A heart wrenching story of one woman’s struggle to recover from anorexia. Anna, a former ballerina, has a fairytale marriage with her love, Matthias. Can she overcome her fears and obsessions with food to heal and go home.

This book surprised me. I actually wasn't sure what it was about until I started reading it, but it sucked me in right away. The author did a good job of setting the scene, and I found myself putting other things off so that I could finish it. I will warn you that it will make you hungry! All the talk of food, especially ice cream, had me running out to grab snacks!

This is a heart wrenching realistic look into the life of a young woman with anorexia nervosa.
Anna is a young married woman that has recently moved to America with her husband Matthias , leaving her father and sister and everything she has ever known in Paris. Just having recovered from an injury, the former ballerina is having trouble coming to terms with no longer dancing, her inability to find a job that she qualifies for, and the loneliness that comes from Matthias long work hours. She has quietly suffered from anorexia and has lost weight and her will to eat or do anything that she loved to do in the past. Her psyche convinces her that she cannot eat the foods she loves and that she needs to loose weight, even to the detriment of her self and others. After her third episode of fainting in the bathroom she is taken to an in treatment center for women. There is where the real story takes place, Anna and her companions, each in a different stage of their own illness, whether anorexia or bulimia. There are treacherous steps each must complete on their search to get well. Some may win, others will not and some’s journey ends with death.
Anna works incredibly hard fighting herself and the team of professionals trying to help her. She has set backs but continues to fight and learn more each day. She begins to decide what she wants and sets goals slowly, steadily she begins to reach her goals. This journey will never end, even when/if she can transition back into normal life, set backs in the first nine months are typical.
Anna and the other characters in this story are so very interesting and complex. The challenges that they go through keep you reading more and more.
Yara Zgheib has written a very personal and well thought out story. Well done.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of The Girls at 17 Swann.

I have to admit that it has taken me quite some time between finishing this book and writing my review. I thoroughly enjoyed The Girls at 17 Swann, so it was not that, I think it may be because this book works on diferent levels.

On one level there is the story itself of Anna Roux who is an injured ballet dancer who follows her husband, Matthias, from Paris to the U.S. as he takes on a new job. We meet Anna as she enters room 5 of 17 Swann St. for the first time. It is here that we will journey with her through her effort to combat anorexia nervosa. We meet her housemates who are in various stages of recovery themselves. We get to know the routines and restrictions put upon the residents - no going to the bathroom alone if you are bulemic, a time limit in which meals must be fully consumed. Through flashbacks we learn of her life in Paris, dancing, eating pastries and drinking hot chocolate and champagne.

Anna’s story is told through quick conversational bites. Small bites. Paragraphs on the printed page appear as thin as the girls long to be. It is written beautifully and with realism.

On another level, it is peeling apart the layers of this disease. Anna states:

“I do not suffer from anorexia. I have anorexia. The two states are not the same. I know my anorexia, I understand it better than the world around me.

. . . The world is overcrowded but lonely. My anorexia keeps me company, comforts me. I can control it, so I choose it.”

The pain and terror of each meal is indelible. The daily weigh - ins are self judging. The fear of losing your connection to the outside world, of losing those you love is heart stopping. But it is the same feeling that those on the “outside” are feeling about your recovery.

Yara Agheib’s writing gave me a real understanding of how eating disorders can affect a person’s thought processes. I am sure there are stories more harrowing than this in the real world of eating disorders, but reading this book was wonderful way to open the door to this world.

Haunting. This luminous story of women in their moments of illness due to eating disorders is heart wrenching. It doesn’t just affect them but the people who love them. The author has outdone herself with the depth and sensitivity she uses with her characters. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received an ARC from my good friends at NetGalley. First and foremost, THIS BOOK CONTAINS TRIGGERS AND IF YOUVE EVER BEEN A DISORDERED EATER PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOUR MENTAL SPACE WHILE READING.

I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy this book, and there were times when I wasn’t sure I would finish. This book....it’s a book where you can’t stop reading, can’t look away, and if you’ve ever been down that road it’s so incredibly easy to relate.

I think this story was so well written- eating disorders are hard to write about without romanticism or the “scared straight” approach and I feel like this one was a perfect balance. I was happy for Anna in the end, but it wasn’t a story that was wrapped up nicely with a bow either.

The author took care (and in my opinion, really committed) to Anna’s thought process during recovery. The drive to please but not wanting to talk, the internal struggle with eating and the perception of her family. I don’t think I can recommend this book without knowing my audience really well- like I said, this book contains triggers. Even five years removed I found myself having to put the book down, walk away, clear my head and remember that this was fiction.

We need more books like this.

This was a gripping story from the point of view of the person struggling with anorexia. It was sad and at times, hopeless. I had to put it down twice before finishing because of the dark thoughts in her mind. I found a it a little hard to read because of the italics blurring between memories and her voice answering current questions, but aside from that, a very moving book.

3.5 Losing Self/Fighting to Reclaim It Stars
* * * 1/2 Spoiler Free
This book first caught my eye because the main character was a ballet dancer. At first, with the cover, it looked like it might be about a ballet company and all of the challenges. Then I read more of the blurb and realized it was about anorexia. Last year I read a book about Karen and Richard Carpenter. It covered their career and also Karen's involvement with this disorder. Understanding this was told by someone in the throes of this disease, it gave me the correct mindset to take it all in.

Ana was a ballet dancer in Paris, France and loved the hard work and dedication it required.She was doing well with the company and also found love. Matthias was taken with her mind, her zest for life; he fell in love and they married. Living in Paris was everything for the both of them. They had a simple life of enjoying all of the little cafes, tasting the croissants, having wonderful picnics and being there for each other. They didn't have much but what they had was real.

Then life threw a curveball. Ana damaged her knee causing a break in her career. Matthias received a huge employment opportunity and it was in America. With all of these elements, the move to middle America seemed the right thing to do.

The move was a challenge for Ana. She was physically able to dance once again but could not find any company openings. She was left without focus and with Matthias at work. Alone, Ana slowly seemed to lose herself...She lost her desire for all the things she had loved...real vanilla ice cream, pizza, meat, cheese...things which had such happy memories from when she first was courted by Matthias. She then became Vegan...apples being a mainstay.

Eventually, Ana finds herself entering 17 Swann Street, a rehab/treatment center for those suffering from eating disorders. She had shrunk to 88 lbs. and had been confronted with the reality of how extremely severe her situation was.

This is where we start this book. Ana is entering the center. She is there because of her husband, her family, and her idea that she will be able to get through this as she has a handle on it. But deep down inside, she knows there is something which will not allow her to be who she once was... that person seems to have disappeared.

We are there when she is first confronted by the staff and also receives specific guidance from another "client" who gives her a list of insider rules... a way to survive. Ana does have a secret weapon, though... The undying love of Matthias.

This is a very complicated journey and story. The idea of living through this and having someone who is afflicted with this horrible disease give tremendous insight into the mindset and inability to overcome the games the mind plays. Having the very nourishment we need to survive become the very poison to avoid shows how dangerous this can be. I cannot say whether the representation of how these rehabs work with insurance companies is accurate, however, one would hope the patients would be able to receive all of the treatment they need to overcome this.

This type of situation does not affect only the person suffering; it works its way into all of the relationships they have. It tears at the core of their love and tests the strength of everyone. It is heartbreaking.

This book had all of the elements needed to understand what kind of fight this undertaking is. We all need knowledge and empathy for those who are fighting these kinds of disorders. It is not like a switch can be turned off and everything will be ok.
It is like a cancer of the mind where it finds a spot then feeds on itself and grows to the point where the person is taken over and has to fight for their lives.

A journey on a difficult rode.

A gifted copy was provided by St. Martin's Press for an honest review.

I tried really hard to get into this book but just couldn't It felt like it could be a trigger for those with eating disorders or other self harm issues.

I expected this to be about a teen girl's battle with anorexia but was surprised to find out the woman was in her 20s. It was told in an almost lyrical narrative and turned out to be a combo of love story and her journey to recovery.

This would be a great recommendation for older teens who don't necessarily want a book considered "young adult" or "teen," and for anyone who has known anyone with this kind of disease.

Thanks to the publisher for the advance reading copy.

I actually read a young adult story around eating disorders a month ago, and it fell a little flat to me. I was interested in reading more around this topic and the next thing I knew, The Girls at 17 Swann Street showed up at my door. I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this several months before the release date. I thought I would just read over page one and then put it down until closer to release. Wow, was I wrong. The next thing I knew, I was almost 200 pages into the story.

This is written in what a poetic style. I was not really sure if I was going to like the writing, but I ended up loving it. I can see how others may not be a fan, but for me it brought something different and unique to the story. You also get different chapters of Meal Plans, Treatments Plans, and Questionnaires as you follow along with Anna during her battle with Anorexia. You also get glances into the life of both Anna and her husband leading up to Anna entering treatment. Her story was painful and heartbreaking as you see her start to battle that she is fighting.

I liked the other girls who were also at 17 Swann Street, as you also get to learn a little about their stories and the battles they are facing. I enjoyed how they supported one another.

This did get a little repetitive in the middle, and there was not much action. I wanted more around the flashbacks of Anna and her life as well. I ended up only skimming some of these sections to get back to her in treatment.

Overall, this was really good and I enjoyed it. I would give the first half of this book five stars.

I have no words to describe this book. My review wouldn't do it justice. But I'll try.

It's powerful. Painful. Raw. Real. I couldn't read this in public because it made me cry ugly tears every time I read about the challenges and emotions the girls at 17 Swann Street went through, especially Anna.

It was disturbing and uncomfortable getting to be so up close with an anorexic. The writing was so powerful I felt as though I was reading a memoir. You know it's a good book when reading a fiction feels like a non-fiction, in this case, a biography.

I felt every fibre of Anna's being trying to face and fight the demons of anorexia. I empathized with her when she wanted to give in and give up. It was tiring. But I was glad she didn't. And the love and support that surrounded her - from the girls at Swann Street to her boyfriend Matthias and her dad, touched me immensely.

I'm still thinking about the girls at 17 Swann Street today. I hope they're coping fine and that Emm is having a walk with Anna right now...

This book should be read by all females! And dads! And boyfriends! In fact, everyone.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Full review will be posted on my blog and Goodreads, and shared on Twitter and Litsy, closer to publication day.

Wow this book was unlike any books I’ve read this year so far. I began reading this book completely blind and I mean that I had not read anything about what this book was about previously. The author of this book writes about a topic that I’ve read about and studied about but I have never been able to relate to as someone who has suffered from the other side of the weight struggle and eating disorder arena. To read this book at first was honestly a little tough for me because in the beginning I felt disconnected from this character. Yet as I kept reading the book I found myself able to connect with her and found her relatable to me. I was so drawn into this story and how she had come to be there that I realized that this book was so much more.

3.5
Some people didn’t like the writing style in this book but I really did! I loved getting in Anna’s head. This story was complex and Anna and her relationships were well layered. Anna is a kind character and it was easy to feel sympathy for her struggles. The women she encounters in treatment add to the overall story and knowledge of this dreadful disease. Through this story you learn how much everyone associated with the sickness suffers, not just the patient. There were some good moments also, not all bleak. The ending felt real, hopeful but realistic. I would recommend this story and read more by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and St. Martin’s Press for a copy in exchange for a review.

I never thought I would so enjoy a book about eating disorders, but I never expected a book about eating disorders to be so thoroughly engaging - an understated story of a life and death struggle. I simply could not put it down. The characters are so well-drawn and completely fleshed out as to effortlessly provide an interior view of eating disorders - and in doing so provide understanding and empathy for a topic that is so difficult to understand. I would recommend this book for anyone and everyone.

This book is truly amazing. Yes, it is about eating disorders, but so much more. It is about control, strength and the ability that food has to control out thoughts and minds.

Eating disorders are a serious mental illness and the author does a great job and describing this is a real, raw, poignant, often heartbreaking way.

A MUST READ!

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC.

Story about the battle with anorexia in an ex-dancer and the treatment center she is stuck in. I did not
really love the characters and felt they were one-dimensional a little bit.

Excellent book. I am a therapist and I have worked with individuals with eating disorders. I thought this book did a great job with the portrayal.

This book portrays a candid look at eating disorders. An invaluable book for anybody who has concerns about themselves or someone they know. It has made an indelible impression.

The Girls at 17 Swann Street is a painstaking look at the world of anorexia nervosa. What a hideous disease it is.

It takes place in a recovery home with Anna, a former ballet dancer, and several other girls revealing their stories bit by bit. The major portion of the book takes place in about a six-week period with flashbacks to other parts of Anna’s life, both before and during her life with Matthias.

While the whole concept of living with anorexia is foreign to me, I was absolutely mesmerized by this book. I could hardly put it down, even when my eyes were on the verge of closing. It clearly depicts the struggles, ever present, of the anorexic. It is not a disease to be taken lightly or scoffed at with comments like, “Just eat!”

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It captured me. Well done, Ms. Zgheib. Thank you to you and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review your book.