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How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.
Genre: Contemporary Drama, Relationships, Popular Culture, London, Love and Relationships.
Loved this book! As a
member of Rosie's review team, I look down the submissions list when it's time
to choose a new one, and I usually go for sci-fi, dystopian or something otherwise
nice and dark, rarely anything about love relationships or labelled 'women's
fiction', but I'm so glad I stepped out of my box with this one - it's eons
away from mainstream relationship dramas.
The Men is a series of thirteen snapshots, all linked so that it's a continuing story, about the relationships with the opposite sex that have punctuated the author's life. It appears they're part autobiographical, part fiction:
The Men is a series of thirteen snapshots, all linked so that it's a continuing story, about the relationships with the opposite sex that have punctuated the author's life. It appears they're part autobiographical, part fiction:
'It is a tale of urban human connections crafted with no judgement or deep introspection – a window on the author’s own life at that time that will resonate and stay with you.'
Some of them reminded me of my own younger years, the racketing around and caring only about the moment, which is perhaps why I liked them so much; particularly the first one, The Singer. The writing style is great - witty, sharp, joyful, but melancholy at times, too. Some of the relationships are sad, some heartbreaking, and some made me think 'what the hell was she thinking of' (Rotting Man!), but those made me sad, too; loneliness can push people into all sorts of bad decisions, and I felt that the author was lonely, sometimes. Never in a victim or despairing sort of way, though she seems to become more so as the book goes on.
I loved how the book concentrates only on The Men, that she was never tempted to give more background, which would have diluted it. On occasion the writing is quite beautiful; a section about a party with an eighteenth century theme made me want to stay in it.
One point that intrigued me―earlier in the book she clearly has a high-powered job that involves much travel, though we are never told what it is. I did a bit of digging and discovered that the author is a fairly well-known environmental campaigner; all that and she can write, too.
Highly recommended; I wanted to carry on reading when I'd finished it.
Thank you Terry.
ReplyDeleteSounds fascinating I knew I had already got this on my long TBR list. And this is the second review of yours that has tempted me, Terry. Thanks
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