Customer Reviews

Getting Over It

5 star:		(80)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Getting Over it is a fabulously funny novel and you'd have to be a complete sourpuss not to enjoy it. There were countless times as I read the novel that someone asked me what I was reading because I was laughing out loud. Anna Maxted has a tremendous talent and I look forward to reading anything else by her (hurry, please!). Getting Over It adds an additional, interesting layer over the typical humourous single woman in London story in that Helen, our heroine, must deal with the sudden death of her father and all of the complications that ensue (emotional problems, dealing with her mother, etc.) And yes, it is a romantic comedy, so we see her meet a guy, lose him, etc. All of Maxted's character's are terrific and entertaining. What really makes this book unique, however, is the humor. I highly recommend this book, but I warn you--don't read this in a crowd if you are prone to embarrassment, you won't be able to stop yourself from laughing out loud.

I have fallen in love with this book! The comic timing is precise and the story is infectious and enchanting. Anna Maxtet is -- without a doubt -- one of the funkiest and boldest new voices in contemporary fiction. Helen Bradshaw is a great heroine; Bridget Jones has got nothing on her!

After having lost her father to a heart attack, Helen's world crashes down. Well, her life has never been perfect anyway. After all, she has a menial job at a woman's magazine, drives an old Toyota, has had her share of bad boyfriends, lives with the roommate from hell, her mother is the mother of all drama queens, her friends always seem to be perfect, and her cat, Fatboy, is the only man in her life. While she tries to deal with her mother's grief, Tom -- a charming veterinarian -- sweeps Helen off her feet. But will he stick around after having witnessed Helen's embarrassing tequila incident? There are some memorable and incredibly funny moments in this novel. Getting Over It is one of those rare treasures that should be read again and again. I strongly recommend this title. Now roll along and get it!

I first picked up Getting Over It, read the back cover, and immediately put it down due to lack of interest. Days later I was still desperate for a new book and, almost reluctantly, decided to give it a try. What a giant surprise! After reading so many generic books about the modern day life of a 20-30 year old woman, Getting Over It was anything but generic. After reading a book with Anna Maxted's witty style it's hard to go back to another author. No one is as creative, hilarious and insightful as Anna Maxted. She captures our insecurities while also showing our strengths. A book not only about romantic relationships but about those with our parents and friends as well. My mom has now read it and is recommending it, as it not only made her laugh, but gave her insight into her own relationship with her mother. Please write a sequel!

Single British Twenty-Something works in the media and has a tough time grasping which man is right for her, even when it is obvious to the most sedated reader. Sound like anyone you've read about before? Yes, the book is Bridget Jones-ish, but written with almost 100% complete sentences and not a single mention of calories consumed (I loved BJD, but wouldn't want to read a copycat version). Helen Bradshaw comes across as smarter than Bridget, even though she does frequently make foolish choices. Helen's father unexpectedly dies in the first chapter and the remainder of the book offers an honest and touching look at the sorrow, anger, regret and ultimate acceptance attendant upon this life-changing event. It also offers a realistic portrait of coping with a widowed mother, and of the balancing act that is being a daughter, friend, career woman, pet-owner, city-dwelling tenant/home-buyer and, of course, woman of dating age. Fast-moving, funny and poignant.

Well, I think I might have reached capacity in the single gal in London lamenting over her family/body/job/lack of boyfriend genre. If you take a look at the other books I've reviewed, you'll see that I've been around the block with the likes of Marian Keyes, Isabel Wolff, Helen Fielding, and scads of other writers who want to cash in on the next Bridget Jones. Getting Over It, like many of its kin, is a relaxing, enjoyable read. Ms. Maxted is witty, and she tells an engrossing yarn. But, this can't hide the fact that the plot is ultimately yawningly predictable and the characters are more caricatures than representations of real, fleshed-out people. BUT WAIT! I _did_ like the book. I would simply warn readers to be sure that they know what they're getting into. It's not great literature; you won't sit around mulling over its moral implications for hours. It's a fun little story about a 20-something gal whose father dies, mom goes temporarily nuts, roommate kicks her out, cat pees in her underwear drawer, and friend is a victim of domestic abuse. And then there's the obligatory love interest who waxes and wanes throughout the course of the novel. Good fun, but I think my next choice will be a bit more substantial.

How utterly refreshing to read a novel about a believable, realistic female character and her daily follies. I have a lot of girlfriends who are exactly like the main character, Helen Bradshaw. Also, I was able to indentify with some of her daily struggles. This is a funny, fictional account of one woman's issues with life, death, work, her mother, her grandmother, friends, and boyfriends (or at some points, her lack thereof.) It begins with Helen's life being instantly turned upside down by her father's death. She spends the rest of the novel trying to piece her life back together. Some of the things that happen along the way are really humorous. I highly recommend this book. It's a light, funny read for anyone who is just looking for something to take to the beach this summer or likes to relax with a good book, this is the one! Enjoy it, I did :)

I followed this, no flipping back and forth like in the Girls Guide. Anna Maxted's writing is clear and conscise with wit and humour thrown in throughout. Her previous experience as a sex columnist is obvious in her hard hitting details about looking for Mr. Right in the 90's (or now 2000). Although the book deals with getting over a parent's sudden death, Helen Bradshaw, the main character, reveals all in a stream of consciousness style that makes her one of the most entertaining and likable characters out in the summer reading. GET IT TODAY; YOU'LL LOVE IT!

I bought this book without realizing the title referred at least in part to the main character, Helen, getting over the loss of her father, and the realization that the relationship we would all like to have with our parents was not going to happen for them. I expected a light book that would make me laugh.

What I found was a book that was sometimes light and irreverent. It had me in stiches on one page, then touched and crying along with Helen the next. It made me think about our recent loss (my adored mother-in-law) and I empathized with the jumble of emotions Helen experienced. I think that anyone who has lost a loved one, or that doesn't have an ideal relationship with their parents, whether the parents are living or deceased, will be able to identify with her.

Helen has a sharp sense of humor, very petty and cruel at times, but very funny. It served her well through her relationships with her loser boyfriends. I wish I could recall some of her lines when dealing with people that frustrate me. She is funny, but makes a lot of mistakes within her relationships.

The book also deals with the issue of physical abuse, and I think it handles it well. It also shows the value of friendships, no matter how strange your friends may be.

I highly recommend this as a funny and touching read.

Every young woman who laughs at herself will surely enjoy the antics of GETTING OVER IT's heroine,Helen Bradshaw. I found myself in a whirlwind of memories as I shared Helen's many relationships--the distanced father, the controlling mother,the Gestapo boss,the knight in shining armor, the one-night stand gone awry, all the way up to the friend with a low self esteem; THIS BOOK TOUCHES ON SOME OF THE REAL SITUATIONS IN LIFE. Every one of my single female friends will receive this novel from me, for as they laugh and cry outloud, there are some real lessons to be learned about getting over bad situations and growing into healthy adulthood.

Anna Maxted has made an impression on me. She goes to show you that one can write a goofy, funny, Bridget Jones-ish type novel without coming off as a complete airhead comedy. Sure, the heroine, 26-year-old singleton, Helen Bradshaw, is by no means a wise, witty, scholarly being, but this character has a good heart with real feelings and struggles, not just a whiny life-hates-me attitude that provokes no sympathy from readers. Getting Over It, you could say, is the anti-Bridget novel that is uproariously funny with come-backs and one-liners that can put Henny Youngman to shame.

Just like any typical young twentysomething, Helen Bradshaw has a boyfriend that doesn't quite measure up (although very pretty to look at), a job that is less than glamourous, and a boss who she'd like to cross off her Christmas card list. But when she gets the call that changes her life, Helen is beside herself with misery. Her father, although not her best friend and barely an acquaintance, has died and left her mother in a state of hysterical depression. In the meantime, Helen's friend, Tina, seems to be going off the deep end in a totally different way, leaving Helen with too much on her plate to deal with and not enough time to come to terms with her own feelings of loss.

Getting Over It is a very powerful novel that deals with very serious subjects. Anna Maxted manages not to drag the novel into the ground with too much depression, however, and creates a highly readable and escaping story. Humor runs rampant throughout the pages without making light of the seriousness of the situations. A very good story with laughs on every page. I couldn't even finish the book without ordering her second novel right away. Definitely an author to keep on your shelf.