I haven't really read a Marian Keyes book before, I've tried one but couldn't get into it so I was a bit unsure about what to expect from her latest offering, This Charming Man. After reading the synopsis inside the jacket cover, I thought it sounded like it could be a great read, but I couldn't ... Read review
Everybody remembers where they were the day they heard that Paddy de Courcy was getting ... more
married' Lola has every reason to be interested in who Paddy's marrying - because although she's his girlfriend she definitely isn't the bride-to-be. Heartbroken ...
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Lola has just found out that her boyfriend - charismatic politician Paddy de Courcy - is ... more
getting married. To someone else. Heartbroken, Lola flees the city for a cottage by the sea. But will Lola's retreat prove as idyllic as she hopes? Journalist Grace wants the inside story on Paddy de Courcy's engagement and thinks Lola holds the key to it.
Lola Daly has just found out that her boyfriend - gorgeous, charming and powerful ... more
politician Paddy de Courcy - is getting married. To someone else. Heartbroken, Lola flees Dublin to a cottage in the countryside. Can a new set of friends help her to get over him?
Advantages: A good story, good characters Disadvantages: Very long, Lola's writing
...expect from her latest offering, This Charming Man. After reading the synopsis inside the jacket cover, I thought it sounded like it could be a great read, but I couldn't believe the size of the book - it was huge!
This Charming Man is based on four very different women, all living in Ireland and whose lives have been changed dramatically by one very charming man, Paddy de Courcy. Paddy is a politician and thinks of himself as a bit ... ...women in Paddy's life, and this made it somewhat different to most women's fiction books out there. There aren't chapters as such, more sections relating to each woman as they tell their story at a different pace. Firstly, we meet Lola, a stylist who gets a shock when her boyfriend Paddy's engagement is splashed across the media - only she isn't the woman he's marrying. Lola is convinced she can't get over Paddy and so flees to Knockavoy to her friend ... more
I haven't really read a Marian Keyes book before, I've tried one but couldn't get into it so I was a bit unsure about what to expect from her latest offering, This Charming Man. After reading the synopsis inside the jacket cover, I thought it sounded like it could be a great read, but I couldn't believe the size of the book - it was huge!
This Charming Man is based on four very different women, all living in Ireland and whose lives have been changed dramatically by one very charming man, Paddy de Courcy. Paddy is a politician and thinks of himself as a bit of a cad who can get any woman he wants. But Lola, Marnie, and Grace know the truth about Paddy. That he isn't as nice as his public persona leads people to believe, that he hasn't any respect for women, and most importantly, they're all united by a secret which just might come back to bite Mr de Courcy on the bottom!
The story is told by the four women in Paddy's life, and this made it somewhat different to most women's fiction books out there. There aren't chapters as such, more sections relating to each woman as they tell their story at a different pace. Firstly, we meet Lola, a stylist who gets a shock when her boyfriend Paddy's engagement is splashed across the media - only she isn't the woman he's marrying. Lola is convinced she can't get over Paddy and so flees to Knockavoy to her friend Bridie's cabin in the middle of nowhere. Lola is forced to come to terms with Paddy's betrayal, but Knockavoy holds a few more surprises for Lola!
Through Lola's story we slowly meet Grace, a journalist who is after Lola for her story on her relationship with Paddy. Grace, who lives with boyfriend Damien, works at a local newspaper, working on the odd story here and there. But Grace is also hiding a secret about Paddy, one she doesn't want to be revealed. Not only that, Grace is trying to hold her sister Marnie together, who is about to lose everything that matters to her. Marnie also has her own narrative texts, which make for quite harrowing reading and were not at all pleasant. The two sisters are very different, and the relationship between them was incredibly well written, surviving a range of obstacles and sisterly love coming through above everything. Lastly, we hear from Alicia, Paddy's current woman and the one he is soon to marry. Alicia loves Paddy dearly and is pleased to be with him, but is soon to find out just what their relationship is going to cost her. Is it really worth everything to Alicia, and how far will she go to keep Paddy?
As you can see, there are four varied characters, but the stories and different narratives work well within the book. As well as the different 'voices', each narrative has a different font within the book as well so it's quite easy to determine who you're hearing from. And also, the story from each person is written in a different style i.e. Lola's story is much more of a diary format in the first person, hearing directly from Lola. Grace's is much more a traditional story, being told in the first person but flowing freely as a story. Marnie on the other hand is very different from the former two, being told in the past tense and in the second person, constantly referring to Marnie from a 'fly-on-the-wall' perspective. And finally Alicia's story is told in the third person, much more of a story-type narrative once more.
There was one point which annoyed me greatly about this book, and at times actually affected my opinion and the pace of my reading it. Lola's diary-style entries were not written in full sentences, and this really grated on my nerves as I felt I was constantly filling in the blanks! It didn't flow naturally because of this, and I felt I had to really concentrate in those parts and I just couldn't get on with the style of it which was a real shame, as I really enjoyed both Grace's and Marnie's narrative's greatly.
The story was really interesting and kept me wanting to read on. Keyes has really written Paddy's character as the most hateable, and you really do hate him! All three main female characters were different but very strong despite what they'd been through, none of which was made clear until right at the end of the book. Lola's story added a real element of humour to the book which was welcome relief from the tragedy and sorrow of Marnie's story which was a very powerful and humbling read. Grace's story plodded along in the middle but managed to draw together the other two narratives in a simple yet effective way. The novel is well written but I just couldn't get past my dislike of Lola's writing style, however much I enjoyed the rest of the book! At nearly 700 pages, its a long book, and at times a bit of a struggle... A good read, and I will be trying some more Keyes books in the future.
ISBN: 978-0718149123. Published by Michael Joseph Ltd in April 2008. The hardback contains 688 pages, and can be bought from Amazon for £8.99.
This review has also appeared on www.thebookbag.co.uk under my name.
Advantages: Compelling, intriguing, funny Disadvantages: Changes in writing style takes some adapting
This Charming Man is the latest best seller from successful irish author Marian Keyes. Born in West Ireland in 1963, Marians first book Watermelon was published in 1995 and she has followed it up with bestseller after bestseller. I read the large paperback version of this book and my first impressions were that this was going to be a bit of a blockbuster read at 676 pages. The RRP for this version is £12.99 but I managed to get it for free through ... ...quite discovered the relevance of this to the book but maybe Im just too stupid to see the connection!
After the initial acknowledgements by Marian Keyes the book starts with comments from four different women regarding a newspaper article announcing the engagement of politician Paddy De Courcy to Alicia Thornton. The next page features this newspaper clipping. The book then starts proper with a section headed up Lola. This section is written in ...
kirkytracy 28.09.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of This Charming Man - Marian Keyes
Advantages: Funny yet with Deeper issues Disadvantages: Very Addictive
...be Alicia. However this is very surprising news to his current girlfriend Lola. The story focuses on her escape to a remote, Irish coastal village in an attempt to mend her broken heart and rebuild her life. It is Lola's experiences at the village which mainly provides a lot of the humour in the book, as she meets some interesting and eccentric characters there. It also focuses on Grace Gildree (a journalist) and her twin sister Marnie's reaction ... ...be quite annoying at points. This is because Keyes builds up the suspense of a particular character, before jumping to another, leaving you desperate to know what happens next, but having to wait to find out! I was a huge fan of Marian Keyes earlier novels and then felt she went off the boil slightly with her last creations. However, I would say with Charming Man she is back to her very best. The female characters are very likeable, the story is ...
ctsag 23.02.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of This Charming Man - Marian Keyes
Advantages: An interesting story, told with empathy. Some very well-developed characters, and hilarious in par Disadvantages: A long book, some disturbing images and themes.
This Charming Man is the latest offering from Marian Keyes (released a few months ago now, in 2008). I have always loved Marian's books for the unique way they deal with real issues - sometimes dark and distressing, but always peppered with humour - and This Charming Man is no different. You would think that a book covering domestic abuse and alcoholism might be a depressing read, but thanks to Marian's talent it really isn't. Yes, it might make ... ...of ingredients I look for; This Charming Man ticks all the boxes. The storyline kicks off with the news of the engagement of charismatic politician Paddy de Courcy; news which shocks the whole of Ireland. Poor Lola Daly has more reason to be shocked than most though...she thought she was his girlfriend! Understandably Lola finds this rude awakening somewhat hard to take. Unable to be in the same city as de Courcy any longer, she packs a random assortment ...
anna6735 01.03.2009
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funny, bright, you would believe it is a real story, written with excellence of Marian Keyes. Almost 700 pages but you will be able to finish it in two weekend days as with all Keyes' books. I have read all of her books and this one is in top 3. Would highly recommend not only to Marian Keyes fans but also all women, it is real world store reflecting day-to-day issues written excellently so you will not want to put it down. ...
mumikoj 15.07.2008
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of This Charming Man - Marian Keyes
Advantages: Brilliant read, unable to put down. Disadvantages: Book a bit on the heavy side but can't really complain about this.
...was finished. She tells her stories so well that you almost feel as though you know the characters personally (or wish you did) and almost feel part of their lives. I have enjoed this book very much and can't wait for the next masterpiece of Marian Keyes. ...
jomeichtry 17.04.2009
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Advantages: Great characters Disadvantages: Irritating diary style
My most recent book reviews were on genocide in Rwanda and the moral degeneration of the ex-pat community in Cambodia. So if I told you that I've just read a 676-page novel about Irish politics, corruption, domestic violence and alcoholism you could be forgiven for thinking that it sounds like this will be another depressing review. You wouldn't immediately think 'Aha, that sounds like just the perfect thing to read on the sun-bed on my summer holidays'. And I might agree - but only because it's just out in hard-back and probably weighs more than two pairs of shoes. However, 'ThisCharmingMan' is a great, fun read and is the ideal book to hook you in and make you incapable of doing anything other than rushing home, microwaving the cat, stroking the ready meal and neglecting your ironing until you've finished it. MarianKeyes' most ...
Advantages: Modern-day theme and issues, some funny bits Disadvantages: Heavy-going read, lots of characters
ThisCharmingMan is the latest release from MarianKeyes. Her other works include Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married, Watermelon, Rachel's Holiday, Sushi for Beginners, Angels and Is Anybody Out There, to name a few.
MarianKeyes' style is that of a chick-lit novel that deals with some quite hefty issues, but usually have an 'against-the-odds' love story thrown in for good measure. In previous books we have seen elements of alcholism, drug abuse, bereavement, the effects of divorce and depression. In ThisCharmingMan we are taken into a new realm, that of domestic violence. Despite the heavyweight topics in the books there are humourous overtones to the story as the main characters struggle through the changes in their lives and deal with their problems. I'm a happy ending fanatic and I do like the way that most of the books ...
Advantages: Very easy to read, excellent story, wonderfully written Disadvantages: A bit slow to start
of the sentences are written in a quite abbreviated form. I appreciate correct grammar so this annoyed me a little bit at first, even though it did make sense. After reading a couple of pages though I quickly got into it, but it took a couple of pages every time I picked the booked back up. I do think that this is an interesting writing technique and possibly a clever way using fewer words to make an already long book shorter?
I?d say that Lola?s narration takes up the most part of the book so I felt like I got to know her quite well. I looked forward to reading her parts and learning about the events that were going on in her life. The other characters make appearances in Lola?s chapters too.
~ Grace ~
Grace is a journalist and thinks Lola holds the key to the De Courcy story. We meet Grace for the first time in Lola?s opening chapter. We get ...
Product Information for "This Charming Man - Marian Keyes" »
Product details
Type
Fiction
Genre
Modern Fiction
Title
This Charming Man
Author
Marian Keyes
ISBN
718149122
EAN
9780718149123
Manufacturer's product description
Everybody remembers where they were the day they heard that Paddy de Courcy was getting married'. Lola has every reason to be interested in who Paddy's marrying - because although she's his girlfriend, she definitely isn't the bride-to-be. Heartbroken, she flees the city for a cottage by the sea. But will Lola's retreat prove as idyllic as she hopes? Not if journalist Grace has anything to do with it. She wants the inside story on the de Courcy engagement and thinks Lola holds the key. Grace knew Paddy a long time ago. But why can't she forget him?Grace's sister, Marnie, might have the answer but she also has issues with the past. Her family is wonderful but they can't take away memories of her first love: a certain Paddy de Courcy. What will it take for Marnie to be able to move on? And what of the future Mrs de Courcy...Alicia is determined to be the perfect politician's wife. But does she know the real Paddy de Courcy? Four very different women. One awfully charming man. And the dark secret that binds them all...
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