Watermelon

Rating:
Summary: Rarely can you find a book that is like this
Review: I can't tell anyone that this is the best books I have ever read because it is not. But it is good, to the point of being hard to put down.
Claire Webster, has just had a baby and found out in the same day that her husband has been having an affair with a downstairs neighbor. So, James (the husband) is leaving her and the newborn to run off with the mistress. Claire makes a mad dash for Dublin to live with her crazy family. She, finally after not showering for sometime, gets herself back together and goes out into the world to find a handsome classmate of her younger sister.
After reading this book I have put some faith into more of Marian Keyes books. This may not be the best but it is the first.

Rating:
Summary: Good story, happy ending
Review: If you are in the mood for an good-old fashioned story with a modern, witty setting - this is it! Rarely do I find I can't put a book down, but this one kept me turning the pages with laugh out loud kind of fun.

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down
Review: I think Marian Keyes may have been spying on me and written down all of my thoughts!! I really enjoyed this book and wanted it to continue long after I was through. A true keeper...possibly not fiction, but a biography of my life?

Rating:
Summary: Large Laughs
Review: I loved this book , it is one of my all time favourites! you really cant go wrong with marian keyes!!! if you like these books you will definielty love sophie kinsella's series of a shopoholic.

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious
Review: I dare you to try to put this book down once you've started reading it. From the first page, this book is hilarious, touching and heartbreaking all at the same time. There are some surprising twists and turns, and the cast of characters is simply wonderful. Marian Keyes has an amazing knack for creating realistic but interesting characters like Claire and her eccentric family, without making the book too over-the-top. I literally laughed out loud most of the way through this book. I love how Keyes manages to describe simply awful situations with humor and Claire's self-deprecating charm. When I finished this book, I went out immediately and bought all 4 of her other books. For me, finding a new author is like getting presents on Christmas morning, and this was a great present!

Rating:
Summary: What a mess!
Review: After reading "Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married," which I found mildly entertaining, I thought it might be worhtwhile to pick up another of Keyes's novels. I regret the impulse. We are introduced to Claire as she, almost simultaneously, gives birth to a daughter and is abandoned by her husband. Not to worry, though -- in less than two months she's back in her pre-pregnancy clothes and back in the sack with a new man. The baby seems incidental; every so often Claire remembers that she's a mother and acts accordingly -- for about two pages.

In attempting to create a delightfully fey, girlish character, in fact, Keyes has given us a raving narcissist. Grindingly repetitive interior monologues stand in for character and story development. It's a shame, because Keyes is not a bad writer on the whole, and she shows occasional flashes of real wit.

Rating:
Summary: Watermelon
Review: This is the best book!! I haven't run across a book this good and funny in years! I really enjoyed the character and the story line. I'm running out to buy all the other books from this author.

Rating:
Summary: Watermelon
Review: I thought this book was just ok.... While I do think Marian Keyes is a funny & entertaining writer, I did find some parts of the book to be so long-winded that they became unbearable. It is a very quick & easy read.

Rating:
Summary: ENTERTAINING,BUT NOT WHAT I THOUGHT
Review: I was "wowed" when I read the editorial reviews. I am a lover of all things Irish. Therefore, I thought this book would delve into the stereotypical Irish lifestyle. You know, "Quiet Man" and such. Not so, this could have taken place in New York anywhere. Don't get me wrong, It was a very cute Romance, and the author's style is very funny. I just thought that they would talk in funny accents and stuff. I apologize for wanting this, but hey, I'm writing anonomously. So those of you out there who love the Irish and Scottish romances, be forwarned. She doesn't have a nice "cottage", there are no "running brooks" or "funny priests". Gosh, I feel like an idiot, but when I read, I would like to totally escape. I felt as though this book just took me next door. I think the author needs to be a little more descriptive. I can't even remember what her mother's house looks like, or any of the other places in the book. Of course, this book started as a best-seller in Europe, so I guess they can do without stereotypes or descriptions, since they live there. All in all, amusing from an emotional aspect, but definitely not what I was expecting. I think I'll go back to my historical romances written by American authors. They are much more escapist and romantic. I hate to be an idiot, thank goodness for the anonymous button.

Rating:
Summary: Giving up on Keyes
Review: I have to admit to not being much of a Marian Keyes fan. I hated "Lucy Sullivan" but did like "Last Chance Saloon" and thought I would give Keyes another try. So I bought this book. Over a week ago. And still haven't finished it (not even close). I just can't. To begin with, I found Claire's sudden lust for Adam a bit untimely. Having been through a sudden and very nasty breakup myself, and not having been able to function properly for months afterward, let alone even CONSIDER hooking up with someone else, I found it a bit of a stretch to believe that Claire would go from throwing things/temper tantrums, etc. to infatuation with her sister's friend in only one month. Especially in light of Claire's supposed deep love for her husband. Not only that, but that she made only one attempt to contact her husband during that time. But what REALLY got to me was this line: Claire has handed her daughter, Kate (1 month old) over to Adam and thinks to herself that, because Kate is in his arms, that she is one "lucky b***h." Who in their right minds would think anything of the sort about an infant... especially her own daughter? I got to that point, closed the book, and walked away.

There were also some rather obvious editing errors (Claire carries on about how she is broke, then she goes to her bank - which is rather odd considering that she LIVES in England, yet her bank account is in Ireland? Doesn't make sense. Also, if she was broke, how was she able to get money from said bank?) that were somewhat grating, but would be overlooked in a better novel. I realize this was Keyes' first book, but those "zippy" one liners made Claire seem crass rather than spunky or funny and I found Claire's supposed "zaniness" off kilter. Her husband seemed such a stuffed shirt. Why would he cheerfully bail her out without going ballistic about having to do so? Basically, I was unable to get a feel for their relationship; it simply didn't make sense. His departure is sudden and seemingly completely out of character and Claire's friends are all aware of the affair, but don't tell her (what kind of friends are they, anyway?)??????

I've pretty much lost any enthusiasm I might have had for these single-women/Brit Chix books, but I have definitely lost the very little respect I had for Ms. Keyes' writing abilities.