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The Best a Man Can Get | 
| Author: John O'farrell
Publisher: Black Swan
Category: Book
List Price: £6.99
Buy New: £5.49
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Avg. Customer Rating:  46 reviews
Sales Rank: 12076
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0552998443
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780552998444
ASIN: 0552998443
Publication Date: June 4, 2001
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Some men are born fathers, while others have fatherhood thrust upon them. The protagonist of John O'Farrell's The Best a Man Can Get belongs indisputably in the latter category. When his first daughter is born, Michael Adams imagines her as the warden of a prison that will permanently deprive him of his youth and freedom. Terrified by his new responsibilities, he regularly escapes to a bachelor pad across the Thames, pretending to be at work. Another child arrives--and with still another on the way, it is only a matter of time until Michael's wife discovers his double life. At that point, he must make a choice between his family and his hedonistic haven. By turns hilarious and touching, O'Farrell's book delves deeply into the anxieties of modern parenting. Yet the novel is not without empathy for the 21st-century father. After all, it's easy to imagine the lure of a child-proof hideaway, insulated from sleepless nights and dirty diapers. At the same time, Adams often wonders whether "just being tucked up warm and cosy" is really "the best a man can get". With its charming prose and its truant protagonist, this first novel is sure to win over even the most reluctant parent. --Greg Bensinger
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| Customer Reviews: Read 41 more reviews...
 Witty and Well Observed October 10, 2008
It was one of those chance things. Staying in a converted barn on holiday in Pembrokeshire the owners of the barn had kindly provided some books and DVD's for use by the holidaymakers. I selected The Best A Man Can Get because I also had John O'Farrell's Things Can Only Get Better at home waiting to be read. The story of Michael Adams, a composer of music for adverts, as he tries to be both a caring father and enjoy some time to himself by leading a double life north and south of the Thames is a cracking read. It is a hilariously funny and well observed book that rings so many bells for parents of young children, as well as anyone for whom procrastination is a preferred way of life. As the subject, Michael Adams maintains his charm throughout the book, in spite of his deceit, and you will him and his wife Catherine to be successful in their relationship and their parenting, even when it goes wrong. I ended up rushing to read the book quickly in the hope that my wife would be able to read it as well before we finished our holiday!
 Funny, but boring on every other level September 7, 2007
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
The plot is a man living with three other men in London while pretending to his wife (on the other side of the Thames) that he is secretly always working late. 'Will she find out?' is the premise.
The book is funny with plenty of oneliners and if all you want is a laugh this is a reasonable book to choose because it reads like a sitcom episode of Men Behaving Badly.
For me, who wants to read a 'proper' novel, there are problems:
1. There is more or less zero description of objects, people or emotions. So anyone after a book to transport you to another world via descriptive text or a book that will entangle you in great emotions will be disappointed. The only emotion is humour.
2. Also, not much happens. The premise of living a secret double-life behind his wife's back is about it. There are no scenes of intrigue or elements of a thriller, so anyone after an interesting plot will, again, be bored. I was - when I was reading it I kept thinking, 'Nothing's HAPPENING!' And nothing does! He talks about his wife and his kids and some parties he goes to but that's your lot. No life or death situation, no buildup of suspense etc.
3. The characters are basically the first-person narrator and his wife. The men he lives with you know very little about other than their occupation and the odd obvious traits (lazy, uptight etc). So if you are after a book rich with characterisation this is not it.
4. Everything is set in London. As someone who does not live in London and does not want to, reading a book set there is tedious - hello Nick Hornby! Everyone in the world does NOT live in London. Consider: (1) It's lazy writing to talk about JUST where you live; (2) it's boring for people who don't live in London to read about it.
John O'Farrell used to write for Spitting Image in the 1980s so he is good at the oneliners but it seems everything he writes is STILL like Spitting Image: he focuses on the gag at the expense of novel attributes of plot, character development, setting, description, emotion.
Buy it for a laugh but don't expect anything deeper.
7/10
the best a man can get!!!!!!!!!!! January 28, 2006
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
great book. should be read by all the "SINGLE" blokes who cant or wont commit!! So reminds me of so many blokes living in London, South London.....
 The best I can get in the States October 12, 2005
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Kudos to John O'farrell. I write this perhaps, prematurely, (I'm only half way through the book) but judging by his other literary pieces, this one follows suit in the same genre. Living in the United States I do love to 'refresh' my British humour and yes, this book does have me 'laughing out loud'. I am now officially that crazy woman laughing on airplanes but at least I cause intrigue amongst those around me! Thank you Mr O'Farrell for bringing insightment and sanity to my world once again (Albeit temporarily)..you make my (Many) flights something I look forward to...please keep it up. A great read if you don't take it (And yourself) too seriously.
Funny book, well worth a read June 2, 2005
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed this book, it drew me in at the start, and kept me laughing throughout. While the ending is arguably weak, and the funnier parts are at the start, the book is about a journey of self-awareness.Michael Adams is essentially a good father and a loving husband, caught up perhaps in his own selfishness and always aware of the mess his own father made of being there for him. As he tells the story, O'Farrell adds observational, sardonic humour but still manages to produce a tale that should resonate with any father, or anyone who has ever questioned their commitment in any long term relationship. Well worth a read.
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