Whatever Makes You Happy: A Novel [Paperback]

William Sutcliffe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 2009

“An excellent comic novel that interweaves the romance, humor, and pathos of three complicated families.”—Publishers Weekly

Three suburban moms who have long been friends decide to show up unannounced at the homes of their thirty-something layabout sons. Their goal: to swoop in and set things right. The result: a hilarious mix that will resonate with mothers who can’t turn a blind eye and their adult sons who can’t quite get it together.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Three British mothers decide that it's time their 34-year-old sons start to act like mature grownups. And if their sons aren't going to get with the program on their own, it's high time for a little maternal nudging. Each son has problems: Daniel has just been through a bad breakup and can think of few things worse than his mother, Gillian, nagging him about his bachelor state; Paul, Helen's son, who reminds her of her first husband, has never come out to her even though she knows he's gay; Carol's son, Matt, seems stuck in a life as shallow and glossy as Balls!-the magazine he works for. The result is an excellent comic novel that interweaves the romance, humor and pathos of three complicated families. Though it at first appears to be a simple roast of overly interfering mothers, the novel reveals itself to be a story of every mother's desire to receive in return some small measure of the love they have given. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Praise for THE LOVE HEXAGON: 'William Sutcliffe has captured the numbing pain of a couple who have been together too long; he is a master of the trivial domestic snit.' William Leith, DAILY TELEGRAPH 'THE LOVE HEXAGON is several cuts above most generation sex novels. For one thing, Sutcliffe is an extremely perceptive psychologist. He pushes his subject - twentysomething city life - onto the black leather couch and subjects it to some good old-fashioned psychoanalysis; the result is like a ruder, funnier version of Friends with voice-overs from Frasier.' Robert MacFarlane, OBSERVER Praise for ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?: 'Nobody is spared from Sutcliffe's acid pen and the result is a riotously funny trip across the sub-continent.' Martin Higgins, SUNDAY TIMES --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 292 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (April 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596914955
• ISBN-13: 978-1596914957
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,806,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Made me cringe but laugh at the same time..., April 25, 2008

By 

Debbi Feiner "theleopardldy" (Coto de Caza, CA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Whatever Makes You Happy: A Novel (Hardcover)

Being the mom of a 36 year-old son myself, I was naturally drawn to the story of these three women wanting to get to know their sons better. I'm glad mine is happily married though, so I wouldn't have to make the bold move they did here. At times I wanted to yell "NOOOO!" at their antics, but I have to say that overall it was well-written, amusing, touching and not-so-Hollywood-perfect like I was dreading by the conclusion. Carol and Matt, Helen and Paul, and Gillian and Daniel will stay with you after you'be finished the book. Great, quick read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars So well written., October 8, 2010

By 

LISA M. CAPRIO (Yonkers, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Whatever Makes You Happy (Paperback)

I stumbled upon this book at just the right time in my life. I'm 51 with a 21 year old son who does not live with me. So I relate well to the mothers' points of view. The author described aging as if he were a woman himself! Very insightful. I LOVED this book. It made me laugh and cry. Highly recommend it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This was a great find., August 28, 2008

By 

FiftyNinth (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Whatever Makes You Happy: A Novel (Hardcover)

I found this book by pure chance, but I am very glad I did. I recommend it highly. It wasn't the book I expected it to be, and that was a good surprise.