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Review
Candidly told, it's a wry romance, sure to charm realists and idealists alike. --Daily Mail
Sittenfelds writing shows great subtlety as she follows her character towards womanhood... she is very real, and it is this that makes the novel so engrossing. --Sunday Times, Culture
Sittenfeld's cutglass prose and razor-sharp observations take her work to another level. --Observer --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Sittenfelds writing shows great subtlety as she follows her character towards womanhood... she is very real, and it is this that makes the novel so engrossing. --Sunday Times, Culture
Sittenfeld's cutglass prose and razor-sharp observations take her work to another level. --Observer --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Review
"'The Man of My Dreams is so free of tricks, the honesty is so startling, you feel there's a writer here who isn't trying to beguile you but to lay out some plain, raw truth about emotions and sex. This is a courageous, refreshing novel' Alice Munro 'The Man of My Dreams could be the women's novel of the summer, the one they talk about, dissect, analyze and compare with their own experiences. In this insightful book, Sittenfeld asks: Does every woman deserve a soul mate?' USA Today 'Sittenfeld proves herself once again to be a rigorous and wily stylist. She writes clear, funny, unadorned prose, and packs her pages with clever observations... The Man of My Dreams shows us a writer who is in it for the long haul' New York Times"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I was mad about Curtis Sittenfeld's first novel, "Prep" and gave it to several friends who all raved about it, so I rushed to buy her second novel. This is an easy read and she certainly writes well, describing very believable characters. I did find the main character, Hannah, rather too similar to the character of Lee in "Prep", and I will be interested to see whether more variation can be shown with her next novel. The story spans 14 years from when Hannah is 14 and shows her growing up and the difficulties she encounters with the opposite sex. Although it was an absorbing and light read, good for passing a long journey for example, I found it disturbingly depressing. Hannah has social problems with men in general, her peers and her family, and is not very likable so by the end of the book I felt pretty unsympathetic and wished she'd just pull herself together. It reminded me of an adage a friend of mine coined which was "just because someone is shy doesn't mean they're nice!" I'm sure people like Hannah do exist, I'm just not sure I want to read an entire book about them failing to seize the day and I ended up feeling slightly down heartened and drained as if an acquaintance I didn't like very much had spent hours describing their self inflicted problems to me! But there's no doubt this author really can write and I look forward to seeing what she does next.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Unlike most of the other reviewers I loved the character of Hannah. She is socially awkward, prickly, obsessive, grudge-bearing, sometimes petulant, and comes across as slightly Aspergers the way she misreads so many situations and other people's motives.
I think criticising the novel because of Hannah's faults misses the point. Sittenfeld has knowingly created a realistic, flawed character, not a cardboard cut-out heroine. She grows and changes throughout the novel, learns to be more self-aware, but is still recognisably the same person. The plot is slightly episodic rather than a tidy linear narrative with all the loose ends tied up- but Sittenfield manages to gets away with it, offering up a slice of life rather than a strongly plotted novel. Ok, I'm biased. Read it as a promise of what's to come in terms of the writer's outstanding talent. What Hannah has in common with Lee from Prep is her angst and uncertainty and her feelings of being an outsider and uncomfortable in her own skin. I think Sittenfeld captures those emotions and that interior voice really well. She conveys with great honesty how painful and difficult the transition to adulthood can be.
It's not as fresh as Prep or as considered as American Wife, I'm guessing Sittenfeld is probably dissatisfied with it herself now she has reached maturity as a novelist, but it's still very good indeed: well-written and engaging. I would read anything by Curtis Sittenfeld and would definitely recommend her, though I suspect she is more appealing to women (mind you, that seems to be the case with most women writers!)If you haven't come across her, start with Prep and then American Wife. After that you may forgive her anything.
I think criticising the novel because of Hannah's faults misses the point. Sittenfeld has knowingly created a realistic, flawed character, not a cardboard cut-out heroine. She grows and changes throughout the novel, learns to be more self-aware, but is still recognisably the same person. The plot is slightly episodic rather than a tidy linear narrative with all the loose ends tied up- but Sittenfield manages to gets away with it, offering up a slice of life rather than a strongly plotted novel. Ok, I'm biased. Read it as a promise of what's to come in terms of the writer's outstanding talent. What Hannah has in common with Lee from Prep is her angst and uncertainty and her feelings of being an outsider and uncomfortable in her own skin. I think Sittenfeld captures those emotions and that interior voice really well. She conveys with great honesty how painful and difficult the transition to adulthood can be.
It's not as fresh as Prep or as considered as American Wife, I'm guessing Sittenfeld is probably dissatisfied with it herself now she has reached maturity as a novelist, but it's still very good indeed: well-written and engaging. I would read anything by Curtis Sittenfeld and would definitely recommend her, though I suspect she is more appealing to women (mind you, that seems to be the case with most women writers!)If you haven't come across her, start with Prep and then American Wife. After that you may forgive her anything.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
We are three thirty-something sisters from Scotland and we have all read the book in the last week! We were major fans of her first book (Prep) and couldn't wait to read the next one.
We found it extremely readable and well-written. The characters ring true - from the sensible big sister to the outrageously wild cousin - and the action is fast-paced. You may have slightly less sympathy this time round with our heroine - she is a rather self-absorbed preppie rich kid offered lots of opportunities (including various fit men) and doesn't always seize them. However her plight is always deeply sympathetic and we'll definitely be looking out for book number 3.
We found it extremely readable and well-written. The characters ring true - from the sensible big sister to the outrageously wild cousin - and the action is fast-paced. You may have slightly less sympathy this time round with our heroine - she is a rather self-absorbed preppie rich kid offered lots of opportunities (including various fit men) and doesn't always seize them. However her plight is always deeply sympathetic and we'll definitely be looking out for book number 3.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Curtis Sittenfield is brilliant
All 3 of Curtis Sittenfield books are brilliant - It was a pleasure to read Prep, The Perfect Wife and "The man of my dreams". I really look forward to her next book. Read more
Published 13 days ago by Loves_Books
She's safe and alone again, as she is always safe and alone.
At one point in this book, Hannah's sister Allison says, "You give too much attention to things that make you unhappy. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Eileen Shaw
Another great book with a misleading title
I have to admit I had low expectations for this book - I only picked it up because it was reduced to £1.99 and I needed something to read on the bus. Read more
Published 4 months ago by A. Linton
A WONDERFUL BOOK
What more is there to say? Sittenfeld is a rising star of modern literature and I hope to see much more of her work. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Andrew
One of the worst books I've ever read...
I'm sorry, but I found this the most tedious, clunkily written and unsatisfying books I have ever read. It's going into my recycling bin this morning.
Published on 11 Sep 2007 by Cuckoo
Man of my dreams
This book was a real drag to read towards the end. I was just desperate to get to the end. It is funy in parts and Sittenfeld does seem to be able to capture the chracter's... Read more
Published on 5 July 2007 by kad
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