Myrtle of Willendorf
by Rebecca O'Connell
Front Street
Asheville, NC
2000
ISBN: 1886910529
Plot Summary:
An outcast in high school, and continuing on as an outcast in college: that's how Myrtle sees herself and is pretty convinced that's how everybody else does too. She might be a good artist, and she's definitely smart, but she just can't seem to figure out how to balance a sense of independence with a healthy need to be loved. Eating takes up that latter need, and Myrtle feeds herself whenever she can, whenever she's anxious, whenever she's alone.
Critical Evaluation:
A message novel with good intentions regarding the overwhelming problems of self-hatred and female body image distortion. O'Connell's humor concerning Myrtle's ambivalence towards witchcraft and goddess worship is nicely wrought, and a pleasant counterpart to Myrtle's otherwise overwhelming anxiety. The descriptions of food and its propensity towards comfort are sensitively written, but the person of Myrtle is sufficiently annoying that O'Connell's talents are somewhat forgotten.
Reader's Annotation:
Myrtle is spending her summer in off-campus housing with her roommate Jada that drives her crazy. All Jada wants to do is wear make-up, diet, and make-out with her boyfriend. All Myrtle wants to do is eat and be left alone.
Genre:
Issues/Feminism
Author Info:
Rebecca O'Connell is a librarian in Pittsburgh. Myrtle of Willendorf is her first novel.
Reader Level/Interest Age:
15 and up.
Booktalking Ideas:
*Why is Myrtle so bothered by her roommate Jada's looks?
*Why did Myrtle stop talking to her old friend Margie?
*Is Myrtle happy in her own skin?
Challenge Issues:
Some hinted-at sexual situations, but due to the obliqueness of their description, challenges are unlikely. Further, the novel's larger message of self-worth will likely counteract any skepticism.
Why Include?:
It's cover art and leaf description proved alluring.
