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Man Vs Child
Hilarious and touching, a novel that just goes to show that not all men in their 30s run screaming from the prospect of fatherhood Tim Wright's friends are abandoning him. He still feels young and irresponsible at the age of 34, but his most reliable drinking buddies have been retiring from action. They've produced no less than 20 of these whining menaces in the past two years, transforming his friends into sleepless zombies who are incapable of doing anything more than feeding and changing their demanding offspring. At least Tim's frustration is giving him some great material for his standup comedy career. Audiences love it when he talks about the deadly new threat to his way of life, Al Childa, whose members simply cannot be negotiated with and pack deadly chemical weapons in their nappies. And now that he's a bit of a celebrity, Tim finds that younger, single women are much more impressed by someone they've seen on TV. But he's discovering that it's impossible to make a real connection with someone who's only talking to you because you're on first-name basis someone famous. Then, as if life weren't already difficult enough, his friend Sally rents an apartment around the corner after her husband leaves her, a mere two years after Tim was cracking jokes at their wedding, and she expects her old buddy, with his conspicuous lack of a day job, to help mind her six-month-old baby, Fabian.
- GenresContemporaryFiction
288 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2013
21 people want to read
About the author
Dominic Knight
18 books12 followersDominic Knight was one of the founders of The Chaser satirical newspaper in 1999, and also one of its destroyers in 2004 after the group finally acknowledged that it would never turn a profit. Since then he’s worked on the team’s various projects in print, stage, radio, television and online. Most recently he wrote for ABC-TV’sThe Hamster Wheel, Yes We Canberra! and The Chaser’s War On Everything.
In recent years, Dominic has begun writing fiction in an attempt to spend less time with his Chaser compatriots. His first novel Disco Boy (2009) portrayed the career travails of a disaffected law graduate suspiciously like himself, and its successor Comrades (2010) delved into the grubby world of student politics. He’s working on a third novel, which may appear in 2013 in the unlikely event that he gets his act together. Dominic regularly appears at various writers’ festivals whether he’s invited to speak or not, and is currently on the board of the National Young Writers’ Festival.
In 2012, Dominic began hosting Evenings on ABC Local Radio in NSW and the ACT. He can be heard from 7-10pm Monday to Friday on 702 ABC Sydney, 666 ABC Canberra, 1233 ABC Newcastle and ABC stations across NSW.
Dominic has lived in Sydney nearly all of his life and plays the bass reasonably well and tennis appallingly. He is overly fond of karaoke.
In recent years, Dominic has begun writing fiction in an attempt to spend less time with his Chaser compatriots. His first novel Disco Boy (2009) portrayed the career travails of a disaffected law graduate suspiciously like himself, and its successor Comrades (2010) delved into the grubby world of student politics. He’s working on a third novel, which may appear in 2013 in the unlikely event that he gets his act together. Dominic regularly appears at various writers’ festivals whether he’s invited to speak or not, and is currently on the board of the National Young Writers’ Festival.
In 2012, Dominic began hosting Evenings on ABC Local Radio in NSW and the ACT. He can be heard from 7-10pm Monday to Friday on 702 ABC Sydney, 666 ABC Canberra, 1233 ABC Newcastle and ABC stations across NSW.
Dominic has lived in Sydney nearly all of his life and plays the bass reasonably well and tennis appallingly. He is overly fond of karaoke.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 15, 2013
Dan is a stand-up comedian doing the rounds in Sydney. He does alright for himself but he also has a “day job” to make ends meet and pay the mortgage on his Potts Point art deco apartment, working as a radio producer for a breakfast FM show. The show has regularly been rating #1 for its timeslot over the past few years but suddenly they are facing stiff competition from a new breakfast crew, who have been steadily gaining on them. When they overtake for the first time, Dan’s radio station, 2RYT decide that they need to change a few things up during their own breakfast show and they decide to add in Dan as a third presenter.
The new dynamic works well – Dan’s humour bounces off the obnoxious “star” host Bryan and his sidekick Sal, who changes her own role to compliment Dan’s. Together they often gang up on Bryan, making him the butt of their jokes and the listeners are loving it. Things are suddenly going much better in Dan’s professional life and his pay packet is increased to reflect his new role, taking some strain off him. He begins to feel as though he’s moving forward in an adult world.
A single man, Dan is seeing all of his mates paired up, married and having babies with their wives. What used to be nights out for drinks and chatting until dawn becomes brunch and shouting at each other over a screaming baby and debating the merits of dummies or breast vs bottle. Dan doesn’t see why anyone does this to themselves – until he reconnects with Penny.
His high school crush, Penny has recently separated from her husband and moved to an apartment around the corner from Dan’s. She has a 14 month old son and in spending time with Penny, becoming friends again, he finds himself spending time with Lloyd, even babysitting him on the odd occasion. To be a part of Penny’s life, Dan must accept Lloyd – and he’s finding that isn’t as big a hardship as he expected.
I really enjoyed this novel, set in and around Sydney FM radio and also the stand-up comedy circuit. My husband works in radio and has been an on-air co-ordinator at various times in his career and although he’s still on air these days, he’s broadcasted out from various locations by those working in the studio. However I’ve been to his station many times, so quite a lot of this book was familiar to me and it was something I could relate to and enjoy, because I get how it goes. I also really liked the angle this book takes on “pranking” – often a favourite past time of FM radio hosts for laughs. Recently a prank call made the news in Australia for all sorts of the wrong reasons after a breakfast crew pranked the English hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge had been admitted for hyperemesis. One of the nurses who patched through the call took her life several days later and it roused a media furore over what publically humiliating and embarrassing people for “fun” can do. This book contains pranks played on each other by the breakfast DJ’s of the two opposing radio stations, one of which seems to blow and up and go horribly wrong. What happens next apes in some ways, real life with public outrage, demands for the DJ to be sacked etc. It was interesting to read about a situation like this from “within” the radio station and the way in which it unfolded was clever.
Another part of the novel deal’s with the fact that Dan seems to be the only one left of his group of friends that hasn’t married yet and doesn’t have children. He regards most children with hostility and suspicion, not understanding them because he hasn’t spent time with any. He despairs of the loss of late night get togethers and can’t quite wrap his head around the new brunch times. He’s bombarded with opinions on parenting when he doesn’t really care and receives lectures for suggesting someone offer their screaming child a dummy. However it’s after he meets Penny and is drawn into her world as a friend-cum-babysitter-cum-something-else that he begins to collect tidbits for a stand-up show he is putting together – Man vs Child. He uses his experiences as a single man to generate humour, to make the best of things. His time with Penny has taught him that he doesn’t hate the idea of settling down, that he can see himself as a good father one day.
Whilst I loved Dan and his examining of his life, his views on his family (and others) I have to admit that reading stand-up comedy just isn’t…funny. Seeing a stand-up comedian is different, you’re far more likely to laugh in that environment and also the delivery is everything. Tone, expression, gestures, they all contribute to the routine just as much as the words do. Just reading a routine didn’t have the same impact at all. I found myself skimming the routines. The rest of the time, I loved Dan’s voice – it felt very natural and genuine and the radio breakfast show was quite entertaining (not because the show was funny, but more because of the ego of its main ‘star’ and Dan and Sal’s opinions on him).
I wondered if I’d be able to relate to this book because I am a parent and I left behind childless outings long ago. But I can still identify with a lot of Dan’s thoughts and his pondering about his life. This was a very entertaining read and I really liked Dan – I was hoping he’d find someone who appreciated him.
The new dynamic works well – Dan’s humour bounces off the obnoxious “star” host Bryan and his sidekick Sal, who changes her own role to compliment Dan’s. Together they often gang up on Bryan, making him the butt of their jokes and the listeners are loving it. Things are suddenly going much better in Dan’s professional life and his pay packet is increased to reflect his new role, taking some strain off him. He begins to feel as though he’s moving forward in an adult world.
A single man, Dan is seeing all of his mates paired up, married and having babies with their wives. What used to be nights out for drinks and chatting until dawn becomes brunch and shouting at each other over a screaming baby and debating the merits of dummies or breast vs bottle. Dan doesn’t see why anyone does this to themselves – until he reconnects with Penny.
His high school crush, Penny has recently separated from her husband and moved to an apartment around the corner from Dan’s. She has a 14 month old son and in spending time with Penny, becoming friends again, he finds himself spending time with Lloyd, even babysitting him on the odd occasion. To be a part of Penny’s life, Dan must accept Lloyd – and he’s finding that isn’t as big a hardship as he expected.
I really enjoyed this novel, set in and around Sydney FM radio and also the stand-up comedy circuit. My husband works in radio and has been an on-air co-ordinator at various times in his career and although he’s still on air these days, he’s broadcasted out from various locations by those working in the studio. However I’ve been to his station many times, so quite a lot of this book was familiar to me and it was something I could relate to and enjoy, because I get how it goes. I also really liked the angle this book takes on “pranking” – often a favourite past time of FM radio hosts for laughs. Recently a prank call made the news in Australia for all sorts of the wrong reasons after a breakfast crew pranked the English hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge had been admitted for hyperemesis. One of the nurses who patched through the call took her life several days later and it roused a media furore over what publically humiliating and embarrassing people for “fun” can do. This book contains pranks played on each other by the breakfast DJ’s of the two opposing radio stations, one of which seems to blow and up and go horribly wrong. What happens next apes in some ways, real life with public outrage, demands for the DJ to be sacked etc. It was interesting to read about a situation like this from “within” the radio station and the way in which it unfolded was clever.
Another part of the novel deal’s with the fact that Dan seems to be the only one left of his group of friends that hasn’t married yet and doesn’t have children. He regards most children with hostility and suspicion, not understanding them because he hasn’t spent time with any. He despairs of the loss of late night get togethers and can’t quite wrap his head around the new brunch times. He’s bombarded with opinions on parenting when he doesn’t really care and receives lectures for suggesting someone offer their screaming child a dummy. However it’s after he meets Penny and is drawn into her world as a friend-cum-babysitter-cum-something-else that he begins to collect tidbits for a stand-up show he is putting together – Man vs Child. He uses his experiences as a single man to generate humour, to make the best of things. His time with Penny has taught him that he doesn’t hate the idea of settling down, that he can see himself as a good father one day.
Whilst I loved Dan and his examining of his life, his views on his family (and others) I have to admit that reading stand-up comedy just isn’t…funny. Seeing a stand-up comedian is different, you’re far more likely to laugh in that environment and also the delivery is everything. Tone, expression, gestures, they all contribute to the routine just as much as the words do. Just reading a routine didn’t have the same impact at all. I found myself skimming the routines. The rest of the time, I loved Dan’s voice – it felt very natural and genuine and the radio breakfast show was quite entertaining (not because the show was funny, but more because of the ego of its main ‘star’ and Dan and Sal’s opinions on him).
I wondered if I’d be able to relate to this book because I am a parent and I left behind childless outings long ago. But I can still identify with a lot of Dan’s thoughts and his pondering about his life. This was a very entertaining read and I really liked Dan – I was hoping he’d find someone who appreciated him.
August 9, 2013
Three years ago Dominic Knight asked the world at large, “Is it okay for a man to admit he’s broody?”
"Of course," would be my response but others were not as evolved as yours truly apparently surprised.
It all started in July 2010 when Dom Knight (known for his writing work on The Chaser and - more recently - The Hamster Wheel) confessed in a SMH newspaper column that he kinda wanted kids.
Although not inciting public protests or a Royal Commission the topic generated quite a bit of interest, resulting in a few follow-up posts and Knight's newly-released novel, Man Vs Child.
I’m assuming much of the novel was drawn from his real life although interestingly Knight’s alter-ego, Dan McIntyre, (for most of the novel) doesn’t really want kids. In fact he publicly eschews the concept of Bridget Jones’s smug marrieds. Mirroring Knight’s own life (mentioned in his columns), Dan – wannabe comedian and breakfast radio show producer – has lost most of his posse to partners, kids and family-friendly events.
In some ways Man Vs Child is a coming-of-age novel for grown-ups. Dan is feeling thwarted professionally as he struggles to maintain relationships with old friends who’ve essentially moved on (and up). Although he doesn't want their lives, he's not terribly contented with his own.
It’s never really occurred to me that men would / could be less-broody than women, but it was interesting that – although Dan wasn’t ready to move to the burbs or change dirty nappies - he certainly wanted someone to come home to at night and someone with which to share the mundane. I mean, he'd take casual sex when he could get it, but what he really wanted was a partner and relationship.
Dan’s encounter with childhood love and prom date Penny, now a recently-separated single mother, takes his life in another direction. Coinciding with some major career changes and professional opportunities dishevelled Dan morphs before our very eyes.
The insight into the media industry (morning radio and its ratings’ battles) through Dan’s professional life adds a dimension that is as interesting to me as the personal stuff. Dan’s dealings with radio announcers; the fading Bry Dynamite and not-so Silly Sally is a high point.
As a singleton whose friends became increasingly (though understandably) unavailable and entrenched in coupledom and family life; I could seriously relate to Dan’s frustrations and I found myself nodding and eye-rolling along with him.
Although a bit slow to start I was soon drawn into Dan’s first-person world; giving us a no-holds-barred insight into his life. As a wannabe writer (of some sort) I hope my prose is as accessible to readers!
My only disappointment was that Knight kinda skipped over some chunks of Dan’s life and his burgeoning relationship with Penny and her baby; with several weeks passing in the turn of a page.
I really enjoyed Man Vs Child and am now going to investigate Knight's two previous novels. I was surprised at how quickly I raced through the book and the fact I read the second half in one sitting (something I usually only do with crime fiction).
I came to care A LOT about Dan and his world, and I guess that’s the point.
This review is from my blog: http://www.debbish.com/books-literatu...
"Of course," would be my response but others were not as evolved as yours truly apparently surprised.
It all started in July 2010 when Dom Knight (known for his writing work on The Chaser and - more recently - The Hamster Wheel) confessed in a SMH newspaper column that he kinda wanted kids.
Although not inciting public protests or a Royal Commission the topic generated quite a bit of interest, resulting in a few follow-up posts and Knight's newly-released novel, Man Vs Child.
I’m assuming much of the novel was drawn from his real life although interestingly Knight’s alter-ego, Dan McIntyre, (for most of the novel) doesn’t really want kids. In fact he publicly eschews the concept of Bridget Jones’s smug marrieds. Mirroring Knight’s own life (mentioned in his columns), Dan – wannabe comedian and breakfast radio show producer – has lost most of his posse to partners, kids and family-friendly events.
In some ways Man Vs Child is a coming-of-age novel for grown-ups. Dan is feeling thwarted professionally as he struggles to maintain relationships with old friends who’ve essentially moved on (and up). Although he doesn't want their lives, he's not terribly contented with his own.
It’s never really occurred to me that men would / could be less-broody than women, but it was interesting that – although Dan wasn’t ready to move to the burbs or change dirty nappies - he certainly wanted someone to come home to at night and someone with which to share the mundane. I mean, he'd take casual sex when he could get it, but what he really wanted was a partner and relationship.
Dan’s encounter with childhood love and prom date Penny, now a recently-separated single mother, takes his life in another direction. Coinciding with some major career changes and professional opportunities dishevelled Dan morphs before our very eyes.
The insight into the media industry (morning radio and its ratings’ battles) through Dan’s professional life adds a dimension that is as interesting to me as the personal stuff. Dan’s dealings with radio announcers; the fading Bry Dynamite and not-so Silly Sally is a high point.
As a singleton whose friends became increasingly (though understandably) unavailable and entrenched in coupledom and family life; I could seriously relate to Dan’s frustrations and I found myself nodding and eye-rolling along with him.
Although a bit slow to start I was soon drawn into Dan’s first-person world; giving us a no-holds-barred insight into his life. As a wannabe writer (of some sort) I hope my prose is as accessible to readers!
My only disappointment was that Knight kinda skipped over some chunks of Dan’s life and his burgeoning relationship with Penny and her baby; with several weeks passing in the turn of a page.
I really enjoyed Man Vs Child and am now going to investigate Knight's two previous novels. I was surprised at how quickly I raced through the book and the fact I read the second half in one sitting (something I usually only do with crime fiction).
I came to care A LOT about Dan and his world, and I guess that’s the point.
This review is from my blog: http://www.debbish.com/books-literatu...
August 11, 2013
(It seems names have been changed around on some blurbs - my book has the protagonist Dan, and Penny as the newly single friend with her son Lloyd. These names are on the Australian publisher's website).
I finished this book just a few hours ago and ever since, it’s been going through my mind.
Why?
Could it be that the characters were brilliantly written, living humans inside my mind?
Definitely.
Could it be that this is one of the few books to make laugh (and snort) out loud?
Yes. (That’s a big thing. I’m not usually a snorter).
Could it be that I wasn’t sure to smile or cry at the ending?
Sure.
Man Vs Child really touched me. (Not in a creepy way). It just resonated with me – I’m a girl, a bit younger than the protagonist Dan but he’s going through exactly the same thing as me – all of my friends are getting married and then having babies. Dan’s single – he’s not in a relationship, but occasionally he thinks he’d like a child to call his own. However, he lives in a tiny apartment and regularly survives on minimal sleep in between stand-up comedy gigs and producing a breakfast radio program. Enter Penny, his almost girlfriend from high school, now newly single – with baby. Is this the family Dan secretly craves?
There are several awesome things about Man Vs Child, the first being Dan’s stand up. It reads as really funny, actually making me laugh out loud. I don’t usually get that with written funny stuff. If Dan was real, I’d definitely go to one of his shows. The second is commercial breakfast radio – thanks to Dom Knight, I can never listen to it again with thinking some cynical thoughts. The show Dan produces is with Silly Sally (who isn’t really silly) and Bry Dynamite, an older guy who thinks he’s sexy and funny (but is definitely not). There are people on radio I suspect the inspiration for Bry came from… Some of Bry’s stunts had me groaning aloud – they’re not even dad jokes. I loved reading about the fake pranks, setups and the almighty sponsors.
Another thing I loved was Dan. He is a lovely character – realistic, slightly geeky yet rather delightful. I have a bit of a fictional crush on him. Knight reveals all sides to Dan’s character, from the good to bad. He’s so honest and the thoughts he reveals are not something you’d usually read from an Australian bloke. We only see Penny’s character through Dan’s eyes and it’s interesting to see what is revealed as time goes on. Her child, Lloyd, is reasonably sweet, but how much can you develop a baby’s character?
I don’t want to give away the plot, but wow, some of it is a complete rollercoaster. In the last hour of reading, I went from happy to sad, and then finally astonished. The ending is magnificent – I didn’t know how to feel. Should I be happy? Sad? Worried? It’s a realistic ending and original.
Dom Knight is my generation’s Nick Earls and Nick Hornby. He writes books from a male perspective that have humour, heartbreak and wisdom.
I love it. More please! A 10 out of 10 read (and I don’t give those away lightly).
(If anyone decides to name their child Elspeth after reading this book; I think you’ve completely missed the point!)
Thanks to Random House Australia for the eGalley.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
I finished this book just a few hours ago and ever since, it’s been going through my mind.
Why?
Could it be that the characters were brilliantly written, living humans inside my mind?
Definitely.
Could it be that this is one of the few books to make laugh (and snort) out loud?
Yes. (That’s a big thing. I’m not usually a snorter).
Could it be that I wasn’t sure to smile or cry at the ending?
Sure.
Man Vs Child really touched me. (Not in a creepy way). It just resonated with me – I’m a girl, a bit younger than the protagonist Dan but he’s going through exactly the same thing as me – all of my friends are getting married and then having babies. Dan’s single – he’s not in a relationship, but occasionally he thinks he’d like a child to call his own. However, he lives in a tiny apartment and regularly survives on minimal sleep in between stand-up comedy gigs and producing a breakfast radio program. Enter Penny, his almost girlfriend from high school, now newly single – with baby. Is this the family Dan secretly craves?
There are several awesome things about Man Vs Child, the first being Dan’s stand up. It reads as really funny, actually making me laugh out loud. I don’t usually get that with written funny stuff. If Dan was real, I’d definitely go to one of his shows. The second is commercial breakfast radio – thanks to Dom Knight, I can never listen to it again with thinking some cynical thoughts. The show Dan produces is with Silly Sally (who isn’t really silly) and Bry Dynamite, an older guy who thinks he’s sexy and funny (but is definitely not). There are people on radio I suspect the inspiration for Bry came from… Some of Bry’s stunts had me groaning aloud – they’re not even dad jokes. I loved reading about the fake pranks, setups and the almighty sponsors.
Another thing I loved was Dan. He is a lovely character – realistic, slightly geeky yet rather delightful. I have a bit of a fictional crush on him. Knight reveals all sides to Dan’s character, from the good to bad. He’s so honest and the thoughts he reveals are not something you’d usually read from an Australian bloke. We only see Penny’s character through Dan’s eyes and it’s interesting to see what is revealed as time goes on. Her child, Lloyd, is reasonably sweet, but how much can you develop a baby’s character?
I don’t want to give away the plot, but wow, some of it is a complete rollercoaster. In the last hour of reading, I went from happy to sad, and then finally astonished. The ending is magnificent – I didn’t know how to feel. Should I be happy? Sad? Worried? It’s a realistic ending and original.
Dom Knight is my generation’s Nick Earls and Nick Hornby. He writes books from a male perspective that have humour, heartbreak and wisdom.
I love it. More please! A 10 out of 10 read (and I don’t give those away lightly).
(If anyone decides to name their child Elspeth after reading this book; I think you’ve completely missed the point!)
Thanks to Random House Australia for the eGalley.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
August 19, 2022
I'm writing a review for this one, because I feel that 2 stars can easily leave the wrong impression. This book is more of a 2.5 or a 3 if you're in the right frame of mind, but as it is it's a decidedly unpolished though enjoyable book. Fans of the Chaser would probably expect something biting, but this book is targeting something else entirely. I was someway into it when I suddenly realised "oh... this is a romance paperback for blokes", a genre I was well aware of and never read.
So Dominic Knight's protagonist is Dan McIntyre, a little-known comedian and radio producer. The cynical person might assume that this is some sort of transparent author self-insert, given that the share every consonant of their name and also their profession. They would then be vindicated as they keep reading, and find that maybe a fifth of the book is essentially Dan's internal monologue as he gets lost in his thoughts about himself, his friends, his relationships and Sydney at large. It's difficult to escape that this is a very personal book, which isn't really a detriment for a book but does inhibit the comedy here.
The problem is that Dom Knight is not willing to make Dan/himself the butt of the joke in more than a passing way. Something that will likely stand out to people who dissect comedy is the fact that there is ample opportunity for Dan to be the victim of an understanding, embarrassed, inconvenienced, ill-treated or generally suffer set-backs... and it never happens. The tiny handful of characters who dislike Dan are universally agreed by the other characters in strange solidarity to be unrepentant jerks, and everybody likes and is respectful to Dan.
The reader will be regularly told about things like unpleasant meetings at the radio station, fractious dealings with ex-girlfriends, hecklers and bombing at comedy sets. These are largely hypothetical situations because none of these things actually take place in the narrative. Every comedy set goes well, every work meeting goes well, every social encounter goes swimmingly. If this was adapted into a TV series starring Ben Miller it could be called "The Most Unremarkable Week of My Life". The slings and arrows that Dan faces, unlike most protagonists, are just the neuroses in his mind which, in fairness, is why the book is mostly set there.
But setting aside what the book isn't, what is there is quite nice. I haven't read much that looks at the male side of yearing for children, and all the time internal monologuing gives him a lot of scope to explore the conflicted feelings that are certainly relatable. The very tentative romance is credible, as is the (conspicuously upset-free) bonding with the son of the single mother involved. There are some good jokes in the standup sequences, though I wish they weren't quite so verbose and comprehensive. In spite of frequent references to 'dark' and 'edgy' jokes there is a definite lack of either in the book, which I suspect is to keep things nice and clean enough to target the women who are traditional targets for this type of romantic novel.
So in summary, the low rating is not because the book was per se bad, but not at all what I was expecting and the fact that the premise allowed the scope for a much more ambitious comedy. I think readers who enjoy romantic novels with a few laughs will enjoy this with none of my reservations.
So Dominic Knight's protagonist is Dan McIntyre, a little-known comedian and radio producer. The cynical person might assume that this is some sort of transparent author self-insert, given that the share every consonant of their name and also their profession. They would then be vindicated as they keep reading, and find that maybe a fifth of the book is essentially Dan's internal monologue as he gets lost in his thoughts about himself, his friends, his relationships and Sydney at large. It's difficult to escape that this is a very personal book, which isn't really a detriment for a book but does inhibit the comedy here.
The problem is that Dom Knight is not willing to make Dan/himself the butt of the joke in more than a passing way. Something that will likely stand out to people who dissect comedy is the fact that there is ample opportunity for Dan to be the victim of an understanding, embarrassed, inconvenienced, ill-treated or generally suffer set-backs... and it never happens. The tiny handful of characters who dislike Dan are universally agreed by the other characters in strange solidarity to be unrepentant jerks, and everybody likes and is respectful to Dan.
The reader will be regularly told about things like unpleasant meetings at the radio station, fractious dealings with ex-girlfriends, hecklers and bombing at comedy sets. These are largely hypothetical situations because none of these things actually take place in the narrative. Every comedy set goes well, every work meeting goes well, every social encounter goes swimmingly. If this was adapted into a TV series starring Ben Miller it could be called "The Most Unremarkable Week of My Life". The slings and arrows that Dan faces, unlike most protagonists, are just the neuroses in his mind which, in fairness, is why the book is mostly set there.
But setting aside what the book isn't, what is there is quite nice. I haven't read much that looks at the male side of yearing for children, and all the time internal monologuing gives him a lot of scope to explore the conflicted feelings that are certainly relatable. The very tentative romance is credible, as is the (conspicuously upset-free) bonding with the son of the single mother involved. There are some good jokes in the standup sequences, though I wish they weren't quite so verbose and comprehensive. In spite of frequent references to 'dark' and 'edgy' jokes there is a definite lack of either in the book, which I suspect is to keep things nice and clean enough to target the women who are traditional targets for this type of romantic novel.
So in summary, the low rating is not because the book was per se bad, but not at all what I was expecting and the fact that the premise allowed the scope for a much more ambitious comedy. I think readers who enjoy romantic novels with a few laughs will enjoy this with none of my reservations.
December 22, 2021
Entertaining book about a young guy in his 30s, Dan who goes from not wanting kids to being desperate for them. His epiphany comes via a relationship with an old high school flame which ultimately fails. Parrallel to this is Dan's work as a commercial radio producer and comedian. It provides a real insight to the inner workings of commercial radio.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2013
Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher, Random House.
Sometimes books come in to your life at the right time. If I hadn't picked up The Catcher in the Rye when I was 15, for instance, I would never have enjoyed it so much, and The Great Gatsby was a different book when I read it towards the end of my 20s than it was when I read it as a uni student. This is not a book I would have picked up of my own accord, nor would I allocate it the classic status afforded to the other two novels, but it appeared in my life at precisely the right time.
Dominic Knight, best known as the stubbly one from The Chaser and the ABC radio evenings host, has developed something of a side career as the voice of clucky single men. He's turned these musings into a novel, and it's rather good.
Man vs Child tells the story of Dan, a single 34 year-old man who lives in Sydney and has a well-paying job in the squalid world of commercial FM radio, while playing to half-empty audiences as a comedian of an evening. Dan's world is shrinking as, one by one, his friends pair off, breed, and move to the suburbs. His social life now revolves around toddler birthday parties and he soon learns that you can't expect to visit parents during toddler nap time. Like all normal people he is terrified of being sucked into the life-ruining vacuum of parenthood, but an old flame shows up, newly single with a baby in tow, and he discovers the pull of adorable toddlers that those same normal people find even harder to resist than the end of freedom.
Regular readers of this blog (and, er, anyone who has spent any time with me in real life) will probably have gleaned that babies are on my mind. How could they not be? I'm 31, married and feeling intense pressure internally and externally to get on with it before it's too late. I also love babies and they love me (they snuggle up to my chest and just assume I'll be providing lunch...) and if you have children and I know you, I've probably enjoyed playing with them or reading to them far more than is seemly.
I'm not sure men get the same hurry up and breed message that women do, but Dan is feeling the pressure to conform to parenthood just the same. There's a list of things you're supposed to do when you're a good, middle-class boy from the suburbs, a series of boxes to tick that will make your parents happy, and Dan refuses to make his life about that, or buy into the idea that his life is not valuable if he doesn't have any offspring.
Nonetheless, he got the university degree, the well-paying job and the foot in the property market. And with Penny and baby Lloyd (the parents and children in this novel have exactly the kind of names real people of their age, class and geographic location have) in his life he starts to understand the appeal of a tiny dependent person who wants nothing more than love and care and cuddles, and who will grow up with your weird nose and your beloved partner's luxurious eyelashes.
It's not all babies, however. Knight gets stuck in to some familiar institutions and human foibles, taking his razor sharp wit to commercial FM radio and the odious men who have the best-paid gigs on it, the stand-up comedy scene and the concerns of middle class Sydneysiders (real estate, status and schools). He writes with a light touch and a conversational style that makes this an easy read. It was so engaging that I breezed through it in a few days, more than once getting caught up reading it in my lunch break.
On the day I finished Man vs Child, I was at lunch in the food court, nose in the book (er, my iPhone) when I glanced up at the people next to me. On the bench beside me was the most ungodly mess of pastry crumbs spread across a bench designed to seat three people. The cause of this mess, it became immediately apparent, was a toddler about 18 months old, who was accompanying her mother to lunch with a grown-up friend. 'That poor mother' I thought to myself. 'What a drag, having to put up with that sort of behaviour, and stuck with the child all the bloody time.' I went back to the book and made a mental note to re-stock my pills at the next doctor visit, but a few moments later I stopped reading again, because Little Miss Messy had wandered over to see me. I smiled at her, because that's what I do. If it had stopped there I would have been fine, but it didn't, because the tiny sociopath looked be straight in the face and smiled back. It was the cutest thing in the world, and she accompanied it with the sweet toddler babbling that only a parent has any chance of understanding, pointing excitedly at the window, her mother, the table and the seat. I was putty in her flaky, jammy fingers and I knew that at some point, I'm going to have to do it for myself.
Sigh.
Sometimes books come in to your life at the right time. If I hadn't picked up The Catcher in the Rye when I was 15, for instance, I would never have enjoyed it so much, and The Great Gatsby was a different book when I read it towards the end of my 20s than it was when I read it as a uni student. This is not a book I would have picked up of my own accord, nor would I allocate it the classic status afforded to the other two novels, but it appeared in my life at precisely the right time.
Dominic Knight, best known as the stubbly one from The Chaser and the ABC radio evenings host, has developed something of a side career as the voice of clucky single men. He's turned these musings into a novel, and it's rather good.
Man vs Child tells the story of Dan, a single 34 year-old man who lives in Sydney and has a well-paying job in the squalid world of commercial FM radio, while playing to half-empty audiences as a comedian of an evening. Dan's world is shrinking as, one by one, his friends pair off, breed, and move to the suburbs. His social life now revolves around toddler birthday parties and he soon learns that you can't expect to visit parents during toddler nap time. Like all normal people he is terrified of being sucked into the life-ruining vacuum of parenthood, but an old flame shows up, newly single with a baby in tow, and he discovers the pull of adorable toddlers that those same normal people find even harder to resist than the end of freedom.
Regular readers of this blog (and, er, anyone who has spent any time with me in real life) will probably have gleaned that babies are on my mind. How could they not be? I'm 31, married and feeling intense pressure internally and externally to get on with it before it's too late. I also love babies and they love me (they snuggle up to my chest and just assume I'll be providing lunch...) and if you have children and I know you, I've probably enjoyed playing with them or reading to them far more than is seemly.
I'm not sure men get the same hurry up and breed message that women do, but Dan is feeling the pressure to conform to parenthood just the same. There's a list of things you're supposed to do when you're a good, middle-class boy from the suburbs, a series of boxes to tick that will make your parents happy, and Dan refuses to make his life about that, or buy into the idea that his life is not valuable if he doesn't have any offspring.
Nonetheless, he got the university degree, the well-paying job and the foot in the property market. And with Penny and baby Lloyd (the parents and children in this novel have exactly the kind of names real people of their age, class and geographic location have) in his life he starts to understand the appeal of a tiny dependent person who wants nothing more than love and care and cuddles, and who will grow up with your weird nose and your beloved partner's luxurious eyelashes.
It's not all babies, however. Knight gets stuck in to some familiar institutions and human foibles, taking his razor sharp wit to commercial FM radio and the odious men who have the best-paid gigs on it, the stand-up comedy scene and the concerns of middle class Sydneysiders (real estate, status and schools). He writes with a light touch and a conversational style that makes this an easy read. It was so engaging that I breezed through it in a few days, more than once getting caught up reading it in my lunch break.
On the day I finished Man vs Child, I was at lunch in the food court, nose in the book (er, my iPhone) when I glanced up at the people next to me. On the bench beside me was the most ungodly mess of pastry crumbs spread across a bench designed to seat three people. The cause of this mess, it became immediately apparent, was a toddler about 18 months old, who was accompanying her mother to lunch with a grown-up friend. 'That poor mother' I thought to myself. 'What a drag, having to put up with that sort of behaviour, and stuck with the child all the bloody time.' I went back to the book and made a mental note to re-stock my pills at the next doctor visit, but a few moments later I stopped reading again, because Little Miss Messy had wandered over to see me. I smiled at her, because that's what I do. If it had stopped there I would have been fine, but it didn't, because the tiny sociopath looked be straight in the face and smiled back. It was the cutest thing in the world, and she accompanied it with the sweet toddler babbling that only a parent has any chance of understanding, pointing excitedly at the window, her mother, the table and the seat. I was putty in her flaky, jammy fingers and I knew that at some point, I'm going to have to do it for myself.
Sigh.
August 20, 2013
3.5 stars
At 34 years of age, Dan is somewhat dismayed that his circle of friends is dwindling as most of his mates are getting married and are starting families. Like a rock in a stormy sea, Dan has so far firmly withstood the threat of any commitment or (shock-horror!) the invasion of the dreaded al-childa. As Dan puts it: “Everyone who professes to be enjoying parenthood has a brain that’s been addled by exhaustion and hormones.” Besides, his jobs as morning radio presenter and nighttime stand-up comedian are not really relationship material. But at night, when he is returning to a lonely flat and staring at the ceiling, Dan muses what it would be like to come home to a warm family home.
Dan's resolve to resist the “c-word” is challenged as his old highschool flame Penny moves into his neighbourhood, recently separated from her husband – with her 14-month old son Lloyd in tow. Having any chance of being with Penny comes at the cost of spending time with her child. Dan is terrified when she first takes him up on his offer to babysit for her. Will the al-childa threat prove too much for him?
With Knight’s background as comedy writer and member of the Chaser team, humour forms a big part of his latest novel, but there were also touching moments when Dan reflects on his life and his relationship woes. Being female, with an apparently in-built nurturing instinct, I found it quite interesting to read about Dan's teenage-like angst around anything concerning commitment. At thirty-four he is a tad bit old for that, surely? Does it really represent your average thirty-something career guy out there today? Perhaps I am a bit too old in the tooth to appreciate the gravity of the situation regarding the existential fears young males of our species are facing every day.
Knight’s broadcasting background allowed a fascinating insight into the breakfast radio scene, which made for some hilarious moments and some interesting characterisations. Alas, it also shattered one of my innocent (or naïve) beliefs – prank calls recorded in the studio???? It almost made me cry!
Whilst the first half of the book humorously deals with Dan's commitment phobia, his failing aspirations as a stand-up comedian and his disillusionment with his day job, the book lost a bit of steam after Dan meets Penny and hopes to ingratiate himself by offering to babysit her fourteen-month-old son. After the first babysitting episode, which runs surprisingly smoothly given Dan's paranoia of anything child, the story settles into an almost comfortable (and not-so-funny) routine of dating a mother of a young child. Which was a bit of a let-down for me, since it was exactly the stuff which could have produced so many more hilarious moments the book’s title Man vs Child promises.
Make the child a two-year-old instead of fourteen month, and the name al-childa would be truly justified (I should know, I am a survivor of the terrible-twos, and it’s left it’s scars). True, there would be the sacrifice of a few boobie jokes (although many mothers still breastfeed their two-year-olds), but think of the possibilities of embarrassment: tantrums in the supermarket, faecal fountains out of nappies on a crowded bus, projectile-vomiting of baked beans, a streaker episode as the child strips naked in public and tries to escape any attempts of re-dressing efforts made by parents …. The list goes on. Instead, Lloyd is a little angel who gives Dan hardly any trouble and settles off to sleep peacefully with his dummy. If only my own babysitting attempts all went that well! Personally, I would have preferred if Knight had built a bit more on the whole man vs child aspect of the book, instead focusing his efforts on Dan's tortured relationship with Penny and his work problems. With Knight’s Chaser background, I did not expect him to shy away from the endless list of potentially embarrassing moments, even if it meant sacrificing political correctness.
Man vs Child is an easy, humorous read which should appeal to the thirty-something male crowd out there with commitment phobias similar to Dan's. Saying that, I got a few laughs out of the first half of the book myself, despite belonging to the opposite gender and being a survivor of the whole marriage-with-children deal.
Thank you to the Reading Room and the publisher for providing me with a free electronic preview copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Please note that the final version of the book may differ from the one I reviewed.
At 34 years of age, Dan is somewhat dismayed that his circle of friends is dwindling as most of his mates are getting married and are starting families. Like a rock in a stormy sea, Dan has so far firmly withstood the threat of any commitment or (shock-horror!) the invasion of the dreaded al-childa. As Dan puts it: “Everyone who professes to be enjoying parenthood has a brain that’s been addled by exhaustion and hormones.” Besides, his jobs as morning radio presenter and nighttime stand-up comedian are not really relationship material. But at night, when he is returning to a lonely flat and staring at the ceiling, Dan muses what it would be like to come home to a warm family home.
Dan's resolve to resist the “c-word” is challenged as his old highschool flame Penny moves into his neighbourhood, recently separated from her husband – with her 14-month old son Lloyd in tow. Having any chance of being with Penny comes at the cost of spending time with her child. Dan is terrified when she first takes him up on his offer to babysit for her. Will the al-childa threat prove too much for him?
With Knight’s background as comedy writer and member of the Chaser team, humour forms a big part of his latest novel, but there were also touching moments when Dan reflects on his life and his relationship woes. Being female, with an apparently in-built nurturing instinct, I found it quite interesting to read about Dan's teenage-like angst around anything concerning commitment. At thirty-four he is a tad bit old for that, surely? Does it really represent your average thirty-something career guy out there today? Perhaps I am a bit too old in the tooth to appreciate the gravity of the situation regarding the existential fears young males of our species are facing every day.
Knight’s broadcasting background allowed a fascinating insight into the breakfast radio scene, which made for some hilarious moments and some interesting characterisations. Alas, it also shattered one of my innocent (or naïve) beliefs – prank calls recorded in the studio???? It almost made me cry!
Whilst the first half of the book humorously deals with Dan's commitment phobia, his failing aspirations as a stand-up comedian and his disillusionment with his day job, the book lost a bit of steam after Dan meets Penny and hopes to ingratiate himself by offering to babysit her fourteen-month-old son. After the first babysitting episode, which runs surprisingly smoothly given Dan's paranoia of anything child, the story settles into an almost comfortable (and not-so-funny) routine of dating a mother of a young child. Which was a bit of a let-down for me, since it was exactly the stuff which could have produced so many more hilarious moments the book’s title Man vs Child promises.
Make the child a two-year-old instead of fourteen month, and the name al-childa would be truly justified (I should know, I am a survivor of the terrible-twos, and it’s left it’s scars). True, there would be the sacrifice of a few boobie jokes (although many mothers still breastfeed their two-year-olds), but think of the possibilities of embarrassment: tantrums in the supermarket, faecal fountains out of nappies on a crowded bus, projectile-vomiting of baked beans, a streaker episode as the child strips naked in public and tries to escape any attempts of re-dressing efforts made by parents …. The list goes on. Instead, Lloyd is a little angel who gives Dan hardly any trouble and settles off to sleep peacefully with his dummy. If only my own babysitting attempts all went that well! Personally, I would have preferred if Knight had built a bit more on the whole man vs child aspect of the book, instead focusing his efforts on Dan's tortured relationship with Penny and his work problems. With Knight’s Chaser background, I did not expect him to shy away from the endless list of potentially embarrassing moments, even if it meant sacrificing political correctness.
Man vs Child is an easy, humorous read which should appeal to the thirty-something male crowd out there with commitment phobias similar to Dan's. Saying that, I got a few laughs out of the first half of the book myself, despite belonging to the opposite gender and being a survivor of the whole marriage-with-children deal.
Thank you to the Reading Room and the publisher for providing me with a free electronic preview copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Please note that the final version of the book may differ from the one I reviewed.
January 25, 2014
Read more book reviews at Book Junkie Joint.
How do you come of age when you're already past your thirties? This book will tell you how.
In this story, we find an unlikely main character in the person of Dan McIntyre. It would suffice to say that Dan is still just very much a boy in his age of 34 years old, because he resists the natural order of things and refuse to be in a relationship with marriage and family in mind.
His main dilemma is this: why would someone willingly give up nights of partying in exchange for nights in for nappies?
He's watched his friends go the same route one by one, and just couldn't understand why. On the upside, he's found great material for his stand-up comedy acts, and he's been gaining a little bit of fame for it.
Story-wise, nothing particularly ground-breaking. Personally, I didn't find the supposedly witty remarks funny. And since the story is told from Dan's perspective, I'd have to say that I really don't like being inside his head. He had a lot of things to say and his thoughts were all over the place. When it came to the stuff he deems as important though, I think Dan has a good head on his shoulders. He's just slow to realize the value of some profound joys in life.
What I liked about this story was the part involving the breakfast show where Dan was forced to work with two seasoned DJs. Seriously, imagining all the hijinks inside their booth was fun. Bry Dynamite was an obnoxious old dog and I seriously didn't like him. As for Sally, I think that she was given very little credit although she could pretty much hold the show on her own.
The thing which really didn't work for me when I read this story was Dan's stand-up act. Watching stand-up comedy was really different from reading it. It was not as effective for me, and this was probably the reason why I wasn't able to enjoy the book as much.
All in all though, I enjoyed Dan's slow ascent to understanding the joys of having a family. In the end, the answer to Dan's dilemma is this: men wouldn't give up nights of partying if nights in for nappies didn't seriously make them happy.
How do you come of age when you're already past your thirties? This book will tell you how.
In this story, we find an unlikely main character in the person of Dan McIntyre. It would suffice to say that Dan is still just very much a boy in his age of 34 years old, because he resists the natural order of things and refuse to be in a relationship with marriage and family in mind.
His main dilemma is this: why would someone willingly give up nights of partying in exchange for nights in for nappies?
He's watched his friends go the same route one by one, and just couldn't understand why. On the upside, he's found great material for his stand-up comedy acts, and he's been gaining a little bit of fame for it.
Story-wise, nothing particularly ground-breaking. Personally, I didn't find the supposedly witty remarks funny. And since the story is told from Dan's perspective, I'd have to say that I really don't like being inside his head. He had a lot of things to say and his thoughts were all over the place. When it came to the stuff he deems as important though, I think Dan has a good head on his shoulders. He's just slow to realize the value of some profound joys in life.
What I liked about this story was the part involving the breakfast show where Dan was forced to work with two seasoned DJs. Seriously, imagining all the hijinks inside their booth was fun. Bry Dynamite was an obnoxious old dog and I seriously didn't like him. As for Sally, I think that she was given very little credit although she could pretty much hold the show on her own.
The thing which really didn't work for me when I read this story was Dan's stand-up act. Watching stand-up comedy was really different from reading it. It was not as effective for me, and this was probably the reason why I wasn't able to enjoy the book as much.
All in all though, I enjoyed Dan's slow ascent to understanding the joys of having a family. In the end, the answer to Dan's dilemma is this: men wouldn't give up nights of partying if nights in for nappies didn't seriously make them happy.
July 28, 2013
Dan McIntyre is thirty-three and single. He produces a radio show he’d rather not be publicly associated with and would rather stick a fork in his eye than endure another conversation with his new-parent friends about the highs and lows of parenthood. He is also working on improving his stand-up set and finds plenty of material in the new attitudes and habits of his old friends. A chance meeting with his high-school crush, Penny, at his local coffee shop prompts him to revisit his toddler tolerance levels, because Penny has separated from her husband and has moved to a nearby apartment with her one-year-old son Lloyd. If there is a sliver of a chance with Penny, Dan is determined to take it, and in spending time with Lloyd Dan learns a little more about himself.
Dan is a likeable character, floating through life with seemingly no ambition and few cares. His parents both worry about and support him, and his friends indulge and are infuriated by him in equal measure. Most people have at least one friend like Dan – lovely and a little bit hopeless – and the book does well to reflect on life on the other side of the fence. However, apart from sharing its name with the book, the stand-up routine does not add much value to the story. I found that story arc distracting and predictable in a novel that could have been much more.
Dan is a likeable character, floating through life with seemingly no ambition and few cares. His parents both worry about and support him, and his friends indulge and are infuriated by him in equal measure. Most people have at least one friend like Dan – lovely and a little bit hopeless – and the book does well to reflect on life on the other side of the fence. However, apart from sharing its name with the book, the stand-up routine does not add much value to the story. I found that story arc distracting and predictable in a novel that could have been much more.
September 5, 2013
This is an autobiography of Dominic Knight an Australian guy in his early 30s, who works at a radio station by day and follows his passion for stand up comedy by night.
As Dom's friends pair up and start families he finds himself surrounded by couples with snotty nose kids and a totally different lifestyle which leads him into writing material for his Man Vs Child comedy skits. The story continually goes back to the internal debate of whether Dom wants to have kids, grow up, and stop being a kid himself.
Dom runs into his high school sweetheart Penny who has a 1 year old son and the more time Dom spends with them the more he realises the whole kid thing isn't so bad after all.
The novel is written in a very simple and easy to follow style, the characters were described well and Dom was like listening to a mate tell me funny stories or run down on conversations and things that happened, it was a very relaxed read. True to Dom's comedy background the novel was funny, witty, and very cheeky.
I recommend this book to young Australians who would like to know a bit about Sydney's radio and comedy scene. I would also recommend it to men (and women) who are unsure if they want to start a family, it gives some great points from both sides of the fence but in a laid back approach so you don't feel like you're getting a lecture.
As Dom's friends pair up and start families he finds himself surrounded by couples with snotty nose kids and a totally different lifestyle which leads him into writing material for his Man Vs Child comedy skits. The story continually goes back to the internal debate of whether Dom wants to have kids, grow up, and stop being a kid himself.
Dom runs into his high school sweetheart Penny who has a 1 year old son and the more time Dom spends with them the more he realises the whole kid thing isn't so bad after all.
The novel is written in a very simple and easy to follow style, the characters were described well and Dom was like listening to a mate tell me funny stories or run down on conversations and things that happened, it was a very relaxed read. True to Dom's comedy background the novel was funny, witty, and very cheeky.
I recommend this book to young Australians who would like to know a bit about Sydney's radio and comedy scene. I would also recommend it to men (and women) who are unsure if they want to start a family, it gives some great points from both sides of the fence but in a laid back approach so you don't feel like you're getting a lecture.
November 18, 2014
I felt like I was reading a diary or perhaps an autobiography? It promised to be funny and interesting so I stuck with it even though I was ready to give up on it after 50 pages. Halfway through, things finally started to happen for the main character. It wasn't just mundane everyday life anymore. Some might like the extra information about his life before the main events but personally, I thought it was just too long. Once on the high, it came crashing right down and it didn't exactly go the way I thought it would. That's not to say it was bad but rather surprising. As in, I can't believe that I read this just so I could get that end result. I am probably too harsh but everyone should judge by themselves.
August 14, 2013
I really enjoyed this book for a few reasons - the internal narrative of the central character Dan was incredibly easy to connect with. While the book focussed on the thoughts of a man confronting his thirties and the people around him having kids there were themes that I could easily relate to which I probably had thought of as more feminine given the books I tend to read.
Dan's relationship with Penny, his high school crush, was a lovely read.It was funny, cringeworthy and vulnerable. I found myself willing him on, wanting things to end a certain way, so much so I tweeted Dominic to ask him to put me out of my misery 2/3rds of the way though. He declined to help...
Dan's relationship with Penny, his high school crush, was a lovely read.It was funny, cringeworthy and vulnerable. I found myself willing him on, wanting things to end a certain way, so much so I tweeted Dominic to ask him to put me out of my misery 2/3rds of the way though. He declined to help...
January 7, 2014
First 80 pages read. And that's as far as I'm going to go, unfortunately. Feels like a repeat of Knight's previous book, Disco Boy - particularly themes of single male living in trendy inner city and cynical about love but secretly wishes to find it anyway. Knight's writing works better in short stories and anecdotes; I enjoy his column on Daily Life. He writes well but needs to parse some scenes and descriptions, for eg, I get the idea that someone is a dickhead in 2-3 paragraphs. No need for another 2 whole pages describing said dickhead's dickheadness!
August 8, 2013
This is a funny, yet at times touching book. I enjoyed the setting and the interesting insight into the world of radio and the being thrust together with a child storyline was amusing.
I expected it to focus more on the mishaps that can occur when dealing with a young child and was slightly disapointed at first. Once I settled into the story, though, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It is a light, easy read.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I expected it to focus more on the mishaps that can occur when dealing with a young child and was slightly disapointed at first. Once I settled into the story, though, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It is a light, easy read.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 11, 2015
Not bad. I liked the idea. It was little cliche but nonetheless found Dan a likeable lead. A few things I found a bit inconsistent with being the mother of a boy...Dora the Explorer? I don't think so...everyone's story different I guess. You won't be too disappointed if you're after a good quick read. :-)
August 10, 2015
Confession: had this in my TBR pile for a year before I finally got around to it... wish I'd read it sooner! Was expecting the usual whiney man-child of the title, but was pleasantly surprised to find this book warmly affectionate. Now all we need is the follow-up... Man vs Monogamy...
January 24, 2014
The internal narrative of Dan was touching, honest & revealing. A great read, satisfying end. I think I'm more than a little in live with Dan.
August 25, 2013
Very funny and timely novel about being the single guy in a world of Huggies laden parents.
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