A Thing (or Two) About Curtis and Camilla

by Nick Fowler

It’s April in SoHo, and Curtis Birnbaum, thirty-three-year-old rock-star wannabe out for a stroll, spies gangly, gorgeous Camilla—soon to be his obsession, his songwriting muse, and the reason he does in fact need a record contract (and some health insurance). Their first meeting, like each episode in this year 2000 picaresque love story, is an exquisitely observed social and private Camilla’s dachshund Phillip humps Curtis’s leg while Camilla writes her AOL address backward on Curtis’s forehead. As their tender and tentative relationship runs its course—-through witty e-mail questionnaires, marathon conversations in bed, and parental bonding over the winsome Phillip—-Fowler captures young love with comic and poignant precision.

Curtis, a hero as frank and self-critical as he is romantic, is cast into outer darkness by an unexpected breakup with Camilla. As he tries to figure out what went wrong (why did her cool blue eyes always signal a distracted aloofness?), he embarks on a series of hilarious East Village misadventures, from a nude modeling stint to a regrettable steamroom incident at CRUNCH gym to a destination he has only dreamed the top floor of Worldwide Plaza, where the record moguls preside.

Curtis and Camilla are children of the 1970s, products of broken homes who are searching for something meaningful in a world of downloading and dealmaking, hanging chads and recovering junkies. With their story, Nick Fowler, in passionate, wide-open prose that is blissfully entertaining throughout, tells us a thing or two about first love, heartbreak, and learning to leave the pain of youth behind.

Genres: Fiction

416 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Lana]

I couldn't get into this book at all
had to stop reading after the first chapter. So poorly written and the characters were confusing and not at all people i would care to learn more about.

[Nim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Never again will I make the mistake of picking a book off the 99 cents rack.

[Nancy Gilreath · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled to finish A Thing (or Two) about Curtis and Camilla. At first, I found the writing clever, but the style soon felt contrived. As for the narrative, the pathetic main character seemed to bring his bad luck upon himself, and it was difficult to imagine why Camilla had any attraction to him at all. While the pace was supposed to be frenetic, I found it tedious. I don’t recommend this one.

[Georgette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curtis is a struggling subway musician. He keeps on struggling and hoping everyday that he will find the magic song that will break him as a musician and subsequently allow him to pay off his debts and live a more productive life. Into this scenario steps a beautiful, quietly self-assured young lady named Camilla, and her vibrant daschund Philip. Of course, Curtis falls head over heels in love at first sight, and an unlikely courtship follows(filled with questionaires, and a mutual appreciation of Don DeLillo, no less). Things are going along alright, except Curtis continues to be frustrated by Camilla's inability to communicate fully with him, so he tries harder to keep her attention on him, by making over-extravagant gestures(a trip to Paris when he has already overextended his credit and borrows a villa from a friend in exchange for song lessons) and outright lying to keep her interest piqued. Problem is, Camilla is having none of it, and calls him not only on his use of anti-depressants(where it's hinted several times throughout the novel that Curtis may have a drug problem), but also on the lies, and ends the relationship completely. Eventually, Curtis breaks through the wall and finds out why Camilla has that shuttered, devastated look in her eyes, but it's a bit too late for their relationship. While Nick Fowler has a great sense of humor that runs through the novel, the story just frustrates. More accurately, the character of Camilla frustrates me. Understandable it is, once the reveal has been dropped, her overall fear of commitment and hatred of lies and over-the-top showmanship that Curtis employs makes sense, but she still has a cloak of 'woe is me' about the character that just picks at you, until seriously- you could care less about her. The character of Curtis, and of course the adorable daschund- no complaints. I just wish there was a little more of a resolution than the easy way out way the novel ends.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Thing or Two About Curtis and Camilla is an interesting book at first. However, I became discouraged to read it towards the middle and I can't decide whether it was because it got boring or frustrating. What frustrated me the most is how many misfortunes Curtis is able to bring onto himself just by avoiding responsibilities or being immature about so many things. He trusted a friend who seemed like an idiot from the beginning and he did not care to make up for all the things that went wrong in his life. The whole book is about Curtis dwelling on the unlucky or miserable things happening to him instead of doing something to fix his situation. And this is what made me relate the book to a real life incident where one is listening to people complaining about their lives and not being able to tell them to pull themselves together and to get over themselves just because s/he wants to be polite. The feeling is similar here where many a times I wanted to tell Curtis to get over himself but I couldn't because he is a character in a book.
The author's exhaustive description about Curtis's life through the first person point of view (Curtis's point of view) is what made me feel this way. The only thing that kept me on reading this book isn't the love story between Curtis and Camilla, but knowing from my sister who has previously read this book that it has a happy ending. So I was determined to find out how Curtis's life is going to flip around.
I personally do not recommend this book because a good book to recommend would be one that kept me clinging to it just to find out how the chapter ends let alone the whole book; A Thing or Two About Curtis and Camilla is not that kind of book.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent way to spend four and a half hours on a plane, and I thought the beginning had a lot of promise. The middle was a little too much of a bathtub story for my tastes -- it was definitely one Murphy's Law scenario after another for a very long while -- and while the here-and-there witty and semi-philosophical narrative did keep me going through the "woe is me" chapters, I was disappointed in the ending, which I found altogether too convenient. I felt as though the author manipulated his characters into the ending he wanted rather than a less convenient, perhaps bitter-sweet finale that might have been more appropriate under the circumstances. I was especially disappointed in the character progression leading up to the final chapters.

That said, I very much liked the narrative and thought the footnotes were both clever and insightful. I definitely hated the character(s) I was supposed to hate, even though I wasn't completely won by the character(s) in which I assume I was meant to put stock.

[Zemmiphobe · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out quite well with a typical love story written in an interesting narrative. However, the middle/second half of the book was a complete let down. You go from feeling almost charmed by the beginning narrative to just being embarrassed for the main character halfway through the book as he stumbles through a series of unfortunate events all brought about by his own unwillingness to take responsibility for himself and his life. He makes it impossible to feel bad for him so you just feel uncomfortable reading about his misfortunes just hoping the entire time that he really may just end it all allowing us all to exit the embarrassing scene. When things do turn around for him, it is almost more frustrating because he has taken no ambitious action of his own to actually achieve it - his luck simply turns around.

And then in the last few chapters he manages to just make the story ridiculously weird and creepy giving the entire novel and "feel bad" round up....

And it all started out so well... Perhaps that was the overall point after all.

[Lacy Katherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but couldn't bring myself to stomach a single one of the characters. The characters who are fleshed out are jerks, the ones who aren't are so poorly drawn they flew right out of my head.

I think the comedy of this book is intended to poke fun at losers [like Curtis], but as a card-carrying member of the losers club, it just made me sad and uncomfortable.

[Lacy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but couldn't bring myself to stomach a single one of the characters. The characters who are fleshed out are jerks, the ones who aren't are so poorly drawn they flew right out of my head.

I think the comedy of this book is intended to poke fun at losers [like Curtis], but as a card-carrying member of the losers club, it just made me sad and uncomfortable.

[G · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only a white guy could write a novel about an interracial couple and then forget to mention race at all for the rest of the book. That would be forgivable if the book didn't go off the rails after they break up.

[Mike Wood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Take "High Fidelity" and edit out all the charm, wit, strong characters, and originality, and you'll have "A Thing (or Two) About Curtis and Camilla" - some funny bits, but they're too few and far between to really recommend this book

[J.D · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is the last ever book that I've read to the end that I detested. Had a good hard look at my reading ethics and thought life was too short to continue with toxic friends, bad wine or a sub-standard book. Wish you the best of luck Nick, it wasn't for me.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a bit depressing in all honesty. And hard to follow sometimes.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, review at half-way point. So far, I kinda love it. I don't love the character of Camilla. (Too perfect!) But do love the irreverant footnoted writing style.

[Marybeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book several years ago and loved it. I'm curious if I would feel the same way about it now that I'm older and marginally more mature.

[m. soria · Rating 1 out of 5]

i can't believe i read as much of this as i did, it's just one long pity party, with a barely lovable girl to lament in the background.

[Barb Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://dogearedandunderlined.blogspot...

[Vera · Rating 1 out of 5]

pathetic, tries too hard.

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A love it or hate it book, really....& i liked it alot.The whole style of the book is interesting & quiet cute.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty cute and realistic of such a meeting and relationship. Weird ending. Overall pretty good.

[Corrin Foster · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't believe I even bothered to finish this book. Not a single character was likable, the footnotes were unnecessary and annoying, and the ending was bizarre.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lad-lit meets chick-lit in this tale of love, music & dogs. Quite entertaining, with some laugh out loud moments that justify the read. Good for a holiday.

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

It should've been called A Thing (or Two) About Another Insufferably Pretentious Hipster Douchebag and His Manic Pixie Dream Girl—now with added Wiener Dog!

Pass.

[Susan]

Essex Free Library book sale 6/1/12

[Magdalena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nick Fowler writes beautifully, and he likes all the same writers I like.

[Ms. Perfection · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

AWFUL ending- but the book is cute. There is a lot of good music and lit ref.

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting but really hard to read!