A Promising Man (and About Time, Too)

This book should have been great but somehow missed the mark. The humor was not as funny as it could have been, there were too many secondary characters, and the leading man remained, to me, an unknown quantity to the end. The plot was almost non existent yet was unsatisfactory. The narrative was good (unless you hate 1st person) but still left me unsatisfied. Contemporary romantic comedy is a tough genre!

Elizabeth Young is the author who got me hooked on British chick lit with Asking For Trouble. Her use of "brit-speak" alone makes this book like her previous a funny and offbeat diversion for any American woman. I find myself "fancying" things and wanting "spots" of this and that. This story is about Harriet Gray, a twenty something Londoner, living with her three friends in the house left to her and her father by an elderly Aunt. Sally moved in after having her unexpected son Tom and Harriet seeing how attached Sally had become has put off the inevitable sale of the house while Sally gets oriented to motherhood and puts off rejoining the workforce. Jacko from Liverpool, her bestfriend from college has been staying since he had an accident and broke his arm, so he can be close to his physiotherapist, he is a wild been around the block type of bloke, who may fancy the swedish border who also lives there.Harriet hasn't had a proper boyfriend not to mention sex in months. When she meets John, a man she could just fancy rotten, she is dismayed by the fact that he is dating her old high school rival Nina, but then since he loaned her cab fare at their first meeting it would be rude not to take him out for a drink to repay him, wouldn't it? When sparks fly she's caught out of sorts, is he seeing Nina still or isn't he? When Christmas rolls around and she finds herself nursing him through the flu, she's starting to think the heck with Nina. Then through the gossip mill she starts getting all sorts of information about the Nina/John thing and she doesn't know what to think. Is John the Promising Man he seems when they are together or simply a smootharse, looking for a little on the side?This book is laugh out loud funny and doles out the warm and fuzzies as well. Definitely a good pick if you like Brit Chick lit. If you've not tried any yet, this would be a perfect starter.

I read Elizabeth Young's first novel Asking for Trouble and loved it, so I thought I would try this one! Harriett Grey is just your average London girl, though she has inherited half a house in Putney which she is living in with her best friends Sally & Jacko, Sally's infant son Tom, & Frieda, a Swedish girl who doesn't play a large part in the novel. The story begins with Harriett's friend Rosie telling her that Nina, an acquaintance they were at school with and hated because she was Little Miss Perfect and liked to lord it over them, has just been dumped by her boyfriend and she's put a private detective onto him because she just knows there's another woman. Harriett tells Rosie that she is the other woman and then the story goes into flashback mode to tell the story of how Harriett came to steal Nina's boyfriend! Or did she?This is not your average chick lit novel! Oh sure, the basic story line is there, but Ms. Young does such an excellent job of fleshing out the story and creating unique and intriguing characters that you can forgive the fact that there's not a huge twist on the usual plot. Ms. Young does an excellent job on her secondary characters - giving side plots that are almost as interesting as the main plot! Way to go and can't wait for the next one!

My title says it all. I really loved this book, but the ending was one of the most satisfying endings of books I've read in a long time. I've gone back and read the last few pages more than once, I admit. Lovely.My only caveat is that this is definitely a British book, written in modern British slang. Since I've made a few trips to the UK and have British friends, I was able to make my way through most of the slang, but I thought it was interesting that the blurb on the back makes no mention of its locale.But definitely: BUY THE BOOK!

Elizabeth Young writes fresh, intelligent, and fast-paced romantic comedy that is very difficult to find in the US, even with all the new authors that are cropping up. In this book, our heroine Harriet finds herself falling in love with a man she believes to be the beloved boyfriend of an old school chum. John seems so wonderful and sincere, Harriet's perfect man - but how can he be if he's cheating on his girlfriend. I can't begin to explain the slapstick plot, but it comes together so well. It's not all gimmicks, Young has a wonderful gift with words. The three snow scenes, in particular, are so vivid and well-written. (Not to mention romantic to the nth degree.) Of course, alls well that ends well, but getting there is so much fun. Buy this book - for more fun, check out Katie Fforde, Jill Mansell, Marian Keyes - and if you can find these authors, Christina Jones, Linda Taylor, Serena Mackesy. But definitely, read both of Elizabeth Young's.

Since I enjoyed her last book so much, I was DYING to pick up Elizabeth Young's new one. Well, she didn't disappoint. Just when you think that Ms. Young is going to fall into the same old brit chick lit template, there's an unexpected twist. When I thought I had Harriet and her friends sorted, something would pop up and make me go "hmmmmmmm". Great book!