Making Minty Malone

Rating:
Summary: A bit too predictable
Review: Although the story was a lighthearted one, it was a bit too predictable. The characters were superficial and not terribly endearing. I found it difficult to sympathize with Minty especially when she made that trip to LA. I completed this book, but wish the story had more depth.

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous- couldn't put it down
Review: I bought this book based on the fact that other Amazon.com customers recommended it. Kudos, guys! As with "Bridget Jones" and "Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married", I devoured this book in no time flat (which is saying something, since I have 2 kids under the age of 3 and rarely have quality reading time). Araminta- Minty, for short- is standing at the altar when her fiance Dominic answers the "will you take this woman" bit with a resounding "no". What is Minty to do after she watches him walk calmly out of the church and her life? Take her 280 guests to the reception hall for a depressing dinner. Minty and her maid of honor decide to hightail it to the honeymoon suite in Paris to nurse Minty's broken heart and help her decide where to go from here. Little did Minty expect to meet handsome Joe, the London writer who is also on holiday. Will she take Joe up on his offer to call her once they return home? What WILL this London FM reporter do now that Dominic has dumped and humiliated her? She'll take a good, hard look at her life, herself, and her bogus job where her co-corkers take advantage of her. She'll realize through "The Nice Factor" that being nice to a fault has led her to many of the circumstances she's in, and more importantly, she'll finally understand that being dumped by Dominic was the only good thing he ever did for her. A wonderful read, with many references (not the least of which is a phone-in call from Ms. Tiffany Trott herself- an added bonus to those who read Wolff's first novel "The Trials of Tiffany Trott")you'll love and recognize. Enjoyable throughout!

Rating:
Summary: Lighthearted British Romantic Comedy
Review: Books like this one are the film equivalents of When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle. They are slices cut out of life, full of humor, love, and sometimes a little pain. Making Minty Malone is one of these slices, often compared to Bridget Jones' Diary, the most famous of the popular "single gal in London dealing with men, family, and life in general in a stream of consciousness way" genre. You won't find any finely wrought similies, you won't find philosophical musings on the meaning of life. But that's ok. Making Minty Malone is a fun read, full of clever characters and interesting plot turns. It is one of those books that's difficult to put down, one of those books where you feel chummy with the characters. I also recommend Marian Keyes if you liked this one, and a more obscure title, Run, Catch, Kiss. An enjoyable gal read.

Rating:
Summary: A fun read
Review: A very distancing, oddly chatty first person style is overcome by fine characterization and lively, comic situations. The secondaries are often more fun than the main characters. I would have liked more time devoted to Minty's blossoming romance(a better balance between romance and comedy) but as it is, an amusing read and lively way to pass an afternoon. I'll look for more from Isabel Wolfe.

Rating:
Summary: Please steer clear- or at least get it from the library!
Review: I am very disappointed that I paid money for this book. While being jilted by one's fiance at the alter is a terrible thing, Minty's constant self-pity and "niceness" (the overcoming of which forms the central theme of the novel) were grating, the main secondary characters were either lame ducks or shrew-like cariacatures....There is nothing redeeming or sweet about Minty or her cousin Amber (well, Amber comes around at the end) and you get the sense that all the other male characters in the book (aside from Dominic) would be far better off without these women, so little do they have to offer.

Rating:
Summary: I just want to say...
Review: that this is a great book. I couldn't sleep at night - I just had to know what would happen next. Making Minty Malone is better than The Trials of Tiffany Trott. Get it!

Rating:
Summary: Warning: this book could be addictive!
Review: Dumped. Ditched. Deserted. Jilted. Minty Malone's ultimate nightmare comes true. Her fiance, Dominic, has run off on their wedding day. Minty, a sweet-mannered radio reporter, is suddenly single. After having suffered a mild nervous breakdown, she decides to improve her life. She is a pushover; everyone walks all over her. Well, no more Miss Nice Guy. With the help of her novelist cousin Amber, Minty throws the bouquet over a bridge, demands a promotion at work, and attends meetings that will help her overcome her sweet temper. In the process of a complete emotional transformation, she meets a charming novelist and screenwriter named Joe. But will she ever get over Dominic? And will she give love another chance? I couldn't put this book down. The wit, charm, humor, and compelling characters make this single-at-thirty-living-in-London novel utterly irresistible. I wanted to indulge in this book the same away I indulge in a delicious strawberry cheesecake. It is, without a doubt, addictive. Having said this, you should know how to handle it. Don't say I hadn't warned you!

Rating:
Summary: Minty is Marvelous
Review: I enjoyed Minty Malone evn more than I enjoyed Tiffany Trott. This novel is accessable and realistic. It was especially interesting to explore the idea that women are sometimes in love with being in love. And all of us should be made (once in a while) to face the shallow part of our personalities. Minty is a character who is familiar to many of us. She can't say what she really feels and tries to be nice all of the time. I read this novel in about two days, while traveling, and it sure made the plane rides fly by. READ THIS BOOK if you can laugh at yourself.

Rating:
Summary: VERY FUNNY AND THOUGHTFUL TOO
Review: I really loved Tiffany Trott, and was worried that Minty Malone might not be as funny - but it is. It's also got a bit more depth, as Minty struggles to come to terms with the fact that she is complicit in Dominic's awful treatment of her. But basically this is another very polished comedy - the plot slightly better developed than Tiffany, with a host of really vibrant characters. I loved Tiffany's charity-addicted mother, in particular, and her dreaded cousin Amber who seems SO bossy to begin with but turns out to have a heart of gold in the end. Another laugh-out-loud comedy then, but with a little more thoughtfulness than Tiffany. As one of the other reviewers has said - take the day off work - and enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Great Fun - Good Point
Review: I must confess that I love the recent proliferation of books about single, witty, professional, English women. I adored both of the Bridget Jones books and Tiffany Trott. Although I laughed my way through all of these books, I do have to say that I prefer Isabel Wolff's main characters over Bridget Jones. Bridget is a comic delight, but never can become quite real to me. Whereas Tiffany and Minty seem like real women one might meet at a conference or a book store. Minty is like many women and has a distinct dislike for confrontation and suffers from extreme "niceness". Minty's problems begins quite innocently with small changes she agrees to make to keep her fiance happy, later she discovers that she has bent over backwards, turned herself inside out and very little of the "true" Minty remains. This happens right away in the book and the rest of the story centers around the steps Minty goes through to find herself again and be happy. The supporting characters are great and although this book is a fast and hilarious read, I think that there is a subtle truth in the story that is very appealing.