I Like It Like That

After finishing "Love is a four-letter-word" in a matter of hours, I immediately ordered Claire Calman's other books. "I like it like that" was the one I got to first, & in many ways it didn't disappoint. But if I were to be honest, I'd have to agree with other reviewers- "Love is a four-letter-word" is a little bit better. And I think, for a very simple reason: Bella & Will are both drawn really clarly in that book, with us knowing them well when we get to the last page. On the other hand, here, in "I like it like that", we get to know Georgia, Ellen & the whole family well...but not Leo or Stephen. OK, the story: Georgia is a counsellor, lives in a tinier-than-tiny flat in London, has a great big noisy, chaotic but lovely family & a fiance who's the complete opposite: Stephen is uptight, pretentious, bossy, predictable, organized & tidy & worst of all boring. Georgia is also a perfectionist & a tidiness-freak, but apart from that, I couldn't really see (during the whole book) what on earth she found in Stephen, especially after she'd met Leo the Wonderful. That's basically why I felt the 2 men (as another reviewer mentioned) were kind of like plot devices. Not that this makes the book less enjoyable. It's just that "Love is a four-letter-word" was much more special. What's really good about this book is Georgia's family. Georgia, Ellen & Matt have lost their mother when they were 10, & since then Georgia has kind of taken up the role of being the perfect, mother-like one (that explains her relationship with her younger sister). The book describes, in wonderful detail, the complicated relationship between Georgia & Ellen, & also between Georgia & her long-gone mother. These relationships are the strength of the book, & yes, of course, also the relationship between Georgia & Leo. Which, for my taste, develops in maddeningly slow pace, for no reason whatsoever ( & Stephen doesn't count as a reason). This kind of book is pure, undiluted fun & Claire Calman will go on writing, I hope, for years & years, giving us books such as these for those long, gloomy, rainy days.

This book was wonderful, sometimes in life you need to do what makes you happy and not what is most practical. This family is like many others and all of Georgia's events are countlessly funny. this book teaches you to LIVE A LOT! Wonderful, highly recommended

I have to say that being 19 i was a little skeptical about reading a book about a 34 year old and 39 year old, but once o I started reading I could not put this book down! Its filled with crazy british humor. The main character is unique and quirky and you cant help but fall in love with. The book starts off with Georgia in a life that she thought she wanted only to relize its far from it. This book is cute, funny, sad and breath taking! i recomend it to everyone!I cant wait to read more of Claire Calman's books!