Rating: 
Summary: One of the worst books I have read in a very long time
Review: I found this novel to be nothing more than loosely thrown together characters immersed in a weak and scattered plot. The only character I could even remotely identify with was Pierre, and this was only because he was dropped into the middle of Nebraska, not really understanding what was going on around him - exactly the way I felt throughout most of this book. This story has no soul, no heart, and isn't worth the few hours it takes to wade through it.
Rating: 
Summary: Ron Hansen can write in all genres
Review: I've really enjoyed Ron Hansen's novels and non-fiction. A Stay Against Confusion was particularly meaningful to me. Then he writes one of the funniest novels I've read in a long time. Truly you will laugh out loud as others have said.
The people in this novel are true stock characters and yet they seem real; the reader will want everyone to be happy at the end of all the comedy.
I really don't want a movie made of this: the descriptions suffice. What a talent is Professor Hansen!
Rating: 
Summary: It IS an entertainment!
Review: It's right there in the title for Pete's sake! This book is a departure from Ron Hansen's usually more literary works, in much the same way Grisham and Balducci left their genres to write literary books and Christmas themed books. I read Isn't it Romantic on an airplane trip and couldn't wait to turn it over to my husband so we could talk about it. I cracked up throughout the whole thing, especially when Owen says to Pierre that "This chicken tastes just like frog". I want this book produced as a movie because it has all the potential for hilarity if cast well.This book is not a grade B work by Hansen, it's a unique little delight, something we can all appreciate from time to time.
Rating:
Summary: a fun farce!
Review: Natalie is a Frenchwoman whose grandmother loved all things American, due to D-Day. When her fiancee Pierre shows waywardness, natalie books herself on a vacation in the USA, on a coach traveling across the Midwest. Pierre catches up with her after discovering her itinerary, and the two find themselevs in Seldom, Nebraska, population 365. They are just in time for a festival called the Revels celebrating France, and out-of-towners are always crowned King and Queen. So it comes to be that the French couple, in the midst of their fight, become part of this small-town. Natalie gives Pierre till noon on Saturday to decide if he can give up other women and marry her. Pierre becomes the object of affection to a waitress, and a drinking buddy to the local football fans. Natalie thinks she loves the soccer coach, whom the waitress used to like .... The great thing about this book is none of the chcracters are drawn as hokey and trite. They are drawn as real-people. I was reminded of Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest with the mix-ups in couple's affections. It is a cute little read. Highly enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: What to do when your screenplay is rejected?
Review: Release it as a novel. "Isn't it Romantic" is a tossed-off collection of cliches and stereotypes, made even more disappointing by the comic potential that bubbles below the turgid dialogue. Why make the effort, Hansen apparently felt, to create realistic characters when Billy Bob Thornton and Liv Tyler can provide all the accent and color that the writing lacks?
Rating:
Summary: French Farce Nebraska Style
Review: Ron Hansen's latest novel is a departure from his previous historical novels, but Hansen never ceases to entertain. The characters are extraordinary and hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud and wishing there were someone in the room to whom I could read several sections aloud. I can picture this novel as a movie. The slamming doors of the boarding house on the night of the "Revels" seems right out of Moliere. I've always enjoyed Ron Hansen's writing, and this comic novel does not disappoint.
Rating: 
Summary: Isn't it Terrible
Review: This book is fun, funny and light-hearted. I enjoyed it very much. It will make a great chick-flick. It's a little like Lake Wobegon, and a little like Mitford, with a french couple thrown in for flavor. My only problem with this book is that it left me wanting more, which is not always a bad thing. I would have liked a little more detail in some areas. It is very short and would make for a great day of reading at the beach.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious
Review: This is the funniest novel I've read in a long time. Hansen's a positively great writer; there's nothing he can't do well; and this book is no exception. A laugh-out-loud riot with fantastic characters and dialogue.
Rating:
Summary: A hilarious French romp through the Midwest...
Review: This is the only book I've ever read that reads just like a movie script -- and this is a good thing! Ron Hansen has written an exciting, hilarious story that would fit perfectly on a movie screen without having to chop out any scenes. I loved it; it was entertainment at its finest. Isn't it Romantic? tells the story of a French couple, Natalie Clairevoux, and her fiance, Pierre Smith, as they journey across America on a bus tour. Natalie, fed up with Pierre's loverboy ways, has decided to take the vacation of her dreams -- alone. But Pierre tracks her down in Omaha, wondering what in the heck? Pierre's cosmopolitian, European self doesn't belong amidst Midwest corn fields, so certainly this vacation of Natalie's must be a joke, right? Some sort of punishment for his waywardness? Then the bus breaks down in Seldom, Nebraska -- population 395 -- and the fun really begins. Stranded in the middle of nowhere, Natalie and Pierre are taken in by the friendly, quirky residents of this sleepy, peaceful town. I laughed so much at the madcap scenes in this book. I can totally visualize the actions in my head in perfect detail. The citizens of Seldom are one of a kind, especially Owen, who has dreams of marketing his Nebraska wine, and Carlo, the cook at the café, who embarks on a matchmaking mission. Ron Hansen did an incredible job bringing these characters to life, and I will be looking for the movie adaptation in the future (hopefully!).
Rating:
Summary: A hilarious French romp through the Midwest...
Review: This is the only book I've ever read that reads just like a movie script -- and this is a good thing! Ron Hansen has written an exciting, hilarious story that would fit perfectly on a movie screen without having to chop out any scenes. I loved it; it was entertainment at its finest. Isn't it Romantic? tells the story of a French couple, Natalie Clairevoux, and her fiance, Pierre Smith, as they journey across America on a bus tour. Natalie, fed up with Pierre's loverboy ways, has decided to take the vacation of her dreams -- alone. But Pierre tracks her down in Omaha, wondering what in the heck? Pierre's cosmopolitian, European self doesn't belong amidst Midwest corn fields, so certainly this vacation of Natalie's must be a joke, right? Some sort of punishment for his waywardness? Then the bus breaks down in Seldom, Nebraska -- population 395 -- and the fun really begins. Stranded in the middle of nowhere, Natalie and Pierre are taken in by the friendly, quirky residents of this sleepy, peaceful town. I laughed so much at the madcap scenes in this book. I can totally visualize the actions in my head in perfect detail. The citizens of Seldom are one of a kind, especially Owen, who has dreams of marketing his Nebraska wine, and Carlo, the cook at the café, who embarks on a matchmaking mission. Ron Hansen did an incredible job bringing these characters to life, and I will be looking for the movie adaptation in the future (hopefully!).
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