Search - The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing

I really enjoyed this book even though I didn't think I would. It's been sitting on a shelf for months, but since I'm not allowing myself any trips to the library till I finish all the unread gems on my shelves, I decided to slog through this and check it off my list. I actually finished it in one day and really enjoyed the narrator Jane and the other characters in the book. I liked the chance to see Jane as a teenager, which is how the book started out, and then in her 20's as she struggles to love herself and be loved by others. The chapter in the middle about a neighbor was unexpected, but not bad. This book has gotten a bad rap as "chick lit" but I wouldn't call it that. I think it aspires to something a bit bigger. Whether you think it succeeds or not is up to you

This was an enjoyable if light book. The book is a series of short stories, most featuring Jane Rosenal, a young woman in search of love and the meaning of love.

There are 7 stories and the two that fall flat are the one that doesn’t feature Jane; and the other is one you aren’t sure if it is about Jane or another woman.
The stories begin with Jane at 14 and her studying her brother and his girlfriend, trying to understand the mating dance. Other stories follow her love affair with a much older man. The story focusing on her father’s illness was poignant, and the last story which gave the book its title is the funniest of all. This tale follows Jane as she decides to follow a book of rules on how to catch a man. It is a little bittersweet too, as we watch Jane change herself in an effort to win the heart of a man she loves.

Frequently funny, and a very wry look at dating and working in NYC, it was a nice read, but it is not a novel, and one should not expect the kind of continuity a novel brings. It is however well written, clever and frequently witty; an enjoyable and easy read.

The witty nature of the main character and the fast pace of the first chapter was short lived. Each following chapter was a bit worse than the previous one. The dialogue of the last chapter drove me crazy. The relationship between the protaginist and her father and brother were interesting. The end was a quick wrap up that I could have done without.

I saw this book on my friend's bookshelf, so I decided to give it a try. It was a fast read and I enjoyed how each chapter was based around a different point in the main character Jane's life. I have to say the middle chapter about a neighbor on the floor below was confusing and broke the flow of the novel for me. Otherwise, I liked and cared about Jane and her struggle to "fish" for love and "hunt" for happiness within herself.

The blurb on the back of the book was terrible. This book is not dazzling or wickedly insightful, and it does not "capture in perfect pitch what it's like to be a young woman coming of age in America today" which probably isn't really possible anyway. But, if we take away all these grand ambitions, it was a pretty fun little book. Bank has a really good sense of humour and it shows through repeatedly. For instance, after she gets fired, her boyfriend suggests that he come and work at his company:

No," he said, and he snapped his fingers.
"You'll come work for me at K----. And be
a real associate editor."
I said, "I could bring you up on charges
for that."
"What?"
"Work harassment in the sexual place."

I liked this book, and I liked Jane, who was very honest and charmingly confused about all the things girls are kind of expected to know about dating and relationships. Plus, she is genuinely funny, which is refreshing. Spending a few hours with her is like the opposite of reading an issue of Cosmopolitan.

On the down side, this book was a bit too choppy for my tastes. The narrative was broken into little segments that were sometimes only a few lines long, and I guess I prefer longer blocks of text. It felt like a first novel, but one from an author from whom I would like to read more.

I loved this book!! It was cleverly written and I had a hard time putting it down. I highly recommend it.