L'Homme qui a oublié sa femme

by John O'Farrell, Santiago Artozqui (Translator)

Qu'est-ce qui m'arrive aujourd'hui je suis amoureux de ma femme ! Après un étrange malaise, Vaughan, un quadragénaire, reprend connaissance dans le métro londonien. Il ne se souvient plus de rien : ni de son nom, ni de ses deux enfants, ni de sa femme, la sublime Maddy. Quand, après moult péripéties, il revoit celle-ci pour la première fois, c'est le coup de foudre. Pas de chance, ils sont en pleine procédure de divorce. Vaughan n'aura désormais qu'une obsession : la reconquérir ! Une mission quasi impossible, puisque Maddy ne veut plus entendre parler de lui. Et pour cause, Vaughan découvre que son ancien " moi " était un homme plutôt odieux porté sur la bouteille. S'il souhaite la séduire à nouveau, Vaughan devra lui prouver qu'il a changé !

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Book Club, Comedy, Romance, Contemporary, Audiobook

369 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

John O'Farrell is the author of four novels: The Man Who Forgot His Wife, May Contain Nuts, This Is Your Life and The Best a Man Can Get. His novels have been translated into over twenty languages and have been adapted for radio and television. He has also written two best-selling history books: An Utterly Impartial History of Britain and An Utterly Exasperated History of Modern Britain, as well as a political memoir, Things Can Only Get Better and three collections of his column in The Guardian. A former comedy scriptwriter for such productions as Spitting Image, Room 101, Murder Most Horrid and Chicken Run, he is founder of the satirical website NewsBiscuit and can occasionally be spotted on such TV programmes as Grumpy Old Men, Question Time and Have I Got News for You.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man finds himself on a tube train with no memory of his past at all. A pretty funny book that follows this man, Vaughan on the journey of not only getting his memory back but also getting back his work, his friends and his family. A pretty funny book about love, life and… divorce. 7 out of 12.

2013 read

[Maria Bikaki · Rating 4 out of 5]

<< Οι σχέσεις εξελίσσονται περνούν πλημμυρίδα και άμπωτη και πρέπει να εργάζεσαι σκληρά για να τις συντηρήσεις προσαρμόζοντας τις ελπίδες και τις προσδοκίες σου μα χωρίς να θεωρείς τον άλλο δεδομένο>>

Ένα βιβλίο που διαβάζεται απνευστί, ευχάριστο που συνάμα περνάει αρκετά μηνύματα για τις ανθρώπινες σχέσεις μέσα από έναν αρκετά εμπνευσμένο τρόπο του συγγραφέα. Η ρουτίνα της καθημερινότητας και πως αυτή διαβρώνει τους χαρακτήρες και τα σχέδια ζωής μας θίγονται μέσα από τον σαραντάρη Βον ο οποίος ξαφνικά βρίσκεται να έχει χάσει τη μνήμη του και μέσα από αυτό το γεγονός που έρχεται να ταράξει την ύπαρξη του προσπαθεί να βρει ξανά τον εαυτό του. Μια δεύτερη ευκαιρία για τον ήρωα έχοντας ξεχάσει το παρελθόν του να αναζητήσει ένα πιο αισιόδοξο παρόν.
Στα συν του βιβλίου η μετάφραση του. Από ότι φαίνεται το βιτριολικό χιούμορ του Κορτώ ταίριαξε απόλυτα με αυτό του συγγραφέα χαρίζοντας μας ένα ιδιαίτερο αποτέλεσμα που μέσα από την απλότητα του λόγου του έρχεται να μας περάσεις σπουδαία μηνύματα για τις ανθρώπινες σχέσεις.

[Margitte · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when a man steps out of a train, with a complete loss of memory, only to discover shortly afterwards that he fell madly in love with a woman he is about to divorce?

The theme of the book in itself is ambitious, and the author pulled it off splendidly. I enjoyed reading a man's side of a contemporary love story without the added bells and whistles of chick lit, but with a big dollop of reality thrown into the messy mix of marriage. It's a romantic comedy in the same spirit as the Hugh Grant movies, and Bridgette Jones's Diary.

With flaws and all, high school teacher, Jack Vaughn, was a good man who tried to pull his life together, learning from other people who he was. It was quite a different image from the one he had of himself, and he had to adjust his life to make amends for his own mistakes.

The author drew his characters perfectly. One could identify with them all. I found Maddy, his soon-to-be-ex-wife a true version of women who expect men to change and except their part in the break-up of a marriage, but not doing the same introspection to change their(women's) own behavior. The woman is always right. Happy wife, happy life. And Jack was not always right. As he memories slowly return, his mind is playing tricks on him with some dramatic results.

However, it is so well written, and such a great romantic story, with a typical British happy ending, and lots of laughs to neutralize the high drama. I really loved this read. It could have been a wee bit shorter, though, but overall an absolute great read all around. ‌ A mood-lifter.

The book was short-listed in 2012 for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize.

RECOMMENDED!

[Skorofido Skorofido · Rating 3 out of 5]

Έχω κατά καιρούς κατηγορηθεί πως το παίζω φίδι ψευδοκουλτουριάρικον και σνομπάρω τα λεγόμενα ‘ελαφρά ‘βιβλία. Θέλω να ενημερώσω τους ‘εχθρούς’ μου πως λατρεύω τα ελαφρά βιβλία όταν τιμούν τον χαρακτηρισμό του ως ελαφρά και δεν το παίζουν βαριά λογοτεχνία.
Επίσης, όσοι δεν το γνωρίζετε τα σκορόφιδα όχι μόνο παντρεύονται αλλά κάνουν και παιδιά, μικρά σκοροφιδάκια. Κι όπως κάθε παντρεμένον ον, ενίοτε αντιμετωπίζουν και προβλήματα στο γάμο τους. Αυτό είναι άσχετο αλλά το αναφέρω γιατί κάτι τέτοια βιβλία ορισμένες φορές σε βοηθάνε να δεις τις μεγαλύτερες αλήθειες.
Είχα ανάγκη λοιπόν από ένα ελαφρύ βιβλίο, κάτι λίγο ‘light’ κι επέλεξα τον ‘Άνθρωπο που ξέχασε τη γυναίκα του». Δεν τον γνώριζα τον συγγραφέα αλλά ο τίτλος, η περίληψη και η τιμή συν τοις άλλοις μου έκαναν το ‘κλικ’ την εν λόγω στιγμή.
Το story είναι απλό και αρκετά προβλέψιμον. Ο Βον μια ωραία πρωία ανακαλύπτει πως δεν θυμάται τίποτα, ούτε καν το όνομά του. Όταν ανακαλύψει ποιος είναι, θα ανακαλύψει πως βρίσκεται και στα τελευταία στάδια του διαζυγίου του. Και μαζί ανακαλύπτει πως κατά βάθος αγαπάει τη γυναίκα του και εν μέσω αμνησίας προσπαθεί να βρει τι πήγε στραβά και τι όχι. Και φυσικά αν είναι αναστρέψιμη η κατάσταση. Τόσες πολλές ανακαλύψεις μαζί ούτε ο Κολόμβος ένα πράμα…
Γρήγορο κι ελαφρύ, ενίοτε χιουμοριστικό, ενίοτε συγκινητικό. Το χιούμορ δεν ήταν τόσο καυστικό όσο θα το ήθελα, όμως ομολογώ πως ο συγγραφέας λέει κάποιες μικρές – μεγάλες αλήθειες με τρόπο ανάλαφρο για τις ανθρώπινες σχέσεις και κυρίως για τις σχέσεις ενός ζευγαριού και δη παντρεμένου με παιδιά και μάλιστα με ένα από τα δυο στη φάση της εφηβείας.
Έχει πράγματα να δώσει για όποιον θέλει να τα πάρει… δεν θα ήταν άσχημη ιδέα για όσους αντιμετωπίζουν προβλήματα στο γάμο τους (ή στη σχέση τους) ή αισθάνονται πως ο γάμος τους (η σχέση τους) έχει αρχίσει να βαλτώνει… (και πώς να πετάξετε τις λάσπες μακριά…)
Ένα 7/10 μια χαρά είναι…

[Vicky Ziliaskopoulou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Είχα καιρό να γελάσω με ένα βιβλίο. Για την ακρίβεια συμβαίνει τόσο σπάνια που δεν το περιμένω ότι θα γελάσω και έτσι διαβάζω όπου να' ναι με αποτέλεσμα μερικές φορές να γίνομαι η τρελή του χώρου που βρίσκομαι (στην προκειμένη περίπτωση η τρελή του υπεραστικού λεωφορείου).
Είμαι λοιπόν μέσα σε ένα λεωφορείο, ξεκινάει αυτό, βγάζω το βιβλίο και ταυτόχρονα παίρνω το ειδικό (στραβωμένο) ύφος που έχω για ανάγνωση σε εξωτερικούς χώρους και φωνάζει από μακριά "Είμαι εξαιρετικά απασχολημένη με σοβαρά πράγματα άνθρωπέ μου, απομάκρυνε σε παρακαλώ την άθλια ύπαρξή σου από κοντά μου και μη με ενοχλείς". Και πριν φτάσω στη δέκατη σελίδα αρχίζω να κακαρίζω σαν χαζό. Σοβαρεύομαι με χίλια ζόρια μόνο και μόνο για να ξαναγελάσω λίγο μετά. Ε, τι να κάνω, άλλαξα ύφος και πήρα αυτό της χαζούλας που χασκογελάει με ότι βρει, σάμπως θα με ξαναδούν ποτέ, λεωφορείο είναι....Σε κάποιο σημείο μάλιστα από το ζόρι να μην αρχίσω και σπρώχνω με το χέρι τη γιαγιά που καθόταν δίπλα μου (βλ. Μενεγάκη όταν γελάει) ουρλιάζοντας από τα γέλια και φωνάζοντας "Αχαχαχα, δες τι γράφει εδώ...." δάκρυσα. Αλλά αυτά συμβαίνουν όταν το χιούμορ του συγγραφέα ταιριάζει με το χιούμορ του μεταφραστή, το κείμενο βγάζει γέλιο και εμείς ρεζιλευόμαστε.
Όμως μη γελιέστε, έχει και τη σοβαρή του πλευρά το βιβλίο, δεν είναι όλο κακαρίσματα. Στην ουσία και μέσα από τις αναμνήσεις του βασικού πρωταγωνιστή περνάει με όμορφο τρόπο η πορεία της σχέσης ενός συνηθισμένου ζευγαριού: πώς γνωρίστηκαν, ερωτεύτηκαν, παντρεύτηκαν και κάνανε παιδιά...και μετά το πώς βυθιζόμαστε μετά στη ρουτίνα και ξεχνάμε το λόγο που αγαπήσαμε τον/ τη σύζυγό μας... Είδες; Και όπως λίγο πριν άλλαξα πρόσωπο στη δική μου αφήγηση, έτσι και στο βιβλίο ξαφνικά κατάλαβα ότι όλα αυτά που γράφει αφορούν και εμένα. Και εγώ κάνω τα ίδια λάθη, και οι φίλοι μου, είμαι λίγο από τον κάθε πρωταγωνιστή του βιβλίου!!! Και εκστασιάστηκα γιατί το είχα για πιο ανάλαφρο, αλλά δεν ήταν τελικά...Απλά η γραφή του (και η μετάφραση) ήταν ανάλαφρα, το νόημα ήταν πολύ σημαντικό.

Για περισσότερα βιβλία αν θέλετε επισκεφτείτε το blog μου
http://kiallovivlio.blogspot.gr/

[Bon Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. What a masterpiece of humor and wit. And wholesomeness. Such a nicely curved ending going full circle to the point of the book.

John O'Farrell is one of my dearest authors ever since I've read The Best a Man Can Get. Years later, I've never grown over his special type of humor that makes me want to read super slow in order to not miss any nuance of it. There's nothing to grow over, though. It's the best kind of humor there is. You can get it when you're adolescent, because people at that age like everything that sounds like somebody's using their brain, as well as when you're bordering with old fart country. For each of those cohorts there's something to pull out of it, and it's immensely fun, every time.

This is the book to be re-read. With ever increasing pleasure, I expect.

[David Proffitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every now and again you come across a book that engages you completely. For me this was one of those. Not having read any of John O'Farrell's books before I didn't know what to expect, but I was not disappointed.

The story begins when our hero, Jack Vaughan, steps off the tube with no idea who he is or where is is supposed to be going. We then join him on a new journey of self discovery as, with the help if his friend Gary, he begins to piece together the story of his life so far.

But Vaughan, as he is known, does not always like what he discovers about himself. It is a very witty book, but also has an underlying message about the difference between the way we see ourselves and the way others see us.

In Vaughan's case, he has an opportunity to fix some of his mistakes and is able to start again, something I am sure many of us have wished we could do.

An excellent read. A well structured story and a great mix of comedy and pathos.

The only question really is why haven't I read any of his books before? Must rectify that..

[Ioanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Απολαυστικό!😊

[Thomas Stroemquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suddenly during his commute, Vaughan realises he's forgotten... everything. He doesn't know who he is, why he's on the underground, where he's heading or basically anything else on his situation and life. Through a number of turns, he slowly learns bits and pieces, situations are humorous and sad - not seldom both.

An easy read and perhaps a quite expected development. What made it less enjoyable is that I dislike the main character a bit (both the old and the 're-discovered'), but I guess it's quite realistic in a way.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did get through this, and I was curious to see how it ended, but my overwhelming feeling towards this book is nothing special. The characters weren’t overly compelling (Maddy showed promise but was overshadowed by the protagonist, Vaughan); the plot would have been better without the attempt at a twist towards the end, which simply showed how under-developed the story was, as it sparked no emotional response; and sometimes the (brilliantly written) comic moments felt a bit too forced, especially when they came one after the other and engulfed you, taking you away from the key plot points.

For my full review, see: http://thebookoftomorrow.wordpress.co...

[Anni · Rating 5 out of 5]

John O'Farrell is the only reason I am still prepared to vote Labour*. Laughs on every page and even though the plot is virtually the same as one of Mil Millington's novels (Instructions for living someone else's life) it is just as rewarding for the display of wit.

*Update: I am no longer prepared to vote Labour !

[Vivienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This proved a delightful book filled with humour and insight into the mind of a man going through a mid-life crises. However, in Vaughan's case the loss of all his personal memories due to a psychogenic fugue means that he has to recover the details of his life to date from interactions with family and friends and hope that over time his memories will return. The section where he sets up an open Wikipedia page with the hope that people that have known him will contribute their memories was hilarious given some very bizarre edits that become even wilder when his class of inner-city teens discover it.

As a narrator I found Vaughan quite appealing and he and the other characters felt very real. Amid the humour there was plenty of thoughtful questions about the nature of identity and how it changes over time as well as examining aspects of a marriage. Overall, I loved it and felt carried along by this unusual and heart-warming tale of self-discovery.

It was a reading group selection that I described to the members as feeling like chick-lit though written by a bloke from a bloke's point-of-view. In the reading group it got an enthusiastic thumbs-up from the men as well as the women. The only person who was somewhat 'meh' about it had recently finished reading 'Before I Go to Sleep' by S. J. Watson, which also features a type of retrograde amnesia.

[Him Up North · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ten or more years ago I was a fan of what became known as Bloke Lit. I read Nick Hornby, Tony Parsons, Mike Gayle, to name but three. I think as I matured so did my tastes, and I began to find the genre a bit samey, the stories a bit self-serving.

I bought TMWFHW not considering it to be bloke lit, but a few chapters in I realised that was what I'd let myself in for. I can't say it was a happy reunion.

The premise is clever. A 40-something man loses all his personal memories, including the ones he had of his family, friends and work. He learns from friends who come to his aid that he's divorcing his wife. When he meets her - as though for the first time - he falls in love with her again and decides to reverse his marital decline. As time goes by, his memories start to filter back and old emnities begin to vie with his newly-discovered feelings.

What was not to like? Maybe it's this particular writer, John O'Farrell. I enjoy his non-fiction work and his opinion pieces. However from what I know of him and his writing, too much of John O'Farrell comes through in the main character, Vaughan. Not only that, I feel O'Farrell uses another male character, Vaughan's mate Gary, to air those parts of the O'Farrell worldview that Vaughan can't. Alghough I haven't read any of O'Farrell's other fiction, I can imagine his main characters adopting the same outlook as their creator too.

The book isn't all bad. There are poignant moments and scenes I could identify with. I did laugh in many places. The running joke with the postcard is very good. But nowadays I like to really believe a book's characters, to buy into their story. In TMWFHW, the author and his style actually got in the way of that.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in Waterstones that came with the offer, "if you don't love it, we will give you your money back." Waterstones; keep my money. I loved it.

I deliberately chose this as I wanted a story that would make me laugh and they store assistant told me that this would. I was initially sceptical as it reminded me of movies such as 'the vow.' However I am so glad that I bought it as I could not put it down.

Every character was intriguing, every word necessary, every second wonderful. I cannot remember when I read a book with such heart behind it.

The themes of the book is about a serious medical condition, a marriage breakdown, a father lacking and contemporary ways of life and yet it never comes across heavy. You instantly start liking the character and soon emphasise with them and want the best for them.

I could hear myself cheering for Vaughan (the protagonist) at his best moments and cringing at his worse. This is a remarkable story that I want to recommend to all.

[Shirley Revill]

I listened to the audiobook version of this story and this book really had me laughing at times.
How can you forget you had a wife and children. Add into that you forget everything that used to be.
Your name,address what you did for a living literally everything and end up in a hospital bed with a overwhelming patient in the next bed who wants to help.
I won't tell you anymore about the story because I don't want to spoil it for you should you chance to read this book.
If you have the same sense of humour as myself then I will tell you there are parts of this story that are so very,very funny.
The narration was absolutely brilliant which really added to the story for me. It's really nice to have a good laugh and this book was simply awesome. Recommended.

[Just Plain Neddy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I'm generally a big fan of John O'Farrell but this really failed to live up to his other works. The main protagonist is unlikeable; the jokes are contrived and cliched. In fact it would have been a better novel if he'd taken half the jokes out - there were too many, many of them were weak and they disrupted the narrative. It was like talking to a friend who constantly interrupts you to throw in a wisecrack about the half a sentence you've just said. There were several transphobic jokes which startled me a bit - I wouldn't have expected this from O'Farrell. I got to the end and was glad I could move on, which is never a good sign.

[Christine Goudroupi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Και εκεί που είσαι στο μετρό, ξαφνικά ξεχνάς τα πάντα. Πού πρέπει να κατέβεις, πού πας; γιατι; και κυριως, ποιος εισαι;
Ο πρωταγωνιστής του βιβλίου είναι ένας μεσήλικας σε κρίση που παθαίνει αμνησία και ψαχνει να βρει τον εαυτό του. Αντ'αυτού βρίσκει τον κοπανο κολλητο του - τη ζωντανή απόδειξη ότι δεν πρέπει να παίρνεις νομικές συμβουλές από έναν τύπο με σκουλαρίκι. Ο ανθρωπος που ξέχασε τη γυναίκα του, είναι ξεκάθαρα η πιο διασκεδαστική ενδοσκόπηση που υπάρχει και διαβάζεται απνευστί. Προσοχή ομως: η ενδοσκόπηση αυτή ειναι μεταδοτική :)

[Anastasios Papalias · Rating 2 out of 5]

Η ιστορία κινείται αργα, η εξέλιξη ειναι σε παρα πολλά σημεία προφανής και τα αστεία του ένα μεγάλο κλισέ. Μου δίνει την εντύπωση ότι το βιβλίο γράφτηκε για άτομα που απλά θέλουν να διαβάσουν κατι ευχάριστο, με λίγη κωμωδία, λίγο δραμα κλπ. Δυστυχώς από τα πιο βαρετά βιβλία που έχω πιάσει στα χέρια μου. Το πίεσα παρα πολύ για να το τελειώσω, σχεδόν δυο μήνες, αλλά το παράτησα στην μέση. Ειναι το πρώτο βιβλίο που παρατάω δυστυχώς :(

[Robin Webster · Rating 3 out of 5]

On a drizzly rainy autumn afternoon, on a London Underground train, Vaughan, the central character of the book completely loses his memory. Not long into the book, he finds he has a wife and two children. Unfortunately for him his marriage has broken down and he is about to be divorced. He falls deeply in love with his wife again and tries to untangle what went wrong in their relationship. Although there are a few interesting insights into uncompromising marital relationships the book doesn’t really say anything new and is very predictable. I also found a number of the characters not that convincing, particularly his best friend Gary and Gary’s wife Linda. According to the blurb it is meant to be a ‘memorable comedy’, but I didn’t find it funny at all. However, I didn’t have any problems finishing the book. I would say the book is a light OK read but very forgettable.

[Carolyn Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and very witty. This is the story of Vaughan, a middle-aged history teacher who inexplicably loses his memory of absolutely everything... his name, address, occupation, favourite colour and not least, his wife and kids. After a week in hospital a name and a number suddenly come to the surface and his best friend (allegedly) now enters his strange new world - surely things will get better now? Of course, this is the complete opposite of how things actually turn out. This is Vaughan's story of self discovery of the best of times, the worst of times, the good, the bad and the ugly. Really enjoyable.

[Nicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this although I really didn't like the main character. I thought he was a real idiot and deserved his divorce. This is really a very blokey book with lots of quite juvenile humour, which does help with the characters, but I didn't find it that funny. If this was a chicklit book it would be written completely differently so to read it from a male angle was interesting. I loved all the references to the amnesia and neurology and found that fascinating. I'm not sure that I'd read anything else by this author as I think it would be quite similar.

[Jess Whiteford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a recommended read at Waterstones, 'love it or get your money back' and with an offer like that I thought this must be a great book. However I can only give this three stars for being an easy, light hearted, quick read with some funny moments that made me laugh. I can't help but call this blokelit (a term I have never used to describe any book before) and my husband does seem to be enjoying this much more than I did. For me iIt's not a book to love but rather one to pack in a holiday suitcase or for the tedious daily commute to work. Enjoyable but nothing special.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first John O'Farrell novel - always meant to read May Contain Nuts, but my dear friend, Lynne Orton, borrowed it and failed to return. Her son subsequently got into Cambridge, and I've always wondered...)

Anyway, this is a bloke's version of Sophie Kinsella's 'Remember Me?' and very enjoyable. John O'Farell's writing is good, and even though we can see exactly where he's going with his plot, the story is none the worse for that.

Liked it enough to demand Lynne now returns May Contain Nuts!

[Bob Kavanagh · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finished this book and liked it even less at last page than first. I thought the characterisation was poor I did not like the main protagonist and could not understand how he would have a best friend that he allegedly does. It didn't make sense. After that I just ploughed on hoping it would improve. I don't think it got any worse but it certainly didn't get better. I should not have wasted my reading time on this nonsense.

[Peter Allard · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like Richard Curtis films, you'll love this. Like a Richard Curtis film I did laugh - 3 times in 390 pages, which was a couple of hundred too long. 'Feel good' comedy presumably means a predictable happy ending. After all the middle class niceness I yearn for something more gritty - like punk rock after the Eurovision Song Contest.

[Vasilis Kalandaridis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Υπέροχο βιβλιαράκι.Και πολύ χρήσιμο θα έλεγα,για σχέσεις,χωρισμούς.Σουπερ,ανάλαφρο,δροσερό.

[Val]

No lo hubiese leído si no era para la facultad y me gustó bastante. Lástima que todo se tiñó con la desesperación de terminarlo rápido porque no llegaba, pero es un libro interesante.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not the sort of book I would normally read, but I thought I'd give it a try as it was a Christmas gift. I recalled many moons ago enjoying, 'May Contain Nuts.' and hoped this might be as good. The book is a light read, and I must admit the first few chapters were quite fascinating as Vaughn tries to find out who he is following his unfortunate fugue. A third of the way into the book, once Vaughn discovered his identity, I started to rapidly lose interest. I was seriously tempted to not finish and just abandon it, but I persevered. I found the book mildly amusing, not laugh out loud funny, but enough to bring a faint smile to my face here and there. I felt that I was reading the screenplay for a British sitcom, and to be fair, I think it would have probably work better as a sitcom than as a book. I found Gary and his wife (can't even remember her name!) very unreal as characters, which would have been fine in a sitcom where nothing is particularly believable, but of course, this is meant to be a comedy genre so its probably not fair to compare it to something slightly more weighty. For me, the best part was John O'Farrell's acknowledgements at the end, and I don't mean that sarcastically; that was actually quite funny!

[Kostas Terzanidis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Μετά από την ομολογουμένως κάπως βαρετή γερμανόφωνη λογοτεχνία (Ζούτερ, Κέλμαν, Ζάιλερ) επιστροφή στην εγγυημένη αγγλοσαξονική σχολή.
Μπορεί να θεωρείται ελαφρύ (ο τίτλος τα λέει όλα!), το βρήκα όμως αφοπλιστικά απολαυστικό.

[Linnea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

If I ever were to have children, I'd want Dillie and Jamie. ❤️