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140th out of 191 books
—
167 voters
Practical Jean
by
Trevor Cole
This eagerly awaited new novel from Trevor Cole combines the humour and sharp observations of contemporary life that he is known for with an irresistibly twisted premise, for fans of the quirkily macabre Six Feet Under and Dexter, and readers of Paul Quarrington, Miriam Toews, Jonathan Franzen, and, of course, Trevor Cole.
In his first two, GG-shortlisted novels, Trevor Col...more
In his first two, GG-shortlisted novels, Trevor Col...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
September 21st 2010
by McClelland & Stewart
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Freundschaftsdienste
Drei Monate lang hat Jean ihre Mutter, die an Krebs erkrankt war, gepflegt. Während dieser Zeit hat sie bis in alle Einzelheiten mitbekommen, wie mies es ist langsam aber sicher dahinzusiechen. Gerne hätte Jean ihrer Mutter das Leid erspart, doch erst im Nachhinein kommt sie auf Ideen, wie sie das hätte machen können. Und weil sie ihrer Mutter nun nicht mehr helfen kann, denkt sie an die Menschen, die sie sonst am meisten liebt - ihre Freundinnen. Ihnen will sie das Leid des...more
Drei Monate lang hat Jean ihre Mutter, die an Krebs erkrankt war, gepflegt. Während dieser Zeit hat sie bis in alle Einzelheiten mitbekommen, wie mies es ist langsam aber sicher dahinzusiechen. Gerne hätte Jean ihrer Mutter das Leid erspart, doch erst im Nachhinein kommt sie auf Ideen, wie sie das hätte machen können. Und weil sie ihrer Mutter nun nicht mehr helfen kann, denkt sie an die Menschen, die sie sonst am meisten liebt - ihre Freundinnen. Ihnen will sie das Leid des...more
Satire and black humour are my favourite things, so I greatly enjoyed the novel of this novel. That is, right up until Jean picks up a shovel and kills her friend. This to me is usually a deal breaker, when murder creeps into a satirical work. Death is just so messy, it is next to impossible to sustain the narrative after that. (I feel the same way about movies portraying assassins. I just don't understand assassin comedy flicks.)
Once the murder started, I felt much more distanced and much less...more
Once the murder started, I felt much more distanced and much less...more
This is one of those times when I wish I could conjure up my NC, high school girlfriends to sit around the living room and discuss a book. We would have a field day with this one! In fact, if your book group is wondering what to read next for a wild time, this is your best bet. Hilarious!! I hardly know where to begin to tell you about this book... It's just flat out good reading and side-aching laughs.
The first line that hit me so hard I still can't think about it or I laugh out loud in grocery...more
The first line that hit me so hard I still can't think about it or I laugh out loud in grocery...more
Darkly humorous. Jean has always yearned to be in her mother's good graces, a childhood of trying to fit in with her mom's expectations take their toll. Jean's mom is fading fast from cancer, and Jean becomes her caretaker. Seeing what her mom is going through, along with Jean's own misgivings of her life(her marriage, her long-lost friendship that she holds herself responsible for its dissolution, the cliched lives her close friends lead, her art career not taking fulfilling her inner passion)...more
For fans of black comedy, this novel is just about perfect. Of course, black comedy doesn't appeal to everyone; certainly, it did not appeal to me when I was younger. Now, however, I find that I quite enjoy dark humor. Basically, if you find the description to be amusing and want to read more, then you'll quite enjoy the book.
Jean, of course, is crazy. What else could one possibly expect of someone stuck with the last name of 'Horemarsh?' Cole does a great job of making her brand of craziness be...more
Jean, of course, is crazy. What else could one possibly expect of someone stuck with the last name of 'Horemarsh?' Cole does a great job of making her brand of craziness be...more
Original review posted here
I really, really, really wanted to love this book. I’ve been on such a good run, and recently read a book (Fathermucker by Greg Olear) that had me in stitches. It wasn’t until fairly recently that I started to really get into the harder edge of comedy that these types of books offer, so I, like I said earlier, I really wanted to like this one.
But I didn’t.
This is why:
Jean is not a likeable character. She seems to break(? I don’t know if that’s the right word for it, bu...more
I really, really, really wanted to love this book. I’ve been on such a good run, and recently read a book (Fathermucker by Greg Olear) that had me in stitches. It wasn’t until fairly recently that I started to really get into the harder edge of comedy that these types of books offer, so I, like I said earlier, I really wanted to like this one.
But I didn’t.
This is why:
Jean is not a likeable character. She seems to break(? I don’t know if that’s the right word for it, bu...more
This story is well-written and has a unique plot, but somehow I just couldn't connect with it and had to force myself to finish it.
Jean makes a living creating unique ceramic pieces based on leaves. They are fragile and expensive and often don't work out for her. She is married to Milt, a substitute teacher at the high school level.
For the last few months, she has been giving care to her mother who has been dying from cancer. This experience, seeing her mother in pain and no longer enjoying life...more
Jean makes a living creating unique ceramic pieces based on leaves. They are fragile and expensive and often don't work out for her. She is married to Milt, a substitute teacher at the high school level.
For the last few months, she has been giving care to her mother who has been dying from cancer. This experience, seeing her mother in pain and no longer enjoying life...more
Practical Jean is all dark comedy, and in the heart of that comedy lies some of the most heart-breaking pathos one will ever experience. Wickedly funny and refreshingly original, Trevor Cole manages to capture the beauty of friendship and the despair of aging at the same time. Definitely not for the more sensitive reader, Mr. Cole posits one's duty as a friend and the very heated debate on the suitability of euthanasia.
On the surface, Jean is anything but practical. At least, that is what she ha...more
On the surface, Jean is anything but practical. At least, that is what she ha...more
This was a rather... odd little book. I'm really not sure what to say about it.
Cole's portraits of these complicated female friendships is as good a place to start as any, I guess. That's quite a subject for a male author to tackle. Superficially, though, I think he did a pretty good job. Presumably, he's witnessed some of these friendships from the outside, and from these observations, has drawn some conclusions as to how they operate from the inside, and that steered him pretty well. But not q...more
Cole's portraits of these complicated female friendships is as good a place to start as any, I guess. That's quite a subject for a male author to tackle. Superficially, though, I think he did a pretty good job. Presumably, he's witnessed some of these friendships from the outside, and from these observations, has drawn some conclusions as to how they operate from the inside, and that steered him pretty well. But not q...more
This book is a dark, dark comedy. There are definitely disturbing and unsettling things that happen throughout. You must have a certain sense warped sense of humor to enjoy it. If you do, you will love it like I did. The humor and story vaguely reminded me of the Coen brothers' movie Fargo. Maybe because this book is written by a Canadian and takes place in Canada so the characters all have that Northern nice thing going on like the characters in Fargo. The reason Jean is killing her friends in...more
Jean Horemarsh has just watched her mother succumb to the undignified death that cancer brings about. She is horrified to think that all the people she loves will eventually be ravaged by age or illness. And that's when she decides to do the most practical thing she can think of: kill them.
This is Cole's first work to be published in the U.S. (at least according to the back of my copy) and I think it's a great piece of fiction. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but there is something about th...more
This is Cole's first work to be published in the U.S. (at least according to the back of my copy) and I think it's a great piece of fiction. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but there is something about th...more
Book Giveaway & Review:
When I was looking for books to review during October, a.k.a. Halloween month, I knew I had a winner when I saw the publisher’s brief synopsis for Practical Jean by Trevor Cole. It cracked me up and made me go “Eeew” all that the same time. I approached the publisher about sponsoring a book giveaway and they said yes! So on top of learning about this twisty tale, one lucky reader will also win a copy of Practical Jean! WooHoo!
A Little Background: Trevor Cole is a Canad...more
When I was looking for books to review during October, a.k.a. Halloween month, I knew I had a winner when I saw the publisher’s brief synopsis for Practical Jean by Trevor Cole. It cracked me up and made me go “Eeew” all that the same time. I approached the publisher about sponsoring a book giveaway and they said yes! So on top of learning about this twisty tale, one lucky reader will also win a copy of Practical Jean! WooHoo!
A Little Background: Trevor Cole is a Canad...more
This book may not have hit all my buttons or resonated completely, but it's exactly the kind of book I like all the same: High concept. It offers the, at least semi-, logical exploration of an off-the-wall idea.
Jean she experiences an epiphany during the difficult death of her mother. She realizes that life isn't worth it, if this is how it ends. And if you believe life inevitably leads to misery via old age and disease, then why isn't it a kindness to kill the people closest to you so they don'...more
Jean she experiences an epiphany during the difficult death of her mother. She realizes that life isn't worth it, if this is how it ends. And if you believe life inevitably leads to misery via old age and disease, then why isn't it a kindness to kill the people closest to you so they don'...more
I will be thinking about this book for a while - partly the story itself, and partly my ongoing debate with myself about Cole's characters. I really don't like them. It isn't the subject matter (I had an even stronger reaction against the characters in the Fearsome Particles) but something about who they are and their personalities. Imagine working with Milt, or being in a book club with Jean.... I don't think characters need to be likable, and I actually kind of like how they aren't, but I can'...more
This book may not have hit all my buttons or resonated completely, but it's exactly the kind of book I like all the same: High concept. It offers the, at least semi-, logical exploration of an off-the-wall idea.
Jean she experiences an epiphany during the difficult death of her mother. She realizes that life isn't worth it, if this is how it ends. And if you believe life inevitably leads to misery via old age and disease, then why isn't it a kindness to kill the people closest to you so they don'...more
Jean she experiences an epiphany during the difficult death of her mother. She realizes that life isn't worth it, if this is how it ends. And if you believe life inevitably leads to misery via old age and disease, then why isn't it a kindness to kill the people closest to you so they don'...more
This is a book that's dying to be a movie (although I have no idea who should star in it - there's definitely a role for Kathy Bates as Fran Knubel, one of Jean's friends who isn't part of her 'inner circle'). After single-handedly nursing her very practical veterinarian mother through a painful and undignified death from cancer, Jean, a ceramic artist whose creations are so fragile only she can move them, decides that infirmity, old age, and a slow painful death is something she'd like to spare...more
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I love dark humor and reach for a Christopher Moore book whenever a new one comes out. Murdering Mr. Monty by Judith Voirst is one of my all time favorite books. They are fun, sarcastic, and often make me laugh out loud. I had high hopes for Practical Jean - and hoped it would follow in those footsteps. Jean makes a very practical decision to murder her closest friends in order to save them from any future hardship, illness, or grief. While the writing is clever, what tries to be dark humor is r...more
A very nice variation on the serial killer genre, and as such, I don't want to say too much about it outside of the basic premise. The Practical Jean of the (ironic) title is a Woman of a Certain Age who begins the novel having just cared for her convalescent mother, watching her die horribly of cancer. Soon, she decides that her mission in life is to spare her closest friends from the ravages of aging by giving them each one last moment of beauty before killing them. It's a blackly comic novel...more
I was lucky enough to snag an advanced copy of Practical Jean through Goodreads Giveaway program recently, and was thrilled when on my first day of stay-cation it landed on my doorstep.
Jean has recently spent three months nursing her dying mother until her last breath. It was awful, and has made a deep and lasting impression on her. So while spending a girls only evening with her closest friends she realises she can't watch them grow old and suffer, it just wouldn't be the right thing to do. Wh...more
Jean has recently spent three months nursing her dying mother until her last breath. It was awful, and has made a deep and lasting impression on her. So while spending a girls only evening with her closest friends she realises she can't watch them grow old and suffer, it just wouldn't be the right thing to do. Wh...more
How far would you go to ensure your dearest friends’ happiness? Would you donate a kidney? Or would you literally kill them with kindness, as does the middle-aged eponymous heroine of Canadian author Cole’s (Norman Bray in the Performance of His Life; The Fearsome Particles) dark comic novel? Jean Vale Horemarsh’s artistic aspirations—gluing Swarovski crystals to her fingertips, ex-perimenting with bizarre ceramic constructions of leaves—always drove her sensible and overbearing veterinarian mot...more
This story revolves around Jean, who has recently lost her mother to cancer. Jean was the primary caregiver, despite the tense relationship between her and her mother. While contemplating life, Jean decides that the best thing she can give those she loves is death after a happy event.
Jean plans to reunite with her best friend from high school, Cheryl, who is going through a difficult time, while also planning the demise of her best girl friends.
I found this story to be charming. Jean was quite...more
Jean plans to reunite with her best friend from high school, Cheryl, who is going through a difficult time, while also planning the demise of her best girl friends.
I found this story to be charming. Jean was quite...more
Well, this was a quick read, a great concept, and supposedly a dark comedy. Alas, I feel (and perhaps this is coming from me as a woman), Jean, despite her backstory, the interesting and odd personality quirks... Fell a little flat as a main character. An okay beach read if you like something quick, easy, and light. (although how murder can be light... Maybe therein lies the problem). I wanted more substance, more struggle from the main character and a bit more development and responsibility fro...more
Jean Horemarsh has just returned to living with her husband after three months spent caring for her mother as she died of cancer. After watching her mother die, Jean is convinced no one should have to suffer the indignities of aging and illness like her mother did—and she, Jean Horemarsh, will take it upon herself to give each of her friends one final, perfect moment . . . and then, one by one, kill them.
The 2011 winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, Practical Jean is wickedly...more
The 2011 winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, Practical Jean is wickedly...more
I really wanted to like this book, the concept was intriguing at first glance. But the execution was sub-par and thoroughly unenjoyable! I had to force myself to finish, unable to read more than a few chapters at a time because of my annoyance at the mostly unlikeable, and bland character of Jean, along with the changes from extreme detail in a scene, to skipping through large sections of time with almost no information at all. The timeline was difficult to follow because of so much unnecessary...more
When I read about this book, it said it was humourous, but now that I've read it, I'd say it was pretty dark humour ...
Jean lives in a small town and has just buried her mother after taking care of her during her final illness. Jean begins to think that people should experience happiness rather than illness at "the end", so she sets about making that happen for her friends.
The book had its moments, but it also lagged here and there. The core idea was interesting, but I didn't think it was quite...more
Jean lives in a small town and has just buried her mother after taking care of her during her final illness. Jean begins to think that people should experience happiness rather than illness at "the end", so she sets about making that happen for her friends.
The book had its moments, but it also lagged here and there. The core idea was interesting, but I didn't think it was quite...more
Near the beginning of Trevor Cole's black comedic novel, the narrator describes Jean Vale Horemarsh during her younger years:
Her differentness bewildered her fathers and brothers, but it frustrated her mother deeply. So much so that whenever Jean, growing up, did or said something that was out of the sensible family norm-glued hundreds of Swarovski crystals to her fingertips, say, or married a substitute high school English teacher named Milt-Marjorie would sigh and exclaim "Little girl..." or...more
Once I received my First Reads copy of Practical Jean from the www.goodreads.com giveaway program, it did not take me long to finish this delightful satire on friendship, aging and death.
Author, Trevor Cole shows his amazing insight into human nature with the creation of the character of Jean Horemarsh; artisan, wife, devoted daughter and friend. Jean is a charming woman, pushed too far by the the trauma she endures while caring for her dying mother. Deeply disturbed by her mother's suffering, J...more
Author, Trevor Cole shows his amazing insight into human nature with the creation of the character of Jean Horemarsh; artisan, wife, devoted daughter and friend. Jean is a charming woman, pushed too far by the the trauma she endures while caring for her dying mother. Deeply disturbed by her mother's suffering, J...more
It's tough when you start with a unique plot line so filled with potential. Well-meaning, suburban housewife actually believes she is doing her friends a favor by murdering them. The potential is for subtle, dark humor with perhaps some underlying social commentary. What was delivered was a cute read. Nothing more. Everything more turns on buying that the main character, Jean, would believe what she does and therefore be capable of commiting some pretty gruesome murders. In the end, I don't thin...more
I really enjoyed not only the way this book was written, but the interesting premise behind it. What a strange turn of events, but not totally surprising given the insight the author gives into the psyche of the subject of the novel. As a woman of a 'certain age' myself (hopefully without Jean's tendencies though!), I can see where she's coming from and how her actions are absolutely justified, in her mind. The author writes well from a middle-aged woman's perspective; the lack of interest, the...more
I got the galley for this from NetGalley. This is the story of a woman who cares for her mother as she dies and decides that the best gift she can give her friends is to kill them so they don't have to experience anything like that. We're not thrown into the middle of this, but we follow along with Jean as she reaches this conclusion, and the novel slowly gets more and more disturbing. I realize I haven't said much about this, but it's one of those that's left me at a loss for words. Overall I'd...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BookSpark: Book Giveaway - Practical Jean | 1 | 3 | Oct 17, 2011 03:52pm | |
| THE JAMES MASON C...: Book Giveaway - Practical Jean | 1 | 2 | Oct 17, 2011 03:50pm | |
| Creative Reviews: Practical Jean Book Giveaway | 2 | 6 | Oct 17, 2011 03:48pm |
Trevor Cole (born Trevor William Cole on February 15, 1960) is a Canadian novelist and journalist. His first two novels, Norman Bray in the Performance of his Life (2004) and The Fearsome Particles (2006), were nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction and longlisted for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.
More about Trevor Cole...
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