Adelle WaldmanCritiques

This book is about people. As the story moves along it reveals more and more details about each of the main characters making them into very well-rounded and sympathetic characters. At the end of the book, the reader is left with feelings of affection for each of them.

This book is also about teams at work and shows how slight changes can affect the entire team's spirit. The book is therefore interesting for anyone who has worked closely in a team or managed a team.

This is the first time I have read Adelle Waldman and I greatly enjoyed the book. The subject matter is one that needs to done more often. That is about the working poor in our country. The story takes place now and is in Potterstown New York which is a an upstate town that has seen better days. It used to have IBM but they left and now jobs etc are scarce. Town Square is a big retail Walmart type store that contains all the negative things we think of about modern big store retail. The employees of the "Movement" group which is a cute corporate name for logistics and a group of people just trying to keep their lives together. They are low wage non-union people that due to managements policy of keeping hours down to prevent overtime and having to pay benefits need food stamps, second jobs, and hopefully living in their parents spare rooms to make life go. There are adults with kids, ex-spouses, absent parents etc. All the negative things that can go wrong at this end of economic hierarchy are dealt with in the book. Waldman introduces the team and gives the reader a real look into this lives of people that have to deal with each day being a struggle. She does this with humor and insight. You really get to learn about life in this environment and how even a glimmer of hope is grabbed on to in order to get them through the day. This is a worthwhile read, both funny, sad, and educational. I will be sure to get her first novel and am glad to be introduced to this author.½

I found this story of New York writers offensive and boring. I did not appreciate Nathaniel's negative characteristics as being described as typically Jewish. I read the whole book expecting a surprise ending, which did not appear. I was guided by one reviewer who said she was not familiar with pop culture (nor am I), but the surprise ending made the experience worthwhile. I felt the final page was more of the tedious same. I was sorry to learn of the negative aspects of book publishing. The author obviously enjoyed her experience much more than this reader did.

Ouch! (laughing)

Nostalgia is a powerful force. I say this by way of preface to my review of this book because I am not able to say with any certainty how much of my positive reaction to this book is based on nostalgia and how much is solely based on the book individually, but in the end I don’t really care. I really enjoyed this book a lot, way more than I expected to. It reminded me of a bunch of books I read back in the late 80’s and early 90’s (hence the nostalgia warning) by authors like Bret Easton Ellis, Jay McInnerney, and Tama Janowitz about not entirely (or even marginally) likeable characters, usually living in NYC, and often in the publishing industry. I especially devoured those when I lived in NYC in the early 90’s.

This book had that feel and tone but had it in a fresh, new, and up to date way. I do not read fiction to read only about nice people who act PERFECTLY and do nice things (it’s nice to be nice to the nice!). I read fiction to be immersed in characters, situations, and plot, and this book did that wonderfully. Yes, the narrator is a somewhat immature 30-something who (gasp) does not treat the women in his life as well as one might want. However, I didn’t find him nearly as objectionable or horrible and advance chatter lead me to expect. I would say that if one looks at the women in this book and then wrote from their point of view, they would not come off all that much better. This is a book about flawed people folks, in other words realistic human beings.

I thought that all the characters were nuanced and well rounded, the scene was set very well, even though it has been 20 years now since I lived in NYC I was able to understand and visualize where the action was taking place. The story isn’t one that covers a lot of ground, but to me that is integral to the feeling of the book. The characters, especially Nathaniel P., are somewhat aimless and still figuring it out. I can identify with that!

Anyway, my review is my review. To me, this was easily a five star book and my final conclusion is that this is based on the book, not just on the nostalgia value. If you get incensed at people behaving like people in your books and not being perfect, then you should probably avoid it and read some Disney book.

My rating would be higher but I had such a deep loathing for the protagonist that I just couldn't. I did finish listening to it which says something. Also the voice the narrator used when he was voicing female characters was borderline offensive, maybe crossing the border to downright.

The author has a preternaturally mature insight into human psychology which normally comes from authors much older. But older authors then have trouble writing about a different generation. This is an indepth insight into a certain generation in a certain social milieu (the publishing world of NYC) and it feels very, very real. I'm sure I've met Nate in a different permutation.

There was a casual reference to Aspergers which was wholly unnecessary and slightly ableist. I don't feel comfortable giving this five stars without that one tiny caveat.

This book had potential. So much potential. Unfortunately, I got lost in looking up all the $5 words the author used in order to convey her point. I get annoyed when authors use a lot of overly fancy words to say what they want to say. I get that the main character was kind of a pretentious douche and maybe that's what the $5 words were for but it was quite a turn off. I also really didn't like the ending or the main character so I'm probably not one of the better people to talk to about this book.

this book's tl;dr is that men are gargbage lol

Well, that was unexpected. Despite numerous trustworthy people spruiking this book to me, I was unpersuaded. And then I started reading. And the first chapter was cringe inducing. "Justin, why do novelists insist," Justin asked himself, "on pretending that people call each other by their name every time they address a statement to someone?"

That was the last negative thought I had about the book. And I had to throw that one out the window, too, because the next time someone unnecessarily used a name was towards the end. That made it very clear that naming happened only when Nathaniel P. was extremely uncomfortable, feeling guilty, and trying to deflect that guilt. My bad.

Now, before I slaver on too much, know that this book is not for everyone. The Jane Austen comparisons seem entirely accurate, since Austen wasn't for everyone until her books had been marketed into the shape of an empire waist and a cravat: she was, and is, snarky, intellectual, ironic, and completely unwilling to let you think entirely well of any of her characters. Waldman is like that, and like Mary McCarthy, too. This is a wonderful thing. But if you really need a character who is always morally right and emotionally affecting, this is not the place. If you, as I do, think that books about dating are incredibly boring, this might not be the book for you, either.*

It is also deeply polemical and of/in tension with its moment. I found it productive, because I too am of/deeply in tension with this moment. Like Nate, I grew up into male feminism. Like Nate, I am deeply impressed with my own intellect. And Waldman achieves what a million blogs cannot, viz., forces young men such as myself to think through our commitments to gender equality. I like to think I come through not too bad. Maybe a 7/10. "Should try harder," writes my teacher.

But the real target of the book are those men and women who are failing; who don't just need to try harder--they (we?) need to completely rethink the way we approach political issues, and alter our habits. To put it a bit too glibly, Nate says all the right things, would never utter a sexist statement, would never have a sexist thought that he didn't immediately correct, but is still morally repulsive, because he's incapable of linking his political/social conscience to his personal conduct. Nate is a male feminist. He is also a prick. Not amount of literary-world writing and conversation will change that. If the book was really up to date, Nate would have been writing for websites about privilege, issuing meae culpae at every turn, apologizing for his skin color and genitalia. And he would still be a prick. Because language is not deeds.

Also, I want to re-read the thing. I want to be hang out with the characters again. I want to share a beer with Hannah while she talk shit about Nate, and another one with Aurit (which I just realized I can do thanks to the ambivalent wonders of Kindle), and another one with Jason and then talk shit about Jason with someone else etc... This is noteworthy because I don't care at all about this kind of thing, in general. But Waldman made it work for me. Again, see caveat about this not being true for everyone.

* Part of the excellence of LANP is that Waldman treats issues like this in the text, so you (I) have to think about why I'm not usually impressed by books about dating (or, more generally, love). Am I, like Nathaniel, writing off personal experiences like this because I'm a closet misogynist? I hope not. In any case, the novel's reflexivity is very welcome, and another mark in its favor.

I love a good character-driven novel, and this did not disappoint. Adelle Waldman did a great job of getting into the head of a selfish 30-something obsessed with his liberal guilt, being viewed as a success, and thin women. He would be very easy to hate, but the author manages to make him sympathetic by sharing the circuitous path that takes him to his thoughtless-sounding words. I really liked the discrepancy between what we knew was going on in Nate's head compared with what he actually said. Overall, a light but thought-provoking read that made me more grateful than ever that I'm not part of the "upper-middle class" publishing world in Brooklyn. Blech.

I concede the author does a great job getting inside Nathaniel's head. However he's a total jerk and I really did not enjoy being in there. The end was disappointing.

Deeply unsettling.

Nathaniel P. is a writer/hipster, living, writing and dating in Brooklyn. After a child-hood spent on the periphery of the cool kids, in his late twenties he's found that he is now one of the cool kids. He is a serial monogamist, who can't quite seem to find 'the one.' Quite possibly, because there isn't anyone who could possibly live up to his ideal. Especially, as he is not at all sure what that ideal would be.

As the novel opens, we meet two of his exes in rapid succession. Both of whom seem needy and clingy. Then he meets, and eventually enters a relationship with Hannah. Hannah is not needy or clingy. In Nate's eyes, she has everything he is looking for. At least for a time. The problem is, Nate isn't happy with what he says he most values in a mate. He becomes withdrawn and distant. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In response to his withdrawal, Hannah becomes needier, seeking the light he initially bestowed upon her.

Many reviewers have been turned off by this book because they dislike the protagonist. While, he's not someone I'd want to go to dinner with, I definitely felt I knew him. I enjoyed this well-written book and it's take on modern dating.

Waldman is an extremely deft writer. She would have to be to keep me reading about the pangs and travails of a narcissist whose every thought occasions myriad questionings of his intentions and ramifications of same. Gets tiresome after a while but she's also very good at characterization and if the scenes take place nearly all in the pre-gentrified apartments and uber-gentrified coffee shops and restaurants of Brooklyn, Waldman is nevertheless an astute chronicler of literary New York.

Was it wrong of me to expect one hell of a novel behind that lovely jacket? The answer, it turns out, is yes! When they say one should not judge a book by its cover, it is not for nothing. Lesson learnt!

The protagonist of Adelle Waldman debut; Nathaniel Piven, “Nate” is a 30 something writer who has almost made his name in the literary world by selling his book for a considerable sum of money. The way Adelle Waldman puts it, Nate is a “product of a postfeminist, 1980s childhood and politically correct, 1990s college education.” So it is natural women would dig this tall, good looking guy, at least until they realize what an “asshole” he is!

The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. focuses mainly on one of Nate’s relationships, although we get a glimpse of his past relationships and the girl who comes after the ‘main plot’ briefly. We discover the real Nate, both shallow and obnoxious, waiting to spring to life as we read the novel. And when he does, to my utmost annoyance, most of the women around him reduce into tears and stop being themselves! Not that many of the women he dated are the kind who would leave an impression, after all Adelle’s portraits of them made me feel like these women haven’t had an original thought in a long time.😐

The dust jacket of the book is full of praise for The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. Adelle Waldman is apparently “deliciously funny and very witty” and I somehow missed all that! Maybe if she had included more dialogues I would have agreed with them, but for me, this book is just way too bland.

And I feel like I spent too much time reading about some callow man who refuses change his ways, without a single takeaway! Sigh!

Had ergens een fragment uit dit boek gelezen, dat me erg aansprak. Maar het boek zelf vond ik uiteindelijk nogal saai.

Incisive gender-bending narration; not wowed by the prose itself. Cut a bit close to home.

A very disappointing read. I can't believe how good the reviews have been. It reads like a male version of Sex in the City only without the humour and with much less interesting characters. Being so rigidly stuck in the world of publishing, the novel is an exercise in navel-gazing. The main character is irritating self-centred and boring which may be what the author intended but, if so, does not make for an interesting novel.

Some other reviewers have given this a low mark because the main character is kind of a unlikeable. Talk about missing the point! This is a forensic dismembering of a certain kind of creative, vaguely feminist, intellectual jerk - and it's note perfect. Brutal, sometimes funny and engagingly written.

female author's male analysis based on personal experience; her vindication?

2.5 stars.
As the title suggests, this book is about Nathaniel P and his love affairs. Nate is a Harvard educated, writer living in Brooklyn in the midst of a burgeoning literary scene. He is smart but self-absorbed, lacking empathy and generally just a class A jerk. The reader spends the book inside his head as he becomes involved with a number of women. So, we learn what he thinks about the various women he dates and it's usually not pleasant.

I disliked the book. I felt like I was reading trashy book but with really good writing. I get that she was trying make some intelligent commentary of sexism and modern relationships but the commentary felt overly simplistic and so stereotyped that it weakened the message (for me). Nate was so simplistically dislikable that he did not feel believable to me as the representation of the modern, male intellectual.

I did like the numerous literary references and was amused by some of the conversation between Nate and his friends. I also felt like it did capture some elements of the New York literary scene fairly well.

My biggest qualm, at the end of the day, is that the book has a perfunctoriness towards the end. There is a sense that Nate has emerged unscathed and his life goes on nearly unaware of the trouble left in his wake. Of course, that could be said about most of us - but our lives, like Nate's, continue on. It's hard to find a satisfying 'ending' when the story keeps going after the book is over. But if the book finishes not unlike the Hannah/Nate love affair, isn't that also an interesting authorial trick? Plus, you're not reading this book for the ending - you're reading it for the writing, for the incisive social commentary, and for the delightful sense of spending a bit of time inside the head of someone who probably seems not unlike somebody you know.

More at Raging Biblioholism: http://ragingbiblioholism.com/2014/02/09/the-love-affairs-of-nathaniel-p

A book every single should read and reread.

"Nate had not always been the kind of guy women called an asshole. Only recently had he been popular enough to inspire such ill will."

With this, readers are introduced to Nate Piven: an up-and-coming Brooklyn writer with a book deal in his pocket and a long history of failed relationships. Nate wears his badge of progressive, politically correct manhood with pride, but repeatedly finds himself disappointing the women around him as he is searches for contentment, both in and out of love.

From its blurb, The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. sounds like another story to toss on the stacks of books and movies that attempt to unravel young adulthood and fear of commitment. But pigeonholing the book would be a huge disservice to Waldman and the smart, careful work she’s done. Though Waldman uses Nate’s relationships as her lens, The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. is much more a study of a generation of young men than it is an examination of love and sex.

Throughout the novel, Nate struggles to meld the conflicting beliefs of his parents, peers and lovers to form a future for himself, regularly questioning which group is right. As he stumbles, Waldman is able to make readers feel both searingly critical and quietly understanding of Nate, who begins to represent much more than his hunt for love. With a hilariously truthful voice, The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. brilliantly peels apart the vastly different layers that make up the complexities new adulthood.

Blog: River City Reading