girls

Rating:
Summary: A look into the male mind.
Review: "girls" is well worth the read. Somewhere in our lives, we've all met people like the characters in "girls." This book is not only about the emptiness of power and lust, but also their temporary joys. It's an honest documentation of the darker corners of the male mind, which are neither judged or frowned upon, but thoroughly observed, and deeply felt. I would dare to make comparisons, but I don't want to change the "girls" uniqueness. Certainly, from reading Aristotle's "Poetics" and studying the cinema you begin to wonder if there is anything different, any new stories- but here in this bit of literature, I was able to kick back and enjoy its strong individualistic voice. This book is very clever and entertaining. If you enjoy books that make you question human motivations and let you escape into other people's lives- then pick up "girls."

Rating:
Summary: Hadn't realized other people felt this same way...
Review: I thought this book was excellent. I had not expected to relate so well to the content, but to me the topic semed less about underage girls and more about the struggle against boredom and apathy that comes with success. In the end, I'm not sure if I felt like less of an ass because others feel the same way I do, or more of one given the brutal portrayal men receive in this book.

The only parts that didn't work for me were the excerpts from the Iliad. They didn't detract from my overall enjoyment, but they did not add anything to it either.

The use of second-person form is a bit unsual, but for me it actually worked quite well since the material was so easy to relate to. I felt the "you" he wrote about could quite plausibly be me, were I in the given situation. And at times I wanted it to be that way, and at times I felt that showed my own flaws and insecurities.

Oh, just a word of warning on this one -- not sure if women will like it. Don't be fooled by the title, the book is all about men. And ladies, if you do read this, I warn you in advance that YES -- men really do think like this. Kelman is not just some lone deviant.

Rating:
Summary: Hadn't realized other people felt this same way...
Review: In Nic Kelman's first novel, Girls, he presents us with a `type:' men who are affluent and ambitious businessmen, men who are spiritually flawed in some basic way and seem to need the attentions of much younger women to make themselves feel worthy and whole. Told through a series of vignettes by a variety of narrators, Girls comes to the conclusion, it appears, that it's not love that's improbably - it's monogamy.
Interesting and thought-provoking in ways I hadn't anticipated.

Rating:
Summary: Loses Itself in an Attempt at Rehab
Review: Kelman has it going for him throughout this novel which I am actually giving 2 1/2 stars. However, his use of mythological references seems a sad attempt to give this work some gravitas that the writer thinks the front story is unworthy of. The tale is as old as the hills: this is what men are. Tell it straight, and don't try to back it up with mythology and you've got a real winner. The constant interruptions from the Iliad and the Odyssey show the writer's insecurities, in my opinion, and stunt this book's arc.

Rating:
Summary: A plague
Review: Kelman's book will spread among the female gender like a plague, praying on their every insecurity and validating their every secret fear about men. As disgusted and incredulous as you are, you will continue to devour every sentence with the same focus a deer gives to an oncoming car. You are wishing it all to be one man's interpretation of the male psyche, while knowing that Kelman is revealing to you what no boyfriend, friend, brother, husband, lover or father ever will. As appalled as you are upon completing it, you must reluctantly admit that any book that gets to you on this level must be a triumph. If a writer can cause you a lack of sleep, the errant thought about his effort in the middle of your work day, then you have to give him his due - he is among the brilliant. You complete the book, knowing you must recommend it to several of your friends (both men and women), though you already wish you'd never laid eyes on it.

Rating:
Summary: Pitiless and Poignant
Review: Nic Kelman seduces the reader with an unflinching examination of the sexual psychology of the professional American male. He manages to entwine biology, cultural prejudices, materialism, and universal temptations in a grotesque acrobatic feat which is twisted and horrifying, but ultimately recognizable. Pitiless and poignant, this novel is full of unforgettable characters, and should be on the reading lists for Women's Studies and Gender Relations courses.

Rating:
Summary: This one stays with you
Review: The extraordinary aspect of this book is that something so intrinsic in the potential of man and girl has taken so long to be articulated in an honest, apolitical and non-judgmental way. GIRLS talks about more than the inexorable moral slide of today's corporate man. Kelman is not anti-capitalist, nor is he claiming material success today leaves the powerful and those they attract in a greater spiritual void than it once did: as his parallel narrative reminds us, the Greeks had their Gods and their Furies and yet they were fighting for 14 year old girls with their lives. This is about intelligent men losing the battle with their instincts, about the fragility of status and about the searing, frightening truth that moments are what men live for. Whatever it takes.

Rating:
Summary: This one stays with you
Review: The writer of this book is probably a cool guy. You might want to hang out with him, have him buy you drinks and feed you marschino cherries as you wet your finger in a glass of Evian water to turn the pages of a David Raabe play. Even so, he is not a cool writer. The book is entirely without merit. There is no plot line, the theme is overstated, the characters don't grow, the theme doesn't allow them to grow, the book isn't funny, sad or exciting. The scenes of elaboratly described sex and acrobatic lovemaking are not arousing or original. The only thing I even remotely liked were the facts about demographics and sexual behavior and history. These, however, could be written in a Vanity Fair article and be done with.

Rating:
Summary: Waste of Money
Review: The writer of this book is probably a cool guy. You might want to hang out with him, have him buy you drinks and feed you marschino cherries as you wet your finger in a glass of Evian water to turn the pages of a David Raabe play. Even so, he is not a cool writer. The book is entirely without merit. There is no plot line, the theme is overstated, the characters don't grow, the theme doesn't allow them to grow, the book isn't funny, sad or exciting. The scenes of elaboratly described sex and acrobatic lovemaking are not arousing or original. The only thing I even remotely liked were the facts about demographics and sexual behavior and history. These, however, could be written in a Vanity Fair article and be done with.

Rating:
Summary: Riveting
Review: What a sensational read! I read this in a couple of hours - couldn't put it down. It's a bit of a car crash scenario, you don't want to look but you don't want to look away.

This novel works on two levels, as a trashy thrills and spills read and as a social commentary.

A very interesting exploration of the male mind, society's obsession with youth, success and apathy. Dark, erotic and fascinating.