My Legendary Girlfriend

Rating:
Summary: Beach Reading From Britain
Review: Amusing beach/airplane reading, best described as a male Bridget Jones's Diary meets something attempting to be Nick Hornbyish. The book covers the birthday weekend of Will, a twentysomething high school teacher new to London as he contemplates his crappy flat, crappy diet, and obsession with his ex-girlfriend. The story hinges around his ex, who he has idealized as a fabulous creature who waltzed out of his life two years previously. In the course of this weekend, there are numerous phone calls: his [bad] mate Simon, his best friend Alice, his one-night stand Martina, Kate (the previous occupant of his flat), and inevitably his ex. It's entirely predictable--in fact you can probably figure out what happens just by reading the above--but still reasonably fun, if not particularly deep. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title

Rating:
Summary: Not his best, but it's still worth the time
Review: By the end of this book, I was ready to slap the book's main character, Will. The story revolves around Will's inability to get over his "legendary girlfriend," Aggi, and his reluctance to move on with his life. The pace is slow, and there's much self-loathing. The real action takes place at the end of the novel when Will decides to take control of his life and to get over Aggi. But, I'm afraid that this comes a little too late. The characters become muddled and the action gets a little too unreal for my tastes. There are some interesting characters in the book- Kate, Alice, and Simon- but we don't learn much about them due to Will's self-centeredness. Maybe this is the point, but I just would have liked to have seen more of these peripheral characters since they impact Will's moods and actions so much. This is not my favorite Mike Gayle, but it still makes for a nice summer read.

Rating:
Summary: Not his best, but it's still worth the time
Review: By the end of this book, I was ready to slap the book's main character, Will. The story revolves around Will's inability to get over his "legendary girlfriend," Aggi, and his reluctance to move on with his life. The pace is slow, and there's much self-loathing. The real action takes place at the end of the novel when Will decides to take control of his life and to get over Aggi. But, I'm afraid that this comes a little too late. The characters become muddled and the action gets a little too unreal for my tastes. There are some interesting characters in the book- Kate, Alice, and Simon- but we don't learn much about them due to Will's self-centeredness. Maybe this is the point, but I just would have liked to have seen more of these peripheral characters since they impact Will's moods and actions so much. This is not my favorite Mike Gayle, but it still makes for a nice summer read.

Rating:
Summary: Not his best, but it's still worth the time
Review: By the end of this book, I was ready to slap the book's main character, Will. The story revolves around Will's inability to get over his "legendary girlfriend," Aggi, and his reluctance to move on with his life. The pace is slow, and there's much self-loathing. The real action takes place at the end of the novel when Will decides to take control of his life and to get over Aggi. But, I'm afraid that this comes a little too late. The characters become muddled and the action gets a little too unreal for my tastes. There are some interesting characters in the book- Kate, Alice, and Simon- but we don't learn much about them due to Will's self-centeredness. Maybe this is the point, but I just would have liked to have seen more of these peripheral characters since they impact Will's moods and actions so much. This is not my favorite Mike Gayle, but it still makes for a nice summer read.

Rating:
Summary: great stuff!!!
Review: I am officially a Mike Gayle fan. His writing is great as he spews forth everything that can possibly go wrong in the lives and loves of twentysomething British guys who just like to watch football on the telly, and the women who get fed up with them.

Will is approaching his 26th birthday as a high school teacher (this is his first job ever.) He is still mourning the break-up of his three-year relationship with Aggi, his "legendary girlfriend" (for that is the status she has attained in his mind), who dumped him three years beforehand ON HIS BIRTHDAY!

Will has also moved into the worst flat in Archway and it is a real dump. He is there for a week when he gets a call from Kate, the former tenant who fears her paycheck was mailed there. They start a telephone flirtation and Will starts to feel his depression lift.

Will does have real friends -- Simon and Alice from his university days. But that's about it. Will knows something has to change ---- but is he making Kate the answer for all the wrong reasons???

If you love Nick Hornby, you'll love this book! It has all the same originality, bite and humor from the guy's point of view. Vastly entertaining and insightful.

Rating:
Summary: I wanted to like this book!
Review: I love all of the British "chick lit," and I was prepared to love this book too, but I just didn't. I found Will's situtation to be pretty pathetic--his girlfriend dumped him three years ago, and he still isn't over it yet. He lives in a hovel decorated only with a photo of said ex-girlfriend. He seems to hate his job. And he does exceptionally foolish things, like deciding that he's meant to spend his life with Kate, a girl he has only spoken to on the phone.
I found this story tedious, and basically only finished it because it wasn't THAT bad, and because I'd already devoted some time to it...

Rating:
Summary: Witty, thought-provoking and poignant!
Review: I loved Mr. Commitment, the first novel from British author Mike Gayle that was published in the US, and I didn't think twice when I picked up My Legendary Girlfriend. I couldn't put it down! Mr. Gayle's insights on relationships are right on the mark!

Will, the self-deprecating and cynical hero, has reached his 26th birthday -- also known as the three-year anniversary of the day his girlfriend, Aggi, dumped him. Will hasn't gotten over his ex, and none of the women he's met have measured up to his Legendary Girlfriend. But during the course of four days Will learns that love and relationships flourish in different ways.

I love this novel. There are passages in the book that I have highlighted. It is a witty, thought-provoking and poignant novel! Looking for a great book to read? Pick up My Legendary Girlfriend!

Rating:
Summary: Great book for the recently dumped, or any in relationships
Review: I read this book shortly after a break-up and it did wonders for me! The character, Will, was quite identifiable even as a British lad. He is direction-less but with ambitions and dreams. He truly felt love for Aggie, the girl who left him three years ago, and he can't get over her despite some ill-fated relationships. I sure know how he feels! No matter what, she's always there and Will tries to move on, meeting new people, stuck in a dead-end teaching job when he knows he could do so much more. When a former flatmate calls, Will strikes up an unusual friendship which leaves him unsure who he will fall for. Although some of the relationship plots are predictable (the inevitable meeting with his ex, and a best friend who he used to yearn for) it is still a thoughtful introspective of a bright young character. The movie references show some deeper thinking and puts this book into a very enjoyable read category.

Rating:
Summary: Mildly entertaining, but not good enough...
Review: I think the main reason I did not enjoy My Legendary Girlfriend was the narrator of the story, Will. I could not bring myself to care what happened to him, and found him altogether unlikeable. I kept looking for some mutlidimensional aspect of his personality that would help me relate and thus actually start to care - however, my attempts failed. On a positive note, the concept of the story was entertaining, and I enjoyed the surprise ending. I may give another of Gayle's books a try.

Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: I'm sorry but I did not like this book one bit. Although I loved Mr. Commitment, also written by Mike Gayle, this book was nothing like Mr. Commitment. The book is a very slow read.