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29 Reviews

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
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4.6 out of 5 stars (29 customer reviews)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Few books make you laugh out loud..., August 8, 2002

By

nicjaytee (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best a Man Can Get: A Novel (Paperback)

But... this is one. Featuring English humour at its most incisive 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, one loving wife, two loving children) friend completely disrupted a day and a half of our 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" and very "English" 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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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Any guy with wife+young kids will find this book hilarious, April 5, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Best a Man Can Get: A Novel (Paperback)

The long tunnel you enter when having one or more small children enter your life -- those bipolar first 1-5 years -- are shocking for a lot of people. And specifically if you are a guy in your 30s with kids, you can likely relate to the author's view of the experience. Simple and hilarious insights into both husband-wife relations and some of the realizations you ultimately have as a new parent. The book is laugh-out-loud funny in many parts and is also a super-quick 300pp read. You'll likely just want to finish in one or two sittings -- its that good. Very Hornsby-ish too ... you can picture John Cusack as the lead in the movie if they ever made it.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for Nick Hornby fans, July 16, 2001

By

susancb (Astoria, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best a Man Can Get: A Novel of Fatherhood and its Discontents (Hardcover)

OK, so the plot is a bit high-concept. But it was all I could do not to finish this book in one sitting -- it's that smoothly written and hilarious. I laughed out loud at least once every other page, and tried reading it more slowly just to make it last longer. It might put you off the notion of becoming a parent, but maybe that's not so bad.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best a Man Can Get
However much we love our children, I don't know anyone (mother OR father) who would (secretly)not have wanted to have a home away from home (not metaphorically! Read more

Published on September 23, 2009 by Danielle S-I

5.0 out of 5 stars funny and well-written
The story of a father who wants some free time away from his wife and two young children. It's not Dostoyevsky, but it's well-written, funny, and unexpected (to me at least). Read more

Published on March 8, 2008 by Min Jeong Lee

5.0 out of 5 stars Wicked, outrageous, ruthless, and VERY funny with it
Michael Adams is living a double life. Under the pretense of work, while actually doing very little work, he shares a flat with three other men so that he can take time off from... Read more

Published on April 6, 2007 by maria1971

5.0 out of 5 stars Wicked, outrageous, ruthless, and VERY funny with it
Michael Adams is living a double life. Under the pretense of work, while actually doing very little work, he shares a flat with three other men so that he can take time off from... Read more

Published on April 6, 2007 by maria1971

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the Best O'Farrell Fiction Novel a Man or Woman Can Get But it is Still Very Good!
I actually recently read the second and third fiction novels by O'Farrell before finding this one. They are sensational hilarious reads, especially his masterpiece This is Your... Read more

Published on January 7, 2007 by James N Simpson

5.0 out of 5 stars Stay away from drinking beer or milk while reading this book
I feel sad that I have discovered John so late in my life. This book will figure among my Top 5 humorous novel lists. Read more

Published on June 16, 2006 by Jai, The Seeker

4.0 out of 5 stars A surprisingly hilarious book
I didn't know what to expect from this book when I received it from a Bookcrossing meetup. My only exposure to British humor is the outrageous kind, such as Monty Python and... Read more

Published on May 31, 2006 by Robert J. Baca

4.0 out of 5 stars The Best a Man can Get.
I ENJOYED THIS BOOK SO MUCH.VERY FUNNY AND KEPT ME UP LATE MANY NIGHTS WAITING TO SEE WHAT ANTICS HE GOT UP TO NEXT.A GREAT READ,I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.

Published on March 9, 2006 by Mary O. Connor

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
Brilliant observations, great characters and well-constructed.Many reviews link it to Hornby and Parsons and I would go along with that but then that's the type of writer I like... Read more

Published on October 6, 2005 by Diesel

5.0 out of 5 stars Super Duper
I loved this book, so much I had to buy it twice (some swine stole my bag and a copy of this book that I'd *almost* finished reading). Read more

Published on August 25, 2005 by Keefey

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First Sentence:
I FOUND IT HARD working really long hours when I was my own boss. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Clapham Common, Hugo Harrison, Michael Adams, South London, Classic Commercials, Kentish Town, John Peel, Manchester Street, Piccadilly Circus, Darren Freeman, Hull City, Special Brew, Thames Valley

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