Member Reviews
I read this while ill with Covid and it kept my attention when little else could. Dolly Alderton writes insightfully about relationships with humour and compassion.. Andy, middling stand up comedian and sweet but shambolic human being, has been dumped by the woman he loves and the story unfolds from his point of view as he tries to understand what happened and get his life together. I laughed out loud in parts and also found it really touching. Very enjoyable.
I really loved this. I've always enjoyed Dolly's writing, but I think this is my favourite of hers so far. It was moving, funny, realistic... The characters were so believable, and the relationship so well constructed. It finally got me out of a reading slump, and I raced through it in a day.
I enjoyed this more than Ghosts (which I liked). It covers a similar subject matter (break-ups) but is more accessible and funnier.
I also think it's a very clever book. Good Material can be read either as a pitch-perfect satire of the Nineties 'Lad-Lit' of Nick Hornby, Tony Parsons et al, OR a straight-ahead rom-com.
However, while I think Dolly is deliberately skewering the cliched 'jilted man' narrative that we see in so many books and movies, but sadly this does mean Andy's story is full of cliches and stereotypes. No one writes about the nuance of millennial romance better than Dolly Alderton, but, as with Ghosts, I think more actual plot is needed, as both books became repetitive.
Nothing really happens for the entire book BUT it is very well written, funny and heartfelt. Neither Andy or Jen is particularly likeable, but they both have enough redeeming features to make them well-rounded, realistic characters.
I thought the last couple of pages were incredibly clever, and really hammered the point of the book home: Men win, even when they lose. (and the '2020' twist was just 'chef's kiss')
It took me a little while to get into this, but once I got into it, I remembered why I adore Dolly’s writing so very much. She is funny, without being cheesy. Poignant without being obvious. Modern without making me cringe. A beautiful story of finding yourself again post-break up and the difficulties of miscommunication and assumption.
i've loved dolly's books for a long time and although this one took a wee bit more getting used to as it's from a man's pov, it has the humour and heart and sharpness of her other books and i felt so wrapped up and so seen by it, even though the situation is so different from my own
@currentlyreading__
Book 77 of 2023
Firstly thank you to the publishers @penguinfigtree for sending me access to Dolly's upcoming book and having loved her first foray into fiction with 'Ghosts' I was thrilled to receive this. I absolutely love Dolly's writing style - it is indelibly warm and has a humour about it which could easily turn to sadness within the next paragraph. I laughed and I cried (not in equal measure as I laughed much much more). Having been a fan of Dolly's podcasts and non-fiction, she really has her finger on the pulse of modern relationships. So, Dolly writes about Andy and Jen who have been in a long-term relationship and after a somewhat uncomfortable trip to Paris, split up. Andy is struggling, not only with the demise of the relationship he thought was his happily ever after, but also with the rather fickle world of comedy as he tries to make it as a stand-up comic. Cue some rather uncomfortable scenes of heckling all while Andy's heart is breaking. I loved the fact that Andy had the sort of friends often portrayed in female friendship groups and the support offered by each of them was really refreshing. Also refreshing was that this was written from the perspective of the MMC but in the final few pages we hear Jen's perspective and I wanted another 300 pages of Jen. A beautiful book which will pull at your heart-strings and keep you up past your bedtime.
This is out in November and if you love Dolly (and who doesn't?!), get it on your pre-order wish list.
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I enjoyed this book. It’s mostly from Andy’s point of view, but at the end we hear from Jen and I think it really finishes off the story. After four years together Jen and Andy have broken up and the book follows Andy in the aftermath and how he tries to sort his life out. A good plot that flows well. Dolly is so good at writing believable characters. I recommend this book, thank you #netgalley
While I found Good Material enjoyable, I found it somewhat challenging to fully connect with the hype surrounding Alderton's work, this being the first book of hers that I have read. The story took a while to draw me in, perhaps the writing style just isn't for me. Despite this, exploring the male perspective was a refreshing change, adding a fresh layer to the narrative. In the end, I give it a 3-star review.
4.5 star
Andy has just been dumped by his girlfriend, Jen, and his drowning his sorrows whilst staying at his mum’s.
He is 35 and he is the only single one amongst his friend, he is a comedian who can’t afford to live on his own in London. So he moves into a narrow boat, for a few days.
He is navigating being single again, adjusting to life without Jen when even a visit to his best friend, Avi, and his wife reminds him of her.
Loved reading this book, superb writing and interestingly written from Andy’s point of view.
I mean we don’t have to talk about how much I love Dolly Alderton. She’s bloody funny and I appreciate every moment of it. So here she is writing a break up novel from the point of view of the male? A break up he didn’t know was coming and the result? A sad sad guy and a bloody good story. This really is a great read. Andy’s character is everything. The guy who works multiple jobs to make ends meet, a circle of mates, previous relationship history but of course then there is the one he thought was forever. But wasn’t. I appreciate reading from this POV and I think Dolly nails it.
The relationships which dwindle, new ones that are formed, the low point of careers in the arts and generally asking ‘how the fuck do you move on from the one you thought was the one?’ All the things.
I’m a Dolly fan. I’m a Good Material fan. Get around it.
Out next month!
This was my first, but definitely not the last Dolly Alderton book that I have read, I have been eyeing with her books.
In this book we follow Andy, who is definitely a man, who needs to look around himself a bit more and see the world the surrounds him. He is after a somewhat rough breakup, and he is trying to find reasons and what to do with his life. His comedian career let's just say is not the best.
This book was a good book, I loved getting to know our characters more and more and getting insight into their lives and thoughts and feelings.
I would recommend it to fans of Sally Rooney!
Alderton’s Good Material is to her Sunday Times columns as Ghosts was to her lovely Everything I Know About Love; Smart, funny, sensitive writing, drawing on the experiences she has had or given advice on. It’s a book you need to settle into, allowing it to accelerate at a pace that underpins the heartbreak of the plot. Andy, who we sit with for the first 80% of the story, can be very intense, as he spirals, having been dumped by his partner Jen – elements of the story and of his madness reminded me of Monica Heisey’s Really, Good Actually.
Every line is thoughtfully or truthfully or hilariously phrased in its observation. Alderton brings what she’s learned from her own relationships, break-ups and dynamics as the single friend among couples, and the strength of that is clear on the page.
This book left me with a smile on my face. I really struggled with Alderton's last book Ghosts, and I was semi-reluctant to give this one a go. But I'm really pleased I did, it was the right side of heart-warming without being cloying. There were a few moments that didn't quite work but all in all, a lovely ode to the lasting marks we leave on each other's lives.
Another brilliant read from Dolly.
Andy loves his girlfriend Jen. He completely believes they are meant to be together. He can’t think of anyone he would rather be with.
Except that Jen has dumped him, out of the blue, fresh off the Eurostar after a weekend in Paris.
Now Andy is single, homeless and his career as a comedian isn’t going quite as planned…..so what’s next?
I couldn’t put this book down. I felt so involved in Andy’s story but must admit that the end of the book made me think.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.
I love Dolly's writing - it's like chatting to a very good friend, hilarious, heart warming and refreshing. Good Material was fantastic. A fresh take on breakups, and from a completely different perspective. There were so many relatable moments. I loved Andy, I wanted to shake him at times but that's because he was such a believable character - I felt like I was actually travelling around in his brain. I thought the switch in perspective near the end was genius and wrapped the book up nicely.
Some parts of pure comedic gold - Morris and the boat were highlights for me and had me laughing out loud. I have selfishly never thought of breakups from the male perspective and not often do we get books from the male point of view that aren't thrillers so this was genius.
This was such a clever, funny, honest book, I wasn't ready to leave Andy behind. Dolly is just so clever.
INCREDIBLE!! This book was a fresh and different take on the break-up. Feeling real and relatable with every new phase our characters Andy and Jen go through with their breakup, and grieving your ex. You read it with the nostalgia of feeling that way, and all the girls that read it will now have a common language for how we talk about “the madness”.
Very much enjoyed this - it's a break up story but a difference - this time it's from the perspective of the chap. He wants to wallow in his sadness and talk to his friends, but they are unable to function at that level with their emotions, and hence there are pub nights and alcoholic binges.
The final two sections make this such a satisfying read; firstly the ex-girlfriend's view of the relationship and the breakup, and finally, what Andy does with all of his grief and new found emotional intelligence.
Read and enjoy!
When Jen ends their relationship of several years, Andy is baffled. Why doesn’t she love him any more? He goes through the various stages of break-up- desperately hoping to get her back, going out and getting drunk, sleeping with someone else, trying to turn himself against her. He is also in that difficult stage in his thirties where his friends all have wives, children, homes and steady jobs, so though initially they try to help him but it becomes increasingly hard to get anyone to come out on a “lads’ night.” His career as a stand-up comedian is failing and he ends up lodging with an old man. Slowly, however, he begins to move forward, and as we hear Jen’s version of what happened towards the end of 5e book, both Andy and the reader come to a new understanding. Sad but also very funny, Alderton is brilliant at chronicling the modern dating scene and how it has been dramatically influenced by the advent of social media, changing social mores and different lifestyles. She is also really good at characterisation, with even minor characters emerging as convincing and memorable, including the children of the estranged couple’s best friends. It cannot have been the easiest thing to tell the story from a male viewpoint, but she pulls it off with panache. A worthy successor to the wonderful, heart-breaking “Ghosts.”
I read this quickly because I just couldn't get enough. I really enjoyed reading a man's perspective of a break-up and then getting the other side from his ex. So many things rang true that it made me cringe, laugh and feel sad in equal measure - a real rollercoaster of emotions! And I was left rooting for both Andy and Jen in the end. I loved the fact that there didn't need to be a dramatic catalyst for their break up to make me interested in their story. Another great book by Dolly!
I sped through this story of a break up. Alderton is great at pacing novels and hooking you in and keeping you hooked. She is also really good at relatable world building and there were lots of moments that rang true and which made me laugh out loud. It was interesting that she chose to write the majority of the novel from the point of view of a man. Andy returns from a weekend in Paris with his long term girlfriend who dumps him as soon as they get back home. We follow Andy through the aftermath of the break up and right at the end, we are served the coda of Jen's version of events. Initially I was surprised about Alderton's choice to narrate Andy's experience. I was concerned that it might not work, but I really think it did. What I love about Alderton's characters is that they are always drawn in the round. You care about the characters and want them to succeed but Alderton also shows you their flaws and failings. I particularly enjoyed the fact that in this break up there were no clear cut baddies and goodies. It was just entirely messy and very human.