Customer Reviews

Slightly Single

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Tracey Spadolini is an overweight cigarette-smoking 24- year old from upper upstate New York (so far upstate it's the Midwest) in a lousy job in Manhattan trying to get her selfish, narcissistic actor boy friend to make a commitment.
I suppose by now we should stop grumbling about similarities to Bridget Jones (and, after all, there are plenty more avatars and predecessors) and accept that chick-lit is an established genre, or category, or whatever, and that some writers choose to write in it, just as they might choose to write mysteries or science fiction. It is a lowly category (as far as the TLS and NYRB crowd are concerned) just one notch above romance and glitz. This contains some wonderful passages like "I focus on my beverage, attempting to stir the sweetened foam into the darker liquid below. It refuses to harmonize, clinging in wispy clumps to the wooden stirrer like the cottony clumps of maely bugs on my sickly philodendron at home." Trying-to-lose-weight jokes have become a cliche (remember "Sheena Levine is Dead and Living in New York") s but there's a twist here - she succeeeds.
The descriptions of nine hour bus rides and of her home town ring absolutely true and are often poignant and hilarious. The plot is simple but compelling. She almost had me wanting to get into the book and scream "dump the guy."
It was a pleasant surprise to pick up a book by an author unknown to me(do I sound patronizing? good) in a humble literary sub-species, and find such great entertainment.

First of all, I have to say Thank you to Wendy for finally getting the rent situation in New York to a realistic amount in your book. On Friends I can handle the apartmenst they live in, becasue they never actually say how little they are paying, but I am sick of seeing movies and reading books where these poor struggling people afford these great places! That in itself deserves 5 stars in my book!
Ths story was a little predictable, but I still loved it. I felt her pain when she didn't see things coming. I loved the ending! and I even wanted more! This book is very funny! I can't wait for the sequel!

I truly loved reading this book along with Wendy Markham`s four books that followed (slightly settled, slightly engaged, slightly married, & slightly suburban). This was a great series, following a girl through all the stages of a modern relationship. I am hoping / waiting for the next addition... perhaps slightly pregnant??!!
Enjoy the read!

Tracey is way too much in "need" of a man. This is not a book that I would recommend to my bookworm girlfriends. Its one saving grace is that just when I was about to put it down and give up on it, I would come across something hilariously funny and actually laugh out loud. But all in all the book was pretty disappointing.

Unlike the many books I've read recently Slightly Single is defintely not one I will share with my girlfriends.

The book really brought me down. Not the funny, feel good, "chick lit" I usually enjoy. Very little plot, just day to day in the life of a gal with little self esteem and pined for a guy who had little or no affection for her.

I purchased this book because I received Wendy Markham's Slightly Settled as a gift and wanted to read Slightly Single first. I certainly hope Slighty Settled is a better read.

Tracey is a 24 year old me, minus the fun of walking in new york for exercise. I enjoyed this book because it reminded me so much of my last relationship, but that is also why I did't love it. I was dating a cheating boyfriend, which I had a feeling about, but I was still afraid to be alone, so I stayed with him. The thing about this book that I really couldn't stand was the author's choice of descriptive words. For example, in the book, EVERY time Tracey threw a piece of garbage away, she threw it in an "overflowing trashcan." yawn!!!!!!! get some new descriptive words, please. argh... other than that, though, it was a decent read. and a quick one.

O.K. I read this book precisely because it was supposed to be a formulaic, breezy summer romance in the same vein as Bridget Jones Diary...Unfortunately, this book is nowhere near as good as the original BJD...Come to think of it, it's nowhere near as good as the off-the-wall BJD sequal, The Edge of Reason. The character of Bridget Jones is slightly insecure but fun. By contrast, the lead charactor here is really insecure but annoying. See the difference? You don't mind putting up with Bridget's hangups because she's ultimately still kinda cool in an offbeat kind of way. You do, however, mind putting up with Tracey's hangups because she's a doormat, plain and simple.

This book is a fast read, I'll give it that. It also strays from the "happily ever ending" that is part of the traditional formula for this type of book. While some people may enjoy this slight deviation from the norm, I found it rather annoying. I mean, if I wanted to read something different, I would. I guess what ultimately disappoints me about the book are two things: (1) the lead character is annoying, and (2) the book was mis-marketed as a fun summer romance, which it really isn't. If all you're looking for is a couple of funny scenarios you might be able to relate to, then this book is good for that. However, if you're looking for anything else, say a good summer romance or a lead character that you actually like, then I'm afraid this book falls short of that. Instead, I suggest "Thirtynothing" by Lisa Jewell, which is funny, romantic, neurotic, and sweet...all the things I'm looking for when I read this type of book in the first place!

"Slightly Single" opens at the beginning of Tracey's second summer in New York, which she will be spending alone, since her gorgeous, inattentive boyfriend is spending the summer acting upstate. Desperate to find meaning in his absence, she throws herself into a prodigious self-improvement program (weight loss, of course; saving money; vague stabs at classic literature) and (cue sappy music) ultimately rediscovers herself.

The big problem with this book is that the protagonist is so darn stupid. She doesn't realize that her long-term boyfriend isn't into her, despite his obvious indifference to everything about their relationship. She doesn't realize that her job is going nowhere, despite the fact that she has a college degree and her boss calls her his secretary. She's obsessed with her weight, of course, and with her crummy apartment and lack of wedding ring, and she's so preoccupied with improving these areas of her life that she overlooks all possibilities for professional or romantic - not to mention personal - improvement.

The bigger problem with this book is that it doesn't get much better. The main character never realizes that her weight - whatever it might be - is not a reliable indicator of her value as a person, or that her boyfriend - even if he's really hot - isn't necessarily right for her, or that there are bigger things in life than double lattes. Her life changes, but the dynamic forces are all external to the main character. At the beginning of the summer, Tracey is an immature, insecure, shallow fat girl with a boyfriend and a boss who don't deserve her. At the end of the summer, the boyfriend and the boss and the fatness have all changed, but she's still immature and insecure and shallow, and you get the feeling that the next summer will find her "Slightly Single" all over again.

Fortunately, this mindless book is short and easy to read and highly palatable - the chapters slide past, and Markham tells a good story. As a beach read or a Saturday afternoon treat, this book is fine. As anything else - a work of literature, a commentary on contemporary womanhood, a role model (heaven forbid) for young women - it's deplorable.

i bought this book b/c it got such high reviews from other readers on amazon, but i couldn't even get through it. i would definitely not recommend it.

Good story of picking oneself up after a major dumping and starting new.