Happy All the Time: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: A Pretty Little Fluff Ball
Review: Although I found the writing to be charming at times, I really didn't find it to be a compelling read. The characters are all self focused, rich and rather dull. There were just too many scenes of the characters drolly sitting around eating peach mousse with their pinkies extended. I never cared about any of the main players, and too many colorful non-plot-essential characters breezed through the pages. I need a bit more grit than this pretty little fluff ball gave me.

Rating:
Summary: Ho-Hum
Review: I have read this book about eight times. It is great for those rainy Sundays, snuggle on the couch, build a fire days. This is a delightful story about four quirky adults and their search for love.

Rating:
Summary: vapid and inane
Review: I probably should have put this book down when I was halfway through it and I realized it was about the tiny problems of several self-engrossed upper class New Yorkers. I found the plot to be lacking in any sort of stimulating element; the book basically boiled down to two people finding their perfect mates. Furthermore, the characters seemed somewhat flat, since everyone is describable in a couple words, and the dialogue strained for snappy wit, but instead came off as silly to me. My problem with this book wasn't that it was light and happy, it was that the book didn't even do a great job portraying light and happy.

Rating:
Summary: Must Read
Review: I read her last novel, _A Big Storm Knocked it Over_ first. I loved it. This one is great too. One thing i noticed is how she likes a certain type of characters to figure in her works: the slimy boss, the garden-lover mother-in-law, the gourmet cook.

Her sense of flow is great. The ending came up easily, and i was perfectly satisfied with it.

Rating:
Summary: Must Read
Review: I've lost count, I have no idea how many times I've read this book. And I don't even know why I love it. I know intellectually that it's harder to write "happy" than sad, but does it matter? It's charming, it was written in the seventies, people are drinking and smoking and it still holds up. It is so close to flawless, and I love them all; Holly, Guido, Vincent and Misty. I love them and I dismiss an occasional cynic: "It's not realistic, Holly is too perfect." Read it, and give it to someone who has never loved to read. Colwin's sudden death has always upset me. But I am so grateful for this book--tied with Goodbye Without Leaving for the best of ....(Some of her short stories are wonderful...)What talent!

Rating:
Summary: A novel of friendship, love and marriage.
Review: In the last 15 or so years, I've read this book perhaps 25 or 30 times. Each time I'm drawn into the story of four people. Laurie Colwin, who died much, much too young, had the most wonderful ability to create vivid and real characters you care about. Her warmth, wit and humor are sorely missed. There's no one who writes like she did.

Rating:
Summary: You'll be happy all the time you're reading this book
Review: Laurie Colwin was one of my favorite writers of the 1980's (my tastes seem to change as the decades do). I read (and proudly own) all her novels and short story collections, and her two books of essays on cooking. "Happy all the Time" happens to have been my introduction to Ms. Colwin's work, and it spurred me to read all her books. ("Happy" turned out to be my absolute favorite, though a couple of others were close seconds.)

Read this book. Read her other books. And join me in feeling very sad that this wondrous writer, whose humanity shines through in all of her work, left us all too soon.

Rating:
Summary: vapid and inane
Review: Laurie Colwin's _Happy All the Time_ is less a comedy of manners than a comedy of the mannerisms, quirks, and idiosyncracies of four very unique friends and lovers.

Guido and Vincent (rather WASP-y, the Italian nomenclature comes from a couple of generations back) are cousins and fellow graduate students when the novel opens, perfectly situated for finding their lifemates. When Guido sees Holly in an art gallery he narrates his observations about her to Vincent. "Notice how the nose tilts," he says, and later, "Notice the arc of the arm."

"Notice the feeblemindedness that passes for wit among aging graduate students," she replies, thus setting into motion a story full of wonderful zingy dialogue as pessimists pair up with optimists and love ensues.

Published originally in 1978, _Happy All the Time_ paints both of the primary women in bold colors. Misty is a linguist, frighteningly intelligent, and determined not to let Vincent's optimism capsize her ship. Holly is self-contained and self-determined, making her own decisions without consultation with Guido, whose great passion for her leaves him in a perpetual state of befuddlement. The book is indicative of the era it's placed in, as women behave in ways which have not been modelled for them, and the men adjust their expectations accordingly. From a feminist point of view, that makes this book an interesting read.

From an escapist's point of view, this book is highly entertaining, light but not too fluffy, and thoroughly enjoyable. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys Nora Ephron movies, Bridget Jones-type books, and satisfying endings.

Rating:
Summary: Classic Colwin - A Must Read!!!
Review: There are not enough words to describe how much I adore Laurie Colwin. I have read all of her novels and am deeply saddened by her untimely death and the knowledge that there will be no more delightful novels by my favorite author! This was my first Colwin novel and, as soon as I finished it, I set to reading all of her other books in quick succession. There is something so utterly comforting and insightful about all of her novels and stories that feels to me like I am coming home. She makes me yearn for a New England fall and cozy apartments with a fireplace and the one you love. Her characters are so idiosyncratic that you can't help but love them and all their foibles. I have spent numerous rainy days re-reading Laurie Colwin and I believe, once you discover her, that you will do the same!