Man of the House: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle) (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: prep school moms, Man of the House, Collier Academy, Miss Varnadore (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This breezy follow-up to Househusband follows Linc Menner, a stay-at-home dad whose home renovation project suddenly makes him long for a life less momlike. Linc has always been the full-time dad and felt content driving his Man Van to chauffeur daughter Violet around as his wife, Jo, works demanding hours as a hospital administrator. However, insecurities begin to brew beneath Linc's calm, even-keeled demeanor as Violet enters adolescence, causing Linc to feel less indispensable. Finally, when Linc overhears an obnoxious comment by a subcontractor, he questions his masculinity, leading him on a hell-bent journey from one masculine signifier to another, culminating in some realizations and life lessons, including women are cool—they talk about things that matter. Clunky lines like this, coupled with an awkward narrative that jumps between four first-person points of view detract from what is overall a light diversion that should serve as a welcome treat for devotees of mom lit. (Sept.)
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From Booklist

Hudler revisits the Menner family—stay-at-home-dad Linc, hospital executive Jo, and preteen daughter Violet—introduced in Househusband (2004). They’ve moved to Florida for Jo’s job, and Violet has enrolled in a prestigious academy. At home, Linc manages an all-consuming renovation and reexamines his role as caregiver. He gives up baking pies, gourmet markets, and shopping with Violet for lifting weights, the local barbershop, and shadowing the contractor. He snares the attention of Violet’s teacher Jessica—a sharp-shooting, short-shorts-wearing stalker—and tests the patience of his wife and daughter with overzealous hurricane prep. Hudler alternates chapters narrated by Linc, Jo, Violet, and Jessica so readers realize the full impact of his sensitive-to-macho transformation. Linc’s self-absorption can be eye-roll inducing, but Violet’s and Jo’s refreshing chapters show Hudler can ably capture female perspective. Hudler draws from his life, giving this humorous follow-up a memoirlike feel. --Aleksandra Walker

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345481089
• ISBN-13: 978-0345481085
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #424,171 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Truth With Humor!, October 25, 2008

By	Shirley Priscilla Johnson "Author/Reviewer -... (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

As we begin this read we find,Linc Menner, a stay at home dad who has done one top-notch job at raising his daughter Violet, cooking meals, cleaning, and keeping the house running smoothly while his wife pursues a career.
Moving to Florida has added some pressure as their house is being upside down, Jo, his wife is indated with work, and his daughter is suddenly not a little girl anymore. Linc is definitely feeling the pressure and soon begins to reclaim what he feels is his lost manhood to the dismay of those who love him the most. As you can imagine, what was once a well running household suddenly becomes bedlam and all those involved must re-evaluate their place in the home and with each other.
I enjoyed this book. It told a story that was mixed with reality, dashed with humor, and brought to light many unspoken emotions that lurked in the minds and thoughts of every family, no matter who is playing which role. It also took you full circle as all in Linc's family had to look within themselves and their own faults and short-comings in the part that they played within the family.
I believe they all struggled with letting go of who they were to discover who they had become, and how each one fit into the family as a whole, and with themselves as individuals. This was an enjoyable read, but also one that brought home some truths about family, home and oneself, that one may never have even considered thinking about.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious Look at Gender Roles, November 2, 2008

By	Sheri S. (Montreal, Quebec) - See all my reviews

Rating: 4.5 stars

Originally posted at www.frontstreetreviews.com

"Man of the House" is the follow up to Ad Hudler's original semi-autobiographical novel, entitled "Househusband". While I hadn't read the original book, it didn't take long to become invested in the lives of Linc Menner and his family. Linc was once a well-known landscaper for celebrities but traded in his successful job for the opportunity to raise his daughter full time. That was thirteen years ago and we now find the Menners in the midst of a chaotic renovation of their newly purchased house in Naples, Florida after moving from upstate New York.

Linc's wife, Jo, works eighty hours a week as a hospital executive and travels regularly. As such, over the years Linc has developed an affinity for cooking pretentious meals, a meticulous cleaning regimen and even an unanticipated caregiver's intuition. While Jo appreciates her husband's dedication to his role as the caregiver, she finds herself frustrated with his recitation of his day's trivial details and constant sharing of his feelings. Their daughter, Violet, also enjoys spending time with her father but is fed up with his over-involvement in her social life and school matters. However, they should have been careful what they wished for, or at least what they complained about because things begin to drastically change around the Menner household. After Linc overhears nasty remarks made by the contractors questioning his manhood, he begins to transform into a macho man and leaves his feminine side behind. As if making up for lost time, Linc becomes Rob the contractor's protégé, accompanying him on all of house calls and learning about construction. He starts buying gun magazines and frequently the local gun range, much to Jo's dismay. Add to the mix, Violet's English teacher, Jessica Varnadore, whose obsessive affection for Linc borders on stalker territory. The chapters narrated by her are some of the quirkiest parts of the book and also the ones that slightly scared me, such as her photographing an unsuspecting Linc while picking up Violet from school and using those pictures as a background for her cell phone (enough said).

I thoroughly enjoyed Hudler's sense of humor and felt a connection to his writing. There is much satire of the typical suburban housewives and their inevitable judgment and sometimes fear of Linc. He does not fit the cookie cutter mold of what a caretaker is `supposed' to look like and how they are supposed to act but what I liked best is that didn't bother him at all. I really loved his character and appreciated the fact that the story is based on Hudler's real life, which helped make for a very realistic read.

Beyond the humor and the likeable characters, "Man of the House" explores profound sociological questions regarding gender relations. Linc was relatively comfortable with his non-traditional role as the family caregiver until he was bombarded with contractors and plumbers, who seemed to exude masculinity and made him feel inferior. Once he starts bringing out his masculine side, Jo is confused and torn but also relishes in the time she gets to spend with her daughter. The inevitable guilt that society imposes on women who work and consequently are forced to spend less time at home is explored. There are also themes of the unavoidable sacrifices that a caregiver must make when dedicating themselves to running the household.

The book is told from the very different perspectives of Linc, Jo, Violet and Jessica in alternating chapters. Hudler succeeds in convincing the reader of each character's unique identity and there were times when I was in awe that all points of view were written by the same author. "Man of the House" is a funny, poignant and very worthwhile read!

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reinventing oneself mid-life, October 14, 2008

By	Debra Hamel (TwitterLit.com) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Ad Hudler's Man of the House (a sequel to the author's 2002 novel Househusband, which I have not read) is told in the first person from four different perspectives, but his main character is Linc Menner, who quit a successful landscaping business years back to take care of his daughter Violet full time. While Linc's wife Jo brings home the bacon, Linc not only fries it up in a pan--with considerably more skill than most of us--but he keeps a spotless house, regularly fires off cranky missives to the administration of his daughter's prep school, and generally performs the role of perfect, engaged parent in a way that could only irritate the average mother. Linc is obsessive about his care-giving responsibilities. This is a convenience for his loved ones--who thus never have to worry about anything domestic--but it is also maddening because, frankly, Linc can be something of a know-it-all jerk.

Linc has been firmly in touch with his feminine side for more than a decade. But Man of the House finds him exploring his masculinity, a transformation prompted in part by Violet's increasing independence--she's now thirteen--and by the appearance in his world of manly workmen, come to renovate the family's house in Florida. Linc in fact develops a sort of man crush on the head contractor. We learn about Linc's transformation through his own eyes and from chapters told from his wife's and daughters' points of view. The fourth character on whom Hudler focuses is Jessica Varnadore, Violet's English teacher, who likewise notices the changes wrought in Linc by, for example, his weekly visits to a new barber shop and his more ambitious weightlifting regimen.

Hudler's book is impressive because his characters' transformations seem realistic: Linc's pendulum swing into testosterone territory, Jo's increased domesticity as Linc's changed priorities leave a vacuum on the home front. The gradual revelation of the nature of Jessica's interest in Linc is also deft: in this case it is not her character that evolves so much as our appreciation of her character. One gets the impression (particularly after reading the charming author interview at the back of this edition) that Linc is a lightly fictionalized version of the author himself, the book serving as a vehicle for Hudler's various hobbyhorses.

In short, Man of the House is a decent, light read about the possibility of reinventing oneself mid-life, once the responsibilities of parenting have lightened.

-- Debra Hamel