Fetch The Flawless Skin Of Ugly People Authored By Doug Crandell Presented As Copy

found this book to be a quick read as it was engaging and I quickly became invested in the outcome,

It's strange to read that some people thought it was about "ugly" people,

I thought it was about people trying to hide even disappear, From their pasts their secrets their regrets their shame,

And about people learning to forgive themselves and others, Forgiving doesn't mean you have to reconcile with that person or justify what was done you just have to get yourself to a place where you are prepared to move on.
. . I think the characters in this book found that place or are on their way, Leonard Hobbie is estranged from his commonlaw wife, Kari his dog, Terry, is ill he's just been mauled by a bear, and his belligerent fatherinlaw of sorts, Roth, is no help whatsoever.
Lest we forget, he was molested by a clergyman as a youngster, All this, and he has a complexion that earned him the boyhood nickname, Pizzaface,

I'm not entirely sure what the author was trying to accomplish with this novel, Granted, how we define beauty and ugliness is always a worthwhile discussion topic, but I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this narrator's seemingly pathetic life.
While this book is fairly flawed, it is also moving and sweet, It's about two people who love each other, but who use their issues with their bodies as an excuse to hide away from the world.
It is a good firsthand look into obsession the narrator Hobbie, has acne vulgaris and messes with his face to relieve his anxiety, but the author takes the "flawed on the outside, beautiful on the inside" theme a little overboard.
If you must have sophisticated writing in your novels, I don't think "Flawed Skin" is for you, But if you are looking for an engaging, quick read, this one's worth picking up, This book was about a couple who started dating in high school, bonded over mutually experiencing abuse by a deacon at their church.
I liked this unique novel finally a story about a "normal" person with insecurities, an average job, and a desire to do and be better rather than just wallow in their problems.
It was a little short I felt like the whole book was building up to a climax that ended on the last page.
But it wasn't too bad I guess the point was to get to know Robbie but I was just really curious about Kara Kyra, Kira.
who was only represented in letters and Robbie's memories throughout the book, I read this book due to a VenusZine, com suggestion. It started out pretty good, I really connected with the narrator, That's Hobbie, a man in his late thirties who's been dealing with adult acne his whole life, This is something we have

in common, although thankfully mine has quieted down lately, Anyway, what I connect with him most on is how his acute awareness of his acne permeates his perception of every encounter he has with every human with whom he has any contact any stranger, any loved one, any coworker.
His real life is lived inside his mind, through his experience of having a face covered in scabs, boils, and painful cysts,

The plot of the story wore thin on me, and probably did the author too you can tell by the way the sudden lightspeed jump in the last eighth of the book paired with the happy, hopeful ending.
Also, his religion theme was kind of weak, I would recommend this book to people who love a strong narrator voice, I really enjoyed this book, It reminded me a lot of both Catcher in the Rye particularly in its narration and Little Miss Sunshine.
The characters were quirky and interesting and flawed, and I liked that, I also liked how the themes were nicely woven throughout the plot, What bothered me a bit, though, was that it seemed pedantic and somewhat superficial at times which is ironic, given the main theme of the novel.
Still, the characters and plot were engaging enough for me to overlook these "flaws" and thoroughly enjoy the book as a whole, I think this is one of those books where you are suppose to follow someone on their journey and learn something about yourself along the way.
If you ignore that, it's a great book,

I have this odd fetish for books about ugly people so I was all for this book, even planning on giving it astar rating just on principal but it was actually GOOD.
The characters are so realistic for me, at least that even someone as heartless as myself felt emotion, Real emotion. Almost Oprahesque YouJustWonACar emotion. I wanted to love this book, I wanted it to be the "quirky love story" promised on the back cover and suggested in the title, It's not badly written and it's a quick read, one you could run through in a few hours, but I didn't even want to give it that after reaching more than halfway.
You can tell this book wants to be literaryit's told present tense first person by Hobbie, A thirtysomething "pizza face" who bonded with Kari, his very overweight commonlaw wife of twenty years, over their molestation by the deacon of their church.
They've underachieved for decades, moving from job to job as bank tellers, At the start of the book Kari has been in a weight loss clinic for months, and only communicating with Hobbie through daily, often cryptic letters.
I liked the idea of a love story about two people you're not likely to see on romance covers, The problem for me though, is that rather than overcoming or letting us see the beauty under the surface, so much of this story focuses on the repulsive.
I got tired of so much of this book consisting of graphic descriptions of Hobbie popping, scratching, scrapping and digging into his zits.
There's just enough of the quirkiness and warmth promised to save this from a onestar rating, but a firstperson story depends on voice and the character of the narrator fascinating you, making you laugh or making you careand this doesn't do it for me.
After I started this book, I didn't look forward to finishing it, The narrator of the story, Hobbie, has really bad acne, His commonlaw wife is away at a weightloss clinic, Their life together consists of moving from one suburb to another, working as bank tellers and shopping at large chain stores so they can remain as anonymous as possible.
When Hobbie and his dog are attacked by a bear, things start to change, I dont remember how this book came into my possession, but Im glad it did,

This is a story about a morbidly obese woman and a man that still suffers from pizza face,

High school sweethearts in thes, now common law husband and wife Hobbie and Kari have been living apart for several months.
It's not because of relationship problems, Kari has checked herself into fat camp to reset her mind and body and shed thepounds she's packed on,

She writes Hobbie letters almost every day, but he's not allowed to write back or call her, Months go by and then something happens to Hobbie who, by the way, suffers from SEVERE acne vulgaris and is a compulsive pimplepicker, That sets off a chain of other things happening, and long story shorthe's got to get through to Kari, Except she won't return his calls, The descriptions of the bodies and habits of the characters in this book had me nauseated, I had a gag reflex more than once reading about the protagonist picking his own acne with a sewing needle, or the dog having a seizure, or the old man drooling after a stroke.
I think there are better ways to get readers to sympathize with characters than making them sick to their stomachs,

Beyond that, the storyline is not very compelling, the ending is unsatisfactory, the writing is mediocre, and the main character is pathetic without being lovable.
Skip this bookstars.

Spoilers

I enjoyed reading about the rather deep and varied masks behind which people hide, To a point. However, the characters didn't actually resolve anything or grow any stronger/better throughout the book, Hobbie only ends up heading towards mending his broken past and move on with his life when he opts for new facial procedures for his acne Kari who we never actually really "see" in this book aside from the letters and memories shown to us by Hobbie is ensconced in a weightloss clinic and refusing all contact, only returning at the very VERY end.
If she was Hobbie's RoadTripQuestGoal, he definitely failed as he literally gave up on her and we only potentially see resolution because SHE finds them.
But then the story ends, It was rather degrading over all because the message seemed to be that improvement is only possible if you lose weight, clear your skin, find a former love to take you back after you have a stroke.
. . it was all more than a little overworked and left me feeling as listless as the characters after reading it, A unique book. I'm not sure I can say that I enjoyed it, but I was definitely captivated, It tells the story of a man with acne vulgaris who is in love with an obese woman who has sequestered herself at an inpatient weightloss clinic.
Certainly not lighthearted, but it was thoughtprovoking and it gave a different perspective the love of "ugly" people is often overlooked in books.
Worth the read, but I don't know that I would recommend it for everyone, This book is amazing! It healed me in some way, maybe because I could relate to Kari and Hobbie, who had terrible scars from their pasts, and are struggling to live in the present because of their history.


At first, I thought it was slowpaced and boring, but it was just the buildup of the plot, When I reached almost half of the story, that's when things got more interesting, Plot twists are being revealed, the characters get into more complicated situations and for me, it's just perfect,

It's really hard to love someone like how Hobbie loved Kari, regardless of the uncertainty of Kari's return to their home after spendingmonths in a center that she likes to call 'fat camp' and regardless of her scars from her past and other imperfections.
In today's age, this kind of love is so rare you'll start to believe it only exists in books, Very healing, and very enchanting, I really liked this book, I found it randomly at the library and read it in a day, I felt so sorry for the characters but loved them at the same time, I just wanted to give each of them a big hug and tell them that they were important and loved despite all the abuse and rejection they had faced throughout their lives.
A good read for a plane ride or afternoon away from distractions, I love everything that I have read from Doug Crandell's entries in The Sun magazine, so I picked this book up, I have to say though, I barely made it through the first three chapters, because I felt so queasy from all of the disgusting habits of the main characters and the detailed descriptions of them carrying them out.
But I still couldn't seem to put the book down and read through it very quickly, The series of events that take place are so crazy and unbelievable, but I found that I really cared about all the characters and grew fond of them despite all of their strange quirks and idiosyncrasies.

They form a very unusual family, but no more disfunctional than most, I guess, This is a marvelous book, I've had it on my "toread" list for years, but my former public library didn't have it, I don't even know if I knew what it was about an estranged commonlaw couple each dealing with the fallout of a shared horrific experience but I'm so glad I left it on my list.
Doug Crandell tells a wonderful story about flawed people just trying to get by, I'll read anything by him,

Also, the Goodreads summary does not do this book justice, It's not as campy/predictable/gleefully positive as that makes it out to be, This was a surprisingly good read, The story is told from an unusual point of view, At least, I don't think I have read this particular voice before, The narrator is ayear old man who has suffered from acne vulgaris for most of his life, He and his wife were abused by a deacon at their church when they were young, They both have serious issues relating to this abuse, but the book deals with the issues and the healing process rather than the abuse.
What stood out to me is the idea implied by the title that the condition of the skin you live in is not necessarily indicative of the inner person.
Also, the incredible love that this man has for his wife, who is absent for most of the story, I finished with a sense of hope, A sense that no matter what our struggles are, with enough patience and love, we can heal, Some language, but manageable. A quick read. .