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emfield's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Death
Minor: Drug use, Grief, Vomit, and Pregnancy
madelinedalton's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm a HUGE Dolly Alderton fan, and I hate to say that this is my least favorite book of hers. When reviewing a book, I often find myself thinking that it could be saved "if we had spent more time with x character" or "if the narrative had been restructured in x way", but that's not the case with Good Material. The execution was absolutely perfect for the concept--it's just a 4-star concept and not a 5-star concept, in my opinion. What prevents it from being a 5-star concept is that the reader is inevitably going to feel displeased and apathetic watching a 35-year-old man wallow in his own misery for six months. Not even an ending as stellar as this one could fully erase the feeling one gets from spending ~300 pages in the land of male mediocrity. If the novel had never flipped to Jen's perspective at the end, I would've given it 2.5-3 stars and relegated it to the land of "go girl, give us nothing" lit fic, but Jen's perspective skyrocketed it to a 4.
While Andy is absolutely a mediocre and frustrating white man, he is still somewhat likable and relatable, and I think that's essential to making the novel work.The strength and power in Jen's ending would have been undercut had Andy been a complete loser with no redeeming qualities. Instead, you can understand why Jen would have dated somebody like him. I think the 90/10 rule she talks about really drives this home. It would be hard to believe that Jen herself is a smart, likable character who is going after what she wants had she dated a complete buffoon. Instead, she dated a likable yet deeply flawed guy, and it was a necessary chapter in her growth journey.
I've seen two main criticisms of this book: that it's about a stand-up comedian and yet it isn't funny, and that Andy's voice reads like a whiny Millennial woman rather than a man. While I wasn't laughing out loud for most of it, I don't think that is a bad thing? I went in expecting a break-up novel rather than a stand-up set, and that's what I got. Y'all need to stop judging something just because it wasn't what you expected lol. As for Andy reading like a Millennial woman, I truly could not tell you if he did or not because I am neither a man nor a Millennial (I'm 25). I also don't think it's productive to generalize "how men talk" or "how women talk"--in fact, I think it helps the story that he's not exactly what everyone expects a man to sound like while also exhibiting many patriarchal traits without realizing it. It makes him a more well-rounded character, which makes him bearable to read about even while he's making terrible decisions.
TLDR: I enjoyed this because I'm a huge Dolly fan and I love anything that pokes holes in the idea of a "nice guy", but it's not as great as her other books.
While Andy is absolutely a mediocre and frustrating white man, he is still somewhat likable and relatable, and I think that's essential to making the novel work.
I've seen two main criticisms of this book: that it's about a stand-up comedian and yet it isn't funny, and that Andy's voice reads like a whiny Millennial woman rather than a man. While I wasn't laughing out loud for most of it, I don't think that is a bad thing? I went in expecting a break-up novel rather than a stand-up set, and that's what I got. Y'all need to stop judging something just because it wasn't what you expected lol. As for Andy reading like a Millennial woman, I truly could not tell you if he did or not because I am neither a man nor a Millennial (I'm 25). I also don't think it's productive to generalize "how men talk" or "how women talk"--in fact, I think it helps the story that he's not exactly what everyone expects a man to sound like while also exhibiting many patriarchal traits without realizing it. It makes him a more well-rounded character, which makes him bearable to read about even while he's making terrible decisions.
TLDR: I enjoyed this because I'm a huge Dolly fan and I love anything that pokes holes in the idea of a "nice guy", but it's not as great as her other books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Vomit and Sexual content
Moderate CW for descriptions of dietingrobynw1996's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Vomit
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