Customer Reviews

Girlfriend 44

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Girlfriend 44 is the sort of book you always look for but can never quite find-the sort that you want to read in one sitting but you can't because it's so good you want it to last forever. You end up reading it at outdoor cafes and laughing out loud, not caring who hears you or what they think, you read it half hanging off of your bed, comfortably slumped as its spell overtakes you, you lope down the street with a goofy grin on your face as though you are in love.

The setting is modern London, the heroes are Lost Boys who live for a pint and the perfect woman, but you don't have to be an Anglophile to appreciate the sarcastic irony of this male confessional.It's a male "Bridget Jones" or a "High Fidelity" without the music. There's even a bit with a dead body. Highest marks for this book.

This book may contain more than you want to know about the workings of the male mind. "Girlfriend 44" is a laugh-out-lound/ groan-inside, novel about how men view women, dating, sex, themselves and each other. Prepare to be equally amused and HORRIFIED!

I enjoyed this book immensely even though the character in it is vain, sexist and rude, a real guy's guy and a real guy's book. Harry, the main character, gets annoyed by everything in life and I mean everything. It's all very identifiable. There are so many poor guy books around these days but anyone who enjoys Nick Hornby / Steve Horsfall will love this.

Ah, two men vying for the attention of a beautiful woman, and turning into complete sleazeballs with self-centered intentions trying to do so. This book is very hard to find (I just happened to pull it off the shelf at a library).

The book starts off rather slowly, with plodding conversation between the two potential 'suitors', and drags on for about 30 or so pages, but once the chase begins things get hairy and neurotic. The book is fun from there.

Barrowcliffe, to my knowledge, didn't write anything else, but this is definitely an entertaining book. If you've got a few bucks to spend, FIND IT.

Women do not like this book. In fact, they don't seem to understand this AUTHOR at all. Barrowcliffe is a master of the male confessional, and the women who have reviewed his writing obviously have difficulty facing up to the honesty that Barrowcliffe laces into the descriptions and dialogs within his books. It is unfortunate, but true, that men are inclined toward a cycle of self destruction and are constantly the cause of their own undoing.

The narrator of this book lives true to that premise and much of the book centers around the search for the right woman, the intricacies of courting, and the Mallory principle which has been the destruction (and justification) of so many men.

Women don't want this to be the way men work, but Barrowcliffe's painful honesty when dealing with his subject matter is what makes this book truly stand out....Sorry ladies.

Maybe it's me, but I read about 30 pages and put this book down. I had a hard time getting into it, understanding the humor, following what was going on...They introduce you to Harry with a letter he writes in the first chapter and then he's at home & i guess kinda thinking to himself & then we see his two friends. Then it gets hard to follow what is going on, he's thinking to himself, he's reminiscing about his family, then he's talking with his friends, he's looking at pics of old girlfriends, some girl decides to stop by, they are analyzing a letter his friend Gerrard wrote....where is he going with all of this?! I felt over-whelmed, did he want to introduce us to the character, his family? His friends?? Then mix past with present?? Then you hear about how Gerrard is a kind of womanizer, but I thought Harry was too? It's unclear what traits they have that seperate them. I guess this book isn't my cup of tea!

I picked this one up at a convenience store in Scotland because it looked interesting. It kept me entertained during the trip back. Not as dry as most British Humor, but filled with amusing anecdotes and interesting comedy about being a bachelor with a strong sex drive. The plot surprises at times and is an adequate vehicle for the in-your-face humor. Don't expect a masterpiece of modern literature, but read it if you laugh at the articles in Maxim and FHM. This is a fun one, and reads quickly despite its heft.

This book is an absolute must read for guys. It's one of the finest novels I have read. The British humor cracked me up. Brilliant and masterful. Don't miss it.

The only thing that keeps me from giving this a 5 star rating is that the first half of the book is much better than the second half. The first half is uproariously funny and the second half tends to drag. I would recommend it with the caveat that those who are into being politically correct won't like it. If you like the Flashman books, you'll probably like this one.

I read a review about '44' in a music pub (CMJ) and thought, "I'll check it out." What luck I fell into!

What I checked out was MY everyday 'doings' as I became engulfed in a story that could have been directly from transcripts of my life.

I found much of the dialog shockingly similar to that of my friends and me and that which wasn't, provided 'new' material for me to use the next time I see them! Successfully I may add.

It's a love story, a drama, a tragedy turned comedy turned narrative on post-college established dating scene; you know the time with career, money, friends and a heck of alot of baggage.
The time everyone envisions as a sophisticated stage in life, yet is really the same gulp of mouthwash, used and swished to the other side of the cheek...and still minty!

It's worth a swig and swish.