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49th out of 62 books
—
21 voters
The Man of My Dreams
“Being raised in an unstable household makes you understand that the world doesn’t exist to accommodate you, which, in Hannah’s observation, is something a lot of people struggle to understand well into adulthood.”–from The Man of My Dreams
In her acclaimed debut novel, Prep, Curtis Sittenfeld created a touchstone with her pitch-perfect portrayal of adolescence. Her prose i...more
In her acclaimed debut novel, Prep, Curtis Sittenfeld created a touchstone with her pitch-perfect portrayal of adolescence. Her prose i...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
April 10th 2007
by Random House Trade Paperbacks
(first published 2006)
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I have been asked by a few people who enjoyed this book, why I gave it 1 star. So this is it:
1. Idisliked 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...more
1. I
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...more
Hm. I liked it -- really, I did -- and I LOVED Prep. But what Prep was that this isn't was multi-layered. While it was Lee Fiora's journey, it was also a lot more than that, not to mention a thrilling roman a clef, though Sittenfeld denies this.
Here, we're presented with a rehash of Lee Fiora, and quite honestly, that's all we're presented with, only this time, she's less interesting and focused on one thing only: relationships with the opposite sex. I think that's what bothered me the most. Ha...more
Here, we're presented with a rehash of Lee Fiora, and quite honestly, that's all we're presented with, only this time, she's less interesting and focused on one thing only: relationships with the opposite sex. I think that's what bothered me the most. Ha...more
I read this book because the library happened to have it checked in while I wait for my requests to come in and I read Prep, which I enjoyed enough, but not as much as the critics did. Perhaps it is merely the timing, but The Man of My Dreams (and I would agree with previous reviewers in advising you to ignore the title--it's not really about the man, anyway) really had me examining my own life thus far and what I have learned about myself through my relationships as Hannah has. I am 28 as Hanna...more
knew as soon as I picked this up that I would fly through it, and not for any lack of weight on the part of the novel; it's just that I LOVE CURTIS SITTENFELD. Something about her clean, guileless style clicks with me and I hang on her every word, even when what she is saying makes me uncomfortable, which happens kind of a lot; what she writes about hits close to home with my own myriad issues. Sittenfeld's tell-it-like-it-is narrators, both here and in Prep, seem to find that secret place insid...more
As soon as I finished Prep, I immediately put this book on hold. It's Curtis Sittenfeld's second book and it just came out in May. After I finished Matilda, I started this book. I went into it with high expectations and it didn't catch me quite as quickly as Prep but then again it isn't the same book and I wouldn't want it to be. Over the last few days this book has really caught me and I'm loving it. I find myself, once again, really identifying with the main character Hannah. She's making so m...more
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 wonderfu...more
To put it bluntly, it’s a boring book. Boring and depressing. Sittenfeld’s previously-displayed flair for turning the banal into something wonderfu...more
Apr 08, 2009
Jenn
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
own-it,
best-books-ever
I really LOVED this book. It takes a lot to get a 5-star out of me, though...and I thought Prep still had it beat, so 4 stars it is.
Regardless, Sittenfeld is such an amazing author. Sometimes, when reading her books, I get distracted in thinking "she is SUCH a good writer" and I forget to follow the storyline and have to re-read. Few authors have this affect on me. I cherish the ones that do!
I love the flaws she gives her characters. They aren't the typical "boo-hoo i'm overweight and unattract...more
Regardless, Sittenfeld is such an amazing author. Sometimes, when reading her books, I get distracted in thinking "she is SUCH a good writer" and I forget to follow the storyline and have to re-read. Few authors have this affect on me. I cherish the ones that do!
I love the flaws she gives her characters. They aren't the typical "boo-hoo i'm overweight and unattract...more
I read this book under protest, because I hated "Prep" (what a letdown after all the hype, especially since I've been obsessed with boarding school since reading "A Little Princess" at age six. Plus, I secretly resent people who are not much older than I am, yet manage to write bestsellers.) However, I can't get a library card until I can prove that I live in this godforsaken state, so I bought it for three bucks. Anyway, I thought it was lightyears better than "Prep," which sold way more copies...more
I'm not sure what it is I don't like about Sittenfeld's novels. I didn't like Prep all that much, but others seem to enjoy her work, so I thought I'd give The Man of My Dreams a try. It was OK. Quick read. Could be nice on an airplane or as a book to keep in your bag to read while you wait in line or at the doctor's office. It just didn't really grab me. I didn't like really any of the characters, didn't empathize with them. At best, I felt sorry for them. Mostly I just wanted them to stop their...more
I know that a lot of people find Curtis Sittenfeld's characters too unlikable, but I think they are just so honest and real that they freak people out. I wasn't sure if I'd like this book as much as I loved Prep, but I think it's actually much more maturely written. I was sucked in immediately, as with Prep, and just find Hannah's insights to be, if frustrating or wrong sometimes, also quietly profound. I could barely put it down. It kept me up at night because I just couldn't stop reading it.
It...more
It...more
The main character like in the authors first book,"Prep", is a self-involved, miserable, jealous, personification of every negative stereotype that men say about women. This book sends an awful message to women. You are not incomplete without men. There is no perfect man and you do not have to pretend to be something you are not to get one and keep one. The only character in the book that likes herself and has any fun is painted throughout the novel to be an awful, selfish person. I will not rea...more
I'm not saying this is the best book I've ever read, but it definitely made me think. And it definitely didn't fall into the category of normal chick lit (all about shopping, men, and martinis, etc) - in my opinion it was far from it. I enjoyed Sittenfeld's writing style and the fact that she assumed the reader would be intelligent, therefore not overwriting with mundane facts or too much explanation. I think the end could have been fleshed out into a couple more chapters but I'm not sure it wou...more
Jul 17, 2007
Sherrie
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
cry as* white people.
Shelves:
2006booklist
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 cous...more
i don't know if i missed something while reading this, but it def wasn't worth the read. i read some other reviews and didn't particulary agree with them. it was an easy read, but there are plenty of others out there that aren't so self defecating.
As soon as I finished Prep, I immediately put this book on hold. It's Curtis Sittenfeld's second book and it just came out in May. After I finished Matilda, I started this book. I went into it with high expectations and it didn't catch me quite as quickly as Prep but then again it isn't the same book and I wouldn't want it to be. Over the last few days this book has really caught me and I'm loving it. I find myself, once again, really identifying with the main character Hannah. She's making so m...more
This is a so-so book that I bought because I enjoyed Prep, and there's a couple of passages of exquisite writing where the author captures the essence of feeling ambivalent about love and what it's all supposed to mean, but on the whole...it's kind of meh. Decent writing, but nothing very interesting. I had a Borders gift card, I bought the book, I read it, I moved on. Reading this book is kinda like being treated to a so-so meal, one you don't mind eating but are glad you didn't pay for.
Less a novel and more a series of literary short stories about a girl between the ages of 14 and 28, and the males she longs for romantically and doesn't get.
Between the years of 1988 and 1996, I read a lot of literary short stories. I read BASS every year, and I subscribed to The New Yorker, Story, and others litmags. This novel is not only set in these years but reminded me a lot of the stories praised in those years. They are well-written enough and full of the minutiae of the lives of the bo...more
Between the years of 1988 and 1996, I read a lot of literary short stories. I read BASS every year, and I subscribed to The New Yorker, Story, and others litmags. This novel is not only set in these years but reminded me a lot of the stories praised in those years. They are well-written enough and full of the minutiae of the lives of the bo...more
I've never been compelled to review a book outside of just giving a book a rating on the 1-5 scale.
I've read two other books by Sittenfeld, "Prep" and "American Wife" both of which were far superior to this one. Part of why I picked it up was that I enjoyed the other two books that I read. The other part is that I was 13 years old in 1991, a year younger than Hannah when the book started, so I thought it would be interesting to see how I would relate to a character who aged the same as I did dur...more
I've read two other books by Sittenfeld, "Prep" and "American Wife" both of which were far superior to this one. Part of why I picked it up was that I enjoyed the other two books that I read. The other part is that I was 13 years old in 1991, a year younger than Hannah when the book started, so I thought it would be interesting to see how I would relate to a character who aged the same as I did dur...more
I read Prep a long time ago, and American Wife right before this. Despite the schlocky title and precious looking cover, it was a skillfully written book. Sittenfeld tends to write characters who are quiet, thoughtful, and not terribly dramatic in their words or actions. That may turn people off who want tantrums and hot sex scenes or whatnot, but I find her characters refreshingly normal and interesting in their normality and quiet struggles.
This book takes a look at Hannah, an insecure, quiet...more
This book takes a look at Hannah, an insecure, quiet...more
Before I begin, I’d like to confess that until I googled for an image to accompany this review I had no idea Curtis Sittenfeld is a woman (I have previously only come across men with that first name, maybe that’s just a British thing though). Not that the gender of the author matters, but it does rather negate the point I was planning to make about a male author having written a very convincing female lead character. Anyway, the cliché “don’t judge a book by its cover” is well known, but in this...more
I want to give it 3 1/2 starts, but since there are no 1/2 start ratings, I will have to round down for this one.
The book has a strong voice and solid writing style, which made it a page-turner, but the content felt... a little patchy. This is a sort of coming-of-age story about Hannah- a woman who, until she is 14, grows up in a home with an angry, controlling father. The rest of the book details her view on love and her relationships with men.
In the interview with the author at the end of my...more
The book has a strong voice and solid writing style, which made it a page-turner, but the content felt... a little patchy. This is a sort of coming-of-age story about Hannah- a woman who, until she is 14, grows up in a home with an angry, controlling father. The rest of the book details her view on love and her relationships with men.
In the interview with the author at the end of my...more
I read Curtis Sittenfeld's debut novel, Prep, sometime in 2008 and absolutely loved it! In fact, it became one of my favorite all time novels and I was really looking forward to reading this book by her.
The Man of My Dreams follows Hannah Gavener from young adolescent to her late 20's. From the title you would think that it was fairytale-ish but it's not. Hannah obsesses over "Mr. Right" but will find out later how perfect couples really don't exist.
I think Curtis Sittenfeld's writing style is u...more
The Man of My Dreams follows Hannah Gavener from young adolescent to her late 20's. From the title you would think that it was fairytale-ish but it's not. Hannah obsesses over "Mr. Right" but will find out later how perfect couples really don't exist.
I think Curtis Sittenfeld's writing style is u...more
I think the author does a great job of finding an authentic voice for her main characters. Hannah is so stuck in her own head and so worried about what everyone else must think about her that she sits on the sidelines through most of college. Opting to go to bed at 7:30 on a Friday night rather than go out and risk making a fool of herself or doubting that she's pretty enough or skinny enough or confident enough. I get that. I think we all have those kinds of doubts now and then.
Hannah would ha...more
Hannah would ha...more
Prep, this was not. I held off reading this in part because people said it wasn't nearly as good as Prep and in part because of the stupid title - how could a book be? Anyway it was in the apt we were staying in in Paris and I ran out of library books so I took it for Shabbos and figured it would at least be readable.
My issues are as follows: It's hard not to compare with prep especially sicne the protagonists are very similar - however, where Lee was, I felt, refreshing and charming while disar...more
My issues are as follows: It's hard not to compare with prep especially sicne the protagonists are very similar - however, where Lee was, I felt, refreshing and charming while disar...more
Curtis Sittenfeld's The Man of My Dreams is another coming of age piece however this time written while the character ages to be much older than the last book. The main character, Hannah comes from a fairly disfunctional family, and as she experiences and is faced with different relationships, she's not quite sure how to navigate the complex feelings involved. I couldn't decide whether Hannah suffered from a low self esteem or if she was just horribly uneducated about how to feel, but the charac...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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3.5 stars
I adore Curtis Sittenfeld. Her characters aren't likeable in a warm-and-fuzzy kind of way. You don't always want to hug them. You often can't approve of their choices. Sometimes you just want to jump into the pages and scream, "DON'T SAY THAT!" But alas, by that time it's far too late.
Even when you don't like her characters, you somehow still can't help but care about them. This was certainly true for Lee in Prep and is exhibited once again in The Man of My Dreams by Hannah.
Having rec...more
I adore Curtis Sittenfeld. Her characters aren't likeable in a warm-and-fuzzy kind of way. You don't always want to hug them. You often can't approve of their choices. Sometimes you just want to jump into the pages and scream, "DON'T SAY THAT!" But alas, by that time it's far too late.
Even when you don't like her characters, you somehow still can't help but care about them. This was certainly true for Lee in Prep and is exhibited once again in The Man of My Dreams by Hannah.
Having rec...more
It started out quite promising, but never really developed as it might. Hannah is the central character and she has a tough time dealing with people and relationships. She says some things that are possible better left unsaid, the little white lie type untruths. To the question "Do you like my new boyfriend" her truthful response might be honest, but it makes for a complicated life.
It starts with her parents separation (not amicable) and her relationship with her father seems to colour her relat...more
It starts with her parents separation (not amicable) and her relationship with her father seems to colour her relat...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I got this book because I was actually looking for something else by the same author, but everything else was checked out. This wasn't a bad book... it just wasn't great. It was simply okay. We are supposedly following the journey of a woman (who happens to be MY AGE... weird, really. Don't know why.) as she figures out relationships, love, and sex. The problem I had with it is that she doesn't ever really grow. The first little bit of the book is her at 14, then we jump to freshman year of coll...more
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| Curtis | 1 | 25 | Jun 25, 2008 10:20am |
Curtis Sittenfeld is the author of the bestselling novels American Wife, Prep, and The Man of My Dreams, which are being translated into twenty-five languages. Prep also was chosen as one of the Ten Best Books of 2005 by The New York Times, nominated for the UK's Orange Prize, and optioned by Paramount Pictures. Curtis won the Seventeen magazine fiction writing contest in 1992, at age sixteen, and...more
More about Curtis Sittenfeld...
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“Perhaps this is how you know you're doing the thing you're intended to: No matter how slow or how slight your progress, you never feel that it's a waste of time.”
—
39 people liked it
“If a man wants to be romantically involved with you, he tries to kiss you. That's the entire story, and if he doesn't kiss you, there is never a reason to wait around for him.”
—
32 people liked it
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Apr 07, 2009 06:10pm