This Charming Man Book

I am so disappointed in this book! I believe I have read everything Marian Keyes has published, and I had such high hopes.... Many other reviewers have given a synopsis of this book, so I'll not repeat their words. The following are among the reasons I am so distressed.

The first 75 pages of this book (and periodically throughout the rest) are written in the voice of Lola, one of four female main characters. The writing style is the most maddening Bridget-Jones-text-message mess you can imagine! Twice I nearly gave up on this book. I can't imagine why Keyes chose to OPEN her book this way. It really soured me on the whole book.

But tough it out I did, and things do get much better. However, the characters of Alicia and Paddy are never fully developed. You'd think in more than 500 pages we could have learned a bit more about what makes them tick.

After all the intense emotion, shredded lives, and decades-old scars that are revealed through the hundreds of pages of this book, I find the happily-ever-after ending a final disappointment. It's all just a little too tidy in the last pages.

As others have noted, this is not a happy little chick-lit story. The book deals with domestic violence (physical, emotional, sexual) and with alcoholism. The alcoholism story-line is both the most compelling and the most depressing.

If you're on my friends list and you want to borrow this book, I'm glad to lend it to you -- I'd hate to see you go out and spend your money on it! On balance, I think it's still worth reading....just be aware of what you're getting into. I can only hope that Marian Keyes soon gets beyond whatever in her life caused her to write this book. I for one would love for her to finish off the Walsh Sisters' stories!!