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469th out of 535 books
—
552 voters
High Maintenance
National Bestseller
The story of an obsessive love affair between a woman and an apartment.
The publication of her sexy, offbeat, riotous first novel, Going Down, won Jennifer Belle comparisons from everyone from Dorothy Parker and Lorrie Moore to J. D. Salinger and Liz Phair. In High Maintenance, Belle is back with another brilliantly twisted New York story that is as fun...more
The story of an obsessive love affair between a woman and an apartment.
The publication of her sexy, offbeat, riotous first novel, Going Down, won Jennifer Belle comparisons from everyone from Dorothy Parker and Lorrie Moore to J. D. Salinger and Liz Phair. In High Maintenance, Belle is back with another brilliantly twisted New York story that is as fun...more
Paperback, 351 pages
Published
July 2nd 2002
by Riverhead Trade
(first published May 7th 2001)
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May 15, 2009
Cici
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
did not finish this book
Shelves:
never-finished
I'm giving up on this one, I'm on page 99 and I think it's terrible. I rarely quit on books, but I can't read anymore of this:
Liv, the main character is so flakey and immature... first she starts working for this blind guy and lies to him about things because he can't see anyways. She unbuttons her shirt infront of him, just because he can't see anyways, which I think by the end of the book his "secret" is he's really not blind...
Then she starts seeing this iddiot, that's in a relationship and h...more
Liv, the main character is so flakey and immature... first she starts working for this blind guy and lies to him about things because he can't see anyways. She unbuttons her shirt infront of him, just because he can't see anyways, which I think by the end of the book his "secret" is he's really not blind...
Then she starts seeing this iddiot, that's in a relationship and h...more
Have you read Belle's, Little Stalker, yet? If so, High Maintenance has the same feel about it. I forgot how much I loved Jennifer Belle's light, quirky...and ever so chic lit writing style that I must say I wasn't all that enamored with the story and/or any of the characters right off the bat. I had to stop and think back to the author's quirkiness from Little Stalker....and then I really started to enjoy it. Where does Belle come up with this stuff??? It was just one crazy, yet hilarious catas...more
Definitely didn't like this as much by the end as I did in the beginning, but I stayed up all night to finish it. A pampered woman learns to take care of herself after her divorce from her cheating husband. This got creepy toward the middle. I mean, swallowing Clue pieces for no good reason? Freezing sperm in her freezer, in the ice tray? Carrying around a glock she found? It was so pathetic I had to keep reading. Good God, if that's the kind of insanity divorce promises, I think I'll stay with...more
A friend suggested this, and judging by the cover and description... I assumed that it would be poorly written smut. I was only half right on the poorly written smut part because although there are some seriously "adult content" things written in here, the book was fabulously written. It's not the type of book that you carry around with you to impress your friends with how intellectual you are, but the guilty pleasure reading you do just for yourself. In that role, this book is fantastic.
The aut...more
The aut...more
I wasn't sure what to make of this story when I first started it. I have to hand it to our heroine, Liv. I would have thrown in the towel and gone crawling back to Jack after taking one look at that rat-hole apartment she ends up in. $1,200 a month! Yikes! LOL
Liv surprises us all by coming out on top in all areas. I think some payback for the ear was in order though. I've never read anything else by this author but I will definitely look out for anything else by her.
Liv surprises us all by coming out on top in all areas. I think some payback for the ear was in order though. I've never read anything else by this author but I will definitely look out for anything else by her.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Well, I enjoyed her other book. But this one just didn't sit with me at all. I didn't like the language used by the characters, I found the main character to be a bit too empty for me and lot of little details left unattended. Really the only part I actually enjoyed was towards the end when they are all in the cab and the taxi driver gets involved. Gave me a chuckle.
Awful awful awful awful awulf awful awful awful awful awful awful. Main character was ridiculously shallow and selfish and dishonest and most of the other characters were just weird, but not in any way that made them interesting. The plot felt like it jumped around with no real purpose. Awful awful awful awful awful. I didn't even finish it. I couldn't.
I am not sure why this book received so many good reviews. To each his own, I suppose. I keep on reading.... waiting and hoping. But it just never gets better. The characters are all so bizarre and creepy. I can not connect with any of them. These are people I would never want to deal with. I am not even sure at this point (halfway through the book) and I am even going to finish reading it.
I picked up this book on a whim. Purchased it from a used book table on the streets of Manhattan. In the end, I am happy I did so. It was a fun book to read. Great combination of life in the city, a look into real estate and chick lit. A light read, great for the summer, but still memorable. In fact, I still think about this book and it's been a few years since I read it. Maybe it's because I love real estate and the main character, Liv is a real estate agent.
There were some really funny moments...more
There were some really funny moments...more
You can't knock th main character in this book too much. At least she took responiblity for her life and found a way to make it on her own. She also learned a few things about people, but I really didn't feel like I had anything to learn from her. I also keep waiting for the funny parts....I never found them.
I just finished reading High Maintenace by Jennifer Belle. What a great book. Loved the whole story from beginning to end. So much funny quirkiness in the main character it really keeps you laughing. I definitely recommend this book for those that like a light read that makes you smile.
I found this book surprisingly entertaining. Not great literature by any stretch of the imagination, but funny and witty enough, and easy enough to plow through to make the book worth reading if you have nothing else to do on a Saturday.
The heroine, Liv Kellerman, is interesting and quirky - and the author really manages to capture a certain type of quintessential 'femaleness' (for lack of a better word) in her character. I loved that she clearly views herself as quite attractive, and yet one s...more
The heroine, Liv Kellerman, is interesting and quirky - and the author really manages to capture a certain type of quintessential 'femaleness' (for lack of a better word) in her character. I loved that she clearly views herself as quite attractive, and yet one s...more
I thought this book was a lot of fun...light, fluffy, quirky, with many laugh-out-loud sections.
I have a major girl crush on the main character, Liv. She is so messed up, funny, sexy, and real the full 5 stars is for her character alone. Glad I re-read this one.
I have a major girl crush on the main character, Liv. She is so messed up, funny, sexy, and real the full 5 stars is for her character alone. Glad I re-read this one.
the main character and her new boyfriend are just infuriating. i get the feeling that she's some sorta robot without reasoning or emotion, she identifies issues and then still fall head on into crap. i finished the book but i felt like it was a waste of time.
I thought this sounded like a fun and funny smart read. I was disappointed. I just never got in sync with this book and the style of writing. I just couldn't gel with the flow of the book. I didn't like the relationship with Andrew at all. I would not recommend this to anyone.
Like the old commercial for Alka Seltzer, "I can't believe I read the whole thing." Chick Lit but not even a feel good kind of read. I kept reading because I was promised it was clever, funny and well done. I didn't find it any of those things.
This was one of the worst books I've ever read. I should have known better , but it was $1.39 at goodwill and I needed an easy read, what I got was one of the most painful 'literary' (I barely want to use that word) experiences ever! Total crap.
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This is my second book of Ms. Belle, and I really think she is a fun writer. No lags, and the story moves quickly. Some of the plot seems out of line, but we are talking about New York City!
I plan to read her first book, Going Down.
I plan to read her first book, Going Down.
Jan 06, 2009
Rebecca
added it
Dear God - is anything funnier than this book? I laughed out loud - repeatedly, and in public places - while reading this book. I don't think it's possible to describe it. Just read it.
Was so-so... though the story did pickup and improve later on. And reading it prior to bedtime brought me a dream of receiving a check for a huge sum of money ;-) Real Estate agent, anyone?
Wow. I think this could be - wait for it - the worst book I have ever read. It's horrible. Stupid. Not even fun which is what trashy books are supposed to be. Not really worth the paper it's printed on. So I say avoid this one, and my apologies to any fans out there.
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Nov 29, 2011
Rebekkila
marked it as to-read
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10305531
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10305531
Someone gave me this book years ago and I never had any desire to read it. I brought it to Mexico and read it on the beach and it was entertaining.
I found this book sooooooo funny. I read it pretty quickly. Chick lit for sure, but very entertaining. Loved the main character
Yet another book where the main character makes no sense to me and is extremely annoying. Did not enjoy this book at all.
Chicklit, but I loved it anyway. Belle is sharp-witted and economical with words. Made me want to move back to Manhattan.
this book received so many great reviews from notable newspapers and such - but i really didn't think it was all that great.
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An American novelist, based in New York City.
She attended Bronx High School of Science and dropped out of college. She has also written columns for Ms. magazine. In 2002, she married entertainment lawyer Andrew Krents, after they were introduced by fellow novelist Amy Sohn.
Her work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New York Observer, London’s The Independent, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s...more
More about Jennifer Belle...
She attended Bronx High School of Science and dropped out of college. She has also written columns for Ms. magazine. In 2002, she married entertainment lawyer Andrew Krents, after they were introduced by fellow novelist Amy Sohn.
Her work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New York Observer, London’s The Independent, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s...more
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May 16, 2009 11:15am
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