Come Together : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Pure entertainment
Review: This book was amazing. I picked it up one afternoon waiting for a friend to arrive from out of town and read the book in its entirety. The characters were well-developed. I could relate to Amy on many different levels. Even in instances I could not relate to I shared her embarrassment, frustration, etc. And although half the time I hoped guys aren't really like Jack, I found myself rooting for him in the end. This book is a joy to read. Even more fitting is that the authors fell in love while writing the book and are to be married!

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant and Charming - an absolute pleasure!
Review: Come Together is by far one of the best books I have engaged in. It is so wonderful and true to life. The characters are portrayed through inner monologue which helps you to relate to Amy and Jack. The book is NOT flimsy or stupid as some may say, it is comical and witty and surpasses almost every book i have read (and trust me that is far too many to count). Also, did you know that the authors, Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees fell in love writing this book and are to be married this fall? Just a bit of information I thought I'd share. If you do one thing this summer give this book a go, i assure you it's a page turner. No it's not a suspense novel, or a murder mystery, but a mystery and a thriller of in it's own right - it's life.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant! Forget Jones and Hornby and all those whingers!
Review: This is non-stop entertainment from the first page. I bought it after work and started reading it on the way home on. I was meant to be going out with some friends for dinner, but cancelled, and stuck with reading this instead. Well worth it - even if I didn't get to sleep until four in the morning! Jack and Amy are true to life and witty. They are up-beat in a way that many other characters in contemporary fiction aren't. Buy it.

Rating:
Summary: How sad that life has become so monochrome
Review: The authors have obviously hit the zeigeist. But what a sad zeitgeist it is. The two-writer style actually kills all tension because it destroys the protagonist/antagonist relationship...you know what both are going to do. From just a few pages in, a happy ending is guaranteed, and that really is not storytelling. They're just such dull lead characters. The sex is frequent but described with less erotic power than I think I've ever encountered. Lots of visual/verbal gags are thrown in, but often they sound like (and interviews I've read say they are) vignettes from other twentysomethings lives. They're introduced as flashbacks, but just kill the narrative. Bridget Jones is masterly in comparison, and so much more REAL. Get Bridget Jones out the book case and do a side-by-side. Also BJ seems of the real world. This seems like it was written by two students who'd never had a real job, never had their own place. The lawyer character is so sketchily drawn, and the world of fashion is utterly under-researched. The 'angel' in the form of an American who takes over the fashion house and gives Amy her career break is so two-dimensional it hurts. Ditto the marketing director who commissions the painting that saves Jack. Do some RESEARCH, guys. What this does have, and for this it gets two stars, is an interesting collection of nineties turns of phrase....like the word 'toptastic', purloined from a British DJ spoof, Smashie and Nicey. But you could get that my taping a few pub conversations. I simply cannot believe the reviews this book has got. It has surfed on Bridget's genius, thrown in the red herring of a dual authorship, a piece of hype or spin that is it's only real plus. It's shallow, forgettable, uninspiring. I wouldn't want to get up in the morning to enter Jack and Amy's all-burping, all-farting, all-snoring world. How ugly, and how devoid of soul. Two dull children write a novel and get a million for a work that would make a Michael Bolton concert seem thrilling. Read Douglas Coupland or Tom Wolfe. Why settle for pap?

Rating:
Summary: Eye candy book
Review: I read this book while traveling through the British Isles. It's most definitely a chick book. It uncovers the details of a relationship that I would guess women would enjoy more than men. The prose is written in a very effortless style and the humor in the book often feels forced or contrived, especially the Amy chapters (eg. refer to her segment on working out). But its not a bad book; its certainly very light reading which requires little if no thought and somehow manages to be entertaining. But in the end the Amy character becomes overly annoying and insecure which makes you want to just skip over her chapters (which I didn't). Overall, its a harmless book which you won't get anything out of except some voyeuristic entertainment.

Rating:
Summary: I loved this book
Review: Finally, a book that I could really get into. Once I picked this book up, I (almost literally) could not put it down. I bought it on a whim at amazon.com (of all places LOL) after reading their review of it and I have to say I'm really glad I did. Amy and Jack were both great characters. I could really relate to a lot of what Amy went through, and getting the male perspective of the situation(s) made it a lot easier to understand the things guys go through when faced with the big 'commitment' issue. I loved the setting, I loved the characters...really entertaining piece of work.

Rating:
Summary: more fun reading for singles/B. Jones lovers
Review: I read about this book in Glamour Mag and a friend told there was also a write up about it in Cosmo. So I decided it was worth a try. I'm so glad I did. It was so much fun to read. I felt I could relate to a lot of what they were going through in Amy & Jack's relationship. I laughed and cried for them.

Rating:
Summary: A fantastic outlook of the dating scene in the 90s!
Review: Jack the lad meets Johnny Depp is Jack Rossiter. Elizabeth Bennet meets Ally McBeal is Amy.Both typical twenty-somethings on the dating scene in London, both are fresh,real and down to earth most of the time.......Very cool!

Rating:
Summary: Reminds you of the ups and downs of falling in love.
Review: A light, fun read that reminds you of the up and down roller coaster ride of falling in love. The "he said/she said" style keeps you always guessing how the other person will react. We've all been in "Jack and Amy" situations before, and this reminds us that there is a happy ending out there somewhere waiting for each of us.

Rating:
Summary: Great to read two sides of the same story!!!!
Review: I picked up this book on a wim in a book shop, and i have to say i thought it was worth the money!!! It was a really good to be able to read both characters thoughts and feelings on the same event and it made a welcome event from all the heavy emotional books i had been reading. I was itching for them to "Come together" in the end. Proves love isn't all plain sailing!