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27th out of 49 books
—
13 voters
Man and Boy (Harry Silver #1)
by
Tony Parsons
Harry Silver had it all: a beautiful wife, a wonderful son, a great job in the media. But in one night he throws it all away. Then Harry must start to learn what life and love are really all about.
Paperback, 344 pages
Published
2000
by Harper Collins
(first published January 1st 1999)
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I definately preferred "About a Boy"- Nick Hornby has no competition whatsoever from Tony Parsons. Parsons tries to be funny. Fails, of course, but then it's made more pathetic by the fact that he totally pulls the heart strings to their fullest extent at the end. And that doesn't quite work. It was almost boring. Almost as bad as Jack Sheffield! [That's saying something:].
Jul 19, 2008
Sunni
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Those not familiar with Kramer v. Kramer
This is an engaging, smooth read and I would have rated it higher had I never read/seen "Kramer v. Kramer." I really felt this was borderline plagarism and was very surprised the author could get away with recreating so much of that story, right down to details like carrying the child when he is injured on the playground. I am also surprised that 25 years later this story plays well. When Kramer came out, most men didn't have a clue about real hands-on parenting and a man with custody was unhear...more
sesuatu yang tampak sempurna, sesuatu yang didapatkan melebihi ekspektasi, sesuatu yang dihargai, atau bahkan dicintai, seperti anugrah yang tidak akan datang dua kali, tidak menjamin semua kisah berhenti seperti dongeng dengan ending yang 'happily ever after'. tapi juga bukan berarti harus jadi gentar atau takut hingga tidak punya harapan baru. justru jadi peluang untuk mengorek lebih ke dalam diri, mencari keinginan hati terdalam dan kebenaran tentang diri sendiri, yang bisa jadi baru diketahu...more
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reading "Man and Boy" is like listening to an easy-listening pop song. it is sweet, easy to guess, nothing in particular. it goes well, as usual, and everybody likes it. it is just; i am not really into pop music.
though is beatifully written, i dont find any sense to fill up my soul after reading this book. it is just a too-easy-to-guess and happy ending story, good for the young couples.
i think it will be better if the story of the father and the son (read: man and boy) is brought up more deep...more
though is beatifully written, i dont find any sense to fill up my soul after reading this book. it is just a too-easy-to-guess and happy ending story, good for the young couples.
i think it will be better if the story of the father and the son (read: man and boy) is brought up more deep...more
My expectations on this book were high. And as soon as I finaly got it from the library I Couldn't keep myself away from it. I Loved it from the first page to the last! On the cover it says that James brown has said in the Observer that he cried five times and laughed out loud four. I didn't really really cry, even thou the grandfaither died. He was after all 70 something. And such happens everyday. I'm not saying that it isn't a big dela, cos it is, but I can never get that engaged. Whatever, I...more
Sentimental drivel is the phrase that comes to mind but I might be being a Little hard?
Easy Reading, killed the book in a couple of evenings which is why I finished it rather than throwing it out. Why was the book not for me, well first the main cahracter is a man who decides to have a min midlife crisis at thirty. Oh for gods sake says the over 45 year old. Second the wife he cheats on is a stay at home wife who states at that she hates how working mothers treat her. As a working mother I Think...more
Easy Reading, killed the book in a couple of evenings which is why I finished it rather than throwing it out. Why was the book not for me, well first the main cahracter is a man who decides to have a min midlife crisis at thirty. Oh for gods sake says the over 45 year old. Second the wife he cheats on is a stay at home wife who states at that she hates how working mothers treat her. As a working mother I Think...more
After finishing this particular slice of banality I wondered why I’d bothered to waste these precious few hours of my life on a coming of age saga that failed to shed any light, whatsoever, on the mysteries of human experience. Moreover, the experience wasn’t entertaining but simply downright depressing. I suppose, Parsons wasn’t out to produce great literature but simply to cash in on the seeming market for what might be regarded as just another stage in the evolution of the realist novel, a la...more
Man and Boy by Tony Parsons is the story of how a man becomes a father to his son, and a son to a father. The affection Harry feels for his family, all of it, is obvious from the first page. As evident is Harry’s sense of self. He comes to realise that what he feels isn’t always enough, though. Approaching his thirtieth birthday, Harry is lost in between. He is no longer a child, but does not feel properly mature. He is married, but is unsure what that means. He loves his family, but isn’t quite...more
“Mengapa banyak lelaki berselingkuh? Karena mereka punya kesempatan. Berselingkuh juga berarti seks tanpa komitmen. Dan nikmatnya seks tanpa komitmen jangan pernah dianggap remeh. Yang kulakukan sekarang adalah seks tanpa komitmen yang tersedia di depan mata. Itulah yang paling menarik bagiku.”
Maka Harry Silver pun berselingkuh. Cuma sekali. Tapi apakah kalau cuma sekali, cuma semalam, bisa dimaafkan dan dilupakan begitu saja?
Harry sudah memiliki segalanya: istri yang cantik, putra yang tampan...more
Maka Harry Silver pun berselingkuh. Cuma sekali. Tapi apakah kalau cuma sekali, cuma semalam, bisa dimaafkan dan dilupakan begitu saja?
Harry sudah memiliki segalanya: istri yang cantik, putra yang tampan...more
A British best-seller...
B+ to this one! I found this book at an airport bookstore in London, England. It was a British bestseller at the time. I was intrigued by the title. It ended up reminding me how "lucky" I have been in my life. Life is unpredictable and we must be happy no matter what it takes. There was one event in the book that TOTALLY surprised me, catching me totally offguard. That's a 'real find' in a book! This isn't a depressing book...it's a book about real-life, love and savoring...more
B+ to this one! I found this book at an airport bookstore in London, England. It was a British bestseller at the time. I was intrigued by the title. It ended up reminding me how "lucky" I have been in my life. Life is unpredictable and we must be happy no matter what it takes. There was one event in the book that TOTALLY surprised me, catching me totally offguard. That's a 'real find' in a book! This isn't a depressing book...it's a book about real-life, love and savoring...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Category: Books
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Author: Tonny Parsons
"Mengapa banyak lelaki berselingkuh? Karena mereka punya kesempatan. Berselingkuh juga berarti seks tanpa komitmen. Dan nikmatnya seks tanpa komitmen jangan pernah dianggap remeh. Yang kulakukan sekarang adalah seks tanpa komitmen yang tersedia di depan mata. Itulah yang paling menarik bagiku."
Maka Harry Silver pun berselingkuh. Cuma sekali. Tapi apakah kalau cuma sekali, cuma semalam, bisa dimaafkan dan dilupakan begitu saja...more
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Author: Tonny Parsons
"Mengapa banyak lelaki berselingkuh? Karena mereka punya kesempatan. Berselingkuh juga berarti seks tanpa komitmen. Dan nikmatnya seks tanpa komitmen jangan pernah dianggap remeh. Yang kulakukan sekarang adalah seks tanpa komitmen yang tersedia di depan mata. Itulah yang paling menarik bagiku."
Maka Harry Silver pun berselingkuh. Cuma sekali. Tapi apakah kalau cuma sekali, cuma semalam, bisa dimaafkan dan dilupakan begitu saja...more
Harry Silver is on the verge of his thirtieth birthday, and is having a bit of a breakdown. He married young, and now has a four-year-old son with his wife. He works long hours as a television producer, which gives him even less time to be with his family. After making a wrong move, Harry finds himself raising his son alone while his wife tries to follow the dreams she gave up when they first married. The writing is so well-done that you're sucked into the story immediately, even if there is a s...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Truth. That's what I kept thinking as I was reading this book. It's true and it's raw. It's sad and it's happy. Tony Parsons has a certain way of making the characters so real. I felt I knew Harry Silver. Really knew him, as a friend.
I guess stories like this don't really need to be complicated to really draw readers in. In the first few chapters I was devastated when Gina and Harry break up. I actually felt pain for Harry during his tiny mid-life crisis when he sleeps with another woman. The bo...more
I guess stories like this don't really need to be complicated to really draw readers in. In the first few chapters I was devastated when Gina and Harry break up. I actually felt pain for Harry during his tiny mid-life crisis when he sleeps with another woman. The bo...more
I really enjoyed the book and cannot wait to read the sequel, Man and Wife. Parsons does such a great job telling the story of Harry Silver who, for all his faults, has the redeeming quality of loving someone honestly and completely ie, his son. What I liked from following Harry's journey between his wife leaving him and his realization of what love means, is how easily the story moves along. Through the simplicity of language and plot, sincere and honest emotions really shine through, which is...more
Tony Parson's "Man and Boy" is a fantastic novel about a young British tv executive whose life is turned upside down when his young, unhappy wife runs off to Japan to find herself, leaving him in charge of their four-year-old son, Pat. Harry, our narrator, loses his job shortly after a brief affair at work, and suddenly finds himself an unemployed, single dad. Other great characters in the novel are Harry's parents, particularly his father. Harry himself is a very flawed, complex character, but...more
Bab III. Questions.
Harry Silver kembali melanjutkan hidup, dengan sejumput sisa ketidakpuasan -yang mungkin tak diungkapkannya secara gamblang- tapi rasanya bakal nyata di sekuel.
Bab II. And the hardest part, was letting go.
Cinta berarti tahu kapan saatnya melepas kepergian mereka yang kau cintai. Dalem. Ya. Kelelep. Sure. Kata-kata bijak yang mungkin gampang diucapkan, tapi berrrraaaaat dijalankan.
Bab I. But life goes on (with or without you).
Harry Silver. Istri cantik, anak rupawan. Karir ten...more
Harry Silver kembali melanjutkan hidup, dengan sejumput sisa ketidakpuasan -yang mungkin tak diungkapkannya secara gamblang- tapi rasanya bakal nyata di sekuel.
Bab II. And the hardest part, was letting go.
Cinta berarti tahu kapan saatnya melepas kepergian mereka yang kau cintai. Dalem. Ya. Kelelep. Sure. Kata-kata bijak yang mungkin gampang diucapkan, tapi berrrraaaaat dijalankan.
Bab I. But life goes on (with or without you).
Harry Silver. Istri cantik, anak rupawan. Karir ten...more
This was a "beach read" book for me, meaning I didn't except it to me much more than a cliched, easy reader that would be enjoyable in a mindless sort of way. But I quickly found myself totally involved in the book and the characters. Tony Parsons has taken an overdone topic and done it right. The emotions are spot on, the dialogue is believable, the plot is engaging and intriguing. My only grip is the ending which felt a bit forced but honestly it's a small thing in terms of the rest of the boo...more
I got this book from a friend of mine. I wasn’t expecting anything after seeing quite a few negative reviews and rating here and on Amazon, but it turned out to be really good. I did cry a few times. If anyone only reads a few pages and decides to give it up, my suggestion will be -- It’s worth reading it to the end. Especially, after knowing the story was mostly based on Tony Parsons’s personal life experience, it really touched me a lot. As I've experienced living with a single parent family (...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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All I can say..awesome! Aku sangat suka cerita ini karena sangat menggambarkan kehidupan yang sebenarnya mengenai sebuah rumah tangga. Bahwa menjalin sebuah hubungan serius, menikah dan punya anak bukanlah hal mudah. Setiap orang yang terlibat didalamnya harus berjuang untuk mempertahankan keutuhan rumah tangga tersebut.
Disini juga diceritakan bagaimana Harry yang ketahuan selingkuh oleh istrinya, harus menjadi single parent plus di pecat dari pekerjaan. Lengkap sudah penderitaannya sebagai seor...more
Disini juga diceritakan bagaimana Harry yang ketahuan selingkuh oleh istrinya, harus menjadi single parent plus di pecat dari pekerjaan. Lengkap sudah penderitaannya sebagai seor...more
For a "first" novel by this author, I thought he did a pretty good job. A 30 year old man has a one night, one time stand and throws his marriage away. He suddenly finds himself trying to raise his 4 year old son on his own and soon discovers it's not as easy as it looks!
From the dust jacket:
"Harry Silver has it all: a beautiful wife, a wonderful son, a great job in the media-but in one night he throws it all away.
Just yesterday Harry gave himself a shiny red sports car for his thirtieth birthd...more
From the dust jacket:
"Harry Silver has it all: a beautiful wife, a wonderful son, a great job in the media-but in one night he throws it all away.
Just yesterday Harry gave himself a shiny red sports car for his thirtieth birthd...more
OK, well this story has been done before, and then before that. I didn't instantly warm up to Harry Silver because he'd been stupid and ruined his marriage single-handedly by a one night stand with a woman at the office. But then, having done that, he is catapulted into reality and has to think for himself, and realizes how tough it's going to be without his child if the boy lives forever with his mother. He puts his heart and soul into caring for the boy while the mother is away in Japan. He do...more
I purchased Man and Boy at Waverly Railway Station while waiting for my train to London. Seven years later I finally got around to reading it.
Man and Boy is an entertaining and easy read, making it a perfect book for traveling. The book chronicles the unraveling and reconstruction of Harry Silver's life after his third-life crisis in which he, a once career-minded family man, becomes a single father in the course of one day. The novel focuses on the post-nuclear family in the era of divorce, wh...more
Man and Boy is an entertaining and easy read, making it a perfect book for traveling. The book chronicles the unraveling and reconstruction of Harry Silver's life after his third-life crisis in which he, a once career-minded family man, becomes a single father in the course of one day. The novel focuses on the post-nuclear family in the era of divorce, wh...more
Solid modern writing. Quick read. A bit derivative of Nick Hornby. I didn't always like the main character - he's a bit of a prat sometimes - but I guess that's part of the point, isn't it? If John Cusack isn't cast as Harry in the movie version (which I'm afraid is inevitable), I'll be shocked.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This was a good book but for a while I was thinking 'whats the point of this' There were some really well written areas and some areas that were not so well written. And many typos and grammar mistakes. I loved the characters. There we some reviews i read that i didnt agree with. One was that they didnt feel sorry for the main character but honestly i dont think you were supposed to. He was supposed to be growing not asking for sympathy. There were times when i laughed out loud and times when i...more
This funny, touching book set in England centers on Harry Silver, who upon reaching his thirtieth birthday finds his life turned upside down by losing his wife and his job, and is threatened with the possibility of losing his son as well. The whole crisis is precipitated by his entering into a one night stand with one of his co-workers. His wife promptly leaves him and heads to Japan to follow her dreams and he is charged with the sole care of his four year old son, Pat. The book focuses on his...more
A pleasant surprise and a very bittersweet read. I appreciated more than I thought I would.
It's the story of how a father - left by his wife after he cheated on her on a one night stand - has to suddenly learn how to be a good father for his 4-year-old son. From washing his hair to taking him to the park, to cooking healthy food for him, and have the boy actually eat it.
It was a quick read, and I loved the characters. It's a bittersweet book about relationships, about fathers, about growing up a...more
It's the story of how a father - left by his wife after he cheated on her on a one night stand - has to suddenly learn how to be a good father for his 4-year-old son. From washing his hair to taking him to the park, to cooking healthy food for him, and have the boy actually eat it.
It was a quick read, and I loved the characters. It's a bittersweet book about relationships, about fathers, about growing up a...more
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Tony Parsons (born 6 November 1953) is a British journalist broadcaster and author. He began his career as a music journalist on the NME, writing about punk music. Later, he wrote for The Daily Telegraph, before going on to write his current column for the Daily Mirror. Parsons was for a time a regular guest on the BBC Two arts review programme The Late Show, and still appears infrequently on the...more
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“to love means to realize there is a time to let the beloved one go”
—
116 people liked it
“Love means knowing when to let go.”
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19 people liked it
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