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Product Description
Financial Times, May 17th and 18th, 2008
This is a moving meditation on miscommunications between sexes.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'Everyone in my family, from my teenaged daughter to my husband and mother-in-law, has got something out of it besides laughter' Amanda Craig, Independent 'Very funny A convincing, moving portrait of an evolving relationship between mother and adult son' Guardian 'Brilliantly observed, howlingly funny and, if you have a son, all too recognisable' Woman and Home 'A moving meditation on miscommunications between sexes, across generations and over dinner tables' Financial Times
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There are so many bad comic novels out on the shelves that a really good one deserves flagging up. This has the simplest of ideas - three unmarried men in their thirties have mothers who are all friends. Discussing their sons, and agreeing that something has gone wrong with their lives, they descend for one week to sort them out.
One son works on a lad mag called BALLS, obsessed with women's breasts and designer gadgets, and is living the life of an urban bachelor. His horrified mother discovers not just dust but kinky S&M gear under his bed, and not only sets about to cleaning the shag-pad but crashes a launch party of a new aftershave and tries to set him up with a nice girl instead of a teenager....Another son hasn't yet come out to his mum, and lives in a gay commune where he is outed within minutes....The third has moved to Edinburgh to try and get over Erin, the love of his life whom he lost by not wanting children. Yet the mothers all have some growing up of thier own to do, and it's in depicting them with sympathy and warmth that Sutcliffe's novel rises above the hilarity of his early work. He seems to understand much more than the preoccupations of his generation, and in consequence women in their fifties and sixties will I think get as many laughs and sighs of recognition as those of us with young sons.
I began reading this in a foul mood, with rain lashing down etc etc and by the first chapter it felt as if the sun had come out. Although it's mostly dialogue, the passages of descriptive writing are excellent, and the ending perfectly judged. It would make a lovely film.
One son works on a lad mag called BALLS, obsessed with women's breasts and designer gadgets, and is living the life of an urban bachelor. His horrified mother discovers not just dust but kinky S&M gear under his bed, and not only sets about to cleaning the shag-pad but crashes a launch party of a new aftershave and tries to set him up with a nice girl instead of a teenager....Another son hasn't yet come out to his mum, and lives in a gay commune where he is outed within minutes....The third has moved to Edinburgh to try and get over Erin, the love of his life whom he lost by not wanting children. Yet the mothers all have some growing up of thier own to do, and it's in depicting them with sympathy and warmth that Sutcliffe's novel rises above the hilarity of his early work. He seems to understand much more than the preoccupations of his generation, and in consequence women in their fifties and sixties will I think get as many laughs and sighs of recognition as those of us with young sons.
I began reading this in a foul mood, with rain lashing down etc etc and by the first chapter it felt as if the sun had come out. Although it's mostly dialogue, the passages of descriptive writing are excellent, and the ending perfectly judged. It would make a lovely film.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
'Whatever Makes You Happy' is an insightful look at the relationship between mothers and their sons. It is accurate, moving and above all, very funny.
There seems to be very little publisher promotion for this book, which considering the subject matter and how easy it is to read, I find surprising. It is a book, begging to be pushed into the topseller list, with a potentially huge audience. I think 'WMYH' is ideal holiday reading, for both mothers and their offspring. (Although possibly not if you are all holidaying together.) Wives will probably enjoy it too!
Some of the reviews here bemoan the lack of originality of the characters. For me, these reviews rather miss the point. The three men in the story are supposed to represent as much of 'man'kind as possible. This novel is not really about the characters, it's about their maternal relationships. Sutcliffe vividly portrays how thirty-something males feel about their mothers, but this for him would have been the easy bit. More remarkable is how accurately he describes the maternal conflict of wanting your son to be free, whilst still feeling you know what's best for him.
This is a brilliantly observed, witty and sensitive novel. I think any son who reads 'WHYH' will view their mother through fresh eyes, and will hopefully understand them a little bit better. As a final recommendation, I intend on purchasing copies for every man I know with a mother, and every mother I know with a son, starting with my own.
There seems to be very little publisher promotion for this book, which considering the subject matter and how easy it is to read, I find surprising. It is a book, begging to be pushed into the topseller list, with a potentially huge audience. I think 'WMYH' is ideal holiday reading, for both mothers and their offspring. (Although possibly not if you are all holidaying together.) Wives will probably enjoy it too!
Some of the reviews here bemoan the lack of originality of the characters. For me, these reviews rather miss the point. The three men in the story are supposed to represent as much of 'man'kind as possible. This novel is not really about the characters, it's about their maternal relationships. Sutcliffe vividly portrays how thirty-something males feel about their mothers, but this for him would have been the easy bit. More remarkable is how accurately he describes the maternal conflict of wanting your son to be free, whilst still feeling you know what's best for him.
This is a brilliantly observed, witty and sensitive novel. I think any son who reads 'WHYH' will view their mother through fresh eyes, and will hopefully understand them a little bit better. As a final recommendation, I intend on purchasing copies for every man I know with a mother, and every mother I know with a son, starting with my own.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As I love William sutcliffe books on whole I am slightly bias. However this started off as good as any of his others. I was quite happily switching between stories waiting to see where each one would go. And all was good till the last few chapters, they felt rushed to finish and not quite what I hoped for.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Proof that the mother son bond can't be broken
This book in my esteemed opinion is absolutely top notch, top hole. In fact I would even go so far as to say it's a ripping good read. Read more
Published 23 months ago by BloomingBuryBoy
Fantastic book - really enjoyable.
I loved this book. While I thought the plot sounded farfetched from the blurb, when explained in the book it sounded much more plausable. Read more
Published 23 months ago by M. E. Cole
It didn't make me happy
Having recently enjoyed "Are you experienced?" I came to "Whatever makes you happy" with certain expectations:
1] it would be funny
2] it would have a youthful, nay... Read more
1] it would be funny
2] it would have a youthful, nay... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Zap Brannigan
Highly enjoyable light read.
These three instersecting tales of three childhood friends in their early-30s dealing with unannounced weeklong visits from their mothers is great. Read more
Published on 1 July 2009 by Ryan Millar
Mildy diverting comedy with some telling sections
I found Sutcliffe's novel very easy to read, skipping through it in a day. I particularly enjoyed the way Matt, the features editor of a lad's magazine, was depicted. Read more
Published on 4 May 2009 by F. J. Gilbert
Spot on-as always
as has been said many times, William Sutcliffe really does know his generation, and Whatever makes you happy is no exception. Read more
Published on 17 Feb 2009 by Westside
Funny in places...
I read this because it had been well reviewed and I had enjoyed Are You Experienced? It's a quick easy read, with some entertaining lines and scenes, but it's somehow not as... Read more
Published on 24 Jun 2008 by Smallstar
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