Rating: 
Summary: A sparkling novel
Review: Like all of Lipman's novels, this one sparkles. Her characters are interesting, hilarious, and best of all, real. It's obvious that she writes about what she knows, and that makes for an entertaining, and sometimes touching, novel. One of her best.
Rating: 
Summary: Funny and intelligent
Review: Lipman is a charming and funny writer who is full of wit and verbal sparkle. From its magnetic first sentence to its ingenious climax, this is a superbly entertaining book.The Dobbin sisters, attractive red-headed spinsters Adele, Lois and Kathleen, live together in relative harmony until Adele's ex-fiance, the incorrigible, debonair and pathologically unreliable Nash Harvey, makes a sudden reappearance on their doorstep. But Nash soon finds out that scorned women do not make gracious hostesses. Yet the re-appearance of Nash Harvey, who deserted Adele Dobbin 30 years ago on the evening of their engagement party, throws the lives of the Dobbin sisters into disarray. Not only is Adele confused and upset, Lois has always had a crush on Nash, and now skittishly dyes her hair blonde. My only concern with The Ladies' Man was that the narrative was in present tense. This took some adjusting to, and distracted me from the story too often. However, don't let that put you off, because The Ladies' Man is still a delightful novel for when you are in the mood for something light-hearted and cheerful.
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: 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: A Great Read!! Charming Characters and Witty Writing!!
Review: Lipman's novel is just delightful. She creates characters that I can see and hear. The sisters--Adele, Kathleen, and Lois--are women who have successfully and happily lived their lives as women and family, but are now ready to open up to love and acceptance. Three different responses to love, responses that live in us all. Very witty, very charming, an engaging read.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious and inventive!
Review: Lipman, one of my favorite writers, just keeps getting better and better. The characters were unpredictable and engaging, the plot was completely inventive, and the moment I turned the last page, I wanted to read the book all over again. Hilarious and absolutely wonderful!
Rating:
Summary: A great , easy summer read
Review: Long after I finished this book I still am fond of the characters. At last a book about women over a certain age who are neither pathetic, nor nymphomaniacs. I thought the characters were very well portrayed and would love to read a sequel!
Rating: 
Summary: A disappointment following Inn at Lake Devine
Review: Loved Inn at Lake Devine and looked forward with anticipation to reading another Lipman novel. I still remember Inn... months later but can hardly remember the characters in Ladies Man just a couple of weeks after finishing. I did not find the plot particularly exciting or interesting but did enjoy Kathleen and Lorenzo's relationship. I will purchase another Lipman novel hoping it will equal Inn at Lake Devine -- as yet none have.
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.
Rating:
Summary: A fun, light farce
Review: Once again, Elinor Lipman has created a funny, light story about women--in this case, three sisters whose lives are disrupted when the ex-fiance returns thirty years after abandoning Adele, the eldest. Lipman has created a thoroughly believable--and detestable--anti-hero in Nash Harvey/Harvey Nash, a rogue who sponges off women and never seems to understand that he is not nearly as charming as he thinks he is. Readers who enjoy peering into the private lives of mature women will appreciate the sisters' struggles to deal with Nash and with their own middle-of-life romances and lack thereof. Real, fully developed characters and a speedy plot make this a read-in-a-sitting romantic comedy.
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