A real Charmer (This Charming Man - Marian Keyes)

Member Name: wendyloo

Product:	This Charming Man - Marian Keyes
Date:	25/05/09 (28 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An absolute page turner

Disadvantages: Daunting to begin such a long book.

To Charm, according to the dictionary, means:
- to act upon, with or as with a compelling or magical force; to charm a bird from a tree.
- To endow with or protect by supernatural powers;
- To gain or influence through personal charm: he charmed a raise of of his boss.

Paddy De Courcy was a charmer; he aimed to please. A fifty-something politician, with an eye for the ladies, and knowing that he could have any woman he wanted as he had a certain charisma. He wasn't attractive, and was rather a bulky man, but nevertheless, once his sight was set on something or someone, he would single-mindedly aim to attain it.

This Charming Man is about Paddy De Courcy, and the women whose lives he tried to wreck. The book begins with an announcement that he is to be married. This causes shock and amazement from his girlfriend, Lola, as it isn't her that he is intending to wed. Lola is a young woman, who admits to being somewhat shallow, but who has her own business as a stylist to the rich. She has an eye for clothes and designers, and can't understand anyone who doesn't make the best of themselves. She would have preferred to have been a top designer, but unfortunately she was not good enough, so contents herself with accepting that her 'eye' for fashion is where her skills lie.

Lola's mum died when she was a child, and she misses her. Her father has moved from Dublin (where the story is set) to Birmingham, and she has little contact with him, in or out of his presence. She has always felt her mothers presence, and will always ask her for advice, and one way or another, the answer will be given. It is during a time while talking to her mother's grave that she notices a middle aged man at his own mother's graveside. The man is Paddy, and he encourages her to meet him, although he really isn't her type, and then begins a torrid affair.

Paddy has a long history of 'passionate' liasons. Marnie, now married and with children, has never got over her teenage love affair with Paddy. He was the man she was supposed to have spent the rest of her life with, but their love was 'too strong' and they were in self destruct mode for most of their time together. She was let down badly, and was never able to fully give herself to another man after that, not even her husband. The only one who didn't condemn her was the Vodka bottle.

Grace Gildee, a young journalist, knows Paddy de Courcy. She has been following his political career and at one time was writing his biography. They come from the town, and worked together when young. She has no time for him, but recognises that he has qualities that no woman could resist, but that they hold a darkness.

Then there is Alicia. Alicia is a fairly unattractive woman, but she is 'the one' The one that Paddy has asked to marry him, and she is jumping at the chance. She has already had a disastrous marriage to a gay man, so this is her second chance at happiness and she is determined to take it.

Marian Keyes has written this book in large sections. Each section is seen through the eyes of one of the characters above, apart from Marnie (third person). We dip through each of their stories, and only after half the book has been read do we start to find they are beginning to interweave.

Marian deals with difficult subject matters, but she does them respectfully and carefully. Extra marital affairs; domestic violence; cross dressing; alcoholism; benefit fraud; cancer - and general skulduggery! Over all, too, has been Irish politics and what a politician will do to gain power. Marian has done her research, on all the above, and it shows in this book.

The characters in this book are very well explored, and they are all so different. Marian has given each heroine a different part to play, and they all come with a believable background. Paddy recognises a common thread of low self esteem, even if it isn't that obvious on the surface, he can spot it and uses this to wield his power.

I was bought this for mother's day (in common with most Mothers Days as regular readers to my reviews will recognise) and I was initially daunted by the length. 885 Pages long. I thought it would be like reading War and Peace, and to be honest, I was referring to it as that. However, and is often the case, after a rather slow start where I was having difficulty remembering all the characters, and also, frustrated by the change of styles between the characters, I soon got well into it, and it was an absolute page turner of a book.

The list above may make a prospective reader feel that the subject matter is too dark and gloomy, but Marian has an uncanny way of bringing such humour into her books, that it is not gloomy, well, only a little bit. There are so many other story lines interwoven into the book, that it is a fun read, and did find me chuckling whilst reading it.

For such a long book, this is a rather short review. The reason is that I really don't want to give too much away, and by telling any more most definitely would!

I am not sure that many men would enjoy this read, despite the fact that is isn't an attack on men at all. But, from experience, these books tend to be mostly enjoyed amongst woman.

Marian Keyes lives in Dublin. She is a journalist and author. Her website is www.mariankeyes.com for further information.

So.... Now out in paperback from most good bookstores.

£7.99 printed on the back.

Published by Penguin.

ISBN 978- 0- 141- 02675 -6

Summary: A humourous book about an impending wedding, but with a darkness about it.