Customer Reviews

Mr Commitment

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There are several questions about men that women have been struggling to answer for some time. Why must they always hold on to the remote control? Why can they only talk during commercials, even when they are watching reruns? Why do they hate shopping with us? What exactly do they do in those electronics stores for hours? Why wont they commit? Mike Gayle gives a little insight in his book, Mr. Commitment. This is the story of Ben Duffy, and young comedian struggling to come to grips with his commitment phobia. His girlfriend, Mel, is ready for marriage, but is he?

This book was a big surprise to me. I really didnt expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I tend to usually read only female authors. I identify with them more, but this book was just what I needed. It was great to get the male perspective on relationships. Men and women will never fully understand each other, but it's nice to know that we all have the same doubts and worries. I will definitly be looking for more from Mike Gayle.

I enjoyed reading this light romantic comedy about a typical male who can't commit. Having read novels about men who can't commit from a woman's perspective -- Animal Husbandry, Bridget Jones's Diary -- it was nice to read a man's point of view. Duffy is a delightful and sweet hero. Why on earth was he so endearing? Aren't commitment-phobes supposed to be cold-hearted men with no souls? That is exactly why I enjoyed this novel! The hero has great human qualities that make you forget that he's allergic to marriage. I love the part in which he seems as though full possession of the remote control is a main priority in his life. I recommend this cute book from a great male British author!

My girlfriend gave me this book. I guess it wasn't the most subtle hint in the world! From the minute I picked it up I was totally enthralled. I was laughing, I was sniggering and surprisingly I found myself nodding my head in agreement with both Duffy and his girlfriend Mel. I can totally identify with Duffy's struggle as I'm sure most guys can. It's not like we're totally afraid of commitment - it's like Duffy says in the book we just have to come to terms with it. Gayle has a real talent for finding humour in the small things of life and it's this identification that makes this book such a winner from the word go. When I finished the book I gave it to my girlfriend, who cried at the end, then we talked about the book and we've decided to get married! Now, tell me how many books can do that! Fantastic!

I will be blunt: this book is great. Mr. Commitment is the story of Duffy, a guy in his late twenties trying to sort out his love life. It is touted as "the male Bridget Jones," but I think it kicks Bridget Jones' butt. Where she was whiney and annoying, Duffy is funny and charming. His smart, satrical patter and his love for his girlfriend immediately drew me in. Mike Gayle writes in a very realistic manner, so reading this book was like a sneak-peak into how guys think. A refreshing must-read for any romantic, such as myself.

This is one of my favorite books this year. Maybe even The Favorite. The narrator Duffy freaks out when his girlfriend Mel starts to talk about marriage and babies. He loves Mel but he'd be happy if things stayed just the way they were. But Mel isn't happy, and it's obvious things are going to change. But can they negotiate a future together or will he lose Mel altogether?

This book is so funny and so truthful. There are lots of laugh out loud moments and some oneliner gems that summarize the dilemma of the whole human situation pretty neatly. It's been compared to Bridget Jones but while it's just as funny it's a lot wiser and the main character is infinitely more likeable.

I can't praise this book highly enough without sounding like the publisher's PR guy so I'll just say that I loved it, maybe you will too.

Yes, here it is, another book about a single Londoner, unlucky in love and with jobs.. but this time around, our heroine is actually a hero - wow. And I must admit, that while I enjoy the Bridge Jones books and their clones, this was a welcome break from that formula and opened up a whole new world by showing things from the male perspective.

Instead of the perfect boyfriend, this time around there's a perfect girlfriend our hero has mucked things up with - and the central theme ... can Duffy commit or not? Despite the very typical premise of a commitment-phobe male, Mr. Commitment is not a typical book - it's extremely well-written, humorous, enjoyable and quite believable. As Duffy reaches his decision, you realize that you've pretty much watched him get there, seen why he did it, watched him bond the way guys do and everything falls into place without being contrived or too shmarmy (of course there is some shmarm, as it's also basically a romance). And it didn't feel as though someone had taken the same old plot and simply switched genders - throughout it felt as though things were being told from a male perspective.

I definitely enjoyed this book both more than I expected and more than I've liked others in a similar vein. There are great characters, a good story, humor, drama (of the funny sort) and a whole new lens through which to view things. I think this book has a lot to offer to anyone, whether or not you like the genre. I came away very impressed and surprised by how much I liked it and how highly I recommend it.

With the ever-growing mass of first person perspective novels about women and relationships with jerks, losers and other scumbags, it's really quite difficult to feel sorry for those men out there. But from Duffy's perspective, you see relationships in a whole new light.

Ben Duffy is adorable from the start, from the way he reacts to befuddling situations such as furniture shopping to the idea of holy matrimony. His character is funny and sweet and easy to relate to--even for women. Listening to him, beeing terrified of commitment makes sense!

Another postitive point about the book is that it gives women a chance to sit inside the head of an average male and find out what they think about us. Even though the book is written by a male, it's really a "chick book," and it's quite good too.

The book gives a realistic sense of romance. Most contemporary romances would never have a stand-up-comedian with commitment problems as their hero, but contrary to the norm, it's almost a bit more romantic to have the Knight-in-Shining-Armor be cute and slightly confused.

I reccomend this book to all. It's well-written and romantic in a cute way, and a fun read that will make you smile.

This book is an eye openerer in our Mars and Venus world. Benjamin is happy with his life as it is - hanging out with his "guy" friends, drifting through life as a sometime stand-up comic and engaged to a girl he really enjoys being with - Mel. But they've been engaged for 4 years and Mel would like (gasp) a permanent commitment.

Told completely from Benjamin's perspective makes this a book somewhat different from what you may have been reading recently. Just the chapter on their shopping trip together to pick up furniture is worth the cost of the book - not just for the humorous value but from what Venus may learn from Mars.

You definitely won't go wrong with this book. You'll laugh, even cry and hope there's a sequel.

I loved Mr. Commitment! While reading the first chapter I caught myself laughing outloud. It was easy to see myself in the words Mike Gayle had written and easier to see my boyfriend (of 5 years) as Duffy. I have read portions of this book aloud to my boyfriend and it has helped us talk about our relationship. For hopeless romantics this is a must read!

I loved this book so much -- it was like someone had been inside my love life and was reporting back from the trenches, but in a funny and enjoyable way. I gave a copy to each of the last three losers who could have been my "Mr. Commitment", but failed the test. They could learn a lot from Duffy.

This book is truly romantic, but not in the frou-frou sense. If you liked this book, you must definitely read Love Songs of the Tone-Deaf -- the definitive guide to the mind of a commitment-phobe who learns what he's missing out on. Both of these novels are some of the best contemporary writing on a subject that continues to fascinate me -- who knows for how much longer? Arrgh!