MatchDotBomb: A Midlife Journey through Internet Dating (Paperback)

by Francine Pappadis Friedman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

What happens when you find yourself out there again, after years-or even decades-of being half of a couple?

Ask the 89 million adult men and women who are living alone. Or, better yet, follow one woman's true, touching, and hilarious return to singlehood. Filled with unforgettable characters, MatchDotBomb is the thinking woman's Bridget Jones's Diary-and an indispensable guide for smart men who want to know what's really on a woman's mind.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Wheatmark (April 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587366991
• ISBN-13: 978-1587366994
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #147,624 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bringing dignity, wit and meaning to online dating, June 19, 2007

By	Linda Papciak (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

Francine Pappadis Friedman accomplishes a great deal in this book. She gently moves her readers through moments in her life that reveal joy, heartbreak, survival and, ultimately, spiritual enlightenment. And on the path from here to there, you are treated to an amazing assortment of "close encounters" that keep you turning pages, shaking your head, laughing and sighing. I was deeply moved and thoroughly entertained if somewhat anxious, because the further I read, the more I was cheering Francine on. I wanted her to find her elusive soul mate. Of course, you will have to read the book to find out if that's what happened. MatchDotBomb is a gift to every person who, tired of the fix-ups and tired of the loneliness, chanced one fateful day to look at the computer screen and wonder..."what if"? If that is you, read this book. If you don't know online dating from fly-fishing, read this book. If you are a man, a woman, or even a semi-intelligent life form from another planet (many of whom, I am convinced, run personal ads on the Internet) read this book. Francine's story is a poignant reminder that life is not about the destination. It is about the journey.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revealing as well as entertaining, April 22, 2007

By	T. G. Roupas (Holden Beach, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

MatchDotBomb: A Midlife Journey through Internet Dating, by Francine Pappadis Friedman

Reviewed by Ted Roupas

(Five stars)

Francine Friedman undoubtedly speaks for countless widowed, divorced, or never-married middle-aged women who have turned to the Internet in hopes of finding a man, and been disappointed by the goods on offer. In a hilarious catalogue of male defectives, she encounters a doctor who can't keep his hands to himself, a lawyer who is always ready to sue regardless of fault, a jokester whose wisecracks quickly grow tiresome, and many others. After each turn-off, she finds a way to end the date early and retreat to her beloved bubble bath, where she soothes current disappointments while reflecting on certain men in her past who were truly dear to her: her father, her older brother, and her husband, all now deceased. Despite the inability of any of the current Internet offerings to measure up to these sterling male role-models, she is ultimately an optimist, who finds the journey she is on to be revealing not only about those she meets along the way, but about herself as well-- the things and the qualities in people that are important to her.

Her eye for character is sharp and precise, her ear for dialogue impeccable, and her thoughts to herself (often just the opposite of what she is telling her date) extremely amusing. I highly recommend this book, both to women and to men who want to know (as I do) what women-- particularly successful, sophisticated, discriminating women-- think of them.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Baby Boomer Searches for Love--but Finds Herself, August 17, 2007

By	Marlys M. Styne "Author of 'Reinventing Mysel... (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When fellow Chicagoan Francine Pappadis Friedman found herself widowed in her fifties, she was devastated. "When I got married years ago it was .. 'til death do us part. I just never counted on that death part."

Spurred on by two good friends, Francine, an attractive, hard-working professional woman and fifty-something mother of two grown children, tried the world of Internet dating. Her encounters with a rogues's gallery of lonely men are hilarious; her dates range from the always-angry, cynical lawyer who sees a potential personal injury suit everywhere and the aging hippie with long white hair, earrings, tattoos, and a motorcycle to the extreme health nut, obviously much older than stated in his on-line profile, who talks only about his diet and exercise regimen. They are all there: the extremely needy, the seemingly deranged, the not-so-funny joker.

Along the way through her journey, Friedman also describes a trip to Greece when she was twelve. It was a family trip to the country and the tiny village where her father was born and raised. Understanding her heritage was important to her life journey, as was reflecting about her happy marriage and family life.

Francine Friendman seems to understand the men she meets very well, but this book is not really about Internet dating. She does not find her soul mate, but along the way, she finds herself. Discovering who we really are and what we really want and acting on that knowledge are what really matter. The author learns this lesson. Her book is about an awakening and about following one's own dreams.