- Hardcover: 272 pages
- Publisher: Broadway Books (Jun 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0767907132
- ISBN-13: 978-0767907132
- Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 14.7 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,446,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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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 --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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"
--This text refers to the
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
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.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
An excellent book exploring the countless stresses of the man who wants it all, the happy family life and the free single one. The main character is pulled in both directions throughout the book with funny, touching and life-changing consequenses. I recommend this book to anyone, especially those familiar with the constant demands of young children, it made me realise I wasn't alone!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Worst a Man Could Read?
A very boring book. The main character in this book speculates that the best a man can get could be a night with Pamela Anderson or a new Ferrari. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Johns
The best a bookworm can get...
Former Spitting Image TV writer John O'Farrell turns his hand to `lad lit' prose in this hilarious tale of how men struggle to cope with the reality of becoming a father. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Luke Edwards
quite funny
Not the funniest book I have ever ready, but still a good laugh, in the lads lit Hornby mode. Certainly not top-flight literature, but the writing is involving and pretty pacey,... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Captain Kirk
I took the plunge and really did laugh out loud!
John O'Farrell is a genius! The Best a Man Can Get is a real page turner that will have you chortling for ages. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Murdo
LOVED IT
I stumbled across this book and thought I'd give it a go. I never expected it to be so funny! I laughed out loud an embarrasing amount reading this. Read more
Published 12 months ago by kestral
The funniest book ever??
That great humour where you really can imagine the events happening.....easy read, wonderfully written, very very funny.....Undoubtedly the funniest book I've ever read!! Read more
Published 14 months ago by A. McLean
The best a man can read !!!!
I am sure if you read the first 10 pages of this book, you will not put it down to the very last page.
I bet you would have an smile on your face all the way through . Read more
I bet you would have an smile on your face all the way through . Read more
Published 19 months ago by Aryankids
Funny book
I thought this was a funny take on 30-something men. A bit too obvious in parts perhaps, and a bit too sentimental maybe, but all in all a good read. Read more
Published on 2 May 2010 by EddieMan
Laugh-out-loud funny.
I bought this a few years ago because I was looking for something in the same vein as Nick Hornby's earlier books. I found it hilarious. Read more
Published on 20 Feb 2010 by Zara
good laugh
One for the couple that want a good excuse not to have kids. A good laugh
Published on 10 Oct 2009 by Daniella Thompson
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