I admit, I went against my normal principle of reading the book before watching the movie for this one. I couldn’t help it! The Netflix movie got my attention. So I backtracked…
Book Read: Dumplin’
Author: Julie Murphy
Number of Books Read, 2019 Edition: 4
Willowdean Dickson, aka Dumplin’, is growing up in a town that lives for its Miss Teen Blue Bonnet beauty pageant. Her mom is the perfect example - a former winner, she runs the pageant and has been wearing her victory dress since she won (will it fit this year? TBD).
Willowdean, a self proclaimed fat girl, wants nothing to do with the pageant, until she finds a never submitted application from her deceased aunt Lucy. Lucy rarely left the house, self conscious about her weight. Willowdean decides to make a motion, and others follow. Her best friend, Ellen, rebel Hannah, goody two shoes Millie, and Millie’s best friend Amanda join the cause. Together, they make up a group of misfits, but they soon find out friendships are formed in the weirdest of places.
Add in private school Bo, a cute coworker who likes Willowdean for who she is, a boy who gets stuck in the friend zone, a few Dolly Parton inspired drag queens, a hit Dolly song, and some good old high school cattiness, and you’ve got Dumplin’.
And maybe, this group of unlikely candidates can prove if you’ve got it, flaunt it.
This book will have you rooting for the underdog. At times, yes, Willowdean is annoying. I mean she won’t speak to her best friend for months over something lame; I think the longest I’ve done that is a week. But I digress.
Julie Murphy has a winner with this one. Her writing is great and descriptive. She makes you like Willowdean and be annoyed at her all at the same time. And the mother that is all about the pageant may have more to her than you think. Murphy writes a lot about the dysfunction of Willowdean and her mother’s relationship, which adds more depth to the book. While she adds some elements of teenage romance, Murphy focuses on the power of friendships, both old and new, and how being yourself is the best thing you can do.
What I liked most? Even though I cheated and watched the movie first, each was good in its own right. They were related, yet differed slightly, in a good way. The movie had more Dolly Parton impersonators, the books had more details about Willowdean’s and her friends' lives. Read the book, watch the movie. That’s my recommendation.
In the end, Murphy makes a good point:
“There’s something about swimsuits that make you think you’ve got to earn the right to wear them. And that’s wrong. Really, the criteria is simple. Do you have a body? Put a swimsuit on it.”
Preach.
Next Read: Family Trust by Kathy Wang
