This Charming Man - Review

This book is FANTSTIC!! I couldn't put it down, and managed to read it in two days - no mean feat, considering its almost 900 pages long.

My first attempt at it was actually by listening to it on audiobook, and I really struggled with it. Possibly because of trying to listening to it at odd times, and not really managing to focus on it properly, but I gave up after around the other night.

I've been a fan of Marian Keyes for a while, so I saw the book on offer in Waterstones, and decided to give it another try, and I'm so glad I did!

It starts off like a fairly typical 'chick-lit' kinda story. Lola's boyfriend, politician Paddy de Courcy, has announced he's getting married... but the bride isn't Lola! She leaves Dublin to lick her wounds, and the story is told from the point of view of Lola, Grace, Marnie and Alicia. All know Paddy, and all have a dark secret related to him.

This is a very well told story. I did find some parts, particulary Marnie's, hard to read, as she is descending into alcoholism. This is something that Marian Keyes has struggled with herself, and those parts of the story are very hard hitting.

I would recommend this book to anyone, but it is not as light-hearted as it may seem, none of Marian Keyes's books are! Critics seem to have a tendency to write them off, but many of them deal with serious issues, albeit in a humourous way. I found many parts of this book extremely funny, but it had a lot of impact also.