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Girlfriend 44
Harry's one ambition is to find the perfect girl for him. He doesn't ask for much; just a beautiful intellectual who doesn't mind his constant infidelity. Harry's best friend Gerrard did once find true love - but he didn't realise it until the day she left him. Even if he does find a woman who meets his exacting criteria, he's not sure he can trust her not to grow old eventually. Then they meet Alice. She's the only woman in the world Harry and Gerrard can agree on. Unfortunately, she seems to like both of them. Gerrard wants Alice for himself, but Harry will stop at nothing to win her. Friendship is forgotten and even a little light poisoning is on the cards. But can a man who thinks size ten is a bit on the chubby side grow up fast enough to win the girl of his dreams?
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
7 people are currently reading
223 people want to read
About the author
Mark Barrowcliffe
14 books25 followersAka M.D. Lachlan.
He grew up in Coventry and studied at the University of Sussex. He worked as a journalist and also as a stand-up comedian before he started writing his first novel, Girlfriend 44. He lives and writes in Brighton, England and South Cambridgeshire. Ron Howard secured the film rights for Girlfriend 44 and Infidelity for First Time Fathers is in development with 2929.
Barrowcliffe achieved early success in the late 1990s as part of the Lad Lit movement, although his writing has little in common with other writers who were bracketed under that heading. He is nearer to Terry Southern, Jonathan Coe and Martin Amis than he is to Nick Hornby or Mike Gayle.This is more than likely a matter of presentation, as most of the British versions of his novels have appeared in the candy-coloured covers favoured by lad and chick lit publishers.
Barrowcliffe's early work was noted for its cynicism and black humour, although Lucky Dog strikes a lighter tone, that of comedic magic realism.
At his best Barrowcliffe can be irreverent and very funny. Rugby, for instance, is described as 'a game invented by the English public schools in order to encourage homosexuality'. Of a woman who has had a tough time and put on weight, he says 'her life had hit the crash barriers and it looked as though an air bag had gone off inside her face'. He is also insightful. Lucky Dog, for instance, says a lot about how we cope with death, our own and those of the people we love.
Sometimes, though, particularly in his first novel Girlfriend 44, Barrowcliffe can be long winded in his comic diversions.
The Elfish Gene is a memoir of growing up uncool, confused, and obsessed with Dungeons and Dragons and other role-playing games.
Barrowcliffe is certainly one of Britain's more original and interesting new writers but it remains to be seen if he can survive being labelled as part of the Lad Lit fad.
He grew up in Coventry and studied at the University of Sussex. He worked as a journalist and also as a stand-up comedian before he started writing his first novel, Girlfriend 44. He lives and writes in Brighton, England and South Cambridgeshire. Ron Howard secured the film rights for Girlfriend 44 and Infidelity for First Time Fathers is in development with 2929.
Barrowcliffe achieved early success in the late 1990s as part of the Lad Lit movement, although his writing has little in common with other writers who were bracketed under that heading. He is nearer to Terry Southern, Jonathan Coe and Martin Amis than he is to Nick Hornby or Mike Gayle.This is more than likely a matter of presentation, as most of the British versions of his novels have appeared in the candy-coloured covers favoured by lad and chick lit publishers.
Barrowcliffe's early work was noted for its cynicism and black humour, although Lucky Dog strikes a lighter tone, that of comedic magic realism.
At his best Barrowcliffe can be irreverent and very funny. Rugby, for instance, is described as 'a game invented by the English public schools in order to encourage homosexuality'. Of a woman who has had a tough time and put on weight, he says 'her life had hit the crash barriers and it looked as though an air bag had gone off inside her face'. He is also insightful. Lucky Dog, for instance, says a lot about how we cope with death, our own and those of the people we love.
Sometimes, though, particularly in his first novel Girlfriend 44, Barrowcliffe can be long winded in his comic diversions.
The Elfish Gene is a memoir of growing up uncool, confused, and obsessed with Dungeons and Dragons and other role-playing games.
Barrowcliffe is certainly one of Britain's more original and interesting new writers but it remains to be seen if he can survive being labelled as part of the Lad Lit fad.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
December 31, 2025
In this book Mark and his friend Gerrard fall in love with same women Alice.This very boring and forgettable novel.
U ovoj knjizi Mark i njegov drug Dzerard su se zaljubili u istu zenu Alis.Ovo je prilicno dosadan roman koji ce vrlo brzo zaboraviti.
U ovoj knjizi Mark i njegov drug Dzerard su se zaljubili u istu zenu Alis.Ovo je prilicno dosadan roman koji ce vrlo brzo zaboraviti.
August 28, 2008
Endlessly boring blather about countless sexual escapades and a meaningless life.
January 20, 2011
Harry is looking for the One. He's spent years looking for her and tried out 43 women in his quest to find her. When she walks into his life, he doesn't expect it - and then realises that his best mate Gerrard is also trying to win her heart. It seems that there really is nothing fair in love or war, as both men try to sabotage each other - and themselves - in their efforts to make Alice the One.
I picked up this novel for a few reasons. The first is that Mark Barrowcliffe published his debut fantasy novel Wolfsangel under the name M D Lachlan last year - I loved that book, and was interested to see what he could do within a different genre. I'm also keen on men writing in the field of chick lit, since it seems to be an ideal way to see what men really are thinking! *grin* I was expecting a light, funny read that I could easily pick up and put down, and would be briefly amused by.
Rather than this, I got a biting portrayal of real life men in slightly farcical circumstances. The banter is bitter, the humour is puerile in the most part, and the men are distinctly unlikeable. But it does come across as incredibly realistic, as Barrowcliffe covers the ways in which men will dump women and the criteria they have for picking women.
The humour in the novel is uneven and scattershot, but I did find myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion. More often I was slightly mystified, but I suspect a guy would have been howling.
I enjoyed the characters, which are larger than life and easy to poke fun at. I rather marvelled at the idea that people like this exist (although a brief conversation with Mark revealed that he based Gerrard and Farley on real characters, which is a massive worry of mine - because it means they are out there walking the street, and there is a faint chance I might meet them by accident!)
What concerned me about this novel is how missold it seemed. It carries the sort of cover that shouts 'chick lit' and I was expecting something along the lines of Mike Gayle - cosy and sweet and trying to present the idea of men as being nice people who don't try to pull women just for the sex. Barrowcliffe is the vicious antidote to Gayle's saccharine sweetness, and it takes some effort to get through the initial shock and embrace the darker elements of the novel.
As I've come to expect from Mark, it was well-written (especially considering this one was his true debut in the literary world, although not too surprising if you take into account his journalistic background), but probably overlong at nigh on 500 pages.
I will seek out some more of Mark's earlier work, but I won't revisit this novel again! For a single 30-something girl, it hit a little too close to home *grins* If you want to read this, I would suggest that you make sure you're in a wonderful and warm, loving relationship and then tackle it - so that you don't end up scared at the prospect of encountering these men when you put yourself out there!
I picked up this novel for a few reasons. The first is that Mark Barrowcliffe published his debut fantasy novel Wolfsangel under the name M D Lachlan last year - I loved that book, and was interested to see what he could do within a different genre. I'm also keen on men writing in the field of chick lit, since it seems to be an ideal way to see what men really are thinking! *grin* I was expecting a light, funny read that I could easily pick up and put down, and would be briefly amused by.
Rather than this, I got a biting portrayal of real life men in slightly farcical circumstances. The banter is bitter, the humour is puerile in the most part, and the men are distinctly unlikeable. But it does come across as incredibly realistic, as Barrowcliffe covers the ways in which men will dump women and the criteria they have for picking women.
The humour in the novel is uneven and scattershot, but I did find myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion. More often I was slightly mystified, but I suspect a guy would have been howling.
I enjoyed the characters, which are larger than life and easy to poke fun at. I rather marvelled at the idea that people like this exist (although a brief conversation with Mark revealed that he based Gerrard and Farley on real characters, which is a massive worry of mine - because it means they are out there walking the street, and there is a faint chance I might meet them by accident!)
What concerned me about this novel is how missold it seemed. It carries the sort of cover that shouts 'chick lit' and I was expecting something along the lines of Mike Gayle - cosy and sweet and trying to present the idea of men as being nice people who don't try to pull women just for the sex. Barrowcliffe is the vicious antidote to Gayle's saccharine sweetness, and it takes some effort to get through the initial shock and embrace the darker elements of the novel.
As I've come to expect from Mark, it was well-written (especially considering this one was his true debut in the literary world, although not too surprising if you take into account his journalistic background), but probably overlong at nigh on 500 pages.
I will seek out some more of Mark's earlier work, but I won't revisit this novel again! For a single 30-something girl, it hit a little too close to home *grins* If you want to read this, I would suggest that you make sure you're in a wonderful and warm, loving relationship and then tackle it - so that you don't end up scared at the prospect of encountering these men when you put yourself out there!
July 17, 2025
The main reason I didn’t enjoy this book was, I think, partly due to my expectations. I was hoping for a light, funny read with little depth, something that would just make me laugh for a while. But it didn’t do that. At first glance, this book had one simple job to fulfill, and it didn’t manage it.
Right from the beginning, we run into stereotypical macho characters and way too many pages describing one situation after another. The characters seem well-defined at first, but as the story goes on, they change completely. The author seems unsure whether to be rude, funny, or deep, even when there’s no real need to go in that direction. Again, this probably ties back to my expectations.
Suddenly, two characters who had seemed completely different started to feel exactly the same. I wasn’t able to finish the book. I won’t say I wasn’t curious about how it ended, but it became frustrating to wait for the story to move forward while being constantly interrupted by irrelevant asides or unnecessary first-person details.
Right from the beginning, we run into stereotypical macho characters and way too many pages describing one situation after another. The characters seem well-defined at first, but as the story goes on, they change completely. The author seems unsure whether to be rude, funny, or deep, even when there’s no real need to go in that direction. Again, this probably ties back to my expectations.
Suddenly, two characters who had seemed completely different started to feel exactly the same. I wasn’t able to finish the book. I won’t say I wasn’t curious about how it ended, but it became frustrating to wait for the story to move forward while being constantly interrupted by irrelevant asides or unnecessary first-person details.
August 8, 2014
No tengo idea de por qué pensé que este libro podía gustarme. No se si estoy teniendo muy mala pata para elegir, pero realmente ¿qué onda?
Ni siquiera llegué a terminarlo y eso que hice un esfuerzo, pero ¿un libro en el cual llevo casi un cuarto y no ha pasado nada?
Tuvo un par de frases graciosas pero hasta ahí.
El problema no es lo machista del libro (lo cual sea paso, miercole) es la forma en que está presentado. Todo el tiempo el protagonista está diciendo "sé que es machista, pero qué se le va a hacer" Las personas machistas no se dan cuenta de que lo son, y quiero pensar con toda mi esperanza en la humanidad, que si se dieran cuenta se horrorizarían de su manera de pensar y no simplemente decir y bueno.
Ni siquiera empecemos a hablar de Gerard, qué ser humano más horrendo.
El único que me cayó bien fue el perro y eso es porque es un perro.
Además de todo eso, sumamente tedioso de leer y lento, y se perdía demasiadas veces en cuestiones que no me decían nada ni de la personalidad del protagonista, ni del argumento.
Ni siquiera llegué a terminarlo y eso que hice un esfuerzo, pero ¿un libro en el cual llevo casi un cuarto y no ha pasado nada?
Tuvo un par de frases graciosas pero hasta ahí.
El problema no es lo machista del libro (lo cual sea paso, miercole) es la forma en que está presentado. Todo el tiempo el protagonista está diciendo "sé que es machista, pero qué se le va a hacer" Las personas machistas no se dan cuenta de que lo son, y quiero pensar con toda mi esperanza en la humanidad, que si se dieran cuenta se horrorizarían de su manera de pensar y no simplemente decir y bueno.
Ni siquiera empecemos a hablar de Gerard, qué ser humano más horrendo.
El único que me cayó bien fue el perro y eso es porque es un perro.
Además de todo eso, sumamente tedioso de leer y lento, y se perdía demasiadas veces en cuestiones que no me decían nada ni de la personalidad del protagonista, ni del argumento.
November 6, 2007
It's like chick-lit for men (but probably read more by women anyway). Two roommates are fighting for the affections of their friend's last girlfriend before he died. A few lines into the first page, the narrator establishes himself as hilariously honest: "I do not want to be unkind so let me reassure you that your shortcomings are largely physical...You can't love someone if you think they've got a big nose, not properly. As a man, you might have kids with them, dogs, a cottage, etc. You might get caught in rain storms and drink wine in the sun, do all the romance bit, but when you look deep into her eyes it will be because you want to avoid looking at her nose." Read for a good laugh.
August 15, 2014
For as long as it took me to get around to reading this, I wanted to like this, and at first I did. Very witty and quippy with a lot if entertaining, smart, original observations. But the tangents that interrupt the actual story are too much and hurt the rest of the story, only serving to seem self-congratulatory re: cleverness. Worse, though, was the unbearable, unsympathetic main character showing little growth. Sort of made the cleverness - and the read - not worth it.
July 29, 2010
Fairly enjoyable read about an egotistical misogynist that finally meets his match. The witty and clever parts are witty and clever and fun to read, but the book drags in some areas and tries a little too hard in the end. It's entertaining enough though and pretty quick and lite read with some memorable quotes.
August 27, 2016
Witty and trite, this is chic lit written by a man. Originally published in the U.K., the edition I read was packed with Britishisms (not necessarily a bad thing). The humor at times seems excessive, detracting from the plot. One of the better books in the genre.
April 11, 2010
Meh. Kinda boring, and written by a British guy, so I didn't understand half the slang.
February 3, 2011
Wow, this guy is all over the place. It was funny, but sometimes you just wished he'd get to the point. Probably would make a better movie than a good read.
July 19, 2018
Interesting parts but mostly the Brit speak was lost on me. I know there was some good humor in there, but I wasn't proficient in the Brit colloquialisms to join the jokes.
Harry seemed unredeemable. Where I can't fault him was his thinking ala Larry David. Everyone thinks terrible things. We just get in the mind of a selfish insecure masochistic man child and it is disturbing.
I did enjoy the acerbic remarks as well as the in depth explanations for his musings, but I found myself drifting off more than reading. This is dude lit which can be fun for summer reading, but I am ready to move on to a more engaging genre.
Harry seemed unredeemable. Where I can't fault him was his thinking ala Larry David. Everyone thinks terrible things. We just get in the mind of a selfish insecure masochistic man child and it is disturbing.
I did enjoy the acerbic remarks as well as the in depth explanations for his musings, but I found myself drifting off more than reading. This is dude lit which can be fun for summer reading, but I am ready to move on to a more engaging genre.
July 27, 2018
Hilarious book. Enjoyed the storyline. Great book to read.
April 14, 2012
i liked that it was different as one said 'chic-lit for men'. i appreciate the tone, humor and the point of view. some parts may drag on and lose you and you'd probably be scratching your head wondering if the over analyzing was actually coming from a male voice. the very first thing that bugged me was having 'death' as a trend (not a main focus) in his novels-that's 2/2 that i've read of his. the style of writing is something i haven't gotten used to and I would admit that it took me a while to get into the flow, the same feeling i had with Lucky Dog, originally i had wanted to read Girfriend 44 first, Luck Dog was just lucky to have been purchased first. Overall, reading till the last word was good enough satiating.
as for the Hornby comments i think i prefer watching him instead of reading, How To Be Good was traumatizing and About A Boy after watching it several times has come to be an annoying little bugger.
as for the Hornby comments i think i prefer watching him instead of reading, How To Be Good was traumatizing and About A Boy after watching it several times has come to be an annoying little bugger.
May 11, 2016
When I started reading this book, it felt fresh and witty because I've never really read a similar book (a chick-flick written by a man) with many British references and jokes. I found it hilarious and funny and Harry as the main character felt endearing despite being actually unlikable (he had this quality about him) but a couple chapters in it just got old and boring. The author seemed to be hung up on jokes, instead of really moving the story along and telling the story in general.
It is a readable story that you can enjoy but it is far from a must read or read-to-have-fun.
I'm just glad that in the end it didn't end with a clichee.
It is a readable story that you can enjoy but it is far from a must read or read-to-have-fun.
I'm just glad that in the end it didn't end with a clichee.
March 27, 2008
What I enjoyed was the perspective. The story is about two male flatmates in London and one of them is the narrator. It delves into what some men (and I am saying some as not to offend the opposite sex by stereotyping)think about women, dating and relationships. The book was a fast read and it kept my attention. The ending is a bit of a suprise and the last few pages made me wonder what would happen next.
Worth reading but then again, I don't really like to make recommendations as each person's taste is different.
Worth reading but then again, I don't really like to make recommendations as each person's taste is different.
May 2, 2012
I remember reading this years ago and being horrified at the suggestion all men actually think like the main character. The girl is treated like an attractive trophy and the guys compete to see who gets to sleep with her first, thus being declared the winner. Because women are things that deserved to be played with (much like a game) and everyone knows girls don't have emotions or thoughts, it's only ever about who gets her into bed first, you or your friend.
March 11, 2011
The thing about this book is I really wanted to read it. And I tried I read the first chapter about 3 times in a year. But after that I just had no pull. It wasn't good and it wasn't bad. I didn't get far enough to know. So I gave it one star because there was no pull. Nothing great enough to keep me reading.
August 30, 2007
I was bored from the beginning. It's from the male's view of relationships, but isn't well written. I got about 50 pagegs in, and finally gave up, after reading 3 other books in between - which I never do.
March 2, 2009
The way this author writes is incredible. The way the characters speak, and the narrator's voice and commentary is hilarious. This is a book that is very funny and also very well written. Not a usual combination.
November 23, 2009
I didn't even get 1/4 of the way into the book. I found it crude, which normally I don't mind, but there's a lot of it. I also didn't like the writing style, a bit jumpy, not overly clear. It just wasn't a book for me.
July 23, 2007
tries too hard to be Nick Hornby, and there is a literary device that goes by a certain latin name at the end that totally screws the ending
January 25, 2008
Nick Hornby Lite – but that can be a good thing. Very witty with a lot of great laugh-out-loud moments (especially if you were ever in a similar situation with a good friend or two).
February 9, 2008
This guy's hilarious. I loved the premise, the humor and the dialogue.
June 5, 2008
Darkly comedic. Perhaps a bit too revealing.
May 11, 2009
Crappy guy gets what he deserves. Not a fan of the meandering style of writing.
February 26, 2011
Hilarious, laugh-out-loud material.
November 24, 2013
Don't be fooled by the "light" style. I found this novel to be extremely well constructed and clever.
January 23, 2014
Definitelly one of the most boring books I've ever read. I didn't like it at all.
May 24, 2014
This book is funny.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews