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The Man of My Dreams (Abridged): A Novel Audiobook
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(3.00) - 5,761 listener ratings
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In her acclaimed debut novel, Prep, Curtis Sittenfeld created a touchstone with her pitch-perfect portrayal of adolescence. Her prose is as intensely realistic and compelling as ever in The Man of My Dreams, a disarmingly candid and sympathetic novel about the collision of a young woman’s fantasies of family and love with the challenges and realities of adult life. Hannah Gavener is fourteen in the summer of 1991. In the magazines she reads, celebrities plan elaborate weddings; in Hannah’s own life, her parents’ marriage is crumbling. And somewhere in between these two extremes—just maybe—lie the answers to love’s most bewildering questions. But over the next decade and a half, as she moves from Philadelphia to Boston to Albuquerque, Hannah finds that the questions become more rather than less complicated: At what point can you no longer blame your adult failures on your messed-up childhood? Is settling for someone who’s not your soul mate an act of maturity or an admission of defeat? And if you move to another state for a guy who might not love you back, are you being plucky—or just pathetic? None of the relationships in Hannah’s life are without complications. There’s her father, whose stubbornness Hannah realizes she’s unfortunately inherited; her gorgeous cousin, Fig, whose misbehavior alternately intrigues and irritates Hannah; Henry, whom Hannah first falls for in college, while he’s dating Fig; and the boyfriends who love her more or less than she deserves, who adore her or break her heart. By the time she’s in her late twenties, Hannah has finally figured out what she wants most—but she doesn’t yet know whether she’ll find the courage to go after it. Full of honesty and humor, The Man of My Dreams is an unnervingly insightful and beautifully written examination of the outside forces and personal choices that make us who we are.
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"i just got done reading this book, which was unexpectedly moving. i'd read prep and thought it was good (i should note that i naturally gravitate toward fiction about young-ish women and their literary trials and tribulations - catharsis is a good thing), but i really thought this was a great book. for those who grew up in a dysfunctional household, much of what is written here will hit you to the core. good stuff."
— Faith (4 out of 5 stars)
The Man of My Dreams Listener Reviews
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" In an interview, Curtis Sittenfeld said that to her, Hannah (the main character of this book) and Lee Fiora (the main character of Prep) are completely different people. I have to add my voice to those who disagree with her. Maybe in Ms. Sittenfeld's head, this is the case, but from out here, they seem like exactly the same person. I found Lee unlikeable, and feel the same way about Hannah. "
— Cathy, 2/12/2014 -
" I actually would give this one 2 and half stars if that was an option. Hannah isn't a terribly dynamic character but some of her inner thoughts are interesting. "
— Lisa, 2/7/2014 -
" There's some go-quiet-women side of me that really wants to like Curtis Sittenfeld's books. But, everything she's served up thus far has been lukewarm. Curtis, I want to like you. "
— Anita, 2/2/2014 -
" I've always enjoyed Sittenfeld's novels of social isolation. I can imagine Hannah in The Man of My Dreams as an older Lee from Prep - still trying to find her place in the world. "
— Amanda, 1/29/2014 -
" I liked Prep, Curtis Sittenfeld's other novel, though I read it mindlessly on the beach. The Man of My Dreams was also mindless, but also pointless, and that was not what I was looking for. I had a really hard time finding a book that I was interested in reading after completing the Harry Potter series... "
— Dawn, 1/21/2014 -
" reminded me of Bridget Jones Diary-and had lots of memories of uncomfortable moments growing up. Her characters are all so socially dysfunctional-fun to read but after awhile I get sick of them. "
— Rosemary, 1/19/2014 -
" i really liked the beginning of this. as in prep, i could identify with the awkward, reclusive main character. once she suddenly became more confident, though, i was disappointed. "
— Lucy, 1/19/2014 -
" This was a cute fun read! "
— Dawn, 1/5/2014 -
" nothing to get too excited about. but i did want to keep readng to find out if Hannah ever got a man "
— Amanda, 1/5/2014 -
" I like this author's style, but she did not have here what she had in Prep. She picked an awful and unoriginal title. I eventually did get quite engaged with the book, and it does relay a nice message. "
— Audrey, 12/28/2013 -
" At points SO painful but overall an insightful book for the helping professional in me. Liked Prep and her other one better however.... "
— alexa, 12/25/2013 -
" Why does anyone pay this woman to write? She's a hardbound case of clinical depression. Run for the exits! "
— Jane, 12/17/2013 -
" After reading American Wife this felt like a huge letdown. "
— Kate, 11/25/2013 -
" 8/5 Just started this book....LOVED "Prep"--also by the same author, so I am looking forward to this one too! "
— Gretchen, 8/26/2013 -
" Mildly interesting for the slightly neurotic. How not to think about young love and getting to know about the opposite sex. I hope it's not typical of many relationships "
— barbara, 6/9/2013 -
" It is a quick read if one is craving a fast book. Prep was SO much better. If you want to read about unrequited love, read a period drama. "
— Susie, 5/31/2013 -
" Completely depressing...sorry, just didn't like it! "
— Candace, 10/3/2012 -
" Just all around lame. All she did s complain about how messed up her dad made her. And every guy she talked to was immediately her fantasy. Just weird. "
— Teel, 7/8/2012 -
" Curtis feels all the feelings I feel "
— Anna, 6/6/2012 -
" disappointing follow up to Prep "
— suzy, 5/19/2012 -
" How many times is Curtis Sittenfeld going to write Prep? Does it matter, if she does it so well? "
— Jessica, 12/7/2011 -
" great writing but a weak finish... "
— Suzanne, 10/27/2011 -
" I really did not like this book. I would give it a zero if I could. I might have just hit a slump in books but this one was not a winner! I read Prep and wasn't a fan and this might have turned me completely against reading anything else by the author. There was no point to the book. "
— Lori, 10/23/2011 -
" Better than Prep, in my opinion. "
— Shana, 9/21/2011 -
" loved this book! so funny. "
— Janie, 7/17/2011 -
" I love Curtis Sittenfeld - her style of writing takes you right into the character's mind. The main character is socially inept and overthinks everything, which causes her to make some very bad decisions about relationships. Although she annoyed me at times, I still really enjoyed the book. "
— Teena, 6/27/2011 -
" Thought she captured the feeling of being "the girl not chosen" extremely well - I enjoyed it. "
— Susan, 6/18/2011 -
" Not as good as her first book, Prep. It was a little slow to start, but then picked up a bit. Overall not a terrible read but not that interesting either. "
— Dianept, 6/3/2011 -
" Quick read with interesting characters. I found the main character Hannah annoyingly lovable. I enjoyed her evolution to a grown "mature" woman. "
— Linda, 4/7/2011 -
" Cute, easy read. I didn't like it as much as Prep, but it was still good. "
— Amanda, 3/30/2011 -
" <br/>This is a gift from my friend, Cherie. She's playing a prank at me and she put Manny Paquiao's picture at one page and she asked me to read the book wholeheartedly and I know that she's up to something. I peeked and saw the picture. She's crazy! "
— Nicole, 3/21/2011 -
" I read the whole thing in a day ... but I love Curtis, so it's not surprising. Not as good as her others, but still a lot better than most things I read! "
— Kasey, 3/19/2011 -
" I'm kinda disappointed about the ending. :( "
— mikha, 3/13/2011 -
" I do love Curtis Sittenfeld, she has proven herself to be a strong writer. This book just doesn't convey that message though. The storyline is semi-weak, the character development is blah..definitely not her best. "
— Hannah, 3/9/2011 -
" A great story, maybe even better than Prep. Her female characters are at once frustrating and refreshingly honest. Masterfully written ending with some really memorable lines. Very good travel read. "
— Jen, 3/1/2011 -
" in some ways, this feels like a sequel to prep. but whereas i loved prep, this never really did it for me. a quick and enjoyable read but i hazard a guess that a year from now, i won't remember a single detail except maybe that her father tried to force-feed her pasta. "
— Joanna, 1/26/2011
About Curtis Sittenfeld
Curtis Sittenfeld is the author of several New York Times bestselling works. Her short stories have appeared in the New Yorker, Washington Post magazine, Esquire, and The Best American Short Stories. Her nonfiction has been published in the New York Times, Atlantic, Time, and Glamour and have been broadcast on public radio’s This American Life. She is a graduate of Stanford and the Iowa Writer’s Workshop.
About Anne Heche
Anne Heche is an American actress. She has had leading roles in two theatrically released films Six Days, Seven Nights and Return to Paradise, as well as many supporting roles in films such as I Know What You Did Last Summer, Volcano, John Q, and Donnie Brasco. She also starred in the television series Men in Trees, Hung, and most recently Save Me.