Brilliant

This is her first book. It is just brilliant and I hope she writes another one soon. I really loved it. Thank you so much. Brilliant book with a brilliant ending.

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Navel gazing New Yorkers

Well read book
Some interesting insights but...
Characters in this book appear very self absorbed ..

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Brilliant start, bored with characters by midway

Intriguing, thoughtful, funny, well constructed characters... at first. But the pace slackened, lost the intrigue (no real surprises or progress in the second half). But I'd look out for author's next book (please God not a sequel though!).

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Ok but not great

What irked me with this book, is how much space was given up for Toby to tell his story, Toby is such an unlikeable character and his self pitying and frankly unbelievable sex-life was boring.

I get that the author was trying to paint Rachel as a monster so that the “plot twist” would be more dramatic (no spoilers here!), but I really would have liked to have heard more of Rachel’s side as her character seemed far more nuanced and interesting.

Overall it is ok but didn’t feel balanced somehow,

Also, the narrator grated on my nerves after listening for too long.

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Amazing, enlightening and unique

Amazing, enlightening and unique. Like no book I've ever read before. Life, love, divorce and growing older all wrapped up. From both sides leaving as many questions as answers. A real page turner!

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Brilliant on every level

I was reeled in from the off and remained wide eyed enthralled throughout with the spot on, almost painful, often cringingly, accurate characterisation, observation and bell-clanging resonance of this book - and all in a debut novel. I listened over 4 days I was that hooked on it. So many insights here that will ring true for many of us in our own experiences of, well just life in general, relationships, careers, marriage, children and the WTAF is it all for-ness questions many ask and expect an answer to. If you read/listen to this book and don't recognise yourself, or others you must be living in a parallel universe. Highly recommended and I eagerly await another

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Highly recommend

Beautifully written,humanely and artfully constructed, the author consistently and delightfully wrong-footed me throughout. A great listen. Full marks to the narrator also.

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ambivalence..

can't work out whether I really liked or really hated this book. I found I had no sympathy for the two main female protagonists (and I think I was supposed to) and the male lead Toby was such an over privileged whinge that I wanted to scream at times.
That said, some of the sentiment about marriage, divorce, starting again....was so close to the bone that I had to respect the author.
Finishing chapter was a diatribe on the fashionable #metoo topic which annoyed me although #metoo is very close to my heart.
You can see why I am in a dilemma about this book.

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Slow, deep, funny and rude!

I can see how this might divide audiences as it appears to be about a man. But the writer uses tells women’s stories throughout. This book knows marriage!

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Wish I'd read it instead of listened to it

Great book, interesting, sometimes funny, feels true and important about marriage and life in general. Nightmarishly whiny reader whose pitch and choice of words to punch made the whole thing feel moany, shrill and generally like someone complaining about bad service in a restaurant, unjustly at that. Shame, because the you can still hear the text shine underneath. Just about.

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1 person found this helpful