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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
By far one of the worst books I have read in a loong time. For a best selling author, this novel left something to be desired on multiple fronts.
The main premise was interesting: an empty-nester whose only son goes away to college. Being a single mom, she doesn't know what to do with herself. You hear from both the mother and the son's POV. The son, however, is a total BRO. As anyone knows me, you know the idea of associating with such a person is repulsive. He says such gems as "suck it bitch" not once but TWICE in the novel (on two separate occasions with two separate women)when a girl is giving him a blowjob. As you all know, I am by no means a prude, but the repulsiveness of such comments just disgusted me.
The empty-nester single mom, or MILF as she is described by some in the novel doesn't fare better either. She gets addicted to watching MILF porn (I wish I was joking but I am not)and then playfully makes out with a female colleague due to said porn addiction and then the KICKER has a threesome with her son's ex high school classmate who is 19 and her said female coworker. The ex high school classmate was also horrifically bullied by her Bro son and I couldn't help but feel he was inacting revenge. I wish I was joking about the threesome, I had to reread it twice to make sure it wasn't a dream sequence or fantasy---but no it was in this novel. At this point or maybe earlier, I began to wonder about the author. It seemed like his audience was horny 14 year old boys. I could not believe such a bestselling author would write such trite.
The ending, if you manage that far, wasn't much better. Our main character, Mrs Fletcher, reluctantly marries a guy whom she has a perfect connection with although we get a flashback to a sex scene with the two in the past where he declares "You are my MILF" which harkens back to earlier in the novel when she gets an anonymous text from someone stating that exact same line. If this was supposed to be a funny or ironic novel, it failed miserably and came across deeply offensive and over the top throughout. The only reason I gave it 2 over one stars is I read it in 8 days. If it had been a more painful read, it would definitely have gotten a 1 star rating. If we had half stars, I'd give is a 1.5. I would avoid this novel altogether or read at your own risk.
The main premise was interesting: an empty-nester whose only son goes away to college. Being a single mom, she doesn't know what to do with herself. You hear from both the mother and the son's POV. The son, however, is a total BRO. As anyone knows me, you know the idea of associating with such a person is repulsive. He says such gems as "suck it bitch" not once but TWICE in the novel (on two separate occasions with two separate women)when a girl is giving him a blowjob. As you all know, I am by no means a prude, but the repulsiveness of such comments just disgusted me.
The empty-nester single mom, or MILF as she is described by some in the novel doesn't fare better either. She gets addicted to watching MILF porn (I wish I was joking but I am not)and then playfully makes out with a female colleague due to said porn addiction and then the KICKER has a threesome with her son's ex high school classmate who is 19 and her said female coworker. The ex high school classmate was also horrifically bullied by her Bro son and I couldn't help but feel he was inacting revenge. I wish I was joking about the threesome, I had to reread it twice to make sure it wasn't a dream sequence or fantasy---but no it was in this novel. At this point or maybe earlier, I began to wonder about the author. It seemed like his audience was horny 14 year old boys. I could not believe such a bestselling author would write such trite.
The ending, if you manage that far, wasn't much better. Our main character, Mrs Fletcher, reluctantly marries a guy whom she has a perfect connection with although we get a flashback to a sex scene with the two in the past where he declares "You are my MILF" which harkens back to earlier in the novel when she gets an anonymous text from someone stating that exact same line. If this was supposed to be a funny or ironic novel, it failed miserably and came across deeply offensive and over the top throughout. The only reason I gave it 2 over one stars is I read it in 8 days. If it had been a more painful read, it would definitely have gotten a 1 star rating. If we had half stars, I'd give is a 1.5. I would avoid this novel altogether or read at your own risk.
Afterwatching a few episodes of the series, and frustrated with have so little doled out each week, I picked up the book. Initially, I was excited having been through a divorce, community college, and my own reboot, but I finished with a let down feeling and a WTF frustration. I will be honest, afterwhile all I wanted were the "good parts" and I felt like all this was was a romance novel, but even that became unfulfilling. The end was fucking painful. Thanfully the series just severes that part right off. The series had some really sweet part that were not in the book--loved Mr Rafferty and her kindness to him. In the book the only character that went places was Amanda, her coworker.... I mean, she dealt with everything with maturity and grace, and changed her fucking life- and she was a side character (happens in the book as a side note, not in the series). Mrs. Fletcher was a lot like like the kinda bad sex. High hopes, a premature ejaculation, and then the akward clean up. That is not how I want it!
Now that the series has concluded you can binge watch it (thats a mercy) and read the book, compare the notes and then look for something better to read.
Now that the series has concluded you can binge watch it (thats a mercy) and read the book, compare the notes and then look for something better to read.
Interesting concept that explores the intricacies of gender, consent and porn addiction; however, I didn’t appreciate the lack of consequences around certain events.
I'm not totally sure how I feel about this novel. I've read Perrotta novels since I was in high school, and I don't think this is one of his strongest.
However there are a few things that were well done: changes of voice and capturing the 'present day'. I'm getting better at reading new novels, but this one in particular felt very *now*. It might feel dated in the future, or, hopefully, serve and example of what life is right now. Well, maybe pre-45, but I digress. It's full of current cultural and social issues, but I sort of felt like I wanted more.
And wasn't a huge fan of the ending.
A couple of spoilers under the cut:
Thank anything holy that Brendan wasn't a rapist. I thought Perrotta was leaning pretty heavily toward that, and he got dangerously close to assault. Maybe I just wasn't ready to handle it, but it would have made it so much worse. I'm not really sure how we're supposed to view Brendan. Are we supposed to feel bad that he's completely clueless about how to treat women, or are we supposed to dislike him for being totally oblivious?
I will say that a lot of the situations made me think about my own assumptions (I would definitely take the Gender and Society class that Eve took), so there's that.
However there are a few things that were well done: changes of voice and capturing the 'present day'. I'm getting better at reading new novels, but this one in particular felt very *now*. It might feel dated in the future, or, hopefully, serve and example of what life is right now. Well, maybe pre-45, but I digress. It's full of current cultural and social issues, but I sort of felt like I wanted more.
And wasn't a huge fan of the ending.
A couple of spoilers under the cut:
Spoiler
Thank anything holy that Brendan wasn't a rapist. I thought Perrotta was leaning pretty heavily toward that, and he got dangerously close to assault. Maybe I just wasn't ready to handle it, but it would have made it so much worse. I'm not really sure how we're supposed to view Brendan. Are we supposed to feel bad that he's completely clueless about how to treat women, or are we supposed to dislike him for being totally oblivious?
I will say that a lot of the situations made me think about my own assumptions (I would definitely take the Gender and Society class that Eve took), so there's that.
Entertaining but didn't particularly connect with any of the characters and found their apparent lack of self determination and tendency to just let things happen or not really annoying. It pretty much read like a book written by a man from a woman's perspective. Not very convincing. At end of day I don't really know what it was about or why he wrote it.
I have not read anything else by Perrotta, though several of his other books had caught my eye over the years. I had read reviews of Mrs. Fletcher and decided that I didn't really want to read it; it didn't seem like "my" kind of book. However, I saw the audio book at the library and picked it up. And I have to say that I did enjoy it and looked forward to seeing how Eve's life was going to turn out.
Eve is a forty-something, divorced mom whose only son has gone away to college. Though Eve is the main focus, some of the chapters are in her son's voice. Eve is the director of a senior center, but finds herself with too much time after her son has left. She takes a college class on gender, meets some new people, both through work and her class and takes up an interesting "hobby" of viewing internet porn. The story is at times funny, sometimes sad and sometimes scary (since I have a son not too far removed from Eve's). I think that the audio book suited the topic more than the printed book would have.
Eve is a forty-something, divorced mom whose only son has gone away to college. Though Eve is the main focus, some of the chapters are in her son's voice. Eve is the director of a senior center, but finds herself with too much time after her son has left. She takes a college class on gender, meets some new people, both through work and her class and takes up an interesting "hobby" of viewing internet porn. The story is at times funny, sometimes sad and sometimes scary (since I have a son not too far removed from Eve's). I think that the audio book suited the topic more than the printed book would have.
I just loved this book!! Tom Perrotta always manages to put his finger directly on the pulse of the times and culture. He nailed this one on different levels— I could see people I knew in so many of the characters. You almost never like all of the characters in a Tom Perrotta novel, but you can’t deny this man’s genius. And Carrie Coon as the main narrator? ❤️
Read it for what it is: a light beachy kind of read. It’s kind of a midlife crisis novel, where the main character sorts through her divorce and sexuality. Light and fun for a plane ride. A good antidote to some of the heavier books I’ve read lately.