How I Came To Read This Book: I believe Robyn keyed me into the release of this book, but I was the one to go out and buy it, having LOVED Prep.The Plot: The book spans about 10-15 years in the main character, Hannah's life, touching on key moments in her development that shaped her attitudes toward society, more specifically - romance and men. Things start to crumble in Hannah's somewhat idealized world at a young age when her parents split up (and also, the engagement and subsequent split between Kiefer Sutherland & Julia Roberts has an impact on young Hannah). From there you're given glimpses into her life from high school, college, and beyond as she grows up and onwards.The Good & The Bad: I will actually post my 'retro' review for this one because it was surprisingly well-written and encompasses just about everything good & bad I can say about this book. While not on the same level as the fabulous Prep (or Megan McCafferty's similarly-themed Jessica Darling series), TMOMD is easily recommendable over most of the dribble out there. I think of it as intelligent, coming-of-age chick lit.The Bottom Line: A solid follow-up to Prep, but not a stellar one.50-Book Challenge?: NoRetro Review 'All Groan Up': First off, yes I know I spelt "Grown" as "Groan". That's because essentially this book is almost like watching Lee Fiora - the main character in Sittenfeld's debut novel Prep, grow up into a college-aged, then twentysomething, cynical yet often insightful outsider. Hannah Gavener has suffered from low self-esteem plagued by insecurity and mistrust for men since the age of 14, when her parents marriage falls apart. Over the next decade or so you watch as she grows up, explores the different types of relationships out there - casual, unrequited, platonic, open, and meaningful - and how she functions within them. Along the way you learn about Hannah's distaste for society's false social cues, and her secret idealism for others. The book is supported by several interwoven storylines from sub-characters including her gorgeous yet wild cousin Fig, her kind-hearted yet irritating sister Allison, and other various family members including her parents as they rebuild their lives without one another. Ultimately I can't review this book without touching on Prep - since that is where most people will have heard of Sittenfeld and its how most people will come across this book. The two are quite similar in that they are divided into 9-10 'chapters' which are really interweaving short stories set at different points in the main character's life. They both feature a narrator (although Lee is in first person, Hannah is almost entirely written in third person) who suffers from insecurity and self-doubt, particularly when it comes to the realms of socialibility and relationships. They both feature daughters straining to find autonomy from their slightly estranged parents. They're different though, based solely on the age gap. Lee is in high school, and as such all of the events in Prep take place at one school, over four years, with many of the same characters reoccuring and building on the story. Hannah's story takes place in four different locations over a much larger span of time - representing the varied experiences of adulthood quite fully...but also disparingly. Much like in TV shows that fail to ignite fans during the high school to college transition, the Man of my Dreams suffers slightly since the storyline is not so tightly knit with an established cast of characters. The other main difference is apparent between the attitudes of Lee and Hannah. While both are somewhat 'outsiders', Lee is relatable again and again to virtually every teenager's feelings of insecurity - past or present. Hannah on the other hand, is often so far gone off the unsociable deep end that you want to give her a firm shake and tell her to just suck it up and be friendly! That being said - Man of My Dreams is still a great book as it straddles quite eloquently the realms of fiction, 'biography', literature, and to a small degree, chick lit. Curtis Sittenfeld is not your average writer and perhaps my favourite thing about her books is not the characterization or the plots but the acute attention to detail. The observations her characters are so mundane and ordinary, or at other times extremely insightful, you can't help but appreciate their cleverness. I look forward to reading more from this author!
'the Man of my Dreams' is the kind of book title that would make it very easy for me to toss aside in a book sale or something. Or if a fellow passenger were ever reading it, I'd jump to the conclusion that either she or her life were very dull. When I read Curtis Sittenfeld's first novel Prep in 2005, I was all of 14 and it was for me one of the more important coming-of-age novels. And then I came across this one recently, I knew I had to read it despite the irksome title. This is the quintessential story of the never-been-kissed who comes to know three kinds of men in her discovery of herself - the unbelievably loving guy, the couldn't-care-either-way player, and the eternally unrequited love.But fortunately, it's not another one of those lugubrious romances where the woman mopes on about some guy all through until mr.perfect walks in and saves the day. The story is centered on and completely revolves around Hannah,HER little insecurities, HER petite-blunders, her family, firends, thoughts and actions and emotions and reactions and temptations and...How could one then not be completely captivated by this personality? ANY personality, when you've lived in their mind over the fictional course of a decade? Even the admittedly unimpressionable personality of Hannah's? Sittenfeld's writing is effortlessly honest. The events described are those that you'd think are totally plausible, ordinary even, but still curious , as if they belong equally well in the realm of fiction and reality. And all the characters, without needing any lengthy sketches are uncomfortably familiar- not of the worn-out stock character variety, but the 'oh! I know the kind of person that gives me that feeling' variety. The whole thing was,indeed, a proper treat to read.The ending was, in my opinion, sort of wishy-washy. Her chosen profession a little predictable or overused in the self-realization department (she chooses to teach autistic kids). And no, theres no happy ending, or rather not the kind of over-the-top happy ending that either brings tears to your eyes or makes you barf (depending on who you are).BUt hey! Most of real life is sort of foreseeable and unexciting and somehow, having enjoyed the simulated reality so far, I bought the end as contented as a well-fed baby. And now I'm writing this review so as not to be judged by the cover of the book :)
What do You think about The Man Of My Dreams (2007)?
I have been asked by a few people who enjoyed this book, why I gave it 1 star. So this is it:1. I disliked hated all the characters, they annoyed me, especially the main character's, being inside her head was a very, very painful experience.2. The main character was also a friggn nympho. All she thought about was getting down and doing the nasty and the opposite sex of course.3. The plot. Could someone please tell me what it was? Was it just this girls life, because all it seems like is a recap of the main characters life. When we say, "So, your life story?" We don't mean it! 4. The writing, I know some people have praised that the book is beautifully written, we should all applaud the writing. I don't see that, maybe if the writing had been interesting or "beautifully written" I would have enjoyed the book more.You see! Do not bother! Not a good book at all, if you want to be bored to tears, no it wasn't even that moving, if you want to be generally bored read this. Otherwise just don't! Not worth your time!
—Sita Sargeant
This novel covers similar ground to Sittenfeld’s Prep. In fact, it’s not hard to imagine it as the continued story of Prep’s insecure heroine, Lee, as she navigates college and post-college life. Unfortunately, though the writing style and themes are similar to Sittenfeld’s first novel, Man of My Dreams feels like the work of a far less mature author.To put it bluntly, it’s a boring book. Boring and depressing. Sittenfeld’s previously-displayed flair for turning the banal into something wonderful is entirely absent. Here, the banal is simply banal. The protagonist, Hannah, has a troubled childhood that leaves her emotionally unstable and prone to depression. During her twenties, she strives clumsily to find friends and lovers, but she achieves nothing close to her sister’s apparently shiny-perfect life.I cannot fault Sittenfeld for her realism. While many authors make their protagonists (ostensibly) shy and awkward, rarely do they turn out to be as uncompromisingly unhappy and insecure as Hannah. Likewise, Sittenfeld dodges the chick-lit clichés: Hannah does not “meet cute” any of her boyfriends and none of them are her perfect match.Unfortunately, in her attempts to write a realistic romance, Sittenfeld appears to forget that readers are fickle and want to be entertained. Tropes exist for a reason; shy heroines turn out to be witty and cute because that makes them more fun to read about. Time and time again, Sittenfeld would introduce a secondary character (slutty, reckless Fig or thoughtful, Korea-bound Henry) and I would wish desperately that I could follow their story instead, rather than being saddled endlessly with miserable Hannah.Furthermore, Sittenfeld makes some odd stylistic choices. I’m not a fan of the present-tense used at length, because the narration is temporally suspended and it unsettles me. Sittenfeld also experiments fairly pointlessly with prolepsis, which temporarily flings the reader into the future, only to yank them back in time once again. Though far from badly written, the stylistic choices further mark Sittenfeld’s immaturity.On the one hand, I know I’m being harsh about Man of My Dreams mainly because I loved Prep so much. But on the other hand, I doubt I would have even bothered to finish this if I weren’t such a fan of Prep. I hope that it’s a case of Sittenfeld attempting to polish a dusty, half-finished manuscript for speedy publication, rather than an indication that the nuances of Prep were simply a fluke.
—Nicola
This is a book that suffers from what I like to call “Cry Ass White People” syndrome. We follow the main character, Hannah, as she grows from a dysfunctional young girl to a dysfunctional young adult. Hannah had "been raised... not to be accommodated but to accommodate," Welcome self-esteem problems! Hannah seeks professional help while attending college (see cry-ass white people) and feels better about herself. Hannah finds thrills by being a *third wheel* tagging along with her fun-loving cousin, Fig. Kinda boring, but good solid writing. Enough that I read another book by this author this year. Book #31 of my 2006 Book List, finished reading it on 6-20-06.
—Sherrie
