The Man of My Dreams

Curtis Sittenfeld has an amazing knack for showing the messed up and unresolved lives of her female protagonists. Awkward, clumsy, screwed up, focusing on the ridiculous small things - her disfunctional main characters are defiantly realistic and contemporary. Hannah, child of divorce and awkward teenager stumbling towards resolution in adulthood is entirely characteristic. Any woman reading will feel stabs of recognition (almost always embarrassing ones) - and any man will find much to educate him!

I'm a fan of Curtis Sittenfeld but somewhere in the middle of this book I stopped reading and it took me awhile to pick it up again. Why? Because Hannah's life is not all roses and poetry. The title is more of a desire than a realization. But as I finished the book this week I decided that's what makes it such a great read. It's about Hannah's journey, not her destination.

I enjoyed Man of My Dreams more than I expected to, given the unflattering reviews I’ve seen online. The story was okay and many of the characters were well-drawn. I don’t typically enjoy angst in novels but I am amazed with how well Sittenfeld captured all of the insecurities of youth. I have been Hanna in so many situations and I struggled with so many of the same fears when I was around her ages in the story. I bumped up to 4-stars because those emotions were spot-on.

It started out quite promising, but never really developed as it might. Hannah is the central character and she has a tough time dealing with people and relationships. She says some things that are possible better left unsaid, the little white lie type untruths. To the question "Do you like my new boyfriend" her truthful response might be honest, but it makes for a complicated life.
It starts with her parents separation (not amicable) and her relationship with her father seems to colour her relationships with men. She thinks she had found the man of her dreams by half way, but he's dating her cousin and she seems to be waiting for him to work out that he's the one for her without her making any positive moves. A bit of a parallel between show more her childhood, where her father had to be accomodated, and her passivity as an adult. She does seem to come round and learn lessons, and ends the book a more rounded personality than at the start, and you can't but help wishing her well. show less

I'm not sure what it is I don't like about Sittenfeld's novels. I didn't like Prep all that much, but others seem to enjoy her work, so I thought I'd give The Man of My Dreams a try. It was OK. Quick read. Could be nice on an airplane or as a book to keep in your bag to read while you wait in line or at the doctor's office. It just didn't really grab me. I didn't like really any of the characters, didn't empathize with them. At best, I felt sorry for them. Mostly I just wanted them to stop their whining. As with Prep, the main reaction I had was one of discomfort watching the rather pitiful protagonist make the mistakes that I think we all, to some degree or another, make during our teens and early twenties. I just don't find it show more enjoyable to revisit that discomfort and lack of self-assurance. And frankly, I don't find the retelling of the personal journey all that interesting.

I also find it entirely unrealistic that the older sister would have left her four-month-old child in San Francisco to travel to Boston to help her sister move. It didn't seem to follow her personality at all and did not endear her to me as a character at all (and I'm fairly certain Allison's willingness to help Hannah was supposed to show what a good sister she was, not cast doubts on her as a mother). show less

I loved the author's "Prep" so much I got it in hardcover after reading it in paperback. This will be traded away. I wasn't enthralled with protagonist Hannah's coming of age tale, which seemed to go on and on in its angst.

Coming-of-age story of Hannah Gavener, who is 14 when the book opens. It is 1991, and Hannah and her sister Allison and their mother have been kicked out of their house in the middle of the night.....by Hannah's father. This is a man with some severe control and rage issues and is, to put it mildly, and a$%hole. At this point begins Hannah's search for the "perfect" man who she can live a completely "normal" life with. Well, we all know what the outcome of that search wil be, but it is interesting watching Hannah go through it and come out on the other side wiser and stronger. Lots of sad and funny and relatable moments in the book. Enjoyable read.