Makedown

By Gitty Daneshvari

Anna Norton used to be fat. Correction: Anna Norton used to be a fat, nerdy, overeater with low self esteem. When she moves from suburban Ohio to Manhattan at age 23, her life does a total 180. With guidance from her boss, an unlikely Fairy Godmother in the form of a chic caterer and excellent cook, Anna loses all the weight and--though still not quite Kate Moss--finally drops her inferiority complex, brushes the crumbs off her skirt, and enters the world of feeling good, looking good, and...finally having sex. When Anna meets Ben, the man of her dreams (and of every other person's dreams who isn't blind) she almost can't believe she is dating the Ken Doll. Deep down, she is still the chubby nerd who wrote in a diary called Hello Fatty. But not everything is perfect; her hot boyfriend is a huge flirt, and every leggy blond who crosses his path is a threat to Anna. She just can't escape the feeling that Ben is way out of her league and that everyone thinks she is dating up and he's dating down. It gets so bad, she decides she will do anything to make these women go away. Enter the Makedown. The reverse makeover. As Anna was made up, so will Ben be made down. Where she went from shabby to chic, he will go from prince to frog. Anna will sabotage his hotness for the sake of her own sanity, and to bring this man into more of what she considers her own league. Enter Nair to induce premature balding, Sears catalogs to inspire bad dressing, and secret additions of cream to her cooking and SKOR bars in granola bar wrappers to induce weight gain. Hilarity ensues, but in the end, Anna must find out if Ben's makedown will save their relationship, or end it.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446699888
• ISBN13: 9780446699884
• Release Date: February 2009
• Publisher: 5 Spot
• Length: 324 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.1" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Gitty Daneshvari is a real comedian

THE MAKEDOWN Gitty Daneshvari Grand Central Publishing ISBN: 978-0-446-69988-4 $13.99- Paperback 322 pages Reviewer: Annie Slessman I am sitting in my favorite chair reading an advance copy of THE MAKEDOWN by Gitty Daneshvari when I start a silent laugh. The silent laugh then gets louder and louder until my husband says, "What?" I then start to tell him what I am reading and why I am laughing when I laugh so hard in the telling that I am now wiping my eyes. Yes, this book is that funny at times. This is a story about a young woman who spent her childhood and her early adult years as a "nerd" with a bad complexion, greasy hair, overweight with a brilliant mind. She moves to New York where her new boss, who was once a "nerd" herself, decides to help Anna, our main character. With her bosses coaching, Anna becomes the woman she has always wanted to be. At this point in the story, she meets Ben, the man of her dreams. He would be considered a hotty by most and she can't believe he is interested in her. They become an item and Anna's insecurity blossoms. She decides the only way to assure herself that Ben will always be hers is to make-him-down. The definition of Makedown is the lessening of external beauty and innate confidence as a means of leveling the playing field. She puts a three point system into play and the results are hilarious. In a time when things are so stressful, financial insecurity runs rampant there is little to laugh at these days. This book will supply the laugh we all need and then some. Gitty Daneshvari can change careers any day as a comedian. If you want entertainment that will make you laugh, wonder at the ingenuity of the human mind - buy this book. I warn you though - make sure you have time to read it in one sitting...otherwise, you will be miserable until you can find time to finish it.

LMAO! My Fair Lady Goes Postmodern and Feminist!!

Ok as a huge fan of My Fair Lady and Pygmalion I had to read this and it's HILARIOUS! Pokes fun at all the conventions we use to measure a good catch. Anna is a funny, silly, clever and totally relatable hero!! Totally enjoyed this!!!!!!

Fresh and Fabulous!

I could not put The Makedown DOWN! What a great read. I laughed and smiled the whole way through. I was looking for a fresh new story to read and was I got just that from this book as it was entertaining and fun. Gitty is such a witty author and I can't wait to read more of her work!

Pleasantly surprised by this chick lit classic!

I admit, chick lit is not my favorite genre, but this book goes a long way to changing my mind. This book is chick lit with an edge - entertaining and funny!

The female David Sedaris is HERE!

Television has Tina Fey and now the book world had Gitty Daneshvari! I was sooooo floored by this book! Not only is it hilarious, but it's amazingly relatable! This is totally going to be the next book that we read in my book club. My girlfriends need a good laugh in these tough times!