Mad About: Marian Keyes (Week #1--This Charming Man)

 One of the reasons I've become mad about Marian Keyes is that she has the ability to take the most serious of issues & turn it into a story infused with a great deal of humor and warmth, i.e. Rachel's Holiday & Anybody Out There (both of which I'll tackle this month!). I enjoy laughing (and, I'll admit, a sniffle here and there) during these tales yet still walking away from them with something to think about...

Not so much with <-- this one.

The first week of Marian's Madness doesn't exactly start off on a high note with This Charming Man--

• Issue: Domestic Abuse
• Main Character: From perspective from of four women--- 1) Lola--a stylist; 2)Grace-- a journalist; 3) Marnie-- Grace's alcoholic sister, 4) Alicia--the fiancee of Paddy de Courcy, the center of this story.

Hands down, this book is the darkest of all of Keyes' fiction works. She takes no steps to tread lightly and, while the humor can be found here and there, is isn't prevalent. The love interests here aren't the main issue. The issue is how these women are changed by their experience with domestic abuse.

It's not my favorite Marian Keyes' book. Not at all. Lola's language is short & choppy, also written in the style of text message; this goes for everyone with whom she interacts. It's a bit difficult and slightly annoying as the book focuses a great deal on Lola's point of view.  I believe it serves Keyes' purpose because it does make Lola seem a bit flighty, making her the perfect foil to Grace, who is an ambitious journalist interested in nothing more than getting her story.

Marnie's plight is somewhat frightening. Her experience with de Courcy has fueled her alcoholism and her addicition is scary, to the point of blacking out and waking up beaten up and injured. Her journey is a tough one to read. Oh, and Paddy de Courcy? UGLY. I don't think there's a better way to describe this man. His behavior towards each woman is slowly revealed by flashbacks at the beginning of each chapter and it's gruesome.

This book was much grittier than I expected and rightfully so. Domestic abuse isn't a light-hearted issue. Keyes' tackles it well, however, while still providing us with a silver lining. This book is not the story of victims; it's the story of women finding the strength within themselves to deal with what life has handed them & for that I say well done. While I did say it's not my favorite of Marian Keyes' book, it is the most thought-provoking and I did enjoy it.

LitSnit Grade: A

Next week: A vlog (eek!) on Keyes' Walsh Family Series...

Happy Sunday! New Monthly (Weekend?) Feature!

See? I read, I read!

Ooh, hi guys! Long time, no post, right?

Oy. My apologies.

Back in November, I complained about struggling to find the time to read. You were all lovely enough to chime in on how you find the time to read, and these suggestions worked. I made the time...I took Meg's suggestion and started to read a bit before bed. I adapted to my LitSnit cohort Erin's technique and read while on the train. My lunch breaks became prime reading time when taken, per Aelia's advice.

Needless to say, I got a lot of reading done. I just never got a lot of writing or REVIEWING done.Arg.

So, as the weekend LitSnit poster, I've decided to start a monthly weekend series (catchy name to be announced) focusing on one particular author or series. Gives me a chance to cover the TONS of books I got to read, as well as learn more about the people I've grown to like! It will also, hopefully, give me the chance to learn about your likes and dislikes of them as well.

Marian Keyes

Our March (well, late February/March) author is none other than Marian Keyes. Now, I know she hasn't excatly had anything published recently (The Brightest Star in the Sky being her last new book, I believe) but last summer, I had the pleasure of reading Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married and loved it to the point of ordering several other books by her (both fiction and non-fiction), particularly falling in love with the Walsh sister series...so I'm really excited.

Do you have any favorite Marian Keyes books? Also, do you have any authors you'd recommend? Let me know!

Casting Call Friday — Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married by Marian Keyes

I've had a crazy week traveling all over for weddings and work trips, so I didn't know what my Casting Call pick was going to be until I thought back to my review of Bachelor Boys and realized none of us had cast Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married despite Janelle's glowing review a few months ago.  So, I've decided to remedy that.  I'll admit this is a hard one to cast.  I'm not entirely happy with my picks so I'm looking forward to seeing who you think should play Lucy and Daniel.

First, a synopsis (via Goodreads): What happens when a psychic tells Lucy that she'll be getting married within the year? Her roommates panic! What is going to happen to their blissful existence of eating take-out, drinking too much wine, bringing men home, and never vacuuming? Lucy reassures her friends that she's far too busy arguing with her mother and taking care of her irresponsible father to get married. And then there's the small matter of not even having a boyfriend.
But then Lucy meets gorgeous, unreliable Gus. Could he be the future Mr. Lucy Sullivan? Or could it be handsome Chuck? Or Daniel, the world's biggest flirt? Or even cute Jed, the new guy at work?
Maybe her friends have something to worry about after all....

Now onto the cast...

Lucy Sullivan — Lucy is 26 and hopeless in love.  She's self-deprecating and funny, but slides into "funks" now and then and is known for her moodiness.  She sees what she wants to see in her love life and family, often missing what's right in front of her...


Cast: Carey Mulligan 
Carey Mulligan is a bit young, but I think she's got the right look and "cheekiness" for Lucy.  Plus she can handle the more serious turns the character takes throughout the book.  Having her as Lucy will keep the story from going too "zany rom com" and keep some of the gravitas that makes this story great.

Daniel Watson — Daniel is Lucy's best friend and a notoroious womanizer.  He's not necessarily the most handsome man, but he's got oodles of charisma and charm.  He's always been there for Lucy and is often the voice of reason to Lucy's overactive imagination.


Cast: James McAvoy 
I'll admit, I love James McAvoy, but I'm not completely convinced he's the right fit for Daniel.  I think he's got the right charm and sweetness, but there's just something missing.  If I could combine him and Chris Pine into one human being, not only would I have created the perfect leading man, I think I'd have exactly what I'd envisioned Daniel as.

Karen — Karen is Lucy's bossy flatmate who never shies away from putting Lucy down and telling her the ugly truth saying it's "for her own good."  She's incredibly competitive and arrogant, but can be a good friend to Lucy (when it's convenient for her). 

Cast: Abbie Cornish 
This was another tough one.  Marian Keyes described both Karen and Charlotte as blonds so I wanted to keep Karen blond, even though I think Emily Blunt might make a good Karen (she's a lot like her character from The Devil Wears Prada), but I think Abbie Cornish might do a good job too.  She's got a lot of range and I'd be interested to see her do a more rom com type movie even if she's not the leading lady.



Charlotte —Charlotte is Lucy's other roommate.  She's a sweet, but spacey girl from outside London who's still trying to find her way in the city.  She's even more hapless in love than Lucy, but always tries to look on the bright side of things.

Cast: Rosamund Pike 

Rosamund Pike has the perfect mix of innocence and sultriness that epitomizes Charlotte.  She'd be a great pair to Abbie Cornish without getting lost in big personalities.  She was great as a wide-eyed waif in Pride and Prejudice and I think she could take that type of character up a notch here.

 

Gus—Gus is Lucy's Irish boyfriend who's great at mooching off other people and drinking.  He's fun and loves a good time, but isn't reliable and still acts like he's 18.


Cast: Chris O'Dowd

I love Chris O'Dowd from The IT Crowd.  He might be a bit goofy for the role, but be a great lovable overgrown child and you would understand why Lucy gets taken in by him.  He's got the right charm and affability for Gus.  Oh, and he's really Irish so points for that.

 

There are a lot of characters in Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married and, to be totally honest, I'm way too tired to cast them all, but I did want to mention my picks for Lucy's parents: Miranda Richardson and Jim Broadbent.  Though it might be because of Bridget Jones' Diary, Jim Broadbent has always been in my head as Mr. Sullivan when I read (and re-read) this book.  After much thought, Miranda Richardson would be good as the put-upon Mrs. Sullivan.

 

So What do you think?  I feel like I'm pretty wishy-washy about my picks so I'm eager to hear who you would cast in Marian Keyes awesome book!

Oh, and did you know this book has already been a TV show!?  I still have not dared to watch this entire thing with sound because I feel like it might destroy the book for me, but check it out.  It ran for a whole season and, yes, that is Gerard Butler as Gus!

Review - Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married by Marian Keyes

Lucy doesn't even have a boyfriend. (To be honest, she isn't that lucky in love.) But Mrs. Nolan-a local psychic-has read her tarot cards and predicted that Lucy will be walking down the aisle within the year.

Lucy's roommates, Karen and Charlotte, are appalled at the news. If Lucy leaves it could disrupt their wonderful lifestyle of eating take-out, drinking too much wine, bringing men home and never vacuuming. They might even have to-God forbid-clean up the apartment to lure in a new roommate. Lucy reassures them that she's far too busy arguing with her mother and taking care of her irresponsible father to get married.

And there's the small matter of no boyfriend. But then Lucy meets Gus, gorgeous, unreliable Gus. And she starts to wonder if he could be the future Mr. Lucy Sullivan. Or could it be handsome Chuck? Or Daniel, the world's biggest flirt? Or even cute Jed, the new boy at work?

Maybe the idea of Lucy Sullivan getting married isn't so unlikely, after all.

Review: Delicious. I can't think of any other word to use other than delicious.

Before this book, I would have declared myself a hardcore chick-lit fan. I can rattle of a list of writers from both the US and the UK. I can take pictures of my shelves showing rows and rows of chick-lit novels. I can preach to you about how I love the way Megan Crane speaks to women my age, the way Jennifer Crusie speaks to women my size, the way Jill Mansell makes me dream of the UK and all it has to offer. I was convinced I knew chick-lit inside and out.

Ha. Silly me. Enter Marian Keyes.

I had just finished Keyes' Sushi for Beginners and, while it mildly entertained me, it left me...well, for lack of a better word, bored. After sharing this with one of my LitSnit ladies, Erin, she recommended Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married, stating that it was her favorite Keyes' book. I almost turned it down but at the last-minute snatched it because I needed a book for the train.
THANK GOD.

From the first page Marian Keyes creates a world and cast of characters that you want to hold and never let go. Each character is complete, from the few appearances of a video rental clerk to Ms. Lucy Sullivan herself, with their own particular idiosyncrasies and stories. The author's commitment to this cast and this world is so great that from page one your eyes are STUCK. There are no pages you want to skip. There is no part you struggle to get through. There's no desire to put it down.

I will admit...there are chick-lit novels that will skim the surface and focus on a life that seems to consist of nothing but shopping, romance and glamour with no actual problems or conflicts. What Keyes' creates in this genre, is ART. While many moments of hilarity exist, this book is grounded in reality showing a great deal of emotional depth. Lucy is not your typical heroine. Sure, she is addicted to men who treat her wrong (who hasn't been at one time? ...don't answer that), has a love for clothes and a desire to party a great deal BUT Lucy also has an alcoholic father, a somewhat broken relationship with her mother and extremely low self-esteem. What I love about this book is that Marian Keyes attacks both sides equally leaving no stone left unturned.



I have read this book three times in the last two weeks. I have sat here for an entire week trying to figure out how to express how much I loved this book. From Lucy's romances to her roommates and coworkers, I have laughed out loud on the train, at home, at the park. Every time, it has been a wonderful ride.

Am I ridiculously gushing? Maybe. Am I serious? YES.

Lit Snit Verdict: A

Janelle's next book selection is Michael Chabon's The Mysteries of Pittsburgh.