By: Marian Keyes Publisher: William Morrow Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: William Morrow Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 576 Publication Date: June 01, 2008 Release Date: June 17, 2008
With This Charming Man, Marian Keyes hits her stride as a novelist with her best novel yet, telling the stories of four women who are shaped by one man
Paddy de Courcy is Ireland's debonair politician, the "John F. Kennedy Jr. of Dublin." His charm and charisma have taken hold of the country and the tabloids, not to mention our four heroines: Lola, Grace, Marnie, and Alicia. But though Paddy's winning smile is fooling Irish minds, the broken hearts he's left in his past offer a far more truthful look into his character.
Narrated in turn by each woman, This Charming Man explores how their love for this one man has shaped their lives. But in true Marian Keyes fashion, this is more than a story of four love affairs. It's a testament to the strength women find in themselves through work, friendship, and family, no matter what demons may be haunting their lives. Depression, self-doubt, domestic abuse—each of these women has seen tough times in life, and it's through Keyes's wonderful storytelling ability that these subjects are approached with the appropriate tone and candor. Her deft touch provides a gripping story and, ultimately, a redemptive ending.
LOVE IT, WANT MORE! BUY THIS BOOK! Just finished this book, am very sad. did not want it to end. she must do a sequel and not take so long. excellant job of bringing all those characters together. usually hate jumping from story to story, but aside from her abilty to make you love her characters, she brought in the suspense with the evil man. i say this is her best book yet. and i have loved them all. her editors need to let her write longer books, this is the longest yet (i beilieve) but really want to know more about Dee Rossini, and how do you live with a cross dresser? struggling with that bit. plus would have liked to see the "charming man" get a little more of what he gave out.
The first chapter....what was she thinking? The first chapter of this book was incredibly annoying...since when did pronouns and indefinite articles disappear from speech. I suffered through this chapter in the hopes that the second chapter would improve, but it's not happening yet.
If I manage to finish this book, maybe I'll change my mind about this review.
great but a bit raw in more than one way I really liked this book. Can't say it was perfect, but pretty good. It was so hard to put down and really what more can be said than that. It really got me inside the heads of four semi-different women and what kept them in their relationships with this one charmingly-wretched man. And, it was a roller-coaster of funny, exciting, sexy (yes, even with the abuse attached), scary, heart-breaking emotions. Yes, there are some annoying things about the short hand retelling from Lola, but I still loved her part of the story. I just felt it left me hanging with Alicia "Leechy" too much. This book kept me awake thinking of these fictional-? characters after I'd already put the book down. Not always light-hearted, but not depressive either. A little chic-lit like, but with much more substance.
Not as good as others, but still great read.... after reading many reviews here felt must put own point of vue. TCM great addition to Keyes' oeuvre but, yes, admit that Paddy de C character mostly unconvincing, confrontation scene embarrassing and insufficent for anguish suffered by 4, also whole book too long. BUT, LOVED Lola text-speak, inspite of Bridget Jones' derivation, v. funny!! Look forward to next work.
One of the worst Like others, one of Marian fans, I can't say how disappointed I am with this book, as if it's not really written by her. I can cope with one horrible character in a novel, but the whole lot, those women, I just can't feel any empathy, they simply get on my nerves, far too many unbearable characters for me to read on, and the awful writing style of Lola. I did not finish the book afterall.
I gave it a two stars simply for the thickness of this book.
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