Rating:  Summary: Weirdly amateurish, tired and bad Review: I would have expected a LOT more from this writer. There is not a single developed character in the book, and no one that the reader really cares about. The premise -- finding out your great love is engaged to three people -- never really gets adequately explored. It just sort of happens, and while unhappiness is reported, it's never really real. Bridget Jones -- which is the obvious genre Witchell wants to work in -- had the advantage of having a likeable main character to whom the reader could warm up and with whom the reader could identify. Here, neither the writing nor the story are at all compelling. Like many of the post-BJ novels, it's just a not-very-interesting story about a girl who gets dumped and then finds a new guy. Also, it's pretty clear to anyone who knows where Witchell worked in the 90's (Mirabella) that she's trying to settle some score with the then-editor in chief of that magazine. Her flat portrait of her apparent nemesis betrays Witchell's basic inability to get anywhere below the surface of things.
Rating:  Summary: Clever, funny, terrific! Review: Let's get this clear at the start: There are few authors of women's fiction who can sculpt a sentence as well as Alex Witchel can. This information will not come as news to her legion of admirers from her years of writing for the NEW YORK TIMES, but those who first are discovering Ms. Witchel are in for a treat.In ME TIMES THREE, however, reading the prose which flows from Ms. Witchel's keyboard simply is a bonus. This is a novel which is compelling because of the story she weaves. Unlike many similar tales, her heroine actually is endearing and the adventures of this heroine become compelling. Furthermore, the where and when of the novel, Manhattan at the end of the 1980's, was a moment of great energy, a moment that now has receded into ancient history. The women of SEX & THE CITY still were in middle school when this story takes place. ME TIMES THREE reminds us that other people walked those same streets before the SEX girls arrived in THE CITY. For anyone who was, ahem, "there," ME TIMES THREE is filled with easily identifiable characters whose presence makes the whole book even more fun. Read this novel for pleasure, for history, for the sociology of a particular subculture, a snapshot of a time and place. Just do yourself a favor and read it!
Rating:  Summary: This book will keep you up!!! Review: I have read all of the Bridget Jones-type novels and loved them at the time. However, soon it just became cookie-cutter for a young female author to write in this genre. I was a little hesitant at first to buy this book because I thought it might fall into the same category. After a few minutes skimming through the pages and reading the reviews on the back cover (kudos from Sarah Jessica Parker AND Wendy Wasserstein), I took the purchase plunge. Good decision! This tale is about the coming of age of Sandy, a nice Jewish girl from New York who thinks she has her life all neatly tied up by being engaged to the love of her life, Bucky. She believes all of her "faults" will disappear and life will be picture perfect by marrying this typical 80's yuppie, a descendant from Betsy Ross. The backdrop of the story is New York in the 80's and moves forward. I enjoyed revisiting the selfish, indulgent years from that infamous money -grubbing decade. A great walk down memory lane by the author. Anyway, Sandy has a very rude awakening to her dream world by meeting Bucky's other fiance and then subsequently finding out there are a few others. Her world is shattered and everything she believes in is now challenged. Sandy is plunged into the world of dating and career advancement, both of which she had previously never given much thought. We are the witnesses to her growth as a person, much of which takes place by trial and error. The best part of the story occurs between Sandy and her college friend, Paul. He is the stereotypical party-hard, gay friend. He helps to bring her out of her shell during college and thereafter. I was not pleased, however, with how Paul ends up. I felt it was too cliche. All in all, the book is very funny and thoughtful. Between events, Sandy's fairy tales are laid bare for the reader. These are even funnier and symbolic. Great book and I look forward to the next one by Alex Witchel.
Rating:  Summary: Really Smart and Funny Review: I completely enjoyed "Me Times Three" by Alex Witchel. I have noticed a lack of wonderful new novels by young female authors. There are a lot "Bridget Jones" copycats out there.... but, this is something new and wonderful. It's full of interesting characters and really heartwarming conversation. New York is a wonderful backdrop to this novel of the 80's excess. Witchel shows such intelligence and observation. I think that this is a great way to get back into reading - I missed staying up until 3am with a good book.
Rating:  Summary: Loved it! Review: A delightful read. The story line does skip around a lot, though this keeps you reading. Though Sandra [the main character] is somewhat shallow, she remains easy to relate to Admit it - we can all be shallow at times. If you have not gone through some of these situations, your best friend has. I appreciate that Sandra remained faithful to the same man for 9 yrs, something unheard of in today's climate. Yes, there is the cliché of her gay best friend contracting Aids. Face it, it happens. We don't always have to be PC to have a fabulous book. Don't read this book if you are looking for the deeper meaning of life, read it if you are looking for a little enjoyment.
Rating:  Summary: Simply Terrible Review: I rarely put a book down halfway through, but this book was awful - how did it get published???
Rating:  Summary: Why was this written? Review: I borrowed this book from a friend believing that it was going to be another one of those funny "chick-lit" books that I could breeze through in a couple of days with a few laughs. That is not what was in store for me. I like to read all kinds of different literature though so that wasn't necessarily a problem. However, the back cover had me believing that the story would center on Sandy's bad break-up with her high school sweetheart. (He was seeing two other women while seeing her). This horrible thing he did was mentioned throughout the book, but I never felt that it was really solved. Meanwhile, I was expecting to get into other aspects of her life. She works for a magazine as an editor of some sort(stereotypical of chick lit) and she tries to date again. Nothing EVER really happens with any of that though. Just boring paragraph upon boring paragraph. (Except for the chapters regarding her gay best friend who has moved to California.) These chapters were the only reason I gave this book 3 stars instead of 1 or 2. If the book had been more about that relationship and about what was going on there, it would have been more interesting. I felt like the author kept taking a side tour with that story and completely neglecting the rest of her life. *Semi-spoiler* (it's all totally predictable and uninteresting anyway) Basically, she gets a wake-up call in love, gets terrible news about her friend, deals with it, gets a new job, and maybe sort of has a new boyfriend. Nothing spectacular. Rereading my own diary is more entertaining and interesting that this book. There are definitly books out there that are less disappointing and more fun. Don't waste your time and read one of those instead!
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