This Charming Man: A Novel
Written by Marian Keyes
Narrated by Sile Bermingham
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
The lives of four very different women have been shaped—and battered—by one charming man. . . .
Ireland's debonair politician Paddy de Courcy—the "John F. Kennedy Jr. of Dublin"—has captured tabloid headlines and the imagination of his country with his charm and charisma. But the crushed hearts he's left behind him reveal more about his character than his winning, votegetting smile. Lola, Grace, Marnie, and Alicia have all suffered from his selfishness and cruelty. But with Paddy's political star ascending, the time is finally ripe for redemption . . . and perhaps a bit of revenge.
Marian Keyes
Marian Keyes is the author of ten bestselling novels and two essay collections. She lives in Ireland with her husband and their two imaginary dogs.
More audiobooks from Marian Keyes
Sushi for Beginners: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Watermelon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Other Side of the Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Break Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Angels Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Chance Saloon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Charming Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Making It Up As I Go Along Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rachel's Holiday Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sushi for Beginners Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Other Side of the Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Under the Duvet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to This Charming Man
Related audiobooks
So 5 Minutes Ago Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Regrets Only: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bake-Off Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Forks, Knives, and Spoons Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Little Pink Slips: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Whatever Happened to Vicky Hope's Back Up Man Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThat Summer in Ischia Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Lipstick and Lies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gilded Life of Matilda Duplaine Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Willow's Wedding Vows: A Laugh out Loud romantic comedy with a twist! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cupcakes at Carrington’s Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Only Want What's Best Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Not Quite Perfect Family Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Odds of You and Me: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Strangely, Incredibly Good Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Second Chances Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dubrovnik Book Club Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSecrets Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flings and Arrows Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paris Wedding: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Widows' Wine Club: A warm, laugh-out-loud debut book club pick from Julia Jarman Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Summer to Remember Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Things We Need to Say Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBridal Girl Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Little Pink Taxi Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Parcel for Anna Browne Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Girl I Was Before Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beech Bank Girls: Making A Difference Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Contemporary Women's For You
The Measure: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wrong Place Wrong Time: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5None of This is True: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Ends with Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lost Apothecary: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Firefly Lane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Weyward: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Starts with Us: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Then She Was Gone: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House of Eve Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ugly Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Lost Names Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Maybe in Another Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All the Missing Girls: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In Five Years: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Idea of You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paris Apartment: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Reminders of Him: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Winter Garden Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5November 9: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Unhoneymooners Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bright Young Women: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Sister's Keeper: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5GO AS A RIVER: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Listen for the Lie: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Confess Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The People We Keep Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Change: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for This Charming Man
452 ratings35 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Marian Keyes is the only "chick lit" author I read. Ordinarily I lean more towards horror, mystery, and that sort of thing. As usual, she's given us a great story with great characters. Realistic? No, not really. Entertaining as all get out? Yep.The only reason I don't give this 5 stars is that the voice of Lola (one of the narrators) is unbelievably annoying. Give the poor girl some pronouns! Or an article or two!
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Keyes has always been one of my favorite guilty pleasures. I always feel like I can count on her for a quick, fun read, with interesting, funny characters that don’t fit into the clichéd chic-lit mold. She’s always dealt with serious issues in her books-depression, infidelity-but they’ve always been in the background, secondary to the main romantic plotline. Her latest books are a little too heavy-handed. It’s an issue book. This one tackles both alcoholism and domestic abuse. It’s too much for this type of book. Keyes is a competent author, but it almost seems like she’s trying too hard to be serious and substantial now. The alcoholism storyline, may have been fine in another book, a separate story, although not one I’d particularly want to read. It was too over the top and was too distracting. I think the story would have flowed better without this subplot, and if Keyes had beefed up the domestic violence plot, spending more time on fleshing out this character, making us see why all these women were charmed by him. Instead he seems very two-dimensional, like a carton villain.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5When I started reading this book I didn't think I was going to like it at all. The different font styles for each of the four women was off putting and so was the lengthy first part, narrated by Lola, in which she spoke in a kind of Bridget Jones clipped diary entry way and insisted on using the word 'fissog' instead of face and that annoyed me. So did the constant insistances to her hair being 'molichino' rather than purple.Perhaps it was just taken a while for the story to find it's rhythm though because the book did pick up and the story and (most of) the characters became more engaging as it went on.Paddy de Courcy is an up and coming politician whose marriage is announced in the press, much to the shock of Lola, his girlfriend of sixteen months but not the woman he is reported to be marrying. That woman is Alicia, also shocked by the announcement as Paddy hasn't actually asked her yet. Two other women are also startled by the announcement, journalist Grace and her twin sister Marnie. Marnie was Paddy's former girlfriend and fifteen years later she still hasn't gotten over him, while Grace is keen to get the full story on Paddy and thinks Lola is the person to help her. As the book progresses darker themes than lost love come through, with depression, alcoholism, domestic abuse, cancer all major issues for the women and their families.I'm not sure that the ending was satisfying enough for me but the book itself manages to be enjoyable, funny and thought-provoking in turns. I'm not sure if Ireland really is populated by so many jolly eccentrics as Marian Keyes crammed into this book , which made some of the story hard to believe in, but they were nice eccentrics and made the (very long) book easier and quicker to read.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Not crazy about the style of character presentation, particularly Lola. Took a while to get the thread of the domestic violence theme but once into it was keen to see how she resolved it. Pity there wasn't a "just desserts' for Paddy and felt sorry for Alicia but in all an interesting presentation of the issues and reasons why women suffer it for so long.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I read this for the "a book recommended by a friend" part of my 2018 reading challenge. I'm not a huge fan of chick-lit, so I found the first half kind of lackluster, then the characters really started getting depth and it got much more intriguing.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good story, good characters, but Marnie's actions in the confrontation just don't ring true to me. She was such a mess and magically pulled herself together - hard to buy. Keys stories always seem to be separate incidents written at different times then rearranged. I like her writing, but the overall organization of the book isn't smooth. Still, it's a good story and I really enjoyed the characters.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Wasn't expecting to finish this so quickly but an emergency trip to the laundromat got me hooked in. Very moving read watching lives fall apart and lives put themselves back together.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5a true page turner. charming on the outside but a real sob woman beater on the rest of it. really interesting well woven tale throughout. so GLAD to see that he gets his in the end and LOVED HOW he got his too!!! BRAVO!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I was a little reluctant to start this book as I had seen some very mixed reviews, but, after reading it, my faith in Marian Keyes is still strong. Tackling some difficult issues such as abusive relationships and alcoholism, mixing in some dirty politics and adding a group of cross-dressing men, she knows how to serve up an interesting read.Told from the point of view of four women whose lives have been impacted by popular politician Paddy de Courcy, the story does jump around quite a bit. Just when you settled into one woman’s story, you were whisked away into another woman’s life. Luckily, the stories grabbed me immediately and I found most of the women sympathetic and grew to care about them. Lola’s story in particular, after I adjusted to the choppy writing style that was used to define her, was a real attention grabber. Broken-hearted, leaving Dublin to live in a tiny seaside town, this stylist and her adventures had me in stitches. Her trannie-club meetings were hilarious. Off-setting this, Marnie’s story was sad, but like a three-car collusion, hard to look at, but impossible to turn away from. Grace, the voice of reason, was a woman to root for, and Alicia, the least mentioned, and the least known, was intriguing, as much for what we visualized for her future as for her current story.As ever in a Marian Keyes book, I was entertained and enthralled, and I for one, really enjoyed This Charming Man.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I was telling my daughter-in-law recently how I give all the books I review either three, four, or five stars, because I don't finish the ones I would rate as one or two. This Charming Man nearly fell in that latter category. A great deal of time was spent developing the stories of Lola, Grace, and Marnie. Grace wasn't in bad shape, but the other two women were hard to take. Lola and Marnie were both struggling in their work because they were in such bad psychological states they couldn't do basic tasks. There were also other reasons why I wasn't enjoying the book. Paddy de Courcy, who was the title character, wasn't in it very much and all the other male characters seemed horrible. I thought Marian Keyes must hate men.Then the book took a few turns and I found it well worth reading. One of the men whom I had seen as abusive turned out not to be violent but instead was supportive to his wife until he was forced to make a hard choice. I sympathized with him rather than hating him. Other male characters began to appear who were decent people. Circumstances allowed Lola to change her life long enough to get to a better place emotionally. Meanwhile Marnie's situation was explained further, so although her life continued to spiral down, I could appreciate why.This novel has one of the best descriptions of alcoholism I've ever read. It shows the disease in detail from the point of view of the alcoholic and also from the points of view of the people who love her. It also covers the victims of domestic abuse in a way that helped me understand why some of the women stay in their situations. After reading the way Keyes covered these two issues, I was able to understand the weaknesses of the victims and appreciate their strengths.Lola's chapters were written in a strange, journal voice I found annoying. Most of the pronouns were dropped, along with words such as the and a. After I got used to it, I could ignore the style. But I still believe it was a bad choice, one that detracted from the novel.This Charming Man isn't an easy read, but in the end it's well worth reading.Steve Lindahl – author of White Horse Regressions and Motherless Soul
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I really liked this Marian Keyes book. I prefer it when she writes a bit darker books. Loved Rachel's Holiday.
To be honest I did find Lola's part annoying, the way this was written. No the house but house for instance, it felt like she was a bit dumb but after a while I got into the story and was sad when I finished. 850 pages! - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5At times,this audiobook was excruciating to listen to. The narrator did a great job of making Marnie's character come to life--the desperation, the denial, etc. Though the other characters sounded a little similar, I still really enjoyed listening to her voice.
****SPOILER ALERT****
The one thing that really bothered me about the book was the way the women try to deal with the Paddy situation. NEWFLASH: Grace is a journalist. She knows tons of journalists. You have evidence and affidavits from no less than 5 women. You have evidence that he hired people to burn Grace's car. (This could land Spanish John in jail which would suck for Paddy, unless he told on Paddy, in which case Paddy could be charged)And what do they do? Basically just tell him to apologize and leave Dee alone. Stupid. Even when he was humiliated by Dee I didn't care that much...especially considering that, while I hated Alicia's character, I didn't want her to end up with an abusive husband. And that plotline leaves her with an humiliated, probably LIVID, husband. At the very least, either Grace or one of her colleagues could've written an expose on Paddy and his horrific history. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Keyes is such a brilliant writer. I loved this book. Though it is not as funny as 'Angels' but in its own right, its a masterpiece. The love and hate relations of the women in this book, their struggles are so engaging that you don't want to put it aside, even for a moment. Delightful, well written. A very real portrayal of the plight of so many women who are victims of abuse and who have not been able to stand up against it either because of love or fear. A very serious subject has been handled with such care. A must read. Would recommend it to others too.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Warm funny story told from four perspectives of the lives of for women associated with a serially abusive Irish politician. THe use of different type faces to emphasise the distinction between the narrators is cute but effective. One of the voices uses an increasingly curtailed style with no pronouns, which becomes irksome towards the end. The gentle mockery of the characters and several small running jokes softens the ferocity of the domestic violence and the despair of alcohoicism that are core themes.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A book with many layers - it is whimsical and serious. It tells of four women, all connected, and how they cope with the news of a certain man and for some, the past. I didn't have a big problem with Lola's (a character) style of writing once I got used to it. It was actually fun and I feel it suited Lola. Marnie (also a character) gives the book much depth.It is quite a unique book, especially regarding the layout, so it did take me a while to adapt to the beginning, but after that, I was hooked. The ending was not the best though.I enjoyed reading this book, its range of themes and life-lessons, and for also being witty.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5not her best, but an interesting twist on her previous novels.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fun and frivolous on the surface but, like many of Marian Keyes's novels, deals with a darker issue. A great read!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Took a while to get into. Character Lola was a little difficult to read. Couldn't put it down for last 100 pages
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5alright, I figured Laura just had a bug up her butt =) but she was right on. Lola's pov (how it was written anyway) was really distracting. I know it was in diary form, but who writes for so long with no possesive nouns, or gaps in verbs/adjectives at least she was indiscriminate in what words would be missing. The passages were so annoying because I would unconsciously pause to fill in the words that were missing! Other than that, Keye's does not disappoint. I love the story and how suddenly it all began to make sense. She is a true talent.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I wasn't sure I should bother finishing the book. I didn't care about the characters and the way the Lola character and her friends talked really drove me crazy (it was like it was improperly translated from another language and missing half the words needed to form sentences). I decided to give it 200 pages, since I read quickly. By around 180 or so I got interested in one of the characters.I finished the book and enjoyed most of the characters' sections from that point on, though Lola still drove me crazy. Not sure I'd recommend it, but if you find it lying around it might be worth the few hours it'd take to read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Again combining light hearted chick lit fiction with a dark element, Keyes does not disappoint with this book. Her characters are as lively as ever, and you love the ones you're meant to, and despise the ones you're meant to. This is a fun, if sometimes heavy, read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another winner from Marian Keyes, mixing humour with dark subject matter, this time about domestic violence. Reading this book was like chatting to a close friend. The characters are as strong here as in any of her books; the writing as fluid.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great book, as hers always are - to the extent that I read nearly 900 pages in 2 days. I really have a soft spot for Marian Keyes. She has a way of tackling difficult and scary subjects (domestic abuse, alcoholism, depression, bereavement) with a light and humourous touch. She also writes with an Irish accent, which I love. And I think I'm the only person who really enjoyed the diary style of Lola's sections.I would thoroughly recommend this, though at the risk of being sexist, I don't think men would go for it too much!
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I have to say I was a little disappointed with this book. I didn't really enjoy the style of writing and find it a bit "swipswoppy" going from one chracter to another. Parts of the book were downright depressing too!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I really enjoyed this book - I am a fan of Marian Keyes and really enjoy her style and the way that most of her books are set in Dublin and the surrounding areas. This book had a heavy topic running through (as many of her novels have over the years) but I thought this book handled it better than most of her other ones... I was somewhat disappointed in her last book - Is Anyone Out There? and I thought that this book was much much better. I thought the characters were well drawn and the story was very engaging - I particularly enjoyed Lola's story.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I adore Marian Keyes. I work with an Irish lady, and between Marian Keyes, Roddy Doyle and my co-worker, I am convinced that I need to read more from Irish writers. I've loved all of the books about the Walsh family, and would be hard pressed to choose a favourite. This book is not about the Walshes, but has grabbed me harder than any of her other books. Its got hard topics in it, but it has humour that kept me reading well after midnight, unable to put the book down. Her characters are real, strong, fragile, human, and yes, so very very funny. I still hope for another book about the Walshes, but this was an utterly fabulous read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Enjoyed this read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was a bit different from Keyes normal chick lit. The plot dragged in the beginning but was glad that I stuck with it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book isn't the lighthearted Marion Keyes of "Watermelon". So it may not be the one you take to the beach. The charming man, Paddy, is a politician who treats women like dirt. The story focuses on four of the women whose lives he's ruined. It was an excellent read, but a little on the depressing side in some areas. Unfortunately, Paddy does not seem to get much in the way of punishment.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5*trigger warning and possible spoiler alert*This book has a dark side that Marian Keyes's books do not normally have. She writes about abuse, specifically domestic abuse, and alcoholism. I enjoyed this book but would have preferred to see a harsher penalty for the abuser at the end. Part of the reason why I enjoy Keyes's books so much is the happy endings she provides. I expect 'fluffy' fiction to leave me satisfied with the outcome, and while 3 of the 4 women are left with a happy ending, you know what the 4th one is facing and it's unsettling.