Rating: Summary: Impossible to put down Review: By 12:30 in the morning, I was exhausted, bleary eyed, and just HAD TO finish the book before I could shut the light off and go to sleep. It was funny, touching, and made you tear up and laugh out loud in turns. A rare breed: intelligent, captivating fiction.
Rating: Summary: Overrated and trite Review: I eagerly awaited the chance to read this book after all of the surrounding fanfare as the "New York Bridget Jones." I originally bought the book in anticipation of an upcoming lecture in NYC featuring Helen Fielding and Melissa Bank, and I have to say that upon having read them both, Bank is NOT the woman I am anxious to see. I found Jane neither particularly interesting nor funny (a trait which she claimed for herself countless times), and I did not feel that she was the appropriate voice for the single, professional woman in NYC. I AM a single, professional woman in NYC, and would not ever waste several years (and most of the book)in the arms of a drunk, 54 year-old skirt-chaser; I expected her to be a little stronger. One other note regarding this novel...I found the discontinuity distracting. I want to read either a novel or a book of short stories, not some hybrid of the two. If the intermittent stories blew me away, maybe I'd feel differently, but the cancer-patient-finally-realizes-that-she-is-strong-and-leaves-her-undeserving-man schtick? Heard it. I think that reviewers on this site tend to overrate...there are too many 5 stars out there. This book was not without merit for me, but I would never sugarcoat a book that clearly had more potential.
Rating: Summary: An inspiring, haunting, engaging book Review: I loved it. THE GIRLS' GUIDE TO HUNTING AND FISHING does a much better job of exploring the complexities and ambiguities of being a 30-something woman than any of the other similarly themed books now out there. Jane Rosenal is a much brighter, more interesting, more compelling character than either Bridget Jones or Tiffany Trott.
Rating: Summary: Thoughtful, clever and a must read..... Review: I read The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing in one sitting and well...it was worth being sleepy at work the next day. It is one of those books you just hate to finish. Melissa Bank's protagonist hits the gamit of emotions that go along with that little girl whose voice is always riding shotgun with every woman guiding her way through wildnerness of courtship to find her prince charming.
Rating: Summary: disappointing, and not worth the hype or the money Review: The wait was not worth it!!!!! Everyone, had compared this much anticipated book to "On the Loose" or "Bridget Jones", so what a disappointment it was when I read it. The hype of a quirky look into Jane's life once she reads a self-help book (i.e. The Rules) is mearly glanced over in the final chapter. You must sift through chapters, which one doesn't even fit, to get to a mere 60 pages of plausible life in NY. If your looking for something entertaining, DON'T BUY THIS BOOK. Are we that starved for reassurance in our lives, that this can get published????? Buy a guide on how to hunt and fish, you'll get more entertainment.
Rating: Summary: absolutely loved this book!! Review: Loved Jane, I laughed and empathized with her the whole book through. My one complaint was lack of continuity and specifics, it was a little hard to connect with her cause you couldn't ever tell what age she was at during the experiences, and, the two short stories were so ambiguous it took a while to realize thery weren't about Jane. I wish that they had been longer though, the majority of this book was so well written but too brief. Read this book!!!!!!
Rating: Summary: Not sure I understand all the hype!? Review: If I could, I'd rank this book 3 1/2 stars, not just 3. This is a good book. Light, true, fun, concise. Some stories were fantastic while others were so-so. I wanted more from this character than boy stories. What is her life like without a man in it? Her style, short brush strokes of information, often left me craving more. The humor seemed "klever" rather than "clever". (Clever with a 'K') It is certainly a good read, just not as much depth as I had hoped...
Rating: Summary: Puts Bridget Jones back where she belongs: in the nunnery. Review: Melissa Bank has just published a book so wise and funny that it should be compulsory reading for women of all ages, but particularly those thirtysomething "singletons" referred to by Bridget Jones in her diary. Jane Rosenal, is a much warmer and wiser gal than Bridget. She is also a lot funnier. For any single girl sick or shy of the NYC dating scene, curl up with this book on a Saturday night in. You may even learn something about relationships while laughing out loud.
Rating: Summary: Best book I've read in ages---and I read books for a living Review: Anyone familiar with the publishing world will love this book. Anyone familiar with being a daughter will love this book. Anyone familiar with being a single woman---with being a woman, period---will love this book! All of the characters are people you know: your boss, your dad, your last boyfriend. Travel with Jane through life and feel like you're spending some quality time with your best friend.
Rating: Summary: Stupendous satirical story Review: At fourteen years old, Jane Rosenal is the typical American teenager who sits on the top of the mountain much wiser than any one she knows, especially her family. Yet she knows she somehow cannot break through to decipher the secret language of adults. When her older brother breaks up with his older girl friend, only Jane tries to psychoanalyze what went wrong. Over the years, Jane looks for her perfect mate in all the wrong places. She becomes involved with her much older boss when she obtains a low level publishing job. After that ends, she thinks back and wonders why she did not know this relationship was doomed to failure. Over the subsequent years, her love life flows and ebbs, but no Mr. Right seems to permanently remain with her. Still, in seeking a mate, Jane turns to the advice of a "how to" book even though following the "rules" makes Jane seem shallow and pathetic. THE GIRLS' GUIDE TO HUNTING AND FISHING is a cleverly written satire that laughs at the efforts made to find love. The superb story line reads more like a series of long vignettes or a short story collection centering on the exploits and doubts of the warm heroine. The maturing of Jane from shallow, obnoxious, and know-it-all teen to doubting adult is simply scintillating, making Melissa Bank's ironic fiction feel real and irresistible to both sexes. Harriet Klausner
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