Customer Reviews

Isn't It Romantic?: An Entertainment

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

What a delightful book! I bought it on the strength of the great review I read yesterday in the New York Times. Hansen is a master storyteller and does a wonderful job with this lighthearted and terrific read. I've loved all of the rest of his books (especially "Mariette in Ecstacy") and while this one is a departure for him (that is, romantic comedy) it's a winner.

This short (under 200p) little romance by Ron Hansen is the story of a pair of French lovers on a bus trip across America. As they bicker their way into the Heartland, they plop down in Nebraska and talk on and on, trying to decide if they should marry. It's silly, witty, brainless, irreverent, and laugh-out-loud funny. Of course it's not serious literature, but it's great, great, great. Just have a cup of hot chocolate and a few chocolate chip cookies, settle down in a cozy spot, and enjoy yourself. But be careful not to spill the hot chocolate: guffaws will spring up unannounced.

This is the only book I've ever read that reads just like a movie script -- and this is a good thing! Ron Hansen has written an exciting, hilarious story that would fit perfectly on a movie screen without having to chop out any scenes. I loved it; it was entertainment at its finest.

Isn't it Romantic? tells the story of a French couple, Natalie Clairevoux, and her fiance, Pierre Smith, as they journey across America on a bus tour. Natalie, fed up with Pierre's loverboy ways, has decided to take the vacation of her dreams -- alone. But Pierre tracks her down in Omaha, wondering what in the heck? Pierre's cosmopolitian, European self doesn't belong amidst Midwest corn fields, so certainly this vacation of Natalie's must be a joke, right? Some sort of punishment for his waywardness? Then the bus breaks down in Seldom, Nebraska -- population 395 -- and the fun really begins. Stranded in the middle of nowhere, Natalie and Pierre are taken in by the friendly, quirky residents of this sleepy, peaceful town.

I laughed so much at the madcap scenes in this book. I can totally visualize the actions in my head in perfect detail. The citizens of Seldom are one of a kind, especially Owen, who has dreams of marketing his Nebraska wine, and Carlo, the cook at the café, who embarks on a matchmaking mission. Ron Hansen did an incredible job bringing these characters to life, and I will be looking for the movie adaptation in the future (hopefully!).

Ron Hansen's latest novel is a departure from his previous historical novels, but Hansen never ceases to entertain. The characters are extraordinary and hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud and wishing there were someone in the room to whom I could read several sections aloud. I can picture this novel as a movie. The slamming doors of the boarding house on the night of the "Revels" seems right out of Moliere. I've always enjoyed Ron Hansen's writing, and this comic novel does not disappoint.

It's right there in the title for Pete's sake! This book is a departure from Ron Hansen's usually more literary works, in much the same way Grisham and Balducci left their genres to write literary books and Christmas themed books. I read Isn't it Romantic on an airplane trip and couldn't wait to turn it over to my husband so we could talk about it. I cracked up throughout the whole thing, especially when Owen says to Pierre that "This chicken tastes just like frog". I want this book produced as a movie because it has all the potential for hilarity if cast well.

This book is not a grade B work by Hansen, it's a unique little delight, something we can all appreciate from time to time.

I was really excited to read this little novella. It's rare, but every once in a while, I really crave a good, entertaining romance story, and I particularly prefer the well-written ones that are almost literary. Anyway, a romance novel written by Ron Hansen seemed like it would his the spot. I've read Hansen's Mariette in Ecstasy, and I knew he could write, and I thought that his effort at writing would be an overwhelming success.

I was mostly right. I read the novel for what it was, an entertainment, and I enjoyed it, for the most part. The plot follows two Parisians, Natalie and Pierre, who are engaged but who are considering calling off their marriage. Natalie impulsively takes off on a trip to America, sort of hoping to get away from her fiancé for a while. Of course, Pierre tracks her down in the tiny Redding, Nebraska, and confronts her about their future. And that's the big question of the novel. What's going to happen to this feuding couple? Are they going to marry? Are they going to hook up with someone else? Are they going to go off in their own ways? Of course, the small-town people they're stuck with are weird (as are most small-town people--I live in a small town), and they're going to have some say on the whole matter. It's a good plot. This mixed bag of characters and the awkward situation makes for some really pleasant reading and for some really funny moments.

My primary critique of the novel is that, for me, it never went beyond pleasant. The whole novel struck me as being just too "movieish" (and Hansen modeled this after the screwball comedy of the `30s). By that, I mean several things. First of all, there was just a feel at times that you were reading a pretty good screenplay but a fairly blah novel. There were several times where scenes fell flat because Hansen was trying to describe a scene that would have worked visually but not in words (such as one of those scenes where several characters are trying to find the correct room in hall and they keep opening the wrong door). Also, like with a movie, I felt like a passive audience through most of this. It's kind of difficult to describe this, but there was a certain barrier between me and the events of the novel that didn't allow me to really engage with the story. I enjoyed it pretty well, but I didn't just love it.

Overall, Isn't It Romantic was a solid summer read and would make a fine movie. It wasn't perfect, but it was pleasant and pretty satisfying. I can see a lot of people really enjoying this.

This book is fun, funny and light-hearted. I enjoyed it very much. It will make a great chick-flick. It's a little like Lake Wobegon, and a little like Mitford, with a french couple thrown in for flavor. My only problem with this book is that it left me wanting more, which is not always a bad thing. I would have liked a little more detail in some areas. It is very short and would make for a great day of reading at the beach.

I've really enjoyed Ron Hansen's novels and non-fiction. A Stay Against Confusion was particularly meaningful to me. Then he writes one of the funniest novels I've read in a long time. Truly you will laugh out loud as others have said.
The people in this novel are true stock characters and yet they seem real; the reader will want everyone to be happy at the end of all the comedy.
I really don't want a movie made of this: the descriptions suffice. What a talent is Professor Hansen!

I laughed out loud at the characters, dialogue and unlikely situations in this delightful book, but was disappointed in a perfunctory, conventional ending. Toward the end, the writing descends into a staccatto, scripty patter that makes one think the author has a screen treatment in mind. Not a bad idea. Nonetheless, it's a quick, delightful read and recommended. All the more funny if you're French, from Nebraska, or both. The character Owen is a complete scream -- my favorite.

Mr. Hansen usually gives us books with a bit more texture to the story, but I cannot complain about that since this book is utterly charming. It is a sweet, romantic story about a young French pair who, while working out their relationship, and on a bus tour of the US (the kind that takes you to see the home of the Maytag washer), end up in a lovely little town of nice, tho eccentric Americans. Sound hokey? It doesn't matter. This book will bring a huge smile to your face and make you want to sing.