Rating: 
Summary: Don't believe the (negative) hype...
Review: Just finished the "Girl's Guide..." last night. I can honestly say it was one of the best books I've recently read. I was impressed that the seven short stories all featured the same central character (with one notable exception). I'm trying to figure out how anyone could finish the book and NOT identify with Jane. I finished it and kept hoping I would find more pages to continue with. Even despite the inserted story which does not feature Jane, (which is in no way a bad story, although I agree with complants as to it's incongruity) the rest of the book is skillfully written. From a teenager, un-sure of her self and frightened by her brother's failure in love, to a twenty-something woman in a relationship with a man twice her age, to the Jane at the end of the last story, the reader witnesses her transformation and maturation every step of the way. I would say that only the truly cynical reader would not identify or care about the central character and complaints about one incongruous story do not do justice to the other 220 pages of the book which are head and shoulders above the rest of the literary world. 5 Stars...an instant classic.
Rating: 
Summary: Loved, loved, loved this book , except for one thing....
Review: Had I known before reading this book that it was a "collection of short stories compiled to read like a novel", I would have had a better understanding of how, out of nowhere, one chapter is suddenly told in a first person voice that is not the main character. I continued through the rest of the book to look for these characters to appear, and when they never showed up again, it left me disconcerted and puzzled.
There is also a chapter where the first person narrative switches to another voice, but this change did not seem as out of place as the sudden addition of new characters. It was interesting how much was covered in this one chapter, without much detail, yet adding to the fullness and depth of the main character. A fast, easy read, with likeable characters
Rating:
Summary: This is how Jane became the woman she is today
Review: This is a very urban, modern account of one personal growth and yet it has something very cosmopolite about it. Maybe cosmopolite is not the right terminology as this is clearly a very feminine, white, upper middle-class account; however cosmopolite in the sense that in varying nuances this is a human life story that can be similar to the lives of many of us. As if the narrator is saying: this is how I became myself. If you were to recount to someone what where the major stages of your personal development, what influenced you as a teen ager, who did you look up to as a role model, when did you learn to be assertive, etc. you might have come up with an account whose essence was similar to this book (although definitely not in the same talent).
Every story in this collection is a stand-alone and yet together they give us the growing up history of Jane Rosenhal.I see Jane as the classic modern heroine. She is not attractive and is very concerned with the question of feminine beauty. Like many of us she is weakened in front of beautiful people. She is smart and talented but does not feel she is exceptionally talented and maybe she isn't. Although the reader is unable to truly assess Jane' abilities he knows she is a hard worker in both her work and personal lives and a very direct funny person, whenever she can be herself. We learn how Jane learns to react to the world according to her experiences with the different people around her: lovers, boyfriends, family members, boss.
Jane has strong family bonds. In one of the best parts of the books she comes to the sad realization that she will never find a man that will love her the way her father did and this is a very hard notion to grasp.
This is also a story of a very healthy growing up environment. The heroine has received a lot of love from her parents and brother and in a way she has some strong solid base to build upon.
The first story happens at the time when Jane was about fourteen. The story centers around Henry, Jane's beloved brother and his relationship with his new girlfriend, all as captured through Jane eyes. She understands the situation but finds herself more understanding towards the woman side of this relationship. In this episode we also get familiar with the good family relations of Janes family, which nevertheless do not ensure that they will not bring her discomfort or pain in feeling that she might disappoint her family in choosing her partners. I liked all the stories /parts of the big story, but have to add that I was a little disappointed from the last story, bearing the name of the book (Girls guide to fishing and hunting) that is a little too predictable (in its outcome) although very easy to identify with (is there anyone out there who did not question the used advice of "just be yourself"?)
I enjoyed every part of this sincere touching book.
Rating:
Summary: sharp as a tack
Review: From the title, I had always assumed this was a non-fiction work but I'm happy to report it is in fact an excellent book of short stories. I was so completely charmed by the 12 year old narrator in the first story that I read the whole book in one sitting. How can you not love the "loser" younger sister who tries to hold her sarcastic thoughts in as she watches her older brother and his bizarre Jordan-esque girlfriend. We are lucky as readers to hear her snide remarks in italics like her thoughts on saying goodnight, "I'd love to stay and talk, but I have to go shoot some heroin now." The first story is full of witticisms and insights into the young Janie who appears in many of the later stories as well. I particularly like the title story (the final one in the collection) in which we watch the narrator try to live by the "rules" of dating from some ridiculous self-help book. Everytime she is about to let her own funny voice come through (which is how her date first was attracted to her), she stifles it in favor of the "proper" remark, and quickly loses her man. It is really quite hilarious. I enjoyed this collection from start to finish, even the somewhat odd creation of Archie, the older man. A very refreshing collection.
Rating:
Summary: Such a 'real' book, and a funny one, too!
Review: Although other critics have called this the American version of Bridget Jones' Diary, quite frankly, if I were Melissa Bank, I'd be offended by the comparison. BJ Diary was contrite, surface, and meaningless - true beach garbage reading (so bad I didn't bother to review it) .... Melissa Bank is clever, emotional and 'real' in her prose. Her characters are completely believeable and the reader is easily sympathetic with the protagonist, Jane Rosenal. Perhaps one of the reasons I loved this book was that although I obviously have never experienced the same lovers, friends, and family that "Jane" has, I have been a single woman who has tried to understand what it's all about. From the observations that Jane has as a fourteen year old with an older brother (and the variety of women he dates) through her twenties and thirties... she manages to be glaringly honest and quite funny at the same time. We are easily attached to Jane and relate to her as she deals with serious family illness, an older lover, and the slow, painful death of her job. One of the best things about this novel for me is that Jane is very witty and deals with the small tragedies of life with a certain lightheartedness. I have often found, personally, that humor is one of the best medicines and Melissa Bank employs it to perfection in this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Okay...not what I was expecting.
Review: It was interesting and reading it did not feel like a waste of time, but I have certainly read better. Bank's humor was not my sense of humor...I did not feel like I really gained anything from reading this novel.
Rating:
Summary: One Word: Superb
Review: I must tell that it had been a long time since I read a book that made everything and introduced me into its world.
It is the first time I read a book from Melissa Bank yet I must say that if all her books are like this one I am her knew devoted fan.
She manages to combine true sarcasm and wittisism with real life. You can laugh, you can cry, you can just sit back and enjoy whata woman really feels.
Marvellous. Words are gold.
Rating:
Summary: Transcends genre - almost literary
Review: There's something about criticizing a book for what it is not when the author's intentions were something different. It's kind of like saying, "I don't like chocolate ice cream," and then expecting this opinion to be the reality for everyone else. As a male, I happened to like "The Girls' Guide." My girlfriend, on the other hand, did not. "Chick lit" this is not. True, most readers are probably women, but that doesn't make it genre fiction - something that is tied to certain rules of plot instead of just good character development. With the exception of the last story, the author's focus isn't on creating the mandatory happy ending. No, Bank wants to show the whole silliness of dating and mating from a specific perspective - that of the sarcastic and funny Jane. For the most part it works. However, as others have pointed out, there's just a little bit too much wittiness to go around. Too many of the characters are as smart and funny as Jane. When it comes to the men Bank plays it straight. Which is as it should be. You know you're in la-la land when an author takes sides and manipulates the story so that all the men or all the women are good or bad. (Example: Emerald City : Stories by Jennifer Egan.) You get a taste of both here. It's realistic. As for the last story, I happen to like it because it's so true. The sexist "rules" that cause certain men to be attracted to women are based on faulty logic. Do you just want to get married - to anyone? Then the "rules" work. If you want to meet someone you truly love, be yourself. Simplistic, but true. And something that a lot of readers, especially women, need to know.
Rating:
Summary: Loved, loved, loved this book , except for one thing....
Review: Had I known before reading this book that it was a "collection of short stories compiled to read like a novel", I would have had a better understanding of how, out of nowhere, one chapter is suddenly told in a first person voice that is not the main character. I continued through the rest of the book to look for these characters to appear, and when they never showed up again, it left me disconcerted and puzzled.
There is also a chapter where the first person narrative switches to another voice, but this change did not seem as out of place as the sudden addition of new characters. It was interesting how much was covered in this one chapter, without much detail, yet adding to the fullness and depth of the main character. A fast, easy read, with likeable characters
Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed this more than I thought I would
Review: I liked the overall format of this book and enjoyed the way each separate story stands alone while coming together as whole (with the exception of one where the point of view switches to the neighbors ~ this one threw me for a few pages!). The stories were interesting little slice of life pieces laced with humor and sorrow. It was a very quick read for me and I'm a terribly slow reader. I clicked with Jane immediately when she's first introduced as a witty and observant teenager. When she ponders, "Why is everything I want to know wrong?" I had to laugh out loud because, being the nosey sort that I am, I've asked this question myself numerous times. Each story took an interesting look at relationships and even though Jane runs in a world much different than the one I inhabit, I enjoyed watching her mature and stumble her way through all sorts of different relationships (family, friends, lovers) and career woes. Her bluntness and wicked sense of humor kept me turning the pages even when she embarked on the hopeless romance (that gave me a bad case of the creeps) found in the chapter entitled "My Old Man". I've read a review or two complaining about the last chapter but I enjoyed it, even as it exasperated me and tried my patience! I felt it brought the book to a pleasant, uplifting conclusion and it felt very true to life.
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