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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
simply 'flu' by..., February 7, 2005
I had flu this weekend and decided to go to Tesco's for some medicine. Aswell as filling up the trolley will lemons, various flu tablets and pain killers, I threw in Mike Gayle's His n' Hers for £3.45. Having read all of Mike Gayle's novels so far, I was ready for what he delivered. Its another classic Mike Gayle and you get what you expect, which is nice. The story flies by and within 6 hours (in between blowing my nose and sneezing) I had finished the book. It was excellent. The story, though predictable, is nice to follow. I did feel, however that Jim's sudden change of heart towards the middle-end was very abrupt, turning the story sideways all-too-sudden. Obviously, I dont want to give too much away. For all residents of the UK, there is one MAJOR error that all should spot. The day is Tuesday and he's 'watching Coronation Street'!!! Errrrmmm... Coronation St is a soap opera institution in the UK and has never run on a Tuesday! (Monday and Wednesday originally, then including Friday and now including Saturday (omnibus) and Sunday). Thats the kind of error that should be spotted straight away. Aside from that, a very good read, especially if you have flu. You dont have to think too much, just follow the story and it projects itself on the page like a movie. EXCELLENT!!!
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Well Written Book About Relationships, Although a Bit Confusing, an Inconsistent Character and Predictable Ending, April 26, 2011
His N Hers is the third book by Mike Gayle I've come across. It's a lot better written than his debut novel My Legendary Girlfriend, simply due to the fact that the two main characters Jim and Alison are much more likeable and interesting characters than Will Kelly the main character in that one. I like the written through the eyes of both Jim and Alison style, however at times I had no idea which character was narrating until someone else they interacted with referred to him or her. Maybe it would have worked if each had an alternate chapters rather than paragraphs which sometimes kept the same character for the subsequent one. Overall His N' Hers is an enjoyable novel albeit it with a very predictable ending. I also didn't really believe Jim's right hand turns in personality that happened twice in the novel, neither fit his personality up to then, but I guess they were needed to for the simple plot to work. There's not really a plot, we're just along for the ride as two people meet each other at university, eventually get together, have their relationship tested when one gets a career breaking job down in London, years later split up, then on the death of the cat who spent most of its life with the two of them decide to meet up before going to the vets to decide on how to dispose of the cat. The book doesn't occur in chronological order either, we know at the start the cat's dead, and they've been split for quite some time. I would have enjoyed the novel more if this had all come as a surprise, but that's not how it's written and it's still a good read anyway finding out why. If you don't want to take a gamble on a full length novel by Mike Gayle check out his short story from the Quick Reads series Men at Work. That's the excellent book I first discovered this author's work with and decided to give a few of his full length novels a try.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An intriguing, quick read!, November 29, 2006
This review is from: His 'n' Hers (Paperback)
This was my first read of a Mike Gayle novel and I was impressed. Author Mike Gayle has a crafty gift for character development and story telling. The book drew me in so much that I finished it in a few hours on a cross-country flight! It is a shame that it sat on my shelf for so many months before I got to it. In this novel that is set in the U.K., we follow two love birds Jim and Alison through a friendship, romance and break-up as they each tell their own side of the story. Jim and Allison first meet at a party for freshers (beginning university students). Mike Gayle captures both the male and female voices perfectly and fashions a tale that has you vacillating between feeling for Alison, while still wishing Jim well. Brought back together by the death of a jointly shared cat, Jim and Alison have both gone on with their lives, but are driven to reflect on their relationship and its demise. "His `n Hers" is an intriguing read that will be enjoyed by men and women alike.
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