The Old Romantic Audiobook (Unabridged)

" Marginal at best but it did have its funny moments. It just wasn't one of those books you're anxious to get back to reading. Maybe a 4 on my scale of 10. "

" Quite funny, the characters are all, well, characters. Makes you think about perspective and the past, and how when you are ging through something your perspective is so skewed by the immediacy of the emotion and how the further past an event (or a life) you get the more you can reflect on it, probably gild it up a bit, but ultimately get something valuable from something that felt so horrible, or unbearable, in the moment. "

" Dean asks the big questions about love, commitment, and the changing boundaries among family members in this exploration of marriage and family. While critics generally agreed that The Old Romantic is light on plot, they nonetheless described it as a barbed social satire on class, love, and marriage in its various forms. Dean also offers many revelatory moments, though the Minneapolis Star Tribune thought that her insights, many as they are, lacked an emotional core. Despite that criticism, reviewers generally praised this story of family dysfunction, reunion, and, ultimately, of the quest for happiness and fulfillment. This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine. "

" This book is horrible. I couldn't distinguish the characters apart. Ms. Dean doesn't go by the rules for indention of paragraphs or punctuation so most of the time I couldn't even decipher who was talking. I read 50 pages and quit -- something I never do. Don't waste your money. "

" Difficult read. A little to British for me, but I got through it and felt it had enough good points to give it 3 stars. "

" Easy read. Set in England, a tale of a father and middle aged son and how each copes with growing old. "

" I enjoyed this book. It's not an easy read for Americans because it is decidedly British and doesn't pander to American tastes. I really enjoyed it, being an Anglophile! Great characters! "

" not quite sure what was supposed to be so good about this. The first half was all misery and then, suddenly everyone figures it all out and life gets better? WTF. "

" Honestly, I can say this was a really good book and i enjoyed reading it.(: "

" This could have been good. Disappointing read "

" The writing is sublime! I could not put it down. "

" Very, very dull, dull, dull... "

" 1 star it is: I didn't like it. "

" Brilliant. She's great with pithy characters. I don't undertsand the jacket comparison to Updike though -- she's so much better! "

" I seem to remember that the New York Times Book Review gave this book a good review, but I found it mostly disappointing. It seemed like a caricature of a dysfunctional family, without the benefit of good satire. At least it was a fast read. "

" I got 3/4 though just wanting wanting wanting to get carried away with this book. I loved the dialogue but the action and expository info drove me bonkers. I couldn't follow and there was something dragging about it. ugh. maybe it's just me. "

" Totally, thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end. "

" Slow going at first, such an unlikable lot. About 2/3 in I wanted to know where they were going and even kinda liked a couple of them a bit! "

" Quirky characters made me laugh & made me think. "

" Writing was excellent. Loved the characters in this very dysfunctional family contemporary family. This would have been fun to listen to for the British accent and slang. We are left with hope in the end. "

" When i look back on this book, i think it was actually pretty good. Left me with a good feeling at the end. "

" If this is supposed to be funny, I missed the humor. I couldn't get into this book. The writing, the plot, they all sounded better in theory! "

" The characters are sharply and perceptively drawn; the dialogue is believable and yet engaging; the descriptions are deft. It's hard to find fault with this book. "

" I enjoyed this book. It's not an easy read for Americans because it is decidedly British and doesn't pander to American tastes. I really enjoyed it, being an Anglophile! Great characters! "

" Writing was excellent. Loved the characters in this very dysfunctional family contemporary family. This would have been fun to listen to for the British accent and slang. We are left with hope in the end. "

" Easy read. Set in England, a tale of a father and middle aged son and how each copes with growing old. "

" Quirky characters made me laugh & made me think. "

" This book is horrible. I couldn't distinguish the characters apart. Ms. Dean doesn't go by the rules for indention of paragraphs or punctuation so most of the time I couldn't even decipher who was talking. I read 50 pages and quit -- something I never do. Don't waste your money. "

" The writing is sublime! I could not put it down. "

" I got 3/4 though just wanting wanting wanting to get carried away with this book. I loved the dialogue but the action and expository info drove me bonkers. I couldn't follow and there was something dragging about it. ugh. maybe it's just me. "

" not quite sure what was supposed to be so good about this. The first half was all misery and then, suddenly everyone figures it all out and life gets better? WTF. "