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The Way Men Art
After trying out her adult wings in California, Melinda LeBlanc has come home to work for her cousin arranging flowers. Out of place and outdated, she befriends Libby, who designs strange dresses in the shop next door, and Dennis Vaughan, a native son and very attractive black man who owns the hip Brookhoppers, a fly fisherman's paradise. Libby aims to marry Dennis. Melinda tries to keep her dignity as an un-degreed lonely woman in a college town. And Dennis wants--what? Lipman is a modern-day Jane Austen and her characters crackle with wit and intelligence.
Hardcover
First published March 1, 1992
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About the author
Elinor Lipman
27 books1,344 followersI love talking with readers - for 1:1s and Book Club visits, find me on Skolay: www.skolay.com/writers/elinor-lipman
Elinor Lipman is the author of 14 humorous novels about contemporary American society; essay and short story collections. Born and raised in Lowell, MA, she divides her time between Manhattan and the Hudson Valley of New York. She received the New England Book award for fiction in 2001. Her first novel, "Then She Found Me," was adapted for the screen, starring Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth and Matthew Broderick. Her fourth novel, "The Inn at Lake Devine" was adapted for the off-off Broadway stage by Tongue in Cheek Theater. In 2011-2012, she held the Elizabeth Drew chair in creative writing at Smith College. Her novel, “Ms. Demeanor," was a finalist for the 2023 Thurber Prize for American Humor. In 2021, her hometown Library, Pollard Memorial Library in Lowell, established The Elinor Lipman Prize, awarded annually to Lowell residents and students at Lowell universities.
Elinor Lipman is the author of 14 humorous novels about contemporary American society; essay and short story collections. Born and raised in Lowell, MA, she divides her time between Manhattan and the Hudson Valley of New York. She received the New England Book award for fiction in 2001. Her first novel, "Then She Found Me," was adapted for the screen, starring Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth and Matthew Broderick. Her fourth novel, "The Inn at Lake Devine" was adapted for the off-off Broadway stage by Tongue in Cheek Theater. In 2011-2012, she held the Elizabeth Drew chair in creative writing at Smith College. Her novel, “Ms. Demeanor," was a finalist for the 2023 Thurber Prize for American Humor. In 2021, her hometown Library, Pollard Memorial Library in Lowell, established The Elinor Lipman Prize, awarded annually to Lowell residents and students at Lowell universities.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
March 17, 2018
Last year I read On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman and loved it, so I thought I would check out some of her backlist. Perhaps I chose the wrong book, as this wasn't nearly as funny or warm-hearted as that one. The characters weren't all the likable and all the relationship drama that went on wasn't my cup of tea. That being said, I will still keep my eye out for future books by this author...perhaps she has refined her stories through the years.
2.5/5
2.5/5
February 17, 2011
There is something about her subtle, intelligent writing that sets her apart from the others writing about similar subjects. I enjoyed the quirky characters as well, finding them to be quite real, interesting people. This novel is a hoot! Definitely one of Ms. Lipman's less serious efforts. The "heroine" is a basically decent, if emotionally stunted and morally confused, ex-cheerleader who is struggling with growing up now that she's 30ish and foundering professionally and personally. But she finds out that there are good people and bad people out there; the trick is to embrace the former and avoid the latter. Good advice. It has a strong literary quality and all of her books that I've read have been a great read.
March 10, 2017
I'm a big fan of Elinor Lipman, and this book is still my favorite of her novels, and I've read all of them. The Way Men Act is a satisfying story, with believable characters. Even more important, Lipman gets what it's like to be 30-something, single and looking for one's place in the world. I pull this book out every few years and re-read it, and it is always just as satisfying as it was the first time.
March 26, 2021
I really enjoyed this. It’s like smart chick lit. A 30-year old single woman explores relationships and romance. I enjoyed the small hometown setting (and happened to be in my own small hometown when I read it). I would read more by Lipman, especially if I can get her books at the library. The ending to this was a little trite and I didn’t really like it, but I really enjoyed all the rest of the book.
December 30, 2023
Melinda LeBlanc finds her 30 year old self back home in Harrow, MA - and working in her cousin’s flower shop, Forget-Me-Not. She’s reconnected with a couple of friends from high school, store owners on either side of the flower shop, amid snobby college profs and coeds. And she’s pretty down on life so finding love is an unexpected bonus. Predictable but good. 3.5⭐️
January 5, 2024
3.5 stars.
A light read, cute story, fun characters
A light read, cute story, fun characters
March 19, 2010
Sure, it's a pink cover with a disembodied female extremity on it - never a sign that you're reading earth-shaking literature. But I've always considered Lipman to be a notch or three above typical chick-lit, and this book's no exception. She perfectly captures the yuppified New England college town experience. The first-person narrator's blind spots are entirely believable, antagonists are complex and not just transparently terrible, and resolution is achieved logically but not obviously. Lipman manages to introduce a love interest in the early pages that really doesn't telegraph the happy ending to the reader - a hard thing to do.
June 17, 2013
I am a fan of Elinor Lipman's books. Her well drawn portraits of believable people, her wry but telling observations of the contemporary scene are all very satisfying. This book is a story of how difficult it is to escape high school, especially if you return to the town where it happened.
The three high school friends in this book, Melinda, Libby and Dennis are all very well drawn. The complications of their lives are small but real, and the reader cares about what happens to all of them. The dialogue is spot on, the portrait of live in a small eastern college town is wonderful.
The three high school friends in this book, Melinda, Libby and Dennis are all very well drawn. The complications of their lives are small but real, and the reader cares about what happens to all of them. The dialogue is spot on, the portrait of live in a small eastern college town is wonderful.
January 17, 2016
I love everything Elinor Lipman, and this was the last of her books I hadn't read before. I enjoyed this one - it wasn't my favorite of hers, but she never disappoints. I love quirky characters, and my favorite part of the book was Rosalie and the fish seller. I did feel Melinda, the main character was a bit hard to like, and therefore hard to root for - but the end made me smile!
Next book, Bellman and Black, by Diane Setterfield, author of the wonderful first novel the Thirteenth Tale. We'll see if this second novel lives up.
Next book, Bellman and Black, by Diane Setterfield, author of the wonderful first novel the Thirteenth Tale. We'll see if this second novel lives up.
October 13, 2015
I fear that the previous book I read by Lipman (My Latest Grievance) was in fact not representative of her style. Such a shame because, if I am to read chick-lit, it needs a little snark. The Way Men Act lacked edge. I suspect Lipman tried to cover too many of the dating/ relationship challenges that women of a certain age (30+) face and then went on tie the the ending up in a big pink bow. Not for me.
2/5
2/5
May 15, 2007
My absolute favorite author. This is the first book of hers I read; after it I was hooked. My only complaint is the title; it makes it sound like a self help book.
This is a funny, touching story about a woman (a "leftover popular girl") who returns to her hometown and ends up working in a flower store flanked by old classmate's stores.
This is a funny, touching story about a woman (a "leftover popular girl") who returns to her hometown and ends up working in a flower store flanked by old classmate's stores.
April 9, 2017
Review from second reading, March 2017:
When I first read this book, I was in college, and 22 years old. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though I wondered a bit at how someone's life could get away from them, and thought of the characters as true adults, very grown up, a little bit old to be where they were in life, etc. This time around, just on the verge of turning myself, I was amused to realize that I was now the exact age as these characters, and am also unmarried, and while not a floral designer or the owner of a fishing shop, I am a bartender, not something I would have heard at age 22 and thought of exactly as "success". I still wonder how a life, mine or anyone else's, can slip away from one like they do (not to say that 30 is old or that my life is over, just that I do not have the career I vaguely imagined I would have by now, and thought the characters should have, at their age, in the book). In that way it was really nice to re-read this now -- it felt more resonant and seemed more realistic, than it had then.
Another interesting aspect of the book, published in the early 90s, is how much it embodies the belief of a "post-racial society". Impossible to think of a book like this, which touches on biracial couples, being published in the post-Ferguson era, especially not without a whole lot of... reaction. I do not think this book is especially naive in the areas of race, I mostly think it is a clear product of its time, and it is a little entertaining to see that in these more racially-charged times. That said I think this book handles issues of race fairly well, not being afraid to mention it or discuss some aspects head-on, but it clearly also plays it somewhat safe. Lipman gets away with it because the main character is white and her interactions with her black friend and love interest are fairly limited. If the narrative continued on a few months past the book's ending, we would definitely need to see our heroine reckoning more with race, head-on. As it is, she gets to be a privileged white woman (like myself) who doesn't have to deal with these things on a daily basis, although she clearly has lots of rude awakenings coming her way.
Review from first reading, January 2009:
Lipman is a little bit like a modern Austen. On the surface it looks like chick-lit but when you look deeper there are all sorts of social messages, constructs that play a huge role, etc. Her writing is much more impressive than in your typical boy-meets-girl novel; it has a strong literary quality and all of her books that I've read have been a great read.
When I first read this book, I was in college, and 22 years old. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though I wondered a bit at how someone's life could get away from them, and thought of the characters as true adults, very grown up, a little bit old to be where they were in life, etc. This time around, just on the verge of turning myself, I was amused to realize that I was now the exact age as these characters, and am also unmarried, and while not a floral designer or the owner of a fishing shop, I am a bartender, not something I would have heard at age 22 and thought of exactly as "success". I still wonder how a life, mine or anyone else's, can slip away from one like they do (not to say that 30 is old or that my life is over, just that I do not have the career I vaguely imagined I would have by now, and thought the characters should have, at their age, in the book). In that way it was really nice to re-read this now -- it felt more resonant and seemed more realistic, than it had then.
Another interesting aspect of the book, published in the early 90s, is how much it embodies the belief of a "post-racial society". Impossible to think of a book like this, which touches on biracial couples, being published in the post-Ferguson era, especially not without a whole lot of... reaction. I do not think this book is especially naive in the areas of race, I mostly think it is a clear product of its time, and it is a little entertaining to see that in these more racially-charged times. That said I think this book handles issues of race fairly well, not being afraid to mention it or discuss some aspects head-on, but it clearly also plays it somewhat safe. Lipman gets away with it because the main character is white and her interactions with her black friend and love interest are fairly limited. If the narrative continued on a few months past the book's ending, we would definitely need to see our heroine reckoning more with race, head-on. As it is, she gets to be a privileged white woman (like myself) who doesn't have to deal with these things on a daily basis, although she clearly has lots of rude awakenings coming her way.
Review from first reading, January 2009:
Lipman is a little bit like a modern Austen. On the surface it looks like chick-lit but when you look deeper there are all sorts of social messages, constructs that play a huge role, etc. Her writing is much more impressive than in your typical boy-meets-girl novel; it has a strong literary quality and all of her books that I've read have been a great read.
July 9, 2009
This was my first Elinor Lipman book, and I have read all the ones I can get my hands on since. There is something about her subtle, intelligent writing that sets her apart from the others writing about similar subjects. I enjoyed the quirky characters as well, finding them to be quite real, interesting people. I can't recommend this writer enough.
September 27, 2007
My favorite Elinor Lipman novel. She is an author whose books I automatically buy or get from the library when a new one comes out. This is her second one, and a book I will always have in my collection.
July 4, 2011
Took me a bit to get through, because we had out of town guests for a couple weeks. Quite a slow mover... Though I definitely liked the story, it felt rambly and piecey without ever coming together. Not my favorite of Lipman's novels.
February 8, 2013
This is the book that hooked me on author Elinor Lipman. I picked it up -- totally at random -- at a small town library. I read it at my mother's hospital bedside. It was one of those situations where a book hit an emotional need at the time.
August 8, 2013
Even after finishing the book, I still don't know how I feel about the characters. It wasn't exactly my cup of tea.
July 24, 2022
This book was written and 1992 and that is apparent, what is even more apparent is how this book did not age well. By the first chapter you realize the prejudice this author makes towards black people. For example author writes about a black business owner “It’s the kind of shop non-fishermen pass and say, “this guy must deal drugs in the back room or this has to be a front for the mob”. She also goes on to mention a young white woman who has a crush on the black shop owner when they were both in high school but then writes “She thought about him for the next 50 minutes in American history and decided she could not kiss a negro boy.” The author tries to attempt to cover her racial prejudice by then stating she is not prejudice, largest eyeroll ever as she concludes she’s never had an issue with black families in the neighborhood or towards smart black women however the character could not possibly date a black man even though their wasn’t “anything” she didn’t like about it him. It’s obvious to the reader that the issue is he is black, it’s offensive and pathetic really the way the author attempts to “cover up” the underlying reason why. Because of this I simply could subject myself to the rest of the book. If you are a woke individual by any stretch of the imagination, I’m sure the books language and attitude towards race does not get any better. I would not recommend.
December 28, 2020
This is a fun chick-lit type novel about small communities and the joys of dating as an adult (post college). Melinda really thinks she knows how everyone should be living her life but is missing some very obvious clues for her own life that are right in front of her. Cue lots of small-town romantic and professional drama. There is little plot in this book but I still found the ideas and characters interesting enough to keep reading. Unfortunately, a few key characters were underdeveloped, including the main love interest. There is very little actual romance in this book despite the premise.
3/5
3/5
June 22, 2019
Light novel about a 30 year old women who moves back home having not accomplished much of anything in the years since high school. She’s a floral designer who falls in love with the fly fisherman she went to high school. The writing style was funky, jarring at times but humorous. Liked, didn’t love.
June 6, 2023
This was a re-read. The first time was when it was first released in 1982. I remembered it so fondly, but on rereading, it just didn't hit me the same way. I remembered liking the setting and characters very much, and now, neither were developed enough. It makes me think about how, over time, we change as readers.
December 1, 2024
I have enjoyed other books from this author, so when a podcaster whose recommendations I’ve enjoyed raved about this one from 1992, I decided to try it. I thought it was just ok. Engaging enough to keep reading, but I never connected with the characters and I felt like I was missing something the whole time.
July 27, 2025
Having read and thoroughly enjoyed another Lipman book ("Then She Found Me"), I was eager to read this one. I was disappointed in it. The way men and women treated each other turned me off, and I didn't find the humor in it at all. I recommend you read "Then She Found Me' and also try to find the film starring Bette Midler; it is hilarious.
August 6, 2017
Another great book by this author. Melinda comes back to her hometown because it's the only place she ever felt successful. She makes friends and tries to find love and along the way, figures out what the men in her life want. Great story, great characters, and satisfying the entire way through!
April 23, 2023
I found this author in 'So Many Books, So Little Time'. The book started off good…but ended up great! I loved the wit and charm of this book. The characters were warm, interesting, and full of human foibles. Can't wait to read more of this author.
March 14, 2017
Okay story... would like to try one of her others.
January 5, 2018
3.5 stars
January 13, 2018
An entertaining book when you're looking for something light.
September 10, 2018
cute - not her best
March 16, 2020
Didn't have much of a plot.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews