∎ Read Gratis An Available Man A Novel Hilma Wolitzer 9780345527547 Books

An Available Man A Novel Hilma Wolitzer 9780345527547 Books

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An Available Man A Novel Hilma Wolitzer 9780345527547 Books

I picked up this book because I needed maturity in a main character. Needed being the operative word. You see, I just finished a book (and I wish I had put that other book down at the twenty percent mark and not wasted my time with the rest of it) about a twenty-two year old girl who in my opinion needed to grow up before even thinking about entering a serious relationship. I needed maturity and I thought this book was the way to go. I was right on that note.

At over a third of the way through this book, I was enjoying the story thinking this book was going to get four stars from me. The book is about Edward, a high school science teacher and amateur bird watcher in his early sixties who has recently lost his beloved wife, Bee. Over the course of the next three years, you watch Edward mourn, connect with the children he and Bee raised and start to enter the dating pool again at the prodding of said children who took it upon themselves to take out a singles ad for him in the paper.

A lonely Edward starts to feel comfortable with the idea of dating again and goes on a series of so-so first dates with the most promising of the letter writers until he finally gives up on that idea. He has a couple of friends/fellow teachers that he sometimes confides in and as his journey through grief and dating again continues you learn about Edward’s past family life, past love life and his hobbies/interests. The book is slow moving but steady as he connects and meets with old friends that knew him as a part of a couple, some well-meaning matchmaking attempts and revisiting old vacation spots with fond and sometimes painful memories.

And then he lets himself fall into something that was a total bone-headed, what on earth were you thinking, or which head were you thinking with rather, move which I don’t want to spoil so I won’t and I was a little taken off guard. It kind of ruined the flow of the book for me. I had no problem with the storyline up until this point and then Edward just kind of let himself get into a situation that he really should have not let happen. He made it sound like he did it because he’s just too nice but my empathy for him (as well as my interest in him as a character) took a serious hit at this point and I found myself skimming ahead at parts instead of absorbing the prose.

But then the story evened out again and I started to enjoy it more even if I never did recapture that earlier eagerness to see what would happen with Edward. Overall, I enjoyed the book and up to about halfway through I would have given it four stars; however, since I lost interest just after halfway through and had to wait for it to peak my interest again later on, which it did, I’m going to put it back down to three stars. I don’t regret reading it and found it to be a quick and for the most part enjoyable read. Life doesn’t always turn out the way you plan and books don’t either.


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An Available Man A Novel Hilma Wolitzer 9780345527547 Books Reviews

I absolutely loved this novel...my mother died recently leaving behind my dad after 63 years of a loving marriage and I found myself seeing our situations in Edward's. This book is marvelously written and I bookmarked many pages because I loved the audience the author's word choices and turns of phrase. I would recommend it to anyone who reads for enjoyment and I am going to suggest it for my book club because discussion would be fascinating.
Hilma Wolitzer knows how to write a compelling novel. She doesn't go for the absurd, or the magical, but gives the reader characters who seem intensely real, sharing with us their foibles, desires, dreams and defeats in clean clear prose. She gives us real life on the page. The result is a book that pulls no tricks yet is a page-turner right to the end. Ms. Wolitzer makes us want to know about the people she writes. That's her writer gift. I had a strong emotional reaction at the conclusion of this book. I was startled by the reaction, it snuck up on me. A most highly recommended novel.
I truly enjoyed this quick read... a gentle story of a widower's return to social existence and his search for a person with whom to share his life and his heart. I was not put off by the rather blunt scenarios of his dating experiences as some readers were. Rather I could identify with both his bewilderment and the women's hunger, loneliness, and need. I found the style of the novel encouraging, and felt comfortable with the book from the first chapter, There have been some reviews that were disappointed that more information was not forthcoming about the secondary characters, but I felt the opposite. There was just enough depth to make them real, but just enough surface to put the reader in the same position as the main character in viewing his world and reacting to it. In all, I was most pleased with this purchase and will look at the author's other work.
This is definitely not my usual reading fare, and in fact I am not sure why I chose this book. Maybe it had something to do with having just had a root canal and needing something very light to read on a holiday weekend. Plus I think offered it as a special when I picked it up. It wasn't bad, just not particularly memorable. It's the story of Edward Schulyer, a recent widower, and his reintroduction into and resistance towards dating. As "an available man," it's not long before the sixtyish Edward starts getting calls from women he doesn't even know and his friends start trying to set him up. His stepchildren even place a personal ad in the New York Review of Books ("SCIENCE GUY. Balding but still handsome . . . "). The rest of the story is pretty much what you might expect. Edward initially resists dating any of the women who have responded to the ad but, lonely and curious, ends up giving in, with disastrous results. The one compatible woman he meets on his own . . . well, that ends up not working out well either. Then there is the former fiancee who left him at the alter decades ago. But never fear, love wins out in the end (of course). I will give Wolitzer credit for creating a sympathetic, likable character in Edward and for giving us what would seem to be a pretty good portrait of widowhood and life after from a man's point of view.
Wolitzer's got a great voice and is a truly talented writer. Edward, the novel's protagonist is just a darling of a man and anyone with even a modicum of imagination will be able to picture him. I don't think this book is "Literary." It doesn't really pose any deep, moral questions and the characters don't seem to stand for anything grandiose. But that's fine because it's just a delight to read. If you're looking for a decent comedy that doesn't pose any deep-questions and really want to enjoy some tight-writing, definitely pick this up. The world of a 62-year-old bachelor is a really humorous one. You won't regret reading this.
I picked up this book because I needed maturity in a main character. Needed being the operative word. You see, I just finished a book (and I wish I had put that other book down at the twenty percent mark and not wasted my time with the rest of it) about a twenty-two year old girl who in my opinion needed to grow up before even thinking about entering a serious relationship. I needed maturity and I thought this book was the way to go. I was right on that note.

At over a third of the way through this book, I was enjoying the story thinking this book was going to get four stars from me. The book is about Edward, a high school science teacher and amateur bird watcher in his early sixties who has recently lost his beloved wife, Bee. Over the course of the next three years, you watch Edward mourn, connect with the children he and Bee raised and start to enter the dating pool again at the prodding of said children who took it upon themselves to take out a singles ad for him in the paper.

A lonely Edward starts to feel comfortable with the idea of dating again and goes on a series of so-so first dates with the most promising of the letter writers until he finally gives up on that idea. He has a couple of friends/fellow teachers that he sometimes confides in and as his journey through grief and dating again continues you learn about Edward’s past family life, past love life and his hobbies/interests. The book is slow moving but steady as he connects and meets with old friends that knew him as a part of a couple, some well-meaning matchmaking attempts and revisiting old vacation spots with fond and sometimes painful memories.

And then he lets himself fall into something that was a total bone-headed, what on earth were you thinking, or which head were you thinking with rather, move which I don’t want to spoil so I won’t and I was a little taken off guard. It kind of ruined the flow of the book for me. I had no problem with the storyline up until this point and then Edward just kind of let himself get into a situation that he really should have not let happen. He made it sound like he did it because he’s just too nice but my empathy for him (as well as my interest in him as a character) took a serious hit at this point and I found myself skimming ahead at parts instead of absorbing the prose.

But then the story evened out again and I started to enjoy it more even if I never did recapture that earlier eagerness to see what would happen with Edward. Overall, I enjoyed the book and up to about halfway through I would have given it four stars; however, since I lost interest just after halfway through and had to wait for it to peak my interest again later on, which it did, I’m going to put it back down to three stars. I don’t regret reading it and found it to be a quick and for the most part enjoyable read. Life doesn’t always turn out the way you plan and books don’t either.