Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
557 used & new from £0.01
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Best a Man Can Get
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

The Best a Man Can Get (Paperback)

by John O'Farrell (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £2.00 (25%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, July 14? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
27 new from £1.20 527 used from £0.01 3 collectible from £0.01
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Paperback 169 used & new from £0.01

Frequently Bought Together

The Best a Man Can Get + May Contain Nuts + This is Your Life
Price For All Three: £16.97

Show availability and shipping details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

May Contain Nuts

May Contain Nuts

by John O'Farrell
3.6 out of 5 stars (40)  £5.49
This is Your Life

This is Your Life

by John O'Farrell
4.0 out of 5 stars (24)  £5.49
Things Can Only Get Better: Eighteen Miserable Years in the Life of a Labour Supporter, 1979-1997

Things Can Only Get Better: Eighteen Miserable Years in the Life of a Labour Supporter, 1979-1997

by John O'Farrell
4.4 out of 5 stars (41)  £5.99
Global Village Idiot

Global Village Idiot

by John O'Farrell
3.0 out of 5 stars (5)  £5.99
I Have a Bream

I Have a Bream

by John O'Farrell
4.2 out of 5 stars (4)  £6.99
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Black Swan; New edition edition (4 Jun 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0552998443
  • ISBN-13: 978-0552998444
  • Product Dimensions: 19.9 x 12.8 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 14,501 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #7 in  Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Families & Parents > Fatherhood
    #26 in  Books > Fiction > Contemporary Fiction: 1970 Onwards > Lad Lit

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
Some men are born fathers, while others have fatherhood thrust upon them. The protagonist of John O'Farrell's The Best a Man Can Get belongs indisputably in the latter category. When his first daughter is born, Michael Adams imagines her as the warden of a prison that will permanently deprive him of his youth and freedom. Terrified by his new responsibilities, he regularly escapes to a bachelor pad across the Thames, pretending to be at work. Another child arrives--and with still another on the way, it is only a matter of time until Michael's wife discovers his double life. At that point, he must make a choice between his family and his hedonistic haven.

By turns hilarious and touching, O'Farrell's book delves deeply into the anxieties of modern parenting. Yet the novel is not without empathy for the 21st-century father. After all, it's easy to imagine the lure of a child-proof hideaway, insulated from sleepless nights and dirty diapers. At the same time, Adams often wonders whether "just being tucked up warm and cosy" is really "the best a man can get". With its charming prose and its truant protagonist, this first novel is sure to win over even the most reluctant parent. --Greg Bensinger

Review
"'Excellent...Things Can Only Get Better will make you laugh out loud' Angus Deayton 'Very funny' Mail on Sunday 'Punchline fuelled, relentless humour... I don't think a woman is going to get much closer to the workings of a man's mind than this. Giggling several times a page with plenty of out-loud laughs is guaranteed. Is John O'Farrell funny? Very' The Mirror 'So funny because it rings true...Packed with painfully well-observed jokes' The Times 'This is SO good. It is howlingly funny. Madly well-written, astutely and ruthlessly observed and so insightful about men, women, love and parenthood that you read every page with a wince of recognition. Fab, fab, fab' India Knight 'A hilarious confessional narrative. This wickedly observed page-turner lets bachelor nostalgia joyride to its absurd conclusion...Piquant and irreverently sardonic' Literary Review"

See all Product Description

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Best a Man Can Get
65% buy the item featured on this page:
The Best a Man Can Get 3.8 out of 5 stars (49)
£5.99
May Contain Nuts
14% buy
May Contain Nuts 3.6 out of 5 stars (40)
£5.49
An Utterly Impartial History of Britain: (or 2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge)
9% buy
An Utterly Impartial History of Britain: (or 2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge) 3.8 out of 5 stars (64)
£4.93
I Have a Bream
6% buy
I Have a Bream 4.2 out of 5 stars (4)
£6.99
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

49 Reviews
5 star:
 (18)
4 star:
 (12)
3 star:
 (12)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
 (4)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (49 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Funny book, well worth a read, 2 Jun 2005
I really enjoyed this book, it drew me in at the start, and kept me laughing throughout. While the ending is arguably weak, and the funnier parts are at the start, the book is about a journey of self-awareness.

Michael Adams is essentially a good father and a loving husband, caught up perhaps in his own selfishness and always aware of the mess his own father made of being there for him. As he tells the story, O'Farrell adds observational, sardonic humour but still manages to produce a tale that should resonate with any father, or anyone who has ever questioned their commitment in any long term relationship.

Well worth a read.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars If there has to be a 'lad dad' genre, O'Farrell's your man., 17 Oct 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: The Best a Man Can Get (Paperback)
I really enjoyed "Things Can Only Get Better," and ordered this one not knowing the plot. But quicker than you can say Nick Hornby, I had finished it. Let's put in perspective: is this earth-shaking literature that will stand the test of time? Will they one day be talking about Shakespeare, Tolstoy, and O'Farrell? Of course not. What this is is an incredibly enjoyable, well-observed book that will make you laugh out loud and annoy whoever is around by saying, "Just read this paragraph." The book won't tax your brain, but it will put a smile on your face. And really, what's wrong with that?
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Few books make you laugh out loud..., 22 Jan 2004
By nicjaytee (London) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   
But… this is one. Featuring English humour at its best and similar to, but even better than, Nick Hornby’s “High Fidelity”, “The Best a Man Can Get” surrounds a clever storyline with more superb “one liners” than any other book I’ve read. Well written, and genuinely reflective on the dichotomies facing men when their lives become totally disrupted by childbirth, it’s addictive and above all “funny”. How good?... well my wife, children & I watched with great amusement as our male friend (one loving wife, two loving children) completely disrupted a day and a half of a recent holiday as he raced through it, accompanied by regular and wholly disconcerting hoots of laughter. Once finished, I picked it up and read it straight through in similar time accompanied by similarly uncontrolled outbursts. It’s totally “non-PC” but it’s honest, brilliantly witty and, in the end, charmingly tender. If you’re male, if you shared a flat when you were younger and if you’ve had children, you will definitely relate to it – if not, well… treat it as an instruction manual on how men in that situation really think.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars The Best A Man Can Get
I recently purchased several copies of this for our book club reading, and we were all amazaed at how funny it was. A damn good read and we would recommend it to anyone. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Karen Obee

4.0 out of 5 stars Which football team contains no letters that you can colour in?
This book was written just for me. I'm sure of it. John o' Farrell must have heard how I was feeling and decided to write me a novel. Honestly, that's how it feels. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Alan Campbell

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best a Man can Get
A very well written story of a man who leads a duplictious life - married with wife and kids one side of the Thames whilst having a weekday bachelor existence on the other... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Allen Tsui

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty and Well Observed
It was one of those chance things. Staying in a converted barn on holiday in Pembrokeshire the owners of the barn had kindly provided some books and DVD's for use by the... Read more
Published 9 months ago by JFD

3.0 out of 5 stars Funny, but boring on every other level
The plot is a man living with three other men in London while pretending to his wife (on the other side of the Thames) that he is secretly always working late. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Phil Latham

5.0 out of 5 stars the best a man can get!!!!!!!!!!!
great book. should be read by all the "SINGLE" blokes who cant or wont commit!! So reminds me of so many blokes living in London, South London.....
Published on 28 Jan 2006 by pavla

4.0 out of 5 stars The best I can get in the States
Kudos to John O'farrell. I write this perhaps, prematurely, (I'm only half way through the book) but judging by his other literary pieces, this one follows suit in the same genre... Read more
Published on 12 Oct 2005

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting idea but poorly written
An interesting idea, although it was disappointing to find out that the 'double life' isn't as duplicitous as it seems from the description on the back of the book. Read more
Published on 24 Mar 2005 by G. Thulbourn

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious, Side Splitting and Heartwarming
Occasionally some books have managed to get a little, brief chuckle out of me. However, this book had me laughing out loud on numerous occasions. Read more
Published on 27 Jul 2004 by Cara Cummins

3.0 out of 5 stars Scare first time Dads-to-be, terrify the Mums!
A touch of Ben Elton humour mixed with large handfuls of Nick Hornby and Tony Parsons family moralising; then just a dash of Helen Fielding vapid ridiculousness. Read more
Published on 27 Mar 2004 by Kid Ad

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Health & Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

Elemis Resurface and Renew Skin Care Gift Set of 4 Products
From soap to shavers, massagers to mascara, stock up on your daily essentials or truly pamper yourself.

›Discover Health & Beauty

  

Let Olay Amaze You

Olay Total Effects Day Moisturiser SPF15 50ml
Amazon.co.uk sells all your favourite ranges from Olay, including Regenerist and Total Effects.

›Discover Olay at Amazon.co.uk

  

Up to 50% off Dental Care

Braun Oral-B Professional Care 6000 Rechargeable Toothbrush - Pack of 2
Put a sparkle in your smile with up to 50% off selected Oral-B and Philips rechargeable toothbrushes.

›Up to 50% off power toothbrushes

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
4.5 out of 5 stars (74)£3.86
 Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer
4.1 out of 5 stars (462)£6.49
 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
4.1 out of 5 stars (164)£3.99
 The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
4.2 out of 5 stars (80)£3.86

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates