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: Not very romantic
Review: Nathalie leaves France with her fiance, Pierre, for an American vacation. They take a bus "see America" but get stranded in Seldom, NE. Both stay at seperate places because the boardinghouse is ladies only. Couple fight and quarrel - question their upcoming marriage. Weak plot and I find it very boring. I had to force myself to finish this book.
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: Amusing, but Starts To Wear Thin
Review: Ron Hansen's Isn't It Romantic? is a mostly amusing little romp--a romantic tale about a misplaced French couple somewhere in the middle of Nebraska. Natalie and Pierre are engaged, but Natalie, tiring of Pierre's cheating behavior decides to take a cross-country tour of the USA, a country she has always been fascinated with. Pierre manages to track her down in Nebraska. For some reason, after their bus breaks down, Pierre and Natalie decide to stay in Seldom, Nebraska, a town full of "wacky" (and misunderstood) characters. What was at first very amusing and funny begins to wear thin as Hansen develops his characters and they start behaving straight out of your standard contemporary romance novel. The whole wonderful toungue-in-cheekiness of the novel starts to vanish and we are left with something more tiring.
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: 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: It is! Indeed it's Romantic-Comedy!
Review: The first thing you need to realize, is that the book isn't a novel, at all. It's a screenplay. Probably written for a (slightly) younger Juliette Binoche.
Once you accept that, you can cast it at will and have a marvelous time...at least 'til the real movie comes out and destroys your illusions.
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: Light, Fun reading
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.
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