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violetviva's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
courts's review
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
luciatrabazos's review
dark
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It was good very intertaining since I had no wifi for ages
shoshalo's review
dark
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
adelineania's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
whats_margaret_reading's review
5.0
After reading [b:The Dud Avocado|1059856|The Dud Avocado|Elaine Dundy|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320519470s/1059856.jpg|1046442] last summer, I was eager to read something else by Elaine Dundy. I liked The Dud Avocado, but I loved The Old Man and Me.
The Old Man and Me starts out with the same mid-century American girl abroad as The Dud Avocado, but it quickly morphs into a revenge and intrigue plot. It's very easy to give a lot of it away, so I'll try not to say any more besides that the plot unfolds very neatly and there is a lot more complexity to it than a simple means to revenge.
Go read it already! It's a neat one.
The Old Man and Me starts out with the same mid-century American girl abroad as The Dud Avocado, but it quickly morphs into a revenge and intrigue plot. It's very easy to give a lot of it away, so I'll try not to say any more besides that the plot unfolds very neatly and there is a lot more complexity to it than a simple means to revenge.
Go read it already! It's a neat one.
abby_writes's review
5.0
I adore Elaine Dundy's writing and this book was a hilarious, witty romp. There is just so much to love -- the absolute skewering of all parties involved, the selfish and immature main character, the British classism. One of the most fully realized anti-heroines I've ever read.
jmeston's review
4.0
Not what I was expecting. I thought it would be some sort of scandalous affair and its after effects. There was certainly gossipy scandalous behaviour with some sex and drugs thrown in. There were messy relationship changes and dramatic consequences to family members. The narrator's delayed revelation was well played, I was wondering what she was up to for quite a bit.
I waited to read the author's Introduction (added to the reprint) until after I had finished the novel. That was a good choice and gave me more to think about as well. I find I can't discuss much without spoilers so I'll put those after the divider below.
===============
The book is very un-admiring of Brits and Britain. So much so that I felt a little lost at the beginning. I'm such an anglophile and this person didn't seem to like *anything* she was experiencing. At the same time I recognized the desperate loneliness of staying in a hotel as a foreigner with no roots, no resources in an unfamiliar city. The Introduction makes it plain that there was some sincere un-appreciation of post war London.
The jazz folks in the last third are racist caricatures, they are given some personality but the names Jinkie and Jimbo are hard to swallow.
I expected the young woman / older man steps of seduction story. But the way that she was so in his thrall and admired his faults as much as his virtues was surprising. I liked the semi-justice at the end of his gifting her half the loot and shutting off the affair. She takes her loot and her broken heart and goes back to NYC to apparently pace the floors and write this memoir. Is that what an anti-hero does? Maybe she had run out of anti social behavior by then.
The Betsy Lou / Honey impersonation and overtaking happens in lots of layers. How does our protag really feel about Honey Flood taking over her publishing job in her absence? That was an interesting bit of reversal and over-writing at the end.
I waited to read the author's Introduction (added to the reprint) until after I had finished the novel. That was a good choice and gave me more to think about as well. I find I can't discuss much without spoilers so I'll put those after the divider below.
===============
The book is very un-admiring of Brits and Britain. So much so that I felt a little lost at the beginning. I'm such an anglophile and this person didn't seem to like *anything* she was experiencing. At the same time I recognized the desperate loneliness of staying in a hotel as a foreigner with no roots, no resources in an unfamiliar city. The Introduction makes it plain that there was some sincere un-appreciation of post war London.
The jazz folks in the last third are racist caricatures, they are given some personality but the names Jinkie and Jimbo are hard to swallow.
I expected the young woman / older man steps of seduction story. But the way that she was so in his thrall and admired his faults as much as his virtues was surprising. I liked the semi-justice at the end of his gifting her half the loot and shutting off the affair. She takes her loot and her broken heart and goes back to NYC to apparently pace the floors and write this memoir. Is that what an anti-hero does? Maybe she had run out of anti social behavior by then.
The Betsy Lou / Honey impersonation and overtaking happens in lots of layers. How does our protag really feel about Honey Flood taking over her publishing job in her absence? That was an interesting bit of reversal and over-writing at the end.
tendercreatures's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes