Reviews - MS Demeanor | The StoryGraph

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714 reviews for:

MS Demeanor

Elinor Lipman

3.27 AVERAGE

rosesarchipelago's review against another edition

4.0

lighthearted medium-paced

amyradak's review against another edition

3.0

hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

First let me say that I was thrilled to read a book with a 39 year old female protagonist, particularly when her declining fertility wasn't a main plot line and she also didn't have her shit entirely together and things still turned out okay for her.

Aside from that highlight, I found the book generally enjoyable but a bit directionless. Based on a review I'd heard, I expected a romance or romantic comedy, but I didn't really get that vibe. I don't mean that the book lacked spice (though it was completely closed door), but rather that for most of the book I wasn't really sure there even was a romantic plotline. Perry and Jane were both confined to their apartment building on house arrest, and they set up an arrangement wherein Jane cooked for Perry several times a week, but I felt no romantic chemistry between them any time they were together. Even their 'friends with benefits' arrangement seemed a little clinical, and I wasn't convinced that either of them had feelings for each other almost right up until

Perry proposed to Jane

. I found myself wondering at various points "Is this a book about Jane's career change to a chef/tik tok icon?"; "Is this a murder mystery about the lady who called the police on Jane and Noah"; and also "Are we going to see personal growth from Perry following his ill advised theft and subsequent firing?" In other words, I kind of found it to be a book where 'a bunch of stuff happens' not a love story, a coming of age story, or even a murder mystery. Not sure if this is just Lipman's style of writing, but I didn't find it particularly compelling, just a light fluffy read. Not sure I'll race to pick up another Lipman book when I'm in the mood for a romcom.

Made me giggle:
1:10:49: "Perry looked distinctly unhappy to be the recipient of a stranger's personal information."

Content Warnings

marishimmy's review against another edition

2.0

The concept is fun, it just took me a long time to finish and I never really felt the need to pick this book back up once i set it down. It had a nice little happy ending, but everything came together quickly and a bit unexpectedly.