The Girls at 17 Swann Street: A Novel

Yara Zgheib

Feb 2019 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

*A BookMovement Group Read*
**A People Pick for Best New Books**

Yara Zgheib’s poetic and poignant debut novel is a haunting portrait of a young woman’s struggle with anorexia on an intimate journey to reclaim her life.

The chocolate went first, then the cheese, the fries, the ice cream. The bread was more difficult, but if she could just lose a little more weight, perhaps she would make the soloists’ list. Perhaps if she were lighter, danced better, tried harder, she would be good enough. Perhaps if she just ran for one more mile, lost just one more pound.

Anna Roux was a professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears – imperfection, failure, loneliness – she spirals down anorexia and depression till she weighs a mere eighty-eight pounds. Forced to seek treatment, she is admitted as a patient at 17 Swann Street, a peach pink house where pale, fragile women with life-threatening eating disorders live. Women like Emm, the veteran; quiet Valerie; Julia, always hungry. Together, they must fight their diseases and face six meals a day.

Every bite causes anxiety. Every flavor induces guilt. And every step Anna takes toward recovery will require strength, endurance, and the support of the girls at 17 Swann Street.

Ratings and reviews

Having never read a book by this author before. I started reading this book not knowing what to expect. The Girls at 17 Swann Street was thought provoking well written story. The story starts about a girl named Anna who has a eating disorder. She enters 17 Swann Street to get help. The storyline continues with Anna, the other girls in the house, their daily lives and issues trying to get well. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Wow! Prepare yourself for an emotional run with this read. Anna and her husband Matthias have moved from Paris to America. Once in America, her eating disorder forces her into treatment as an inpatient at 17 Swann Street. There we meet several other women in the same situation. This story is filled with many layers and complexities as we are taken through Anna's life from France to America, from the backstory through to the mental health intake. It is heart breaking to watch how Anna has Matthias to support her when so many others have no one. This story does not sugar coat anything and is very intense so beware if you are not up to it. While this is not my usual type of read, I am really glad I jumped in with both feet because once I started reading this one I could not put it down. **Received this ARC for review from the publisher via NetGalley**

An amazing book that I could not put down. The story follows Anna through the treatment of anorexia in the treatment center at 17 Swann Street. It deals with the emotional and physical challenges that these women are going through. It just broke my heart. This is a debut author that told a beautiful story of Anna rediscovering her life. I believe this book should be read by every teenage girl. I highly recommend this book!!

About the author

Yara is a reader, writer, traveler, yogi, lover of art, wine, black and white photographs, popcorn, and jazz. She was born in Lebanon and has pieces of her heart scattered over Paris, Beirut, London, Boston, and a few villages in Tuscany.

She is the author of The Girls at 17 Swann Street and No Land to Light On, and writes weekly on culture, art, travel, and philosophy on her blog: The non-Utilitarian. Her essays are prose, poetry, musings, on things neither practical nor useful, but true and beautiful. Essential.

Her writing has also appeared in The Huffington Post, The Four Seasons Magazine, HOLIDAY Magazine, The European, Womanscape, HOME Magazine, The Idea List, France Forward, Espresso Economics, A Woman’s Paris, The Socio/Log, and others.