Customer Reviews

High Maintenance

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read "Going Down," a couple of years ago and have been eagerly awaiting Jennifer Belle's new novel. I wasn't disappointed by this one-in fact, I actually laughed out loud in several parts. The story is compelling and fascinating, Liv is so real that it's painful (and embarrassing when you realize you have been in the same types of situations), and I just couldn't put it down. She's the kind of writer that makes you want to re-read her work several times because you always find something new to love. I was definitely sad to see it end and already looking forward to her next novel!

This book is very funny and very black. Ms. Belle's unique and profound sarcastic comments are non-stop. If you like Sex in the City and have fond memories of Tama Janowitz this may be for you. It made me laugh out loud all day on the beach yesterday. I have not read Going Down, but now I'm looking forward to it.

I am a huge fan of Ms. Belle's first book, "Going Down", and I have been waiting for years for her next book to come out, and I was certainly not disappointed.

"High Maintenance" is extremely funny and well written -- I'm glad to know there are still women out there that are not afraid to be sarcastic. Many of the books published about young single women these days are not very realistic, and it was refreshing to read a voice that was true to life. Not only did this book make me laugh out loud, but it was the rare kind of book that I could not wait to get home to keep reading -- although that did not last too long since I devoured it pretty quickly.

I only hope that Ms. Belle does not wait so long to write her third novel; in the meantime, I have every intention of re-reading "High Maintenance" -- and I have not re-read a book since I was a child.

I have read so many good books in the last year and this is just not one of them. The characters are not quirky, they're weird. Neither Andrew nor Liv are all that developed and I can't say that I like either one of them. The author doesn't give you any reason to like them. And what was the curtain stealing all about?

This book is just odd. It was hard to get through and the end wasn't all that spectacular. If you still feel the need to read it, borrow it from the library or call me. You can definitely have my copy.

I wanted to like this novel -- really, I did! But I couldn't muster the energy to enjoy it. Even though I love reading satires -- especially if they are based in New York -- this one did not spark up my interest.

I had a hard time believing a lot of the things the heroine, Liv, was able to achieve in a relatively short amount of time. Having separated from her husband, Liv missed the apartment they'd shared more than the marriage itself. So she set out to becoming a real estate agent to check out the available New York apartments and lofts with gusto. Liv was able to find a so-so apartment in Greenwish Village, become a real estate agent and land three clients in quick succession. Having lived in New York, no one's life runs so smoothly, especially with Liv's apparent low resources. However, High Maintenance is not an entire waste of a book. I liked the eccentric characters -- they were very New York! And there were some rather witty remarks and interesting passages as well.

All and all, High Maintenance is not one of my favorite books. But it isn't terrible either. You may like it or you may not. After all, just because I didn't like it doesn't mean that others won't...

Jennifer Belle writes a rare kind of fiction: Lit for chicks who don't like chick-lit. While it may wear the trappings of that fiction, her second novel "High Maintenance" is darker, edgier, funnier, grittier, and far more original and fulfilling, a weird take on the traditional coming-of-age tale.

Liv Kellerman has just left her husband.... and their luxurious apartment. Now she misses the apartment more than her marriage. After working briefly for a blind judge, Liv decides to try her hand at real estate -- and quickly discovers that she's a natural. Except she's distracted by her lovesick lesbian boss, a rundown tenement, and new boyfriend Andrew who is still living with another woman. Oh yes, and he likes to chew on her ear when they have sex.

After her boss gets a bit too lovesick (and slightly nuts) for her taste, Liv moves to a better real estate agency, but her life is still in something of an uproar. Andrew is beginning to act weird, and her new clients are not much better -- even asking her to donate ova. When she finds out more about her boyfriend, Liv takes matters into her own hands to achieve the life -- and home -- that she has always longed for.

Woman leaves no-good husband, forges new life and career alone, finds new boyfriend -- chick-lit, right? Wrong. "High Maintenance" avoids the obvious story twists in favor of zany characters and increasingly strange situations. Especially since -- unlike many authors, Belle doesn't seem to think that a hunky boyfriend is the ultimate goal. Happiness (or at least contentment) is.

Considering the story's beginning, "High Maintenance" could've easily been depressing. However, Belle's insightful writing and peculiar scenarios keep things spicy and remarkably funny. She writes matter-of-factly in scenes such as a bathtub (complete with occupant) crashing through a restaurant ceiling, or Liv rushing to a vet's office after Andrew bites off part of her ear.

Liv herself seems like a remarkably real person -- she keeps trying and persevering, even when living in a ratty tenement and working out of an office in a crack-filled slum. While her affair with the cheating ear-biter is annoying, the way she breaks it off -- complete with gun and Mid-Eastern cab driver -- is hilarious.

Belle is particularly good with supporting characters, such as the blind judge, the wronged wife, the crazy apartment-hunters. Yes, they are all weird. But they also seem completely real, as if they could really exist. What is more, her love for New York -- and yes, New Yorkers -- shines through, in passages such as Liv's trip to the Empire State Building.

Funny, dark and sometimes bizarre, "High Maintenance" is a remarkably funny, unusual novel. And it will teach you to never ever date someone who bites your ears.

Liv Kellerman is a gutsy New York girl that has just left her husband, after finding out that he was cheating on her. The worst thing about the situation is having to leave her beloved apartment, which she misses more than the husband.

So begin her adventures as a newly single newly professional woman. Liv decides to go to realtor school and becomes a real estate agent. Her exploits are so terribly funny - the author has real comedic talent! I haven't laughed out loud with a book in quite a while, and this book actually had me tearing up at some of the situations.

Liv truly could be summed up with the words "high maintenance", which is how her ex-husband described her. She meets some real screwball characters during her adventures in realty. I highly recommend this book to anyone in need of a good laugh - it really does the trick! I read the whole thing in about a day. Enjoy!

Jennifer Belle writes an engaging story of finding ones self, a soulmate, and a good loft in Manhattan, not necessarily in that order.

Liv Kellerman leaves her no good husband to a barely functional apartment, and after an odd job as an assistant for an eccentric blind judge, becomes a real estate agent. As Liv starts putting her life back together, we meet an odd assortment of clients, boyfriends, co-workers, and off beat people in her neighborhood.

The strength of the book is the Kellerman character. She is strong, yet can be vulnerable. Savvy, yet prone to surprising lapses in judgement. She keenly understands the character of various living spaces in New York, and makes numerous clever observations throughout the book.

While looking for the perfect loft in Manhattan is not something I've ever experienced and probably never will, the book is really about finding one's place in life, which is something we can all relate to.

After reading 'Going Down' within a matter of hours, loving every word, enjoying my infatuation with its main character (actually, both main characters--Bennington and New York), and appreciating Belle's writing, I wouldn't have missed this book for anything. It was very good, and very worth the effort and time it took to read it. My main gripe about this book was my horrible distaste for the main character's newfound boyfriend. I hated him, and in every instance he appeared I wanted someone--anyone--to smack him. (I won't give away the end of the book, so I'll stop now.) Belle is a wonderful writer, and I found Liv (the main character) to be very appealing, but I do think Belle could have easily, given her talent, developed her character with a few more quirks. I recommend this book to anyone who liked 'Going Down,' and anyone who likes modern NYC novels. I can't wait for Belle's next....

I was looking forward to reading Ms. Belle's follow up book from Going Down, which I totally enjoyed. I felt this book wasn't up to snuff but still entertaining. I did not really care what happened to Liv after a while during the book, her ill choices in men and flaky attitude I couldn't identify with. I could not feel sorry for a character who could at will just drop one expensive New York apartment for another just like that, an unrealisitc option for most of us living in Manhattan! Despite these flaws the book was entertaining and funny as hell. Recommend.