The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.

Title: The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.

Author: Adelle Waldman

Stars: 2/5

The story is about a guy named Nathaniel and his affairs with women, though love is completely missing from the entire book. A sort of Chuck lit (male version of chic lit), a grown up version of wonder years only without any emotion. The setting is of a literary circle which is a buzzing potpourri of ambition, competition and insecurities. The author uses heavy English words like solipsistic, to prove that this is a literary circle of well-read and well-bred people.  It's like a thing amongst the literary sorts, to be perceptive, judgmental and use interesting and heavy words to describe regular boring people and situations.

It intends to be a book about what women really want, but it seemed like what men think women want. Mostly ending up being lame and shoddy interpretation as Nathaniel shuffles from one affair to another or one girl to another without realizing what the woman wants or he himself wants. The irony is that in most man-woman conversations, men are depicted to not understand what the woman is saying or her underlying emotions or needs, but here he sort of feels what he is doing is wrong but still refuses to acknowledge or give. That is straight mean, if not mean, then intentional ignorance, the desire to be wrong because being right is tougher job to do.

The consistent obsession of the West that something is wrong with them. It's like they want to blame their actions on their dysfunctional brains, backgrounds and families rather than taking any ownership. Hoping to find a psychiatrist who would listen and give them a magic mantra to put their life in place. "Ohhh I think this is how my relation is, this is what went wrong, or right." But I won't talk about this to my lover because he-she has no time or my ego is too big to really talk and sort it out. So let me write or blog about it and tell the whole world who will understand it better. Hoping the subject doesn't read it, and if he/she does read it, I am sure they will appreciate how I feel about them and how beautifully I put it in words. More of a theoretical exercise of writing literary articles, discussing and debating about it in public or intellectual forums about the problems,  instead of solving them or talking to the one person whom it really concerns.

A completely lame book with no connect to love in relationships, instead driven by hormonal urges and mental insecurities. 

He was violating an implicit rule of dinner party etiquette. Conversation was supposed to be ornamental, aimed to amuse. One wasn't supposed to be invested in the content of what was said, only the tone.

Juliet's strides, were long and determined, but she moved stiffly, like a person determined not to let on that her shoes hurt her feet.

I think it's vanity to want it both ways. You know, to want to write books because that's your thing but also to want to be treated like a rock star.

The rich enjoy being hospitable to smart, artsy types. They need an audience of people discerning enough to truly appreciate all they have. It helps them to enjoy it more.

Wish to read The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.