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lindsey_stogner's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
smjohns91's review against another edition
3.0
The first book of Sittenfeld's that I read was American Wife, which I absolutely loved, and which inspired me to read Laura Bush's autobiography. To say the least, I was excited to read another one of Sittenfeld's books and The Man of My Dreams did not disappoint. It's the story of Hannah, a girl from suburban Philadelphia, and her relationships throughout her adolescent life. She constantly compares herself against her beautiful cousin Fig and the relationship between her parents. As the years go on, readers get a better sense of who she is as a character and what actually constitutes a "dream man" as she ages.
I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a good summer or long weekend read. The language is easy to understand and it goes my quickly. The story is simple enough, but keeps readers interested.
I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a good summer or long weekend read. The language is easy to understand and it goes my quickly. The story is simple enough, but keeps readers interested.
kdurham2's review against another edition
3.0
One could call this book a collection of short stories or vignettes from Hannah's life as the reader gets a small view in at different moments when Hannah is in search of love.
The reader first meets Hannah as her home life is in chaos and she isn't sure what the future holds but she knows that she is going to start her hunt for a guy. I loved how this book went from childhood to adulthood but wasn't 500 pages long. The set up for this book made for such a fun and different read since the reader gets to know this character but also gets to see her at different points in her life.
With a few moments that revolve around sex that are mostly tame, I would recommend this book to young readers as a fun view of how the man of your dreams can change as you grow into adulthood. What you valued previously may not matter later in life and in contrast some things become very important when looking for the man of your dreams.
The reader first meets Hannah as her home life is in chaos and she isn't sure what the future holds but she knows that she is going to start her hunt for a guy. I loved how this book went from childhood to adulthood but wasn't 500 pages long. The set up for this book made for such a fun and different read since the reader gets to know this character but also gets to see her at different points in her life.
With a few moments that revolve around sex that are mostly tame, I would recommend this book to young readers as a fun view of how the man of your dreams can change as you grow into adulthood. What you valued previously may not matter later in life and in contrast some things become very important when looking for the man of your dreams.
karenleagermain's review against another edition
5.0
Just like Prep,I found this book a little unnerving with respects to how much I related to it. Sittenfeld has a knack for understanding people and translating it through her novels. I don't think that I have ever read an author that I felt captured my feelings as much as Sittenfeld. I also don't think that I have ever read another author who has made me feel so uncomfortable while reading her books. I think that the reason this book is so uncomfortable to read, is because it hits so close to home.
meghan111's review against another edition
4.0
I love Curtis Sittenfeld, for exactly the reason that might make her a frustrating read for others: she writes totally character-driven novels. And the characters are always so similar to me, and how I think, that I feel like she is revealing or explaining thoughts and behaviors that I have never quite articulated before. That, of course, makes her books a near-perfect match for my reading tastes and my temperament.
The Man of My Dreams follows Hannah through childhood through her twenties, focusing on her relations with different men in her life, as filtered through her low self-esteem and loneliness.
The Man of My Dreams follows Hannah through childhood through her twenties, focusing on her relations with different men in her life, as filtered through her low self-esteem and loneliness.
cortjstr's review against another edition
I read this, for book club, I think. I know I read it but even reading the summary doesn't jog my memory of it at all.
sarahbethbrown's review against another edition
4.0
Much like prep, this book made me feel uncomfortable for how much of myself I saw in the protagonist. But that's also a reason, probably, why I tore through it. I had tried to read this book several times previously, and could never get into it-- the first chapter, when Hannah is in high school, is not like the rest of the book. I wanted to cheer for hannah more than I did for Lee Fiora, and there was a lot more to admire in her, too. Overall, this book was not as good as Prep, but I think it was more likable. An easy book to read in a week.
charsiew21's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't like this as much as Prep, for several reasons
- the pacing of the book seemed a little off; Sittenfeld's gift is in presenting the minutiae of character development, but this novel seemed to go through great swathes of time with a little too much economy
- an angst-ridden main character is probably more 'empathisable' as a teenager than as a 20-something
- aside from the main character, the others didn't seem terribly rounded. This was not so much of an issue in Prep, where the main character is basically playing against archetypes. But with this novel, the secondary characters just seemed a little flat,
That being said, Sittenfeld is still a mistress of prose writing, and just enjoying her turns of phrase is reason enough to read this book.
- the pacing of the book seemed a little off; Sittenfeld's gift is in presenting the minutiae of character development, but this novel seemed to go through great swathes of time with a little too much economy
- an angst-ridden main character is probably more 'empathisable' as a teenager than as a 20-something
- aside from the main character, the others didn't seem terribly rounded. This was not so much of an issue in Prep, where the main character is basically playing against archetypes. But with this novel, the secondary characters just seemed a little flat,
That being said, Sittenfeld is still a mistress of prose writing, and just enjoying her turns of phrase is reason enough to read this book.
ula_j's review against another edition
4.0
I waver between 3 and 4 stars on this. I just totally dig her writing and I really relate to the character, which makes me go towards 4. But as a literary work of fiction? Not as awesome as the other books that I Love. It's about a woman who is struggling with her ideas of what love is supposed to be and how life is supposed to turn out. As she realizes that it doesn't turn out the perfect way we all think it will as kids and as she sloughs off the problems of her childhood, she ends up happy. And not in a cheesy unrealistic sappy way. A believable, not-fairytale but not-dishearteningly depressing way. A super quick read with a character who's relatably neurotic and interesting.