kriterije je jednostavan. Ima� li tijelo? Onda lijepo na njega navuci kupa�i.
Mo�da zato �to ne mora� uvijek pobijediti na izboru ljepote da bi nosila krunu.
Izabrala sam gornjih nekoliko re�enica kao sa�etak Willowdeanine pri�e, od njenih sumnji do uspjeha. Will se uspijeva izboriti da doka�e vrijednost i dostojanstvo svake djevojke, pretile i premr�ave, pomalo �udne i one konvencionalno lijepe. Njezina pobjeda da to doka�e, pobjeda je sviju nas koji, kad pogledamo u ogledalo, ne mo�emo re�i da smo u potpunosti zadovoljni, ali koji smo ispunjeni u dovoljnoj mjeri da volimo sami sebe.
A samo tako mo�emo zaista sretno �ivjeti.
Iako sama ne podr�avam ekstreme poput o�igledne pretilosti ili izrazite mr�avosti, mislim da poanta ove knjige uop�e nije u tome kako netko izgleda. Mislim da je tu poanta u odnosu okoline prema ljudima koji se po bilo �emu isti�u. Rekla bih da je autorica �eljela pokazati kako lijepo upakiran i nao�igled pristojan komentar zapravo mo�e nanijeti vi�e �tete nego koristi. Lik koji mi ponajvi�e upada u o�i kao savr�eni primjer te tvrdnje je, naravno, Willina majka, u �ijoj osobnosti sama prepoznajem pove�i broj ljudi. �esto se zaboravlja da na�a o�ekivanja nisu o�ekivanja drugih, a da ta tu�a zavrije�uju na�u pa�nju, razumijevanje i podr�ku. Pogotovo kad se radi o djeci i mladima.
Gospo�ica Knedlica pri�a je o prijateljstvu, nesigurnosti i borbi za prihva�anjem, o svemu �to �ini odrastanje, a preporu�ujem ju koliko mladima, toliko i onima koji su te dane prerasli, ali jo� uvijek im se u mislima rado vra�aju.
Rose ?
Gospo�ica Knedlica pri�a je o prijateljstvu, nesigurnosti i borbi za prihva�anjem, o svemu �to �ini odrastanje, a preporu�ujem ju koliko mladima, toliko i onima koji su te dane prerasli, ali jo� uvijek im se u mislima rado vra�aju.
Rose ?
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