Mr. Commitment [Kindle Edition]

Mike Gayle (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British magazine writer Gayle, author of the U.K. bestseller My Legendary Girlfriend, makes his American fiction debut with his second novel, the breezy tale of a young Londoner fearfully contemplating the leap from boyfriend to husband. Aspiring stand-up comic Benjamin Duffy suffers from a typical single-male afflictionDan extreme aversion to marriage. When Mel, his girlfriend of four years, presses him to make the proverbial commitment, Duffy wavers and spends the rest of the book trying to figure out whether he's the marrying kind. It takes a while for the author to establish a good pace and to capitalize on the potential of his comedian-protagonist's entertaining viewpoint, but the book takes off the moment Mel realizes Duffy is not genuinely ready to get married, and they break up. Duffy's ensuing forays into the dating world with "TV's Hottest Totty," an amusingly portrayed television personality named Alexa, bring the plight of today's single male hilariously to life. Duffy's jealous reactions to Mel's new boyfriend are laugh-out-loud funny, and Gayle skillfully captures the on-again, off-again patterns of contemporary relationships. Gayle's hero will undoubtedly be called a male Bridget Jones, and while the novel is not quite as sharp as Helen Fielding's trend-setting tale, it does offer up a winning portrayal of a man who, with humor, humility and a genuine gift for caring, finally grows up. Author tour. (Jan.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

At 28, Ben Duffy still lives with his friend in a slovenly London flat, temps at an office while trying to launch a sputtering stand-up comedy career, and sits idly by as his relationship with Mel remains stuck in neutral. To Duffy, everything is perfect, but then Mel proposes marriage, and Duffy (for once) must make a decision: Grow up or lose the love of his life forever. Duffy, naturally, decides to lose Mel forever. He agrees to marriage, but during a trip to IKEA, Duffy's ambivalence toward the impending nuptials is exposed, and Mel stalks off--for good. On Duffy's journey back, he discovers the value of commitment and the inevitability of change and also has a brief love affair with "TV's Hottest Totty." In this, his second novel, Gayle brings the same wry wit and hilarious plot twists that have earned him comparisons to Nick Hornby. Gayle's insights into relationships can be trite, but the sheer hilarity of Duffy's desperate attempts to cling to his pathetic life will amuse and enlighten both commitmentphiles and commitmentphobes. John Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 497 KB
• Publisher: Broadway; Reprint edition (August 6, 2002)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000FC1JEO
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #210,944 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #38 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Comic Fiction

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Mysteries of the Male Mind, July 10, 2002

By 

Kelly A. fuller "certified book nut" (Pennsville, New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mr. Commitment (Paperback)

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Commited to Mr. Gayle!, January 31, 2001

By 

CoffeeGurl - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mr. Commitment (Hardcover)

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!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful - a must for any commitment-phobe, January 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Mr. Commitment (Hardcover)

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!