Rating: 
Summary: Not her best
Review: I didn't quite feel Elinor Lipman got it together here. The plot was, at best, sketchy, the characters were shallow, and the dialog laked much of her usual sparkle. Writing in the present tense was not easy to adjust to, and this took the shine out of the first two chapters until I was able to adjust to it. I have to say, that I struggled a bit. The Ladies' Man was very easy to put down.Maybe the next one?
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting but ultimately unsatisfying comic novel
Review: Lipman's comic novel concerns Nash Harvey (or Harvey Nash, depending on who knows him), the ladies' man of the title. Nash unceremoniously dumped the eldest of three sisters twenty-five years ago. Without a word as to the basis of his actions, he disappears only to reemerge into their lives. Nash is slime--that much is clear--as he is willing to flatter, sleep with, and then dump women according to his current needs for money, housing, and work. Unfortunately, for this book to work, it needs to be understood WHY he is so appealing to a spectrum of women. Is it his looks? His charm, which seems so transparent? Or is the point that these women that Nash preys upon are lonely and insecure? Whatever the answer, it is inevitable that most readers will want to see him get his comeuppance by the end of the novel. And he does--but only to a limited extent. I wanted him to go down much, much more ignominiously, and for that reason the ending was unsatisfying. The novel also lacks a resolution as to the relationship among the three sisters, which is severely strained by Nash's arrival. What makes these three women act as they do? How do they feel when he's gone? I was interested in the book throughout--my only problem is that I wanted more resolution at the end.
Rating: 
Summary: Cute and charming!
Review: The characters in The Ladies' Man are quite enchanting. The story has the kind of charm that should sweeten up the toughest reader out there. Having failed as a jingle composer, Nash Harvey, a heartbreaking womanizer, reappears in the lives of the Dobbin sisters. This wouldn't be so hard if he hadn't disappeared on the night he was celebrating his engagement to Adele Dobbin. Why is he back after thirty years? Does it have anything to do with the fact that he is now a middle-aged lonely man? One thing is certain though: the Dobbin sisters will never be the same. This is a very cute and charming romantic comedy that should be saved for those times in which you are in the mood for something light and breezy. Let's face it, every reader should indulge in something pleasantly light from time to time. And you can never go wrong with Elinor Lipman.
Rating: 
Summary: Sassy, Classy and Fun!
Review: I loved the Dobbin sisters and their quirky attitudes toward life. That they're all still sharing an apartment together 30 years after Harvey Nash (now Nash Harvey)dumped oldest sister, Adele, on the evening of their engagement is perfect irony. From their setting up empty glass bottles inside their apartment door as an inexpensive burglar alarm to the surprising love lives of each of them, you can't help but fall in love with this unusual family. Nash Harvey is the character you love to hate, who picks up women at the drop of a hat, and has never once committed to anything but his reflection in the mirror. He tries his charms on each of the sisters and the results are hilarious. Great book and wonderful, sassy characters!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Light romantic farce
Review: Cheerful romantic farce about middle-aged singles in New England, centering on the return of a philandering jingle-writer who returns from California ostensibly to make amends to the stuffy spinster he jilted thirty years before. The book would be boring if it only offered a bitter female perspective on "how come guys never call", but it goes beyond the anger and finds some sympathy, compassion, and even a little admiration. The titled character is sympathetic, despite the fact 'he lies as easily as you or I would say our prayers.' The other characters are lovingly rendered as well, offering nine further examples of how to avoid intimacy and fall into your fifties in an unmarried state. Lipman's dry humor, and her crisp, easy style, make this a quick and enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU ELINOR LIPMAN?!
Review: As an avid fan of Ms. Lipman's "The Inn at Lake Devine," and "The Way Men Act," I was excited to read "The Ladies' Man," and the first few chapters did not disappoint, but then it went flat, and I found my mind wandering and then I thought the thing you hope never to think while reading- "I don't care about these people." Let's hope this is a minor setback for Ms. Lipman- her true fans deserve better!
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Read
Review: The Ladies Man is an interesting book about relationships. In this title one man comes back almost 30 years later to apologize to the woman he jilted at the alter. His return leads to some comical and touching situations. As I read I thought this poor guy... he really can't help himself. The three Dobbin Sisters live together. They still line up old milk and soda bottles at their front door for an alarm system. But don't let the old habit fool you because when it comes to relationships these ladies are as modern as they come. Adele is the jilted bride of long ago. She works to raise money for the Public Broadcasting Station. Nash is the outlaw groom returning to make amends. He is a man with a weakness beyond his control. The reader will meet Adele's sisters: Kathleen who owns a lingerie shop and Lois who works for the Commonwealth and there is her brother Richard who has yet to marry either. The author has written a mature novel about love, sex, romance and learning the difference.
Rating:
Summary: "The Ladies' Man" is a hilarious romp.
Review: Elinor Lipman's "The Ladies' Man" is so funny and yet so true to human nature that it is doubly pleasurable. It is the story of Harvey Nash or Nash Harvey (he likes to change the order of his name), a man so addicted to flirting that it is almost a reflex action. He leaves a trail of broken hearts wherever he goes. Nash has a romantic history with Adele Dobbin, who now works as an on-air fundraiser for a public television station in Boston. Adele has a bunch of hilarious siblings who have an unbreakable habit of interfering with one another's lives. Throughout most of the book, Lipman shows Nash and the Dobbin siblings stumbling through different entanglements, romantic and otherwise, as they try to make some sense out of their lives. At times poignant, at other times sardonic and satirical, "The Ladies' Man" is a delicious comedy of manners for the modern reader.
Rating:
Summary: Elinor Lipman Rules! Give her 10 Satrs!
Review: Elinor Lipman needs an endorsement like a hole in the head. If you don't own this book, buy it now. Ms. Lipman is one of the most arresting and delightful writers today. She dances with words and characters as though they were precious gems, some glisten with their polished portrayal and others exist to demonstrate our human imperfections. Harvey Dash sounds like someone I used to date - the classic bottom of the pile guy with a geiger counter for a libido, clicking like mad when within proximity of a possible encounter with any opportunity, and I mean - any. Men like him are a waste of food - but you won't regret one moment you give to Ms. Lipman's work. Better yet, buy them all! I recommend her work every chance I get!
Rating:
Summary: How Do You Make a Cad Into A Delight? Here's How
Review: Of the 3 books I have read by Elinor Lipman (the other two being "The Inn at Lake Devine" and "Isabel's Bed") this one is my favorite. The reason is simple: Harvey Nash (or Nash Harvey as he later styles himself), the "ladies' man" of the title, is such an awful bounder you can't help but delight in his story! That is no small authorial feat. This book has made me into a serious Lipman fan. I intend to read all 3 of her other books and eagerly await her next one. What a pity that there will be a movie out this fall of the same title which has nothing to do with this book and just looks like a vulgar effort per the trailer I saw. I hope the movie does not turn readers away from a bright and splendid social comedy.
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