athena56's review against another edition
3.0
There are some chapters in this book that definitely could use some revising. As a woman, there are a lot of assumptions and choices made by the male lead characters in a few of the compositions that come across, at best, creepy and at worst, rape-y. More than once I finished one of the stories feeling more uncomfortable.
bramboomen's review against another edition
3.0
I decided to read this because I massively enjoyed the "Man Seeking Woman" series which was based on this book. Weirdly, I ended up liking the book a lot less. It felt like a sloppily strung together series of what-if jokes, more like a first draft than a finished product. The ideas behind it are still very funny, but the execution lacked something that should have made me laugh out loud.
salmonread's review against another edition
2.0
Read Harder 2018 challenge #20 - A book with a cover you hate
slightly_devious's review against another edition
3.0
The show was way better. I feel like this was meant mostly for straight white college dudes.
lisaeirene's review against another edition
1.0
I got this book because I heard him reading some short stories on the Dan Savage show. I loved them!It was witty and funny and I found myself engrossed. This book? It was awful. I see that I'm in the minority here but every short story was stupider than the next. Hated it.
william_sg's review against another edition
3.0
Clever. The word was probably written on his creative essays as a teenager because all of these short stories feel like they exist solely for him to receive that one-word kind of praise again.
That isn’t to cheapen the level of talent that is present in this book. Comedy is difficult. I feel that Rich took the UCB improv/sketch writing lessons to the logical maximum here. Reading this book, I realized just how easy it can be to write in such a way.
Yet I feel like his worldview is awfully limited as many of the stories trot out the same old sitcommy heteronormative tropes, just in a ridiculous high concept form. There’s not a lot of ideas or commentary present that sheds light on anything that is specific for our generation, it’s all just reaffirming social mores of dating and sex in a more absurdist way. A few standout as something different (“I Love Girl”) but it’s mostly the same style over and over again, becoming predictable and silly all too fast.
In other words, he’s the perfect SNL writer.
That isn’t to cheapen the level of talent that is present in this book. Comedy is difficult. I feel that Rich took the UCB improv/sketch writing lessons to the logical maximum here. Reading this book, I realized just how easy it can be to write in such a way.
Yet I feel like his worldview is awfully limited as many of the stories trot out the same old sitcommy heteronormative tropes, just in a ridiculous high concept form. There’s not a lot of ideas or commentary present that sheds light on anything that is specific for our generation, it’s all just reaffirming social mores of dating and sex in a more absurdist way. A few standout as something different (“I Love Girl”) but it’s mostly the same style over and over again, becoming predictable and silly all too fast.
In other words, he’s the perfect SNL writer.
jobinsonlis's review against another edition
2.0
Rich had some funny concepts but his set-up and delivery was pretty sloppy. I think I would have enjoyed some of these as skits if they were being performed by really competent actors but as stories that I had to read and imagine, they were unsatisfying. Plus I get that love was the point of the stories but every guy felt like the same loser and every woman was either weepy and controlling or a flawless diamond. I did like the lake sirens though.