What do you think?
Rate this book
Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About
Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About concerns a guy named Pel who lives with his German girlfriend, Ursula. Pel leads an uneventful life—quietly bluffing his way through his job and discovering new things to argue about with Ursula. But when his boss mysteriously disappears, Pel steps innocently into his shoes and his life spirals out of control in a chaotic whirl of stolen money, missing colleagues, and Chinese mafiosi.
Its fractured thriller plot punctuated by blazingly hilarious set-piece arguments between the hapless Pel and the unflappable Ursula, Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About is a brilliant comic novel examining the unique warfare in long-term relationships.
Its fractured thriller plot punctuated by blazingly hilarious set-piece arguments between the hapless Pel and the unflappable Ursula, Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About is a brilliant comic novel examining the unique warfare in long-term relationships.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
129 people are currently reading
2609 people want to read
About the author
Mil Millington
14 books131 followersMil Millington is a British author of humorous books. He first came to public prominence as a writer when he created a web-site entitled "Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About. The site's main content was (and remains) anecdotes describing arguments and misunderstandings between Mil and his German girlfriend Margret, mother of his two sons. The site was hosted on Wolverhampton University's servers, but Mil was required to remove it when it was pointed out that certain people failing to spot the site's intended humour might find a way to be offended by it. Such was the popularity of this site that Mil was offered a publishing deal, and wrote a novel with the same title as his web-site, but with new content, published in 2002.
He has since gone on to write A Certain Chemistry (2003), Love And Other Near death Experiences (2006), and Instructions For Living Someone Else's Life (2008).
Mil also is the co-creator of the site www.TheWeekly.co.uk, and has contributed to several newspapers, notably The Guardian and the Daily Express. His fans can subscribe to his irregular on-line newsletter.
The Guardian newspaper named Mil as one of the five best debut novelists in 2002. His works have been translated into Japanese, Russian, Dutch, German, Swedish, Finnish, Hebrew, Spanish, and Serbo-Croat.
He is known for a liking for computer games, for having unusual hair-styles (including bright scarlet hair), and for taunting Americans for their inability to spot irony.
Mil is currently working on the screenplay for Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About for Working Title films. He lives in England's West Midlands with his girlfriend and their two children.
He has since gone on to write A Certain Chemistry (2003), Love And Other Near death Experiences (2006), and Instructions For Living Someone Else's Life (2008).
Mil also is the co-creator of the site www.TheWeekly.co.uk, and has contributed to several newspapers, notably The Guardian and the Daily Express. His fans can subscribe to his irregular on-line newsletter.
The Guardian newspaper named Mil as one of the five best debut novelists in 2002. His works have been translated into Japanese, Russian, Dutch, German, Swedish, Finnish, Hebrew, Spanish, and Serbo-Croat.
He is known for a liking for computer games, for having unusual hair-styles (including bright scarlet hair), and for taunting Americans for their inability to spot irony.
Mil is currently working on the screenplay for Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About for Working Title films. He lives in England's West Midlands with his girlfriend and their two children.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 352 reviews
February 8, 2008
I LOVED this book. In fact, there were parts where I would be laughing so hard that I'd have to stop reading, compose myself and then read it to my husband, who was sitting next to me wondering if I had lost my mind. He read it also and would agree - this is an amazingly good/quick/fun read.
April 26, 2008
You're better off just looking at his website, which is hilarious. Trying to expand that content into a full-fledged novel with fictionalized versions of himself and his German girlfriend was a mistake because, amazingly enough, he can't seem to make himself or her seem likable or sympathetic, or make their real relationship seem worth preserving. The plot is just an asinine and ridiculous structure on which to hang unfunny anecdotes.
December 17, 2007
I really wanted to like this book. I wanted it to be witty and funny and everything else I thought I would get from the title. Unfortunately, I found that his "zingers" sometimes got in the way of the flow. He'd try to throw something fast moving dialogue in, but the insults were distracting and contrived...and I found that I often had to re-read pages just to remember what was going on in the story line.
The plot became stronger towards the end, but at that point, I just didn't care anymore.
The plot became stronger towards the end, but at that point, I just didn't care anymore.
July 14, 2008
I quite enjoyed this book, though be warned: if you care about plot, this is not a book for you. The book does make some vague effort to come up with an interesting plot for the story to follow, but this book is really about providing opportunities for Mil Millington to provide the reader with funny insights about relationships and, sometimes, the world in general. Mostly about relationships, though. Millington is genuinely funny, and he keeps it up throughout the book, making this one heck of an entertainment.
The only complaint I have, which kept this four stars instead of five, is that at some point I just got worn out by all of the fighting between the narrator, Pel, and his girlfriend, Ursula. Their fights are amusing, yes, but at some point Millington's failure to include any sort of positive interaction between the two leaves the reader feeling as if they should just go ahead and split up already and save us all from their infuriating bickering. It's one thing to offer a view of a couple with a normal array of amusing arguments--I can even see taking it a bit to the extreme for the sake of pointing out the humor--but Millington takes it far enough that it becomes uncomfortable after 300 pages of fight after fight after fight. Especially because poor Pel is more often than not simply getting dumped on. Yes, I suppose Millington does offer the reader the concluding notion that in the end, love will save the day, but he seems to use it as an exit line to exclude the previous 372 pages where love didn't seem to make much of an appearance.
That said, the book is still funny as heck from page 1 on. Millington does great dialogue and banter, and he knows how to throw in a couple of running gags for everyone's amusement. Overall, the book is a success, though I will recommend that anyone read his third novel, Love and Other Near-Death Experiences, which really has Millington at his best.
The only complaint I have, which kept this four stars instead of five, is that at some point I just got worn out by all of the fighting between the narrator, Pel, and his girlfriend, Ursula. Their fights are amusing, yes, but at some point Millington's failure to include any sort of positive interaction between the two leaves the reader feeling as if they should just go ahead and split up already and save us all from their infuriating bickering. It's one thing to offer a view of a couple with a normal array of amusing arguments--I can even see taking it a bit to the extreme for the sake of pointing out the humor--but Millington takes it far enough that it becomes uncomfortable after 300 pages of fight after fight after fight. Especially because poor Pel is more often than not simply getting dumped on. Yes, I suppose Millington does offer the reader the concluding notion that in the end, love will save the day, but he seems to use it as an exit line to exclude the previous 372 pages where love didn't seem to make much of an appearance.
That said, the book is still funny as heck from page 1 on. Millington does great dialogue and banter, and he knows how to throw in a couple of running gags for everyone's amusement. Overall, the book is a success, though I will recommend that anyone read his third novel, Love and Other Near-Death Experiences, which really has Millington at his best.
May 6, 2018
Not really my cup of tea and, hence (after 100 pages) regulated to the 'unfinished' shelf.
I bought this book when a friend spotted it on a sale table and said "Oh this is so funny!" Surprised, I asked when she had read it (knowing that she cannot read many books these days). No, she explained, she had not read the book, but this guy had a blog and is was ever so funny!
Well, I can definitely see how this would have been very funny as a blog, I can even see how the author must have been often told 'your blog is so funny, you should make it into a book'. Also, I can see how an editor, seeing how many followers the blog had and reading how funny the blog was thought that it would be a great idea to make it into a book.
Sadly, I feel that it does not really work as a book. It is often funny in places, but vast amounts of padding between the funny bits made me increasingly reluctant to pick it up. Also, the title seems irrelevant to the subject matter - maybe on the blog the title made more sense. Mil-on-the-cover Pel-in-the-text (and why is that btw?), and his girlfriend Ursula don't really ever argue as such, their relationship is just portrayed ironically. The interactions between them are often quite humorous but the workplace stuff (of which there are many more pages) relies on over the top self depreciation to keep it afloat.
Also, a blog does not really rely as heavily on a plot as a novel tends to do. If there was a plot in this novel, by page 100 I had failed to perceive it and the reading experience was increasingly pointless as well as painful.
Not for me. I might try it again one day, it is well written, well edited, not in any way obnoxious, just, often, pretty dull.
I bought this book when a friend spotted it on a sale table and said "Oh this is so funny!" Surprised, I asked when she had read it (knowing that she cannot read many books these days). No, she explained, she had not read the book, but this guy had a blog and is was ever so funny!
Well, I can definitely see how this would have been very funny as a blog, I can even see how the author must have been often told 'your blog is so funny, you should make it into a book'. Also, I can see how an editor, seeing how many followers the blog had and reading how funny the blog was thought that it would be a great idea to make it into a book.
Sadly, I feel that it does not really work as a book. It is often funny in places, but vast amounts of padding between the funny bits made me increasingly reluctant to pick it up. Also, the title seems irrelevant to the subject matter - maybe on the blog the title made more sense. Mil-on-the-cover Pel-in-the-text (and why is that btw?), and his girlfriend Ursula don't really ever argue as such, their relationship is just portrayed ironically. The interactions between them are often quite humorous but the workplace stuff (of which there are many more pages) relies on over the top self depreciation to keep it afloat.
Also, a blog does not really rely as heavily on a plot as a novel tends to do. If there was a plot in this novel, by page 100 I had failed to perceive it and the reading experience was increasingly pointless as well as painful.
Not for me. I might try it again one day, it is well written, well edited, not in any way obnoxious, just, often, pretty dull.
February 12, 2009
This is an excellent example of why not to try to turn a funny website into a hopefully funny novel with plot imposed on it. Ugh. Can't do it. I'm taking it back to the library.
Read
April 3, 2008After finding the author's website http://www.milmillington.com and not being able to stop reading or laughing, I was dying to get my paws on this book. What a disappointment! Nothing like the brilliant website at all. A rather dull novel, with little of the "arguments" that make the website so funny. Not a bad book, but nothing special either. It was marginally better than having my eye jabbed with a sharp stick.
October 13, 2024
So glad I’ve finished this book. That was a painful read 😂
October 29, 2012
Oh, this is simple a hysterical novel! A genuinely laugh-out-loud book! It is a crazy romantic comedy and I thoroughly love it. It is absolutely absorbing. I definitely want to read his other books... in fact, I suppose I just may head over to the bookstore now to see if they have any others! It feels like it’s been a long time since discovering a new author that makes you immediately have an appetite for more of their work - immediately! I can’t wait to see what else this talented writer has created! The dialogue, narrator, plot - everything works well here and comes together in a fresh and original way and a brilliant sense of humour! It takes a very special kind of novel to actually make your eyes water while reading from laughing so hard!
October 4, 2022
At year’s end, every year, I try to decide what book I read was The Best Book of the Year. For 2021, I read so many great books, I could never decide. But at the opposite side of the meter, I have no reservations about lodging this at the very ass end. Which is a kind of accomplishment of itself, so creds to Mil.
January 2, 2009
Actually didn't finish. Had seen the author compared to one I like, so picked up this book. Trying too hard to be clever in my opinion. Pop culture references seemed forced rather than a natural part of the story. Didn't like the characters. Read about half of it.
May 24, 2010
Oh my god, Mil Millington is devastatingly hilarious. I honestly don't remember ever laughing this hard -- out loud! -- and this often during a book.
Starting from the terrific and relatable title (I'm pretty sure my boyfriend writes a book with this title, furiously, in his head every day), this book is hysterical and fast-moving and so very, divinely British. I hardly even want to talk about it because -- luckily for me -- I pulled it randomly off the shelf at a used book store and didn't know one single thing about it.
And yet... I'm bothering to write this down, so I suppose I ought to say something. Well, our hero, Pel, lives with his girlfriend, Ursula, a crazed and gorgeous German woman, who is never at fault and is constantly furious at Pel, who obviously always is at fault. They have two clever, poorly behaved children. Pel is a computer supervisor in a university library, and he spends all his time trying his damnedest to not let anyone catch on that he doesn't have a clue about what he's doing. The he gets promoted (twice) and goes from being able to pass mostly under the radar to having to contend with the Chinese mafia, the university building its new wing on an abandoned graveyard, and a newly invented nuclear gas which may not be missing.
Oh, balls to this summarizing. I am here going to transcribe a fucking brilliantly hilarious scene, because believe me, this will give you a better sense of this book than anything I can say.
The day I went back to work, rain was pummeling at the world from a melted, twisting sky. And, splendidly, the only umbrella available had Barney the Dinosaur on it. Still, it was better than nothing, so I snatched it up.
A powerful, gusting wind threw the heavy streaks of water through the air right into my face as I rounded the corner close to the Learning Center, so I angled the umbrella down in front of me and made a dash for where I knew the staff entrance to be. Head bent, running flat out, all I could see was my feet hitting the ground. Which wasn't too bad until the ground disappeared. Each footfall splashed against the pavement, then on the muddy grass, then the final one encountered nothing at all. It had crossed the edge of a pit and just kept on going down, followed -- in a sort of plunging, semi-crouched dive -- by the rest of me.
When my foot finally hit something solid, it was the side of the pit, and teh only effect it had was to fling me farther into the center of the hole. I executed an ugly, three-quarter somersault to land on my back in three inches of brown, lubricious, muddy water. I had enough forward momentum to skid along for another fifteen feet in this position -- it might have been farther, but fortunately my progress was halted by a thin, vertical metal pole striking me firmly in the genitals. I made a piteous groaning noise and rolled over into a testicle-nursing fetal position on my side. In doing so, I finally let go of the Barney the Dinosaur umbrella, which, snatched by the wind, flew backwards. In passing, its handle hooked under my chin. So I lay there, gasping in the mud, the umbrella struggling to get free but caught under my jaw; it looked as if a giant angler had captured me for sport.
"What are you doing down there?" asked a voice.
I would have liked to have replied with something so pithy that the owner of the voice would have been forced to take his own life, but, what with the genital situation and the umbrella tugging under my chin, all I could manage was "Fnngh."
Oh. My. God! If you do not think that is holy fucking christ hilarious, not only are you probably soulless, but I don't think we can be friends anymore.
Starting from the terrific and relatable title (I'm pretty sure my boyfriend writes a book with this title, furiously, in his head every day), this book is hysterical and fast-moving and so very, divinely British. I hardly even want to talk about it because -- luckily for me -- I pulled it randomly off the shelf at a used book store and didn't know one single thing about it.
And yet... I'm bothering to write this down, so I suppose I ought to say something. Well, our hero, Pel, lives with his girlfriend, Ursula, a crazed and gorgeous German woman, who is never at fault and is constantly furious at Pel, who obviously always is at fault. They have two clever, poorly behaved children. Pel is a computer supervisor in a university library, and he spends all his time trying his damnedest to not let anyone catch on that he doesn't have a clue about what he's doing. The he gets promoted (twice) and goes from being able to pass mostly under the radar to having to contend with the Chinese mafia, the university building its new wing on an abandoned graveyard, and a newly invented nuclear gas which may not be missing.
Oh, balls to this summarizing. I am here going to transcribe a fucking brilliantly hilarious scene, because believe me, this will give you a better sense of this book than anything I can say.
The day I went back to work, rain was pummeling at the world from a melted, twisting sky. And, splendidly, the only umbrella available had Barney the Dinosaur on it. Still, it was better than nothing, so I snatched it up.
A powerful, gusting wind threw the heavy streaks of water through the air right into my face as I rounded the corner close to the Learning Center, so I angled the umbrella down in front of me and made a dash for where I knew the staff entrance to be. Head bent, running flat out, all I could see was my feet hitting the ground. Which wasn't too bad until the ground disappeared. Each footfall splashed against the pavement, then on the muddy grass, then the final one encountered nothing at all. It had crossed the edge of a pit and just kept on going down, followed -- in a sort of plunging, semi-crouched dive -- by the rest of me.
When my foot finally hit something solid, it was the side of the pit, and teh only effect it had was to fling me farther into the center of the hole. I executed an ugly, three-quarter somersault to land on my back in three inches of brown, lubricious, muddy water. I had enough forward momentum to skid along for another fifteen feet in this position -- it might have been farther, but fortunately my progress was halted by a thin, vertical metal pole striking me firmly in the genitals. I made a piteous groaning noise and rolled over into a testicle-nursing fetal position on my side. In doing so, I finally let go of the Barney the Dinosaur umbrella, which, snatched by the wind, flew backwards. In passing, its handle hooked under my chin. So I lay there, gasping in the mud, the umbrella struggling to get free but caught under my jaw; it looked as if a giant angler had captured me for sport.
"What are you doing down there?" asked a voice.
I would have liked to have replied with something so pithy that the owner of the voice would have been forced to take his own life, but, what with the genital situation and the umbrella tugging under my chin, all I could manage was "Fnngh."
Oh. My. God! If you do not think that is holy fucking christ hilarious, not only are you probably soulless, but I don't think we can be friends anymore.
November 24, 2010
A mixed bag: what's not to love about a guy who rises to the top of the library staff at a British university by bluffing his way through troubleshooting the computers at the library's student help center? Yes, at his university they even play the odds on how many students per day will forget to save their work. On the other hand, the guy's constant arguments with his girlfriend are a smoothly polished comic routine. Rancorous and witty? Yes, but they obscure whatever connection might keep this pair together. Kind of a cross between Kingsley Amis and Dave Barry. I suspect fans of either would appreciate this book.
March 25, 2012
I only read a few pages of this book and couldn't go on. I imagine the 'voice' of the character narrating the novel is supposed to be witty and cynically humorous but in fact it was just plain annoying and whingeing. I wanted to slap him! (And I'm not a violent person at all!)
December 2, 2008
hilarious nonsense - if you don't like it 40 pages in then just stop reading.
October 8, 2012
Done.It sucked. Only read it cause I was stubborn and a review I trusted raved about it. It was supposed to be hilarious, but out of ten thousand jokes, I laughed three times. F -- epic fail
August 14, 2016
This book is interesting; fun writing and scenes. Ultimately, however, it goes nowhere.
June 25, 2023
There’s not that much that actually goes on plot-wise, but it did make me laugh out loud on many occasions which is rare for a book. The author is v funny.
September 11, 2009
Pel and his German girlfriend Ursula live in a terrible neighborhood, have two young sons, and argue about some very pedestrian things. Pel never wins these arguments. Pel's supervisor quits and Pel gradually starts taking on increasingly superior supervisory positions, each of which puts him more and more out of touch with his comfort zone and sense of reality. Soon he's having dealings with the Chinese mafia, running in-service days, and trading snarky comments with librarians. And Ursula expects him to mow the lawn, find a new place for them to live, and listen to her incessant kvetching about her coworker, Vanessa.
My favorite bit is the one where Ursula asks Pel what he's thinking and he says most of the time he's completely zenned out (read: zoned out) and isn't thinking much of anything, but because she NEVER believes this he comes up with some bull crap about how he's wondering if there will ever be a unifying theory in physics. This takes place rather early on in the book, so if you feel like you'd be bored reading the whole thing, you could just read that and let your face relax into a happy smile. It was too long to excerpt here, so instead I will quote from another one of their arguments concerning the negative sex appeal of the residues of strong-smelling foods. Ahem.
Pel: I was just thinking about how we might have been having sex tonight.
Ursula: And you'd planned on involving me, had you?
Pel: Well...
Ursula: You know what I hate the most?
Pel: Oh come on - I only asked you to do that once.
Ursula: What I hate the most is not simply that you want to control my diet for your increased sexual gratification, but that you don't just come out and say it straight. It's all 'I see you're eating curry, then' and 'Has that got garlic in it?' Like you're leaving me to take the next step and think, 'Hold on - garlic! What am I thinking?' So, I'm just going to ignore you. I'm going to eat this entire tub full of coleslaw, and if you love me it shouldn't matter.
Pel: Oh, the Love is Stonger Than Onions defense. I'll tell you what I'll do; I'll wear these underpants for two weeks then get back to you on that, okay?
Ursula: If I didn't do the washing, you'd always wear your underpants for two weeks and we both know it.
OUCH, Ursula wins AGAIN!
This novel is out of control from the moment we meet Pel. It's fun to watch events spiral ever outward into the outer reaches of outer space...and then finally see the thread that holds Ursula and Pel together in spite of their many arguments. When Pel is at his very very worst and about to go down like the Titanic (and almost as spectacularly), Ursula suggests that they disappear upstairs and get it on. I never thought she'd be so understanding. Gotta love that.
British author and very British humor...and oddly reminds me of my own befuddled and fumbling boyfriends. I do so love Mil Millington.
If you flip this book over, you'll see a lovely picture of the author - his hair is a rather shocking pink (quite unexpected). I suspected he would be frumpier somehow. But he's amazingly witty, and this book was wicked fun.
My favorite bit is the one where Ursula asks Pel what he's thinking and he says most of the time he's completely zenned out (read: zoned out) and isn't thinking much of anything, but because she NEVER believes this he comes up with some bull crap about how he's wondering if there will ever be a unifying theory in physics. This takes place rather early on in the book, so if you feel like you'd be bored reading the whole thing, you could just read that and let your face relax into a happy smile. It was too long to excerpt here, so instead I will quote from another one of their arguments concerning the negative sex appeal of the residues of strong-smelling foods. Ahem.
Pel: I was just thinking about how we might have been having sex tonight.
Ursula: And you'd planned on involving me, had you?
Pel: Well...
Ursula: You know what I hate the most?
Pel: Oh come on - I only asked you to do that once.
Ursula: What I hate the most is not simply that you want to control my diet for your increased sexual gratification, but that you don't just come out and say it straight. It's all 'I see you're eating curry, then' and 'Has that got garlic in it?' Like you're leaving me to take the next step and think, 'Hold on - garlic! What am I thinking?' So, I'm just going to ignore you. I'm going to eat this entire tub full of coleslaw, and if you love me it shouldn't matter.
Pel: Oh, the Love is Stonger Than Onions defense. I'll tell you what I'll do; I'll wear these underpants for two weeks then get back to you on that, okay?
Ursula: If I didn't do the washing, you'd always wear your underpants for two weeks and we both know it.
OUCH, Ursula wins AGAIN!
This novel is out of control from the moment we meet Pel. It's fun to watch events spiral ever outward into the outer reaches of outer space...and then finally see the thread that holds Ursula and Pel together in spite of their many arguments. When Pel is at his very very worst and about to go down like the Titanic (and almost as spectacularly), Ursula suggests that they disappear upstairs and get it on. I never thought she'd be so understanding. Gotta love that.
British author and very British humor...and oddly reminds me of my own befuddled and fumbling boyfriends. I do so love Mil Millington.
If you flip this book over, you'll see a lovely picture of the author - his hair is a rather shocking pink (quite unexpected). I suspected he would be frumpier somehow. But he's amazingly witty, and this book was wicked fun.
May 30, 2008
I was going to Florida and knew that I'd have a lot of time to sit on the beach and read. So I went on a book hunt.
The best summer reading, in my opinion, is smart, funny, original fiction. Unfortunately, I've found that the bulk of books fitting this description are written by women and directed primarily at women. If I were a member of that group, I'd find it fascinating to read about various relationships and their quirky intersection with career advancement. Or whatever. Chick lit.
This is primarily a problem in that men don't read pop fiction; women do. I get it. I'm betrayed by my sex. We've limited our options to Tom Clancy and John Grisham. Fine.
But I wanted whatever I could find offering the male version of the "Recent Paperbacks" table at my local Borders. Apparently it's referred to as "Lad Lit," or, if slightly more off-color (see my review of I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell) "Frat Lit."
This book fits in the former category quite well. It kept me entertained, is written well, and had me laughing throughout. The plot develops rather slowly--I was nearly 200 pages in before I had an inkling of what it was about--and is resolved entirely too quickly--approximately a page and a half--but this almost doesn't matter. It's such a fun read containing hilarious vignettes in the life of a man caught up in a ridiculous work environment and an utterly absurd home life--including two kids and a relationship that should have ended in murder-suicide long ago (not sure who the perpetrator should have been, though)--that I couldn't put it down.
Four stars instead of five because of the poor plot development. But, like I said, I noticed it and didn't care much.
The best summer reading, in my opinion, is smart, funny, original fiction. Unfortunately, I've found that the bulk of books fitting this description are written by women and directed primarily at women. If I were a member of that group, I'd find it fascinating to read about various relationships and their quirky intersection with career advancement. Or whatever. Chick lit.
This is primarily a problem in that men don't read pop fiction; women do. I get it. I'm betrayed by my sex. We've limited our options to Tom Clancy and John Grisham. Fine.
But I wanted whatever I could find offering the male version of the "Recent Paperbacks" table at my local Borders. Apparently it's referred to as "Lad Lit," or, if slightly more off-color (see my review of I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell) "Frat Lit."
This book fits in the former category quite well. It kept me entertained, is written well, and had me laughing throughout. The plot develops rather slowly--I was nearly 200 pages in before I had an inkling of what it was about--and is resolved entirely too quickly--approximately a page and a half--but this almost doesn't matter. It's such a fun read containing hilarious vignettes in the life of a man caught up in a ridiculous work environment and an utterly absurd home life--including two kids and a relationship that should have ended in murder-suicide long ago (not sure who the perpetrator should have been, though)--that I couldn't put it down.
Four stars instead of five because of the poor plot development. But, like I said, I noticed it and didn't care much.
October 31, 2019
Bought at an airport terminal while waiting for a delayed flight, I picked this up randomly...what a hysterically funny novel. There's something about the way Millington writes his narrative so that I can visualize the zaniness, the voices of each character complete with a tone and a look. This review isn't to actually summarize a plot and recap the characters. You'll need to open the book and discover this for yourself. It's worth it! I've rarely laughed this loudly while reading and rereading a book (except for Bill Bryson's earlier works)... so loud that my husband has banned this particular book from my nighttime reading list.
It's very slapstick and "Zany" but, in the right mood, this is the best medicine I can think of...I have actually contacted the author and told him how much I connected with his book and his reaction was probably to replace the phone and walk away, but he did not.
Trust me, you will need to pick it up and jump in for a ride...I couldn't communicate this hysterical storyline or it's witty banter and characters if I tried.
If you're feeling overcome by the news of our world, politics, sadness or just bored; this book will pick you up and give your imagination a quick kick in the backside!
Highly recommend. I've actually given it to friends as a pre-requisite to friendship...as finding people who can share the same quirky sense of humor is indeed at the heart of friendship!
It's very slapstick and "Zany" but, in the right mood, this is the best medicine I can think of...I have actually contacted the author and told him how much I connected with his book and his reaction was probably to replace the phone and walk away, but he did not.
Trust me, you will need to pick it up and jump in for a ride...I couldn't communicate this hysterical storyline or it's witty banter and characters if I tried.
If you're feeling overcome by the news of our world, politics, sadness or just bored; this book will pick you up and give your imagination a quick kick in the backside!
Highly recommend. I've actually given it to friends as a pre-requisite to friendship...as finding people who can share the same quirky sense of humor is indeed at the heart of friendship!
July 27, 2016
I loved this book! I have been a fan of Mil Millington's website (http://www.mil-millington.com/) for a long time. I stumbled upon it by chance and kept going back to it whenever I needed to laugh for a little while.
This is his first novel, and it is based on his relationship with his girlfriend Margret (Ursula in the book). It is really, really, really funny. I always loved how Mr. Millington described their relationship: "...my being English while she is German not only makes each one of us personally and absolutely responsible for the history, and the social and cultural mores of our respective countries, but also opens up a whole field of sub-arguments grounded in grammatical and semantic disputes".
I can't believe I waited this long to read it. It is a witty, fun, quick read. I laughed out loud and had to put it away at times because my stomach was beginning to hurt from all the laughter. I think I can relate to this story because I know many people who have the same kind of relationship and they truly do love each other. Towards the end of the book, Pel defends his relationship with Ursula by saying "I do not want to go through my life in the narrow, masturbatory dullness of spending it with someone who likes the same things and thinks the same things I do. Ursula and I are kept together by irreconcilable differences". One should be so lucky.
This is his first novel, and it is based on his relationship with his girlfriend Margret (Ursula in the book). It is really, really, really funny. I always loved how Mr. Millington described their relationship: "...my being English while she is German not only makes each one of us personally and absolutely responsible for the history, and the social and cultural mores of our respective countries, but also opens up a whole field of sub-arguments grounded in grammatical and semantic disputes".
I can't believe I waited this long to read it. It is a witty, fun, quick read. I laughed out loud and had to put it away at times because my stomach was beginning to hurt from all the laughter. I think I can relate to this story because I know many people who have the same kind of relationship and they truly do love each other. Towards the end of the book, Pel defends his relationship with Ursula by saying "I do not want to go through my life in the narrow, masturbatory dullness of spending it with someone who likes the same things and thinks the same things I do. Ursula and I are kept together by irreconcilable differences". One should be so lucky.
July 1, 2008
If you want a funny laugh-out-loud book - this is definately it! I was chuckling and laughing out loud within the first two pages. I'm not sure whether this book had extra appeal to me because firstly the character works in an academic library as I do, so I understood the "in-jokes" - many of which the author hit on perfectly - ie "Appointing a non-librarian as the Learning Centre Manager. It's sure to be an issue with the librarians in the Learning Centre. They'll march through the streets , overturning cars". Secondly - I'm loath to say it hence I be compared with Ursula - the characters girlfriend - but I think he's captured the complexity of relationships in the fact that men and women really are a different species at times! There are times throughout the book that I found spookily eerie in the fact that they could have been nearly been word-for-word transcripts from my husband and I!!! One particular part of the book I found so hilarious I was in bed reading on my own laughing so much I got to the point of laughint/crying and stitch! Might not be everyone's cup of tea - but this book certainly hit the spot with me and I'll definately be reading more of Mil Millington
October 31, 2008
This isn't a book that is heavy on story-line. There is something of a plot: Pel (the protagonist), a university library drone, is promoted to replace his former supervisor, and keeps getting promoted beyond his skill level. It's pretty obvious that his superiors are up to something fraudulent, but Pel is distracted by other things. Barely competent and clueless, Pel could turn out to be the perfect scapegoat.
What really drives the book, however, is Pel's relationship with his valkyrie girlfriend Ursula. This is related in a series of vignettes, connected by the protagonist's stream of sarcasm. In Pel's account of events, Ursula exerts her will with the sensativity of a Panzer division. Yet, Pel puts forth great efforts of rationalization to put himself in the right.
Primarily, this is an extremely funny book. Millington is a master of the sardonic turn of phrase and the use of irony.
What really drives the book, however, is Pel's relationship with his valkyrie girlfriend Ursula. This is related in a series of vignettes, connected by the protagonist's stream of sarcasm. In Pel's account of events, Ursula exerts her will with the sensativity of a Panzer division. Yet, Pel puts forth great efforts of rationalization to put himself in the right.
Primarily, this is an extremely funny book. Millington is a master of the sardonic turn of phrase and the use of irony.
November 11, 2010
this is one of my favorite books of the last five years or so. dry as a bone british humor, reeking with sarcasm and cheekiness. to give credit where credit is due, the non-literary boyfriend recommended this one, and for once, he was on to something!
i love the part where the main character, pel, is called in to his son's church of england school because the kid's been attempting to convert his classmates to atheism and the principal asks pel to "do something about it." pel responds with something along the lines of "well, i hardly see what i can do about god not existing." the brits are so much further evolved than we are, i tell ya. shit's rough.
the one issue i have with the book is that the overarching plot line is a little ham-fisted and unbelievable, but the characters and (especially) the narration make that forgivable. check it out!
i love the part where the main character, pel, is called in to his son's church of england school because the kid's been attempting to convert his classmates to atheism and the principal asks pel to "do something about it." pel responds with something along the lines of "well, i hardly see what i can do about god not existing." the brits are so much further evolved than we are, i tell ya. shit's rough.
the one issue i have with the book is that the overarching plot line is a little ham-fisted and unbelievable, but the characters and (especially) the narration make that forgivable. check it out!
May 13, 2014
I picked up this book at a library sale, drawn by its cover and title and the promise of humor. And such humor. This is one of those books that had me continually spurting with laughter as Pel navigates family life, the workplace, and decidedly illegal negotiations with the Triads. The humor varies from the absurd to the very relatable, a mix that was kept in good balance throughout. As far as plot, I think the pacing was a bit awkward, but enduring the everyday trials of Pel was a pleasure.
March 27, 2007
OK, so it doesn't have the most stellar plot in the world. It really doesn't need to - the plot simply serves as a device for Mil Millington to vent, and when he unleashes his thesaurus-busting litany of sarcastic, terminal-underdog wit, particularly in relation to his eponymous other half, it's a hell of a fun ride.
June 13, 2017
This was a surprising and highly entertaining read. I grabbed it on my way to a 16 hour flight from Finland back to the US and didn't see anything else worthwhile in English. First off, this book is HILARIOUS and, though I couldn't relate to any of the situations or characters, it was easy to go from cover to cover in no time. I finished the book on that plane.
August 20, 2017
bought this today from the library.
If these folks really argue as much as they do in this book and the way they do, I'm not sure if they have a healthy relationship...
But, ah, well. It's funny in places.
If these folks really argue as much as they do in this book and the way they do, I'm not sure if they have a healthy relationship...
But, ah, well. It's funny in places.
September 29, 2019
This book is totally absurd, but really entertaining. The narrator is extremely likable and I found myself laughing out loud at the dry humor of it. It’s definitely not for everyone, but if you’re in the mood for something a little random, it’s great.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 352 reviews