Customer Reviews

It's My F---ing Birthday

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

This book should NOT be compared to Bridget Jones' Diary-that's an entirely different animal. Yes, it is about a single woman, but this book does not have the zippy, Brit hipness about it found in Helen Fielding's book. What it does have is one of the most hysterical descriptions of bad sex I have ever read. "It's My F---king Birthday" explores exasperating relationships with parents, getting older and staying single, and finding self-contentment.

Some reviewers criticize Markoe's writing as lazy, and while I get the distinct impression that this short novel wasn't something she toiled over, that doesn't mean you should enjoy it any less. It is not a deep read, and if that's what you're looking for, look elsewhere. But if you're looking for something funny and poignant, check it out.

I was under the impression this book was going to be hilarious, but I actually found it to be quite dark and depressing. That's because to me, the still-single 30-something (and then 40-something) character with the hyper-critical, absolutely unhelpful parents is all too familiar to me. The author really set down a realistic picture of a woman's single life. I especially liked the "dumb girl" inside the lead character, that little voice that keeps egging on an otherwise smart and successful woman to find a man, to date men she's not attracted to, to make the best of a bad relationship because of this idea that we're all supposed to be with someone - anyone. Because maybe the "illusion of progress is as good as progress" (a concept introduced by the character's mother). And the birthdays - it was a relief to find an author who understands the strength a person needs to keep smiling when she's in her 30s and spending her birthdays with two clueless parents who wonder why you're not married while they're sitting there arguing and being completely loveless. Yikes. This book gave me the chills! Single women - it's not that funny, but that's the beauty of it.

I really enjoyed this book. I think I liked it best, because, unlike Bridget Jones, the humor and instances were culturally specific to Americans, so you had a deeper connection with the author's experiences. I also liked the fact that the book focused on an older woman's relationship with her parent's and her continuous attempts to preserve a positiove relationship. Also, unlike most "thirty something" books, the author had a real job and was not in a glamerous profession (ie: magazine editor, TV show host, public relations, ect..) she's an art teacher.

The only draw back is that the book can get very slow at times, so you probably won't finish it in a day or two. The reader will find the most enjoyment by reading a few pages every night.
Overall, I would give it a thumbs up and would say it is worth buying in hard cover.

Dave Barry, David Sedaris, and Cynthia Heimel all make me chuckle, but Merrill Markoe makes me scream with laughter until tears run down my cheeks. Yes, her humor is dark, mordant, and bitter but nobody uses sarcasm better. Perhaps we are just on the same wave length. I have loved all her collections, but this, her first novel, may be the funniest thing she has written so far.

This is the funniest book I've read in a long time. I went in not expecting much, and I ended up laughing so hard, I had tears in my eyes. For anyone who has ever experienced embarrasment at the hands of your parents-you'll appreciate this. For anyone who needs a good laugh, this book is a great choice.

... and kinda pathetic. This was touted to me by Amazon (2 days before one of the big "0" birthdays) as like Bridget Jones. It's not. The only good feeling I got out of this book was that I am not as screwed up as the narrator (what is her name??? Imagination failure?) Like the other reviewer, I sensed a dark depressive undercurrent, mostly from her horrible parents. We know so little about this poor woman, and it's too much anyway. Okay, I did finish it but the ending was lame too.

I got this book not so surprizingly on my birthday. At first I thought the title was funny and the back excerpt seemed hilarious. But the actual book was not so funny. Typical of may thirtysomething single woman books, it focus on the narrator's lack of a positive love interest. True there were some really funny moments, but mostly I sensed a depressing undercurrent. The totally horrible relationship with her parents and obsessing over a past breakup became tiring. I was also a bit bothered with the narrator's "detective" work, it bordered on weird.

There were some lessons to be learned. Don't take the bait with people that want to pick a fight with you and try to learn something new each year.

However, this thiry something single lady is glad...no overjoyed that I find much more happiness in my life that the narrator managed to squeeze out of hers!

Hard to believe such a "chick" book could have such guy appeal. I found this book on my wife's nightstand and had to pick it up, just cuz of the title. I had to laugh because I too know all these guys that the narrator runs into year after year - they're my buddies!! But to hear it from the other side was hilarious - nothing more talented than a writer who can make you laugh at yourself. The narrator's encounters give further proof to the testament that men are from mars and women are from another...universe!!! A fun, witty quick bedtime read.

I'm kind of shocked that a seemingly brilliant woman who produced all those hilarious man-on-the-street segments for David Letterman would spend so much energy on all this whining. I don't think that's how she intended it to come off to her readers, but it does. I can understand a 14 year old being conflicted about reprimanding parental authorities or confronting someone with whom she was emotionally attached for 7 years, but a 38 year old professional woman? It's just annoying. Therein lies the problem: no sympathy for the protagonist. Merill Markoe came to my attention as the girlfriend of David Letterman and it is hard not to imagine that the "Carl" in this novel is not him. Frankly, the totally detached behavior of Carl is probably justified. Both Carl and the protagonist of this novel are stuck in a permanent emotional state of adolescence. The kindest thing they ever did for each other was to detach. It's true the protagonist brings some baggage into all her relationships in the guise of her parents. Okay, they're awful; but it would have been funnier if the parents were more than cartoon embodiments of all things the daughter despises. The protagonist is pushing 40 and still unable to tell her mother not to buy her clothes because they have different tastes? Worse, she can't tell her parents to be more civil in restaurants? She can't tell her father that she is uncomforable with his floozies? Why not? That's why she can't find a boyfriend. She needs to grow up first!

SUMMARY: an unnamed, unmarried, thirtysomething female narrator takes the audience, via one chapter, through one year in her life. Every birthday, she analyzes her life, resolves to make changes, and vows to learn something new. Unfortunately, she can't seem to break the patterns of behavior with which she's been suffering for most of her life: bad boyfriends, bad sex, bad parental relationships. While not technically a memoir, this novel is too poignant and simply too REAL to be pure fiction.

WHY YOU'LL LIKE IT: True moments of hilarity abound throughout the text. I believe Markoe didn't name her protagonist because it allows the reader to mold the character into whatever they choose -- and good luck not identifying with most of her travails!

WHY YOU WON'T: There are numerous cringeworthy moments where you want to grab the narrator by her shoulders and shake some sense into her. I had several moments where I actually spoke, "What are you THINKING?! Stand up for yourself!" It can get frustrating, but that's what makes it real.

BOTTOM LINE: Not esoteric or life-changing, this novel is a quick and frothy read which will make you laugh, make you think, and make you appreciate how normal your family is (in comparison).