Customer Reviews: Read 48 more reviews...
 Where was the editor? July 3, 2008
This is so disappointing. The bar is always high for Marian Keyes and this isn't a bad book, but...... It could have been so much better. Good central plot and some interesting characters but sloppily edited. Is the problem that Marian is so famous and such a good seller that her publishers don't dare tell her the truth?
The book needs cutting and some careful editing. It also needs to lose the diary style which is inconsistent, irritating and unneccessary. If you want to know how to do diary, then read Alison Pearson.
Please don't do this again Marian. You are one of the best around and this was rambling and undisciplined.
 Very Good June 30, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
My favourites of Marian's are Lucy Sullivan... Rachel's holiday...Is anybody out there? and The other side of the story. This is written like The other side..., with four characters (3 main, one minor). Each one is written in a different style with Lola's being sort of diary-like and in almost an abbreviated style, rather unusual. I still loved it, it made me laugh and cry, and I like the ending. I got it from the library but will have to buy it in paperback as would read it again! 4 stars as it wouldn't be my absolute favourite.
 anybody out there? June 30, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I know, that's the name of Ms. Keyes last (and brillant) novel. But really, this season has been something of a dud for this genre, hasn't it? Two of my favorite authors are Keyes and Jennifer Weiner. Both have always been successful with their unique, intelligent perspectives on women's stories. They have proven their talent for writing with depth and a balance of humor and serious subject matter. This time around, though, fans of Weiner's "Good In Bed" were offered "Certain Girls," which turned likeable, independent, heroine Cannie Shapiro into a fretting frau that grown women hope to never grow into- less of a mother than a "smother." I was really holding out for Keyes latest, and excited at losing myself in its nearly 700 pages- but it is really a mess. As other reviewers mentioned, the acknowledgement in the beginning spoils the secret of this "charming man" the novel revolves around, making the layers of plot and narration that cover the "big reveal" a waste of time, especially given how tedious the initial narrator, Lola, is. Reading over one hundred pages of a diary, "written" in memo-like broken sentences, when it seems unlikely that the character keeps a diary and we've all been Bridgit Jonesed to death? Tedious. I usually admire Keyes for her character development. With that said, it is unless Lola was a fool who couldn't determine difference in importance between distinct life events, she would constantly bring up the exact name of her hair color while going through what turns out to a be a real crises? For so very many pages, there is little character development that makes you care about the story, despite the sad fact of the subject matter. The absence of a great Weiner or Keyes read lead me to the fairly predicable Kinsella, who was unpredictably disappointing with "Remember Me?" (too simple, too silly, boring) and the abysmally cliche I-feel-bad-about-myself-for-reading-something-this-corny Jane Green. My advice? Check out the thank-you in the front of "This Charming," save yourself the book price and donate it to help the people she is trying to assist through her story. That, or volunteering the time it takes to wade through 700 pages, could really change the world. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Emily Giffin and Allison Pearson will come through now.....
Poor June 28, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have read all of Marian's books and enjoyed every single one, except this one, I have found it such hard going that I have given up.
A Good Read June 26, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
As usual, Marian Keyes newest novel, This Charming Man, kept my interest and I recommend it. Although the book claims to be about 4 women affected by one man, Paddy de Courcy, Alicia remains a mystery to the end. I never considered Paddy as charming, either.
A number of reviewers have commented negatively on Lola's voice, as the writing is in diary short-hand. However, in the first chapter, her voice rings true and she is very, very funny. Later on in the book, her short-hand style began to get on my nerves, as all the characters sound like her.
Keyes deals with some tough subjects in this book--domestic abuse and alcoholism. She does an exceptional job with these subjects.
I really did like this novel, but it was unevenly edited. The beginning and the end were top-notch, the middle needed work. While I would have appreciated more humor in the heart of the book, Keyes does a great job of keeping the reader mystified over several key plots.
Keyes has a keen understanding of human behavior that comes out in her books and which make her an internationally best-selling author. She falls slightly short on two key characters in this book, but the other characters--Lola, Grace and Marnie--are all fleshed out very well and I came to care deeply about them.
By the author of the award winning book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet.
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