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61st out of 123 books
—
20 voters
Starting from Happy: A Novel
While waiting in line for apple pie at a party, Imogene Gilfeather, a lingerie designer who does not understand the reason for romance, meets Wally Yez, a scientist whose business card says “An Answer for Everything.” Imogene is told that Wally is the perfect guy. (“Perfect,” she replies, “is not my type.”) He is told that her company, Featherware, manufactures intimates (...more
Hardcover, 234 pages
Published
August 23rd 2011
by Scribner
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"Zurück auf Glück" von Patricia Marx ist ein liebenswert illustrierter Roman, der mit viel Humor eine skurrile Liebesgeschichte erzählt. Der unkonventionelle Stil der Autorin wird sicher nicht jedem Leser zusagen, aber ich fand es herrlich komisch.
Inhalt: Als Imogene und Wally sich in New York kennenlernen, haben sie völlig verschiedene Ansichten vom Leben. Sie designt Dessous und ist eine unabhängige Karrierefrau, die sich nur schwer auf eine feste Bindung einlassen kann. Er, ein intelligenter...more
Inhalt: Als Imogene und Wally sich in New York kennenlernen, haben sie völlig verschiedene Ansichten vom Leben. Sie designt Dessous und ist eine unabhängige Karrierefrau, die sich nur schwer auf eine feste Bindung einlassen kann. Er, ein intelligenter...more
Quirky.
There's very little you can say about this fun book without giving it away. Not the plot. The plot is reed-thin, but that's OK. It's ostensibly a romance between two people you'd probably never know, and who would probably never know one another, and all the people they tangentially know, and the little thoughts and conversations they have.
Except it's not. It seems to be about that, but it's really about the author (or the author as the *character* of an author) careening between the idea...more
There's very little you can say about this fun book without giving it away. Not the plot. The plot is reed-thin, but that's OK. It's ostensibly a romance between two people you'd probably never know, and who would probably never know one another, and all the people they tangentially know, and the little thoughts and conversations they have.
Except it's not. It seems to be about that, but it's really about the author (or the author as the *character* of an author) careening between the idea...more
Someone saw me reading this and asked, "Oh, what's that about?" I said, "mmm... It's sort of a post-post-modern feminist take on romance." Facepalm. I can't believe that popped out of my mouth unbidden.
But I think that kind of adequately describes this book. I liked the short little chapters and the inclusion of the author's personality, but I think it kind of wore on me after a bit. The thing was, I could have enjoyed the format, but about 2/3 through I realized I didn't care for the character...more
But I think that kind of adequately describes this book. I liked the short little chapters and the inclusion of the author's personality, but I think it kind of wore on me after a bit. The thing was, I could have enjoyed the format, but about 2/3 through I realized I didn't care for the character...more
Quite often, I will, in contravention to the proverbial dictate, judge books by their covers, as was the case with Starting from Happy. I noticed it in the new books display at my local library, and it just looked like it would be funny and witty, and it was. Also, there was a very positive blurb on the front cover from Woody Allen, and if someone as funny Woody Allen liked the book, I knew that I would like it, too.
Starting from Happy is very short novel written in what the author, Patricia Mar...more
Starting from Happy is very short novel written in what the author, Patricia Mar...more
I happened upon this book at my local library branch while I was searching for Thanksgiving Break reading. The cover caught my eye because I had read another book by this author quite a while ago and liked it (Him Her Him Again The End of Him). If the word "quirky" does not appear in a professional review of this book, you've been misled. Starting from Happy: A Novel is the pseudo-love story of Wally and Imogene (who uses those names in contemporary literature except for a quirky author; I say "...more
3 Stars: Uniqueness, creativity and effort.
Funniest parts: "Prolegomenon' (prologue), and "Special Bonus Edition For Readers Who Have Had Lasik Surgery".
Ms. Marx chose to write this book in a different format, using what she calls "chaplettes'; very short chapter-like divisions.
At first, I liked the idea of the shorter chaplettes, but then after a few pages they drove me nuts. It gave me a feeling very similar to intensely craving the last rich, warm, gooey chocolate brownie in the pan, only to...more
Funniest parts: "Prolegomenon' (prologue), and "Special Bonus Edition For Readers Who Have Had Lasik Surgery".
Ms. Marx chose to write this book in a different format, using what she calls "chaplettes'; very short chapter-like divisions.
At first, I liked the idea of the shorter chaplettes, but then after a few pages they drove me nuts. It gave me a feeling very similar to intensely craving the last rich, warm, gooey chocolate brownie in the pan, only to...more
I was looking for a fun book to read and found it in Starting from Happy. The book is spun-sugar and runs the risk of overdoing its confectionary ambitions. There are a few contrivances employed by Marx that would be annoying in a more challenging book but here do nothing to detract, even as they do not enhance either. But the writing is sharp, even the digressions, and there is enough of a plot and enough real-ife scenarios to keep you moving forward. So the four stars is not meant to put this...more
Readable, but not worth reading. This book tries to be unique, tries to be funny, tries to be a lot of things, and fails at almost all of them.
Some of the notes I made while reading this book were:
someone should tell the author she is not Steve Martin, Dave Eggars, or Kurt Vonnegut
Pretentious
Trite
Tries too hard
Gimmicky
Too cute
I noticed on the book jacket that the author has also written for SNL,which makes sense given the show's propensity to try things that don't work and then fail to realize i...more
Some of the notes I made while reading this book were:
someone should tell the author she is not Steve Martin, Dave Eggars, or Kurt Vonnegut
Pretentious
Trite
Tries too hard
Gimmicky
Too cute
I noticed on the book jacket that the author has also written for SNL,which makes sense given the show's propensity to try things that don't work and then fail to realize i...more
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This was an oddly constructed book, but quite a quick read. It is written is a series of chaplettes (which are chapters that are only a few sentences long) and spans the life of Imogene Gilfeather and Wally Yez. Wally is quite into Imogene, and Imogene is quite indifferent to Wally. Yet, somehow they get together and have kids together and do life together. I enjoyed the beginning of the book best when they were just developing their relationship. The middle and the end jump over large chunks of...more
The thing is...this book is hysterical. It's absolutely zany. I am always delighted with the articles by Patricia Marx in the New Yorker, but here in a whole book, where she is unleashed, her comic genius is almost overwhelming. I got tired of this book quickly...she is a Robin Williams of print and it...was...just...too...much. I would recommend picking up this book to thumb through it--her illustrations are enough to see how this is a person who thinks totally unlike the norm. I admire how off...more
Nov 21, 2011
Kate
added it
I'm going to stop reading this, and here's why. The fatal blow occured on page 41.
"Regarding chaplette 62: Patty [that's the author] would like it known that she was highly impressed with herself for spelling the word infinitesimally correctly on the second try."
It's a short book, amusing and insightful in places. But I have other stuff to read. I'm not going to spend another 150 pages pretending to myself that I think her drawings are funny, or that the broken up "chaplette" format is funny, or...more
"Regarding chaplette 62: Patty [that's the author] would like it known that she was highly impressed with herself for spelling the word infinitesimally correctly on the second try."
It's a short book, amusing and insightful in places. But I have other stuff to read. I'm not going to spend another 150 pages pretending to myself that I think her drawings are funny, or that the broken up "chaplette" format is funny, or...more
This is the story of Imogene and Wally, told in chaplettes (very short chapters) and interspersed with illustrations. It's intended to be a cute, quirky, humorous look at relationships through the coupling of Imogene and Wally, who meet while waiting in line for apple pie at a party. Wally is convinced they are meant to be together but Imogene isn't so sure.
Writing
Not my style. I figured I'd enjoy this one because the idea of chaplettes sounded cute and I like illustrations. I assumed it would b...more
Writing
Not my style. I figured I'd enjoy this one because the idea of chaplettes sounded cute and I like illustrations. I assumed it would b...more
I won this book through Firstreads by Goodreads.
I probably wouldn't have finished this book had it not been such a quick read. However, there were parts of it that were so insightful into relationships and people.
"How long were they together?..... Long enough for Gwen to have heard all of Wally's best stories and not hesitate to interrupt him when she felt she could tell one in a more entertaining way than he could......Long enough for Gwen to reach the conclusion that a king-size bed wouldn't...more
I probably wouldn't have finished this book had it not been such a quick read. However, there were parts of it that were so insightful into relationships and people.
"How long were they together?..... Long enough for Gwen to have heard all of Wally's best stories and not hesitate to interrupt him when she felt she could tell one in a more entertaining way than he could......Long enough for Gwen to reach the conclusion that a king-size bed wouldn't...more
I thought about writing my review in the same style as the book and letting you know that if you didn't enjoy my review, you'd not enjoy the book. Then I decided I didn't care that much. So, here's my regular old review. This book had a unique format - "chaplets" - short little sections, sometimes containing only a few words. The author also refers to herself (in third person) and to the book several times within the book. And finally, there are lots of little sketches and silly little graphs, w...more
This was an unusual novel. I liked the general concept of short chapters, something I imagined to be similar to the vignettes of “The Time Traveller’s Wife”. The numbered “chaplettes”, however, turned out to be much, much shorter, so short in fact that they sometimes only consisted of two words (the longest was a bit less than a page if I remember correctly). This might make for a quick read, but they never kept my attention for very long. When you read a book with proper chapters, you might say...more
1. A fresh and funny take on contemporary romance.
2. And writing, for that matter. That makes you think twice, if at all.
3. I found most of the ephemera delightful. Like watching a Dmitri Martin show or eating a "shrimp chip" at a Chinese restaurant - forgettable, but great fun for the moment.
4. Let's say this: was not crazy about the chaplette format.
5. And this: was totally confused by the Paris episode. ??? This is not one of those readers who can extrapolate random data.
So unrelentingly clever that it can become exhausting to read. I can't imagine how much brain power went into to writing it. Basically every sentence contains its own punchline.
My mind slowed down each time I tried to read Ron de Jean with the specified pronunciation. My mind had to slow down a lot for a book with so few words.
I think this would have worked much better as a radio play OR, believe it or not, a Twitter novel. I didn't bother reading a lot of the illustrations, but I enjoyed the "...more
My mind slowed down each time I tried to read Ron de Jean with the specified pronunciation. My mind had to slow down a lot for a book with so few words.
I think this would have worked much better as a radio play OR, believe it or not, a Twitter novel. I didn't bother reading a lot of the illustrations, but I enjoyed the "...more
I like the concept of chaplettes, telling a story in a non-traditional way. I like snappy writing, tinged with wink-wink nudge-nudge sarcasm. I don't like the whole meta thing--Marx inserting how hard it is to fill pages and then adding charts and asides. In the reviews I've read this is considered Marx's way of illuminating the process, allegedly it is very funny. I didn't really find it to be so. Believe me, I am a fan of the footnote and the aside, but at least for me Marx's asides didn't ill...more
This book was terrible. I couldn't finish it. It was trying way, way too hard to be funny, but it just came off as pretentious and uninteresting. Very little real plot or characterization, just gimmicks (the author's hand-drawn pictures and graphs, the entire book written in numbered "chaplettes" of anywhere from one sentence to a few paragraphs, the author writing about herself in the third person, etc.).
At first I thought this book could be quirky and entertaining...but it became tedious very quickly. I appreciated the author's wit and humor to a certain extent, but quite frankly, it was overused. There was just nothing likeable about the characters (or perhaps they just weren't developed) to make you want to continue reading. I did flip through to the end just to make me feel like I "finished" it, but why???
Sep 18, 2011
Kerry
added it
Really enjoyed this sweet and funny and intelligent little book. You can read it in one rainy day.A nice realistic love story - you follow the couple through the years and through life stages in a family. Reminded me of the movie The Story of Us. The way the book takes the couple through the ups and downs life throws out. The every day events and the more notable events.
Over 400 very short chapters read more like a sketch or a revue than a novel, yet there is narrative momentum, character development, and plot. Time passes, things happen. Children are born, old people die. There are very funny sketches. One of my favorites is of the many kinds of pasta that a persnickety eater will eat, or question, or disdain, etc.
Marx is very funny. She writes here about a man who decides he loves a woman who is perfectly happy with that life. He wears her down, and either they break up soon after or they have two children and grow old together, depending on which ending you prefer. I got tired of the funny eventually and wanted more plot, which is not Marx's point, I suspect.
This was the most fun reading that I have had in a long time! I loved the unique format of "chaplettes", and thought the author did a great job of giving the reader insight into the characters while using such brevity. I would like to give it 4.5 stars; the only drawback was that the story line got a bit confusing in the last 1/4 of the book.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/boo...
I'm not sure exactly what to make of this book. There were parts I could follow, but parts I couldn't. It's clever, yet silly.at the same time. I'm not sure I'd recommend this to anyone, but it wasn't bad, necessarily.
I'm not sure exactly what to make of this book. There were parts I could follow, but parts I couldn't. It's clever, yet silly.at the same time. I'm not sure I'd recommend this to anyone, but it wasn't bad, necessarily.
Okay, I choose this book because it had an egg on the cover, and Easter is in a couple of days. It is a strangley written book, which is why I only gave it 2 stars. I'm still unsure of what actually happened in the story. You had to fill in a lot of missing pieces in the story. Basically, it was just strange.
This book is a print version of a Woody Allen. Where idealism meets cynicism, where story-telling meets reality, boy meets girl and blah, blah, blah. The meta-moments are a bit difficult to bear, but I can't help but wonder if Patty, even then, was just making fun of herself and everyone else.
At first I enjoyed the unusual format of the book, but after a while it just became too distracting. I wanted to understand the story that was unfolding, but it was just too difficult with abrupt 'chaplette' endings and underdeveloped plot-lines.
Although the format was difficult to muddle through, I did enjoy the imperfect-ness of each character. The characters are whimsical, but dealt with challenges we all know and hear about.
Its definitely a different read, which every bibliophile needs once...more
Although the format was difficult to muddle through, I did enjoy the imperfect-ness of each character. The characters are whimsical, but dealt with challenges we all know and hear about.
Its definitely a different read, which every bibliophile needs once...more
I was disappointed with this book, I thought the author was trying to hard and the plot was hard to follow. I often found the jokes humorless and the characters hard to relate too. I enjoyed the first book I read by this author and thought it was quite clever, but this one definitely fell short for me.
This book is irritating. The "chaplettes" are supposed to be endearing and unusual, I found them to be pretentious, irritating and their use did not contribute to the story. The plot is thin, the prose irritating, and it was not the least bit funny.
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Patricia Marx is an American humorist and writer.
Born in Abingdon, Pennsylvania, she earned her B.A. from Harvard University in 1975. Her writing has appeared in the The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vogue, and The Atlantic Monthly. Marx is a former writer for Saturday Night Live and Rugrats, and one of the first two women elected to the Harvard Lampoon.[1][2] She is the author of the 2007 novel...more
More about Patricia Marx...
Born in Abingdon, Pennsylvania, she earned her B.A. from Harvard University in 1975. Her writing has appeared in the The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vogue, and The Atlantic Monthly. Marx is a former writer for Saturday Night Live and Rugrats, and one of the first two women elected to the Harvard Lampoon.[1][2] She is the author of the 2007 novel...more
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