What do you think?
Rate this book
BlokeMiles
Rob is a thirty-something bloke who seems to have things pretty much figured out. But appearances can be misleading—in fact, he's suffering from something of an early mid-life crisis. His wife, Clare, is a natural high-flyer who has recently returned to work after the birth of their second child, leaving Rob to care for the kids. Despite his love for his family, Rob sometimes feels demoralized by his less than glamorous role and hankers after his old, more selfish single life—before diaper-changing began to feel like an Olympic sport. His two best friends, Brian and Donald, are in similar situations. Brian is horribly torn between the demands of his career in the city and the needs of his family, especially his wife, Tania. And Donald—solid, reliable Donald on whom the other two depend—turns out to be hiding a devastating secret. Meanwhile, the Rugby World Cup is looming, and Rob decides he needs to establish some ground rules with Clare so that he can watch the big matches in peace. So the concept of BlokeMiles is born. It's like an AirMiles account—Rob can earn points by doing things for Clare and redeem his miles against blokeish activities of his choice. Rob convinces Brian and Donald to join the BlokeMiles program, and the three hatch a plan to win the jackpot—a trip to Sydney for the World Cup final. As we watch the three men struggling to earn their miles, we get under the skin of their respective lives—their marriages, hopes, insecurities, and their relationships with their kids. But just when the jackpot seems to be within their grasp, the wives come up with a plan of their own.
284 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 7, 2014
Three men devise a novel way to get permission from their wives to attend the Rugby Cup final in Australia: BlokeMiles. It is a domestic equivalent of BlokeMiles, accrued by helping round the house and spent doing ‘blokey’ activities. Essentially, it allows the chaps to enjoy time to themselves without feeling guilty about it.
The BlokeMiles transactions don’t feature too heavily. The book is in four parts: parts 1 and 4 are narrated by Rob, parts 2 and 3 are in third person from the perspectives of Brian and Donald respectively. Each part gives an insight into the men’s marriages.
What makes this book so interesting is that it is written about men, by a man, and the male voice is very, very clear. It was described by my partner as “d*ck lit”, or chick lit for men. Somewhere in there, every man will find himself and his relationship described. The female perspective is provided by the wives. Not traditionally male material, but the reflection of the many problems you’ll face is reassuringly familiar – you’re not alone.
Funny in parts and more poignant in others, the complexity of human relationships with partners, friends and kids is well handled. There are some good surprises, too, and a couple of twists you won’t expect. The three lead men are likeable and distinct, while their wives are also recognisable and sympathetically portrayed.
The book’s main weakness is in its direction. It starts off well, but towards the World Cup final, when the men and women are not together, the concept of BlokeMiles and the general marital drama is suspended in the wives’ absence. We therefore have a bit of a dearth of action, where everything drags a little. The ending is also disappointing, with a sugary convenience to it all, tying everything up in a way that undermines the realistic description of the issues.
An entertaining summer read that crystallises male love - for wives and for friends.
The BlokeMiles transactions don’t feature too heavily. The book is in four parts: parts 1 and 4 are narrated by Rob, parts 2 and 3 are in third person from the perspectives of Brian and Donald respectively. Each part gives an insight into the men’s marriages.
What makes this book so interesting is that it is written about men, by a man, and the male voice is very, very clear. It was described by my partner as “d*ck lit”, or chick lit for men. Somewhere in there, every man will find himself and his relationship described. The female perspective is provided by the wives. Not traditionally male material, but the reflection of the many problems you’ll face is reassuringly familiar – you’re not alone.
Funny in parts and more poignant in others, the complexity of human relationships with partners, friends and kids is well handled. There are some good surprises, too, and a couple of twists you won’t expect. The three lead men are likeable and distinct, while their wives are also recognisable and sympathetically portrayed.
The book’s main weakness is in its direction. It starts off well, but towards the World Cup final, when the men and women are not together, the concept of BlokeMiles and the general marital drama is suspended in the wives’ absence. We therefore have a bit of a dearth of action, where everything drags a little. The ending is also disappointing, with a sugary convenience to it all, tying everything up in a way that undermines the realistic description of the issues.
An entertaining summer read that crystallises male love - for wives and for friends.
March 26, 2013
Not bad. In the beginning it was rather shallow...what...three guys crazy about watching rubgy???
But as the story developes it was really about the guys private life. One was uncomfortable being a house husband as he works from home. Another found that the fizzle of love between him and his wife is dying as the kids started to pop out. The third was having low self esteem as he felt he is pretty useless in anything.
Interesting as usually we read is the woman version of the events but this is the men version of it.
Well it just shows thatbthere are two sides of the story.
But as the story developes it was really about the guys private life. One was uncomfortable being a house husband as he works from home. Another found that the fizzle of love between him and his wife is dying as the kids started to pop out. The third was having low self esteem as he felt he is pretty useless in anything.
Interesting as usually we read is the woman version of the events but this is the men version of it.
Well it just shows thatbthere are two sides of the story.
August 17, 2009
This book , which is about three middle class men who do good deeds for their wives to accumulate “Bloke Miles” that they can trade for guy time, including a week-end in Sydney to watch England in the Rugby World Cup finals would be very stupid except that it is written well and the three main characters are quite engaging.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews