Watermelon

Rating:
Summary: Read anything you find by Marian Keyes; then wait for more
Review: Loved it! Now I want to see a BBC/A&E telemovie version.

Although "Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married" was great, I was unsure about reading "Watermelon". A novel in which the herione gives birth and gets dumped by her husband on the first page seemed a little intimidating. It sat on my bookshelf for a few weeks despite my faith in Keyes' storytelling skills.

I wondered if it would be: 1)an "against all odds", "surmounting obstacles", "girlpower" book; 2)a male-bashing "can't live with them/can't live without them" book; and/or 3)a novel which reinforces the strategic/disaster recovery recommendations found in self-help books? Well, its all of these things; however, the "good for you" messages are delivered subtly and with humor.

This book is a great escape for the overwelmed. It's uplifting and fun.

PS-Read "Watermelon" before "Rachel's Holiday" to get a better sense of Clair and Rachel's family.

Rating:
Summary: A very easy, good and funny read
Review: I loved this book - first of all because it's such a good story, but still a very easy read. I got it myself from a friend and I've already passed it along to another friend and I highly recommend it to most readers.

The book is written as if the "hero" Claire is talking to you, which means you really identify with her and all her insecurities. Claire's family are excellent secondary characters, and the male hero "Adam" was maybe a bit too good (and to good looking) to be true, but I have meet men that was quite much like that! Claire comes out as a belivable and interesting person, someone it would be nice to know. She is funny and warm and and also brave, so I found it quite inspiring in many ways. I specially liked the way the story changes your impression about Claire (and the way she also learned more herslef about who she was or had been.

Sometimes single women type books can be quite irritating, but Marian Keyes' are fabulous. Claire is funny I read Watermelon in almost in one go, which is quite something as it's not a short book. I read it late into the night, until I could read no more, and finally finished it early next morning. Marian Keyes has also written Rachels Holliday which I also liked very much (even better) and which is about one of Claires sisters!

Some people compare this to "Bridget Jones", and they have something in common, but mostly that they are about women and the frustrations of life and love. Others may feel this is not an intelligent enough book. So, its easy reading, what so? It is very well written, funny and makes life a bit more fun. A very good read for a vacation or for travelling. Highbrows who do not like "feel good" books are hereby warned - stay away.

Rating:
Summary: Funny and Clever
Review: In WATERMELON, author Marian Keyes has written a complex story which explores many emotional issues in a very amusing fashion. Despite some of the painful truths, this novel never loses its good humor. The story is quick-paced and totally fun, and it makes for the best kind of escapist reading. This is an author of genuine talent.

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Summary: This novel is a hoot!
Review: Having read all of Marian Keyes's novels -- including Sushi for Beginners and No Dress Rehearsal -- I just had to read her very first novel. This is one of the funniest novels I have ever read! Marian Keyes has excellent comic timing. I do believe that she is the best author of this genre -- Helen Fielding, Anna Maxtet, Jane Green, Isabel Wolff and India Knight are the runners-up.

Poor Claire tells us the story of how her husband dumped her on the night their baby was born. Depressed, she moved from London to Dublin to live with her eccentric family. The parents and two sisters are hilarious! I was able to know them when I read Rachel's Holiday, so I am glad that I was able to get better acquainted with such hilarious characters. Enduring her neurotic family and raising a child on her own, Claire is able to get over her husband. Or is that really the case? She meets a charming younger man. But will she ever get over her husband? And will this man sweep her off her feet? There are some memorable and droll moments in this novel.

So, are you in the market for a romantic comedy that has irony and poignancy? Look no further. Watermelon should be devoured till the last page!

Rating:
Summary: This book stole a Sunday from me!
Review: I bought this book yesterday morning and stayed up until 2:30 reading it. It was a great read! I loved the character development, I was rooting for Claire, I despised James and got nervous every time a scene involved Helen. My particular favorite part was Claire's description of being a waitress. That was so accurate and hilarious!

I grew a little impatient at the end and must admit that I skipped a lot of Claire's self talk and scanned the text for quote marks so I could get through it faster. But I have already bought this for someone else, I've recommended it to everyone at work and hope to read Lucy Sullivan next Sunday! Thank you Ms. Keyes!

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Summary: Who knew books could talk!
Review: I picked this puppy up at the Goodwill Book Fair (an event not to be missed for folks who like their dirt-cheap books) last weekend. The cover was pure cheese, but I'm a sucker for anything that has been granted a favorable nod from the NYT Book Review, so I decided to splurge and pay the 90 cents to get it. What a find! Marian Keyes is a gifted writer -- not in any academic high-falutin' sort of way -- but in a way that you'd like your best friend to talk. She's hilarious, and her descriptions of the misadventures of the muddled Claire had me laughing out loud. Ms. Keyes has a way of writing about life that makes the reader exclaim, "That's exactly it!" I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, though I have to agree with another reviewer that Claire's dealings with James at the end of the book were the weakest parts. Perhaps a little more than the cursory glance at their relationship at the onset of the novel would have helped that out a bit. Overall, a pleasurable and humorous read, full of clever insights.

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Summary: You have to laugh- Keyes' writes for all of us
Review: Claire is 29-year old Londoner and married to James, a man whom she adores. They meet and are instantly attracted to each other. James is wonderful- he rubs her feet and shoulders when she comes home from work and bails her out of jail for an innocent mishap with no words of judgment or interrogation. So, you can imagine Claire's surprise when, just hours after she delivers their first child, James comes to the recovery room to tell Claire he's leaving her to be with Denise, a married woman with 2 kids that lives in their apartment building. Claire is dumbfounded, trying to reason with him and make him explain to her why he's leaving, but he offers no explanation. Where can Claire possibly go? Home to Dublin, to ask for assitance and accomodations from her neurotic mother and father and her two younger sisters; Anna, the flighty, new-agey type grunge girl, and Helen, a narcisstic 18 year old university student who's beauty miserably enslaves every guy she meets into submission. Claire spends the first few weeks doing the least amount of living as possible; she feeds her daughter Kate, eats, and drinks as much alcohol as she can find around the house (since her depression over losing James keeps her confined to the house). Then one day, Helen brings home Adam, a gorgeous 24-year old student who is helping Helen write an essay. Claire, as well as Anna and their mom, immediately find Adam's boyish charm and impeccable manners attractive. He inquires about Kate and asks if he can see her. When Claire sees Adam holding Kate as if he'd done it every day of his life, she melts. Trying to remember she is still a married woman, Claire tries to put Adam out of her mind, but he pursues her tenaciously. Once Claire and Adam are totally into each other, who should come out of the shadows but James, asking to see her and fully expecting to be forgiven for the whole Denise incident and taken back into Claire's good graces for reconciliation. Claire is forced to make a hard decision: should she stay in Dublin with Adam, the most attentive, caring, and gorgeous man she's ever known? Or does she owe it to Kate to reconcile with her father? This book, although dealing with serious topics, is hilarious altogether. Claire's first person storytelling had me laughing out loud so hard on my train ride to the city, people kept throwing me nasty looks. It was worth it. "Watermelon" is completely different from "Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married", which is nice to see. Some authors will write a ton of books, but never stray from the same writing style or topics. I anxiously await "Rachel's Holiday", Keyes' most recent work. Kudos, Marian!

Rating:
Summary: I love this book!!
Review: This is undoubtedly one of the most enjoyable reads that I have experienced! Books rarely make me laugh out loud, but Marian Keyes did it several times with her dry British wit. Claire is so incredibly neurotic, and I (unfortuntately?) identified with her in so many ways. I would recommend this book to anyone who has been jilted by a significant other. For those of you who are offended by a little rough language, consider yourself warned.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful new writer
Review: Actually, not new to some people, but new to me. I was so happy to discover this author! She has such a wonderful way of words and a way of taking a rather tragic situtation and making the reader laugh out loud. Since reading WATERMELON I have been happy to locate Marian Keyes' subsequent books - all in their British/Irish editions. LAST CHANCE SALOON was my favorite - I found it in London last fall, but unfortunately it is not yet available in the states. US readers will have to satisfy themselves with RACHEL'S HOLIDAY (a spin off from Watermelon about one of the sisters) and LUCY SULLIVAN IS GETTING married. If you like the humor of American authors such as Jennifer Crusie or Trish Jensen then you should certainly enjoy Marian Keyes.

Rating:
Summary: More belabored than breezy...
Review: I have to admit to being somewhat dissapointed with this novel. While I thought Claire's family was fun, and Keye's language and turns of phrase are good, certain characters, and the plot itself was fairly predictable. A central flaw of the novel is that Claire's marriage is only viewed in hindsight, through Claire's first person viewpoint. I don't think Keyes does an adequate job of painting a picture of that marriage--as a result, I was confused by Claire and James' (her husband) interactions after he comes back in contact with her.I think its safe to assume that husbands don't just walk away the day their wife's give birth on a regular basis, and I thought it was strange that Claire had no inkling of problems in the marriage, or with James before this point. Perhaps I would have prefered it if she had actually come to see that there really were problems she had been blind to. But that doesn't happen--Claire just sees this bizzare Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde-side of her husband that she's never witnessed before. Her husband may be a bizarre character, but Adam seems if anything too saintly! In spite of its predicatibility, I would have rated WATERMELON higher if the 1st person narrative hadn't shown the main character to be so dense, and if it hadn't taken so LONG to come to the obvious conclusion. Nonetheless, I will look forward to reading Keyes other novels, and hopefully, rate them higher!