Good Material: A Read with Jenna Pick
A novel
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4.0 • 446개의 평가
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- US$11.99
출판사 설명
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK • From the best-selling author of Ghosts and Everything I Know About Love: a story of heartbreak and friendship and how to survive both
“Like Nora Ephron, with a British twist….Delivers the most delightful aspects of classic romantic comedy—snappy dialogue, realistic relationship dynamics, humorous meet-cutes and misunderstandings—and leaves behind the clichéd gender roles and traditional marriage plot.”
—The New York Times
Andy loves Jen. Jen loved Andy. And he can't work out why she stopped.
Now he is. . .
Without a home
Waiting for his stand-up career to take off
Wondering why everyone else around him seems to have grown up while he wasn't looking
Set adrift on the sea of heartbreak, Andy clings to the idea of solving the puzzle of his ruined relationship. Because if he can find the answer to that, then maybe Jen can find her way back to him. But Andy still has a lot to learn, not least his ex-girlfriend's side of the story…
In this sharply funny and exquisitely relatable story of romantic disaster and friendship, Dolly Alderton offers up a love story with two endings, demonstrating once again why she is one of the most exciting writers today, and the true voice of a generation.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Alderton (Everything I Know About Love) delivers a flat anti-love story focused on flailing comedian Andy Dawson and his ex, the "annoyingly loquacious" Jen Bennet. The action kicks off with Andy making a list of justifications for ending the relationship, including Jen's smugness, snobbery, and childishness. He continues to obsess over Jen during bouts of day-drinking and comedy gigs in London, vacillating between fond memories and frustration. Despite his insecurity about his career and his growing bald spot, his treatment of the breakup is awash in arrogance and selfishness. Over several months, Andy and Jen separately come to terms with the direction their relationship was headed (the latter's perspective is provided later in the novel). Andy wanted children and to pursue his artistic dreams, while Jen didn't want a life centered on being a mother or wife. Alderton stitches in attempts at zany humor, such as Andy's brief stint living on a houseboat and his interactions with his best friend's children, but the jokes don't quite land. While the subversion of the typical love story intrigues, the unpalatable characters extinguish its charm. This misses the mark.
사용자 리뷰
Good read!
So this is the first rom-com book I’ve ever read and I’m honestly able to say I enjoyed it. Experiencing the relatable ups and downs with Andy and the characters that surround him was fun. At times, the story felt slow but it is a page turner. :]
Like Watching The Breakup… in Book Form
This one was a solid three-star read for me. Honestly, it gave me the same feeling I get watching The Breakup with Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn—you just sit there frustrated because you know the relationship’s flaws come down to miscommunication, and you just want to shake the characters and make them talk it out.
Alderton writes the messiness of love and breakups so well, but for me, the lack of resolution was tough. Instead of a clear sense of growth or closure, we’re left with this murky space where both characters decide they’re either better off together or better off apart—without ever really fixing what was broken. It leans more depressing than cathartic.
If you like realistic, messy relationship stories that mirror real life (where sometimes people don’t get neat endings), you’ll probably appreciate this more than I did. But for me? It was just okay—a thoughtful read, but not one I’ll be rushing to revisit.
Hope for more
Very slow read and repetitive story line for 2/3 of book but I liked the ending.