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Man vs. Baby: The Chaos and Comedy of Real-Life Parenting
by
From a hero for dads everywhere (Daily Mirror), a hilarious, insightful, and heartfelt take on parenting based on a viral blog post that Ashton Kutcher called, the best description of fatherhood I've ever read.
One Tuesday evening in 2015, while his three-month-old son Charlie briefly slept, Matt Coyne staggered to his desk, opened his laptop, and wrote a side-splittingly f ...more
One Tuesday evening in 2015, while his three-month-old son Charlie briefly slept, Matt Coyne staggered to his desk, opened his laptop, and wrote a side-splittingly f ...more
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Audio CD
Published
April 17th 2018
by Simon & Schuster Audio
(first published April 20th 2017)
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Start your review of Man vs. Baby: The Chaos and Comedy of Real-Life Parenting
Best book I’ve read this year. I laughed so much I nearly hurt myself.
Amazing book. After reading the last two sections, I wanted to rate it with 6 stars.
Very disappointed with this book. Most anecdotes and stories were exaggerated for humorous effect, and whilst I did find it quite funny in places, overall it was a moany, sweary, catastrophising version of parenthood which was incredibly self-indulgent.
The cover & title of this book caught my eye. It was on the recommended NEW humorous books shelf at my local library.
That’s why I chose it.
I also chose it b/c it was seemed like a funny blog/memoir style book about parenthood from the male perspective. That’s unique. I’ve read plenty of books written by women on this subject so I was curious. I always like to try the typical story from a different viewpoint.
The introduction was hysterical and had me laughing out loud. I was keen to keep reading ...more
That’s why I chose it.
I also chose it b/c it was seemed like a funny blog/memoir style book about parenthood from the male perspective. That’s unique. I’ve read plenty of books written by women on this subject so I was curious. I always like to try the typical story from a different viewpoint.
The introduction was hysterical and had me laughing out loud. I was keen to keep reading ...more
Too much swearing for my taste. Would have been absolutely hilarious if every other word wasn’t foul.
MAN VS. BABY by Matt Coyne, for those of us who have children, humorously reminds us what we went through when our kids were babies. For those who have yet to have children, I think Coyne might confirm some people's thoughts that they shouldn't have little demons who make their lives infinitely more complicated and messy, but for most Coyne leaves the reader with a sense of enlightenment and happiness that while all of the trails and challenges parenthood of a baby presents, there is something w
...more
Coyle is entertaining as hell, and his takes on a ton of parental topics are dead on. There were slight variations coming from his British point of view (mostly references to stores and people), but overall it was uncanny how many things were similar to my own experiences. I laughed out loud at some of his descriptions and found myself nodding in agreement to others. I read several passages out loud to my wife.
Up to the last fifty pages or so, I wouldn't have really known that Coyle was a blog w ...more
Up to the last fifty pages or so, I wouldn't have really known that Coyle was a blog w ...more
Probably my favorite parenting book to date. So incredibly funny and honest. Loved it and laughed out loud more times than I could count. I would often read my husband sections aloud because it was so great. Definitely a great purchase for any expecting or new parents!!
The book is hilarious! I knew exactly what the author meant abt first time parenting. I laughed throughout the whole book.
Super funny!!!
May 22, 2018
Joanne
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
didn-t-finish
I guess this is a blog? Parenting is hard. Not much new ground here. Might appeal to the new millennial parent, provided there's a huge tolerance for profanity.
...more
I might be had up for child neglect but I just couldn't put this book down.
Please note do not read after you've settled your 6 month old baby to sleep next to you, at one point I had to vacate the bed for fear my attempts at silent laughing would jiggle him off the bed and that would have really p***ed him off and to be honest I felt sitting on the loo was probably the safest place as I didn't know if I could control my bladder .... I could woohoo. However the deranged laughing confused the dog ...more
Please note do not read after you've settled your 6 month old baby to sleep next to you, at one point I had to vacate the bed for fear my attempts at silent laughing would jiggle him off the bed and that would have really p***ed him off and to be honest I felt sitting on the loo was probably the safest place as I didn't know if I could control my bladder .... I could woohoo. However the deranged laughing confused the dog ...more
So here's a book I want to share something about. Now, if you've looked at the cover and thought "meh it's about babies, doesn't apply to me", just hold your horses for a couple of minutes. Ok, you still with me? Good.
Here's the backstory of why I've just read this book. Yes, my wife is pregnant. She actually got me this book (along with others that I actually wanted such as the last Dresden Files, Meddling Kids etc) for Christmas. I eventually picked it up to have a read and it's the best book ...more
Here's the backstory of why I've just read this book. Yes, my wife is pregnant. She actually got me this book (along with others that I actually wanted such as the last Dresden Files, Meddling Kids etc) for Christmas. I eventually picked it up to have a read and it's the best book ...more
Matt Coyne has a fantastic voice - and I mean that in two ways: one is that his word choice and storytelling style are very engaging, and the other is that I listened to the audiobook read by the author, and he has a voice and accent that are very enjoyable to my Oklahoma-bred ears.
I read this because my wife and I are currently expecting, but I've gotten quite burnt-out by other books about raising a baby. I didn't expect lots of advice from this book, but Matt surprised me again and again with ...more
I read this because my wife and I are currently expecting, but I've gotten quite burnt-out by other books about raising a baby. I didn't expect lots of advice from this book, but Matt surprised me again and again with ...more
A trend has developed over the past few years for parenting online bloggers who refuse to sugar coat what parenting is really like and have become known for their brutal honesty and sharing warts an all from their journeys as parents. I first became aware of this trend as my wife read out funny excerpts from blogs written by The Unmumsy Mum and Hurrah for Gin. It wasn't until I discovered Matt Coyne's Man vs Baby blog that I started to pay more attention. His sense of humour and brutal take down
...more
Meh...started off good. It was funny, but then in parts it really dragged on. The comedy was funny at first but the over the top descriptions of parenting got old. Seemed like he was pandering to his wife a lot. The part where he's writing to his son seemed pointless and out of place. He tries to be funny and come off like "hey, I don't know what I'm doing" and "there's no right way to do things" but then proceeds to get on a soapbox about certain subjects and lecture to you. And he works in a f
...more
A lighter look at bringing home baby !!
I gave this book 4 stars .
I knew this book would be a lighter look at everything you need to know about a babies first year .I found it very funny especially the part where he is advised to keep a sleep journal and for me personally I found it very relatable . It's very readable and I found it true to life and the author was right when he says most of us are winging it .The book itself although light hearted also shows how hard it can be coping with a new b ...more
I gave this book 4 stars .
I knew this book would be a lighter look at everything you need to know about a babies first year .I found it very funny especially the part where he is advised to keep a sleep journal and for me personally I found it very relatable . It's very readable and I found it true to life and the author was right when he says most of us are winging it .The book itself although light hearted also shows how hard it can be coping with a new b ...more
My partner and I laughed out loud so many times whilst reading this book. We read some chapters aloud together and then both picked it up intermittently, alone, for a mixture of amusement and education. It really does open your eyes to some of the realities of becoming a new parent.
Each chapter is dedicated to a different topic, such as feeding. With a lighthearted and sarcastic tone throughout, the anecdotes are funny and heartwarming. Each chapter always ends with something heartfelt and ther ...more
Each chapter is dedicated to a different topic, such as feeding. With a lighthearted and sarcastic tone throughout, the anecdotes are funny and heartwarming. Each chapter always ends with something heartfelt and ther ...more
There seem to be a lot of books out there anymore where someone has a blog that becomes a book. This means that the books is a bunch of random moments in time, and not really a cohesive piece. Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of funny moments, I'm just kind of over the format by this point. If you haven't read a lot of books that are based off blog posts, and don't care about profanity, then you might like this book.
This book is a definite no-holds-bar approach to a man's view on his first ...more
This book is a definite no-holds-bar approach to a man's view on his first ...more
Utterly Hilarious
This book is brilliant, simply brilliant and while my own experience of fatherhood is different to Matt's there are a lot of similarities.
The book discusses parenting in the way you talk to your partner (or a close friend), which is often a lot more graphic than you would be allowed in polite company and this is the reason it's so refreshing and so funny.
I can't wait for the next instalment of Dummy and the continued updates on Facebook.
Thank you Matt for making me realise tha ...more
This book is brilliant, simply brilliant and while my own experience of fatherhood is different to Matt's there are a lot of similarities.
The book discusses parenting in the way you talk to your partner (or a close friend), which is often a lot more graphic than you would be allowed in polite company and this is the reason it's so refreshing and so funny.
I can't wait for the next instalment of Dummy and the continued updates on Facebook.
Thank you Matt for making me realise tha ...more
Dummy: Parenting for the Inept and the Clueless is a hilarious and heart warming parenting book that, in my humble opinion, should be provided on the NHS to all new parents.
Unlike 99% of the other parenting books I've read Dummy doesn't take itself too seriously, it doesn't pretend to have all the answers and it won't make you feel like your making a hash of things; and that is the kind of book new parents need to read.
Matt Coyne has a fantastically approachable style that make this a swift and ...more
Unlike 99% of the other parenting books I've read Dummy doesn't take itself too seriously, it doesn't pretend to have all the answers and it won't make you feel like your making a hash of things; and that is the kind of book new parents need to read.
Matt Coyne has a fantastically approachable style that make this a swift and ...more
BUY IT NOW
I only recently discovered Man VS Baby on Facebook and "dropped a like" seeing as what i read made me chuckle a bit. Saw the book was coming out and thought brilliant, all the chuckles in one place without wading through rubbish comments from people like Greg (you know who you are, Greg. Don't try to deny it now). Other than the soul crushing revelations that the Loch Ness Monster, the Jabberwocky and unicorns are, in fact, not real (spoiler alert, sorry!) it was a thoroughly enjoyable ...more
I only recently discovered Man VS Baby on Facebook and "dropped a like" seeing as what i read made me chuckle a bit. Saw the book was coming out and thought brilliant, all the chuckles in one place without wading through rubbish comments from people like Greg (you know who you are, Greg. Don't try to deny it now). Other than the soul crushing revelations that the Loch Ness Monster, the Jabberwocky and unicorns are, in fact, not real (spoiler alert, sorry!) it was a thoroughly enjoyable ...more
I started reading this at 9 months pregnant and finished it whilst my 2 day old son tried to work out if my chin was as useful as my nipples (spoiler alert, it's not and he's not happy about it).
This book is such a breath of fresh air. I've been reading Matt's blog since he created it so was looking forward to his take on a parenting manual. I wasn't dissapointed. Good topics, I especially found the review of parent and baby classes useful as I'm about to have a years maternity leave.
Additionall ...more
This book is such a breath of fresh air. I've been reading Matt's blog since he created it so was looking forward to his take on a parenting manual. I wasn't dissapointed. Good topics, I especially found the review of parent and baby classes useful as I'm about to have a years maternity leave.
Additionall ...more
I absolutely love this book. As the mother of a 6 month old little boy, I can relate so hard. Matt is freakin' hilarious and everything he says about parenting is SO TRUE. This is the most honest parenting book I've ever read. From figuring out who gets stuck with the next poopy diaper to trying to dress a squirmy baby to installing the car seat, it was all oh so familiar to me. Having a baby is at once the hardest and most hilarious thing we've ever done. Yes, we're exhausted sometimes, but you
...more
DNF
This book truly held potential. Parts were funny and I thought about recommending it to a friend but it went downhill too fast for me to even finish. I thought I could get past the constant swearing and over-exaggeration but it got to be too much. It's not that I am offended, I'm not, more along the lines of annoyed.
Quite frankly I think Matt needs to get over himself. People are jerks; this isn't new information. Yes, he realizes it more now that he has a small person to lug around but that ...more
This book truly held potential. Parts were funny and I thought about recommending it to a friend but it went downhill too fast for me to even finish. I thought I could get past the constant swearing and over-exaggeration but it got to be too much. It's not that I am offended, I'm not, more along the lines of annoyed.
Quite frankly I think Matt needs to get over himself. People are jerks; this isn't new information. Yes, he realizes it more now that he has a small person to lug around but that ...more
I didn't like this book at all. The author uses a lot of swear words which gets boring and tenuous fast. Since the whole book sounds like a stand-up show, and is not very funny, there is not real value in reading it. It might be interesting for young parents because you could relate but everyone else steer clear. One extra thing that annoyed me to hell is the constant self- bashing by the author. Ok, I understand, you are an idiot but not really, you are actually just a normal person - what is t
...more
Mildly amusing man's story of bringing up a baby. I enjoyed it but there was something slightly forced about some of the humour - it was as if he tried too hard to be funny in each subject. A shame as it seems he has a lot in common with me backgroundwise. I also found it hard to associate with some of his "advice" because a lot of the situations he talked about were completely different from my experience. For instance he basically dismissive of NCT classes while we have found that ours were ac
...more
Sometimes I just want to read something funny, and this fit the bill. It reminds me a lot of the email my husband used to send to his friends who were about to become fathers warning them of what was ahead. We found out upon having children that we were not baby people. We like them better and better the older they get. Coyne seems to be in that camp as well, but also has a genuine love for his wife and child. Now that my kids are both teenagers, most of these memories are distant, but I related
...more
The first half of the book is an absolute blinder with lots of laugh out loud, trying to gag a giggle moments. The second half is merely quite humorous and feels as if the author ran out of steam a little. Still a great read over all... but as a father of 3 children, I did find myself thinking: "Just you wait until you have to deal with more demands from little people."
Get this for summer. Unless you're offended by bad language in which case avoid like the plague. ...more
Get this for summer. Unless you're offended by bad language in which case avoid like the plague. ...more
This book was incredibly informative, the book I should have read before I embarked on parenting, yet equally amusing while in my first year of it.
I had to refrain from reading it on my morning commute since I'd end up suppressing my laughing fits and making my fellow travelers very uncomfortable.
It's written well, the author has a great air of self deprecation which adds to the humour and it covers literally everything you'd face in your first year. ...more
I had to refrain from reading it on my morning commute since I'd end up suppressing my laughing fits and making my fellow travelers very uncomfortable.
It's written well, the author has a great air of self deprecation which adds to the humour and it covers literally everything you'd face in your first year. ...more
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