Fiction

Milk Fed

Milk Fed

  • Downloads：8472
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-03-07 04:41:38
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Melissa Broder
  • ISBN：1408897121
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

A scathingly funny， wildly erotic， and fiercely imaginative story about food， sex， and god from the acclaimed author of The Pisces and So Sad Today。

Rachel is twenty-four， a lapsed Jew who has made calorie restriction her religion。 By day， she maintains an illusion of existential control， by way of obsessive food rituals， while working as an underling at a Los Angeles talent management agency。 At night， she pedals nowhere on the elliptical machine。 Rachel is content to carry on subsisting—until her therapist encourages her to take a ninety-day communication detox from her mother， who raised her in the tradition of calorie counting。

Early in the detox， Rachel meets Miriam， a zaftig young Orthodox Jewish woman who works at her favorite frozen yogurt shop and is intent upon feeding her。 Rachel is suddenly and powerfully entranced by Miriam—by her sundaes and her body， her faith and her family—and as the two grow closer， Rachel embarks on a journey marked by mirrors， mysticism， mothers， milk， and honey。

Pairing superlative emotional insight with unabashed vivid fantasy， Broder tells a tale of appetites: physical hunger， sexual desire， spiritual longing， and the ways that we as humans can compartmentalize these so often interdependent instincts。 Milk Fed is a tender and riotously funny meditation on love， certitude， and the question of what we are all being fed， from one of our major writers on the psyche—both sacred and profane。

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Reviews

Carly ，

Read a review that this was embarrassingly relatable and I have to agree with that in some ways。 The main character， Rachel， is probably someone I wouldn’t like all that much but her story is interesting and pretty intense。 I guess that is the point。

Jess Lynne ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I wanted to love this book so badly， but it was terrible。 The writing itself is great， but the content misses the mark — so so so many marks。 Fatphobia & fat fetishization， linking queerness with mommy issues？？？ The very sudden re-parenting of the MC’s inner child after absolutely no work and very little therapy （just fucking the fat person！）。 Very problematic。 Do not recommend！

Ashley Quinn ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 i didn’t love this book。 i thought it was very creative， but i really disliked what it was about。 having a story that totally revolves around an eating disorder seems…dangerous？ it was vaguely upsetting that she didn’t really come to a resolution， and she didn’t really learn any lessons。 she ‘became her own daughter’ and healed the mommy issues part of herself， but what about her lifelong eating disorder？ i get that they’re intertwined but like…that’s big。 idk。 i feel like this story felt incomp i didn’t love this book。 i thought it was very creative， but i really disliked what it was about。 having a story that totally revolves around an eating disorder seems…dangerous？ it was vaguely upsetting that she didn’t really come to a resolution， and she didn’t really learn any lessons。 she ‘became her own daughter’ and healed the mommy issues part of herself， but what about her lifelong eating disorder？ i get that they’re intertwined but like…that’s big。 idk。 i feel like this story felt incomplete。 it was EXTREMELY graphic and descriptive and yet i feel like there were so many parts of her story left unexplained。 i could have read more about her realizations from her new healthy eating patterns。 anyway。 cool original idea but not super well fleshed out imo 。。。more

Taylor Creasy ，

meh

Olivia Beyers ，

I really really liked this book。 I found Rachel’s inner thoughts about her eating and relationship with her mother to be deeply relatable。 Very thoughtful but quick and of COURSE we love a Jewish storyline！！！

Alana Thomson ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Would say closer to 3。5 stars; was engaging enough to see what direction Rachel will go in with her ED， how her thoughts regarding ED transitioned over time when bonding with Miriam。 Descriptions of Rachel's ruminations with her food restrictions and binging felt all too relatable at times。 It was a decent read but moments around Rachel's work life （which was a prominent dimension） felt lackluster。 The details of Rachel's sexual desire for Miriam were too confronting and crass （too much for my o Would say closer to 3。5 stars; was engaging enough to see what direction Rachel will go in with her ED， how her thoughts regarding ED transitioned over time when bonding with Miriam。 Descriptions of Rachel's ruminations with her food restrictions and binging felt all too relatable at times。 It was a decent read but moments around Rachel's work life （which was a prominent dimension） felt lackluster。 The details of Rachel's sexual desire for Miriam were too confronting and crass （too much for my own taste and I wouldn't consider myself prude in the slightest）。 Anyway it was a quick read which was the main reason for finishing the book！ 。。。more

Katie Holder ，

This book was gross。 I didn’t like any character。 The main character was obsessed with food and sex and really had zero depth to her。 Comparable to the writing in 50 Shades。 The only reason I finished this was because I chose it for a book prompt。 Very disappointed and was extremely happy when it was over。

rachel ☾ ，

related to a lot， this book truly isn’t for everyone， there’s a lot of triggering topics， and the way things are described sometimes are a little unnecessary and not needed to get the point across， but overall i enjoyed this read :）

Kaitlyn | wildfire。reads ，

this was messy， unhinged， funny， annoying， and redundant in the best/worst way possible。

Joana da Silva ，

This is not a book for everyone， either you love it or you hate it。 I stand with the 'loved it' of course。 What a crazy， dysfunctional story with deeply unlovable characters who remain easy to relate to somehow？ The descriptions of the MC's issues were so disconcerting and disgusting but so well written that I was in awe of it all。 Do check the trigger warnings for this one， tho。 This is not a book for everyone， either you love it or you hate it。 I stand with the 'loved it' of course。 What a crazy， dysfunctional story with deeply unlovable characters who remain easy to relate to somehow？ The descriptions of the MC's issues were so disconcerting and disgusting but so well written that I was in awe of it all。 Do check the trigger warnings for this one， tho。 。。。more

Sojourner ，

RACHELLLLLLLLLLLLL I LOVE YOUUUU

Natalie Sonneson ，

Weird

Kris ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 TW: Eating Disorders， Fatphobia， Emotional Neglect & Abuse， Explicit S*x Scenes。 "If I was a woman， I was not me as I'd known myself， but a woman with more courage than I thought I'd had。 I was a woman of impulse， a woman of instinct。 I was a woman of pleasure and confidence。 I was a woman of appetites， a growling beast。 I was a person。" TW: Eating Disorders， Fatphobia， Emotional Neglect & Abuse， Explicit S*x Scenes。 "If I was a woman， I was not me as I'd known myself， but a woman with more courage than I thought I'd had。 I was a woman of impulse， a woman of instinct。 I was a woman of pleasure and confidence。 I was a woman of appetites， a growling beast。 I was a person。" 。。。more

Mimi ，

This was so odd。。 and like deeply disturbing and repetitive

emmanuelle soup ，

this was weird as fuck。 loved it。

Alessandra ，

prose was wonderful， plot was awfully formulaic。 not sure。 I did read it real fast though， for whatever that's worth。 prose was wonderful， plot was awfully formulaic。 not sure。 I did read it real fast though， for whatever that's worth。 。。。more

Paul ，

Rachel is twenty-four， a nonpracticing Jewish New Yorker now living in LA and is a glutton'aholic in remission。 The pleasures of food are strictly （over） controlled by her， bordering on insane， calorie counting and her own weird brain-plans and rules to live by。 To live by in order to stay thin。 She's messed up， primarily by her mother's efforts to keep her from food as a child。 She's not happy but her routine has become a Stockholm syndrome of comfort。 She works in a job she doesn't care much a Rachel is twenty-four， a nonpracticing Jewish New Yorker now living in LA and is a glutton'aholic in remission。 The pleasures of food are strictly （over） controlled by her， bordering on insane， calorie counting and her own weird brain-plans and rules to live by。 To live by in order to stay thin。 She's messed up， primarily by her mother's efforts to keep her from food as a child。 She's not happy but her routine has become a Stockholm syndrome of comfort。 She works in a job she doesn't care much about while half-arsing a potential career in stand-up。 Temptation is always there。 Always。 After things come to a head in a meeting with her therapist， where she indulges in art-therapy， Rachel cuts contact with her overbearing mother and begins to slip down her self-made slope。 Almost immediately a new figure comes into her life。 A person who re-activates her gluttony。 It's not just food she's gluttonous for anymore。 Miriam， from the frozen yogurt store， is now on the menu。 But how do you get to fuck an Orthadox Jew？Our main character's inner thoughts guide us through this low-key tale of want and need。 Thankfully the thoughts are wonderfully bare and bizarre in the way our own unspoken thoughts usually are。 Primal urges， deep kinks and base lusts spill out of Rachel's mind and we get to gorge on them。 Thoughts that are maybe a bit close for comfort。 The civilised facade of human beings is so easily penetrated by other people's debaucheries。 We become gluttons for Rachel's dreams。 It isn't that Rachel is an awful person。 She's not。 She's actually not much of anything。 Her life is empty， her home is plain and her work is unfulfilling。 But at least she's super thin。 She's gone way overboard， so when she tips the other way she's all-in。 And boy does she tip。 Rachel has been missing a lot of things in her life。 Food had just been the easiest thing to blame。It's a really funny book， with some "can't read the next chapter just yet because of too much cringe" moments。 Rachel just can't stop herself and from the minute things start going her way the outcome is an obvious point on the horizon and we're all on a one-way road， straight to it， with her。Melissa Broder's Milk Fed is just a wonderful book。 Complicated under the surface but accessible throughout。 I loved her quick-cut flashes of fantasy， her use of subconscious desires and urges bubbling to the surface。 Sad， darkly funny and， on more than a few occasions， absolutely filthy。 Luxuriously filthy。 Brilliant filth！An intimate portrait of a messed up person messing up but getting better from it。 I hope all Broder's books are this good。 I loved it。 。。。more

Kathleen ，

I wasn't sure about Milk Fed at the beginning but I ultimately ended up enjoying it。 Rachel embodies a lot of issues that millennial women， or just women in general， tend to deal with including issues surrounding their bodies， food， and relationships。 The book can be funny and even cute at times but it is overall a very freak description of a very mentally ill woman。 Rachel has such negative self-talk and body dysmorphia and goes through cycles of binging and restricting food in an attempt to ha I wasn't sure about Milk Fed at the beginning but I ultimately ended up enjoying it。 Rachel embodies a lot of issues that millennial women， or just women in general， tend to deal with including issues surrounding their bodies， food， and relationships。 The book can be funny and even cute at times but it is overall a very freak description of a very mentally ill woman。 Rachel has such negative self-talk and body dysmorphia and goes through cycles of binging and restricting food in an attempt to have some control over her body and make others love and be proud of her。 Through her relationship with Miriam who in many ways represents the things she both yearns and fears to be， she starts to repair her sense of self。 It's not by any means a healthy relationship but I think both of them new that there were foundational issues that meant it couldn't last。 。。。more

Sarina Rosemarie ，

i enjoyed this book， i thought i would be disgusted because of the other reviews and complaints about the vile language but it wasn't horrible （tbh it's way more difficult to read the deal by elle kennedy）。 tw* disordered eating。 i loved the connection between sex and food and really connected with most of the things rachel has been through， the only thing i didn't enjoy was the triggering language and the way she talked about her eating habits but it was essential to the story。 i also didn't li i enjoyed this book， i thought i would be disgusted because of the other reviews and complaints about the vile language but it wasn't horrible （tbh it's way more difficult to read the deal by elle kennedy）。 tw* disordered eating。 i loved the connection between sex and food and really connected with most of the things rachel has been through， the only thing i didn't enjoy was the triggering language and the way she talked about her eating habits but it was essential to the story。 i also didn't like her mommy kink？？ （not to kink shame but that simply is not for me）。 i did heavily relate to the mommy issues and i hated that （spoiler alert） miram and rachel did not get a happy ending and that she ghosted her？？？？ but it was also understandable， yet seems to be something that happens in a lot of the sapphic books i read。 。。。more

Delphi ，

I couldn't stop reading this but I don't really know why。 I did enjoy Melissa Broder's other books a lot and I appreciated the honesty in this one but it just seemed a little bit too all over the place。 The second half especially was very convoluted and the ending was abrupt and meaningless。 I couldn't stop reading this but I don't really know why。 I did enjoy Melissa Broder's other books a lot and I appreciated the honesty in this one but it just seemed a little bit too all over the place。 The second half especially was very convoluted and the ending was abrupt and meaningless。 。。。more

Tyra ，

I absolutely adored this this book。 It means so much to me now and is definitely a favourite

Payne ，

i got bored。 maybe it wasnt supposed to be， but the sex wasnt very sexy。

Aubrey Stapp ，

Very。。。。。Freudian

jessica burgess ，

I’m not quite sure what this book was trying to do。 Its plot felt， especially at the ending， useless。 And as someone who has “recovered” （as much as one can） from anorexia， seeing someone with severe anorexic tendencies just “let them go”—as if it were that easy—for another person seems ludicrous。 Although it is true that everyone’s experience is different， I don’t believe that any severe anorexic who gained 13。5-14。5 pounds would be as okay as Rachel， to me， appears。 This book felt as if all th I’m not quite sure what this book was trying to do。 Its plot felt， especially at the ending， useless。 And as someone who has “recovered” （as much as one can） from anorexia， seeing someone with severe anorexic tendencies just “let them go”—as if it were that easy—for another person seems ludicrous。 Although it is true that everyone’s experience is different， I don’t believe that any severe anorexic who gained 13。5-14。5 pounds would be as okay as Rachel， to me， appears。 This book felt as if all the plot—which was great at the outset—was stuffed into the first third of the book， but as it wore on， everything stagnated: the characters， the plot， the narrative。 For this book to be described as funny？ I must have the worst sense of humor on the planet， either that or autistic， like I have been told; I didn’t find any of the jokes or humor。 And it’s only erotic if you find the word “cunt” every five seconds to be erotic; Miriam and Rachel’s relationship was too blandly and quickly sketched out to be considered “erotic” to me。 But if you did enjoy this book， I do wish I could see what you see。 。。。more

willow ，

this book put me in a reading slump tbh but still give stars somehow…

Anjali Raghavan ，

3。5 。。？ I think。。 the ending was weird but I did speed thru it

uliana ，

4。5 stars

Marie Kos ，

Melissa Broder is the master of finding the beauty in the profane and uncomfortable spaces of life。 This novel was more joyous than her previous book， The Pisces， and I really loved that。

Sara ，

weird and not necessary made me very uncomfortable 。 The story had no point it lacked depth like REALLY lacked depth 。 She barely touched the surface ， no love story développement， no religious debate in herself depth， the way she handled talking about the plaestinian struggle was barely enough and the only thing she did carry all the way to the end was the ED but it was again badly executed 。 The sex was omg so awfull and disgusting 💀💀💀💀

Willa ，

Glad I read this because my brain literally cannot think thoughts any more invasive or sexual than this woman and it makes me feel better that there will always be someone out there who has crazier thoughts than me and SAYS THEM out loud（Don't read it at school） Glad I read this because my brain literally cannot think thoughts any more invasive or sexual than this woman and it makes me feel better that there will always be someone out there who has crazier thoughts than me and SAYS THEM out loud（Don't read it at school） 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Milk Fed

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Milk Fed&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Milk Fed&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0