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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
Takes a while to warm up. The last 1/4 of the book is so much better than what came before, you wonder why Melissa Bank didn't get into the good stuff earlier.
I read some pretty mixed reviews on GoodReads and was actually surprised by the amount of people who seemed to hate this book. I thought it was really great, or at least written well enough to read another book by Banks.
Surprisingly touching ... one of the more literary chick lit books out there.
This collection of short stories, all written about main character Jane, is a fine way to pass the time. I didn't find it overly remarkable in any way, nor did it really produce any particular emotions for me. I would almost describe it as a variation of a character study, told through snippets of Jane's life, predominantly around the theme of love (or the lack thereof!)
I"m rereading this book for, I think, the third time in the last several years. I love Melissa Bank. She writes the way I think, the way I wish I would write if I was a writer. Her realistic fiction has a way of speaking truths about the world in an understated way, through descriptions of conversations or places or dilemmas. If I could have my own personal writer to follow me around and write for me, it would be her. I think she's just grand.
Many reviews said that it was not a chick lit book. At first, I agreed with the reviews, but upon completion I think it was definitely a chick lit book. Aside from 2 chapters, this book was solely about Jane's romantic trials. Her quest to find herself through finding a mate. It was not as soapy or frilly as other chick lit books, but it definitely didn't have much else to the book aside from her quest to find a man suitable for her. What I didn't like was that this book had so much potential to explore how Jane came in to finding herself. We know that Jane may not know who she is as a person, but she did find her mate. I guess I was disappointed that she never figures out what she wants to do. She knows she likes to read but didn't want to do that for her job anymore. And now she is just in advertising because she fell in to it, but who knows what she will really do with the rest of her life. She seemed aimless aside from finally finding her man. It was disappointing. I also didn't like the random chapter with the people who live downstairs. I got sucked in to their story and never hear anything ever about them again. I am so interested in their lives now. What I did like...I love the style of this book. It was very interesting to have these different vignettes in to Jane's life. I also liked the characters. I got sucked in to this book the minute I started reading it. I would recommend it to people, but would let them know it is definitely chick lit.
Melissa Bank is a great writer, capable of weaving together characters in a compelling way. I really liked all of the vignettes and stories in this book.
Just finished my second read, which was very quick and enjoyable. Would recommend the book for someone travelling, or if - like me - you have been reading dense/bleak stuff and need an intermission of lighter material. It is not fluff though - there are some serious themes, adeptly served with plenty of hilarity.
I had forgotten I had read this years back but it was worth reading again. I was struck my her sarcasm from the beginning...it is hard to make me laugh outloud when reading a book, but the character Jane seems to do it so effortlessly. Her wittiness through her self-doubt becomes her mantra in a way that guides her through relationships, failure and finally love. She learns who the real Jane is and that she can be loved. If you need an easy read that is filled with off-handed humor, then The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing is for you (but don't be fooled, it isn't about hunting and fishing :)