The Guy Not Taken: Stories Reviews

• CERTAINLY NOT HER BEST........

  
  By A36AIK1DQPSRNT on 2006-09-17
  ....but then I am not a fan of short stories. However--since I am a Weiner fan, I thought I'd try her latest work. I have to say...although the stories are well-written, for the most part, I am beginning to find the author's work repetitive. The stories all revolve around women who are physically imperfect (fat, scarred, etc.); there is typically a familial struggle...and typically it is an absentee father (divorced and not involved with his children, or simply desertion). And although her latest in no way measures up to her first (Good In Bed), I was thrilled to see Cannie make an appearance in one of the short stories. And thrilled though I was...let's face it, there is a Cannie in everything that this author writes. Cannie Clones are everywhere; she was the dowdy Connecticut housewife in Goodnight, Nobody...she was the lawyer sister in In Her Shoes....she was the overweight doctor's wife in Little Earthquakes. The reality is that Weiner is a fabulous writer who uses her talent as the proverbial therapist's couch. I'd like to see a wider array of characters in her future work...so let's hope she works through her issues and can move on to something a little more creative.
  
  DYB
  
  

• Not her best, but still Weiner material

  
  By A2WMEDQT6EL5FM on 2006-10-13
  Before you go comparing this book to Weiner's "Good in Bed", keep in mind that this collection of short stories were written before that book, "half a lifetime ago, [starting] when I was 18", she tells us. Many of these were written during her college years at Princeton, and she still had her professor's written notes "polish this up [and] publish it". Think of these stories sort of as rough drafts- not perfect, but the raw materials are there.
  
  Many of Weiner's books focus around broken marriages, which tends to get repetitive. But Weiner admits that her parents spilt up when she was 17 and she was so hurt that all her stories, from freshman to senior year in college, revolved around divorce and broken families. In "Just Desserts", Josie Krystal and her family suffer greatly when her Dad decides to up and leave the family; meanwhile, Josie must deal with a Mother that is always doing laps in the pool and a younger sister who is spoiled rotten and somehow gets Josie to do everything she asks. All the while, we wonder wether this is Nicki's nature, or a result of abandonment issues. In "Swim", we find a girl who's parents died early on, forcing her to live with her grandmother. Now in her thirties in L.A., she makes a living rewriting college applications for spoiled rich kids. A chance encounter with a stranger in a coffee shop gives her the idea to also start a business rewriting personal ads for people, making them more "marketable". (Interestingly, Weiner tells us her editor really wanted this story for the book, but Weiner, who admits to being a clutter bug, couldn't find it. So, she had to rewrite it from her memory, changing it from a NY setting to L.A. She refers to it as "Swim 2.0"). The title story "The Guy Not Taken" was an idea Weiner got from a Stephen King short story about a guy who inherhits his dead nephew's computer and starts using the 'delete' button in a sinister way. In Weiner's story, a woman named Marlie, with a husband and 6-month old son, is purusing a bridal registry to buy a gift for her brother and sister-in-law to be when it dawns on her to type in her old flame's info. Bing! His name shows up, and Marlie can't help but be jealous. When she gets the crazy idea to switch her name with Bob's fiancee (she remembered his only password), she wakes up the next day next to Bob instead of her husband Drew. Now that Marlie's made a huge mess of things, can she ever get back to her old life?
  
  The interesting thing about these stories is that they are told in a sort of chronilogical order- from the youngest person to the oldest, in a sense, creating a lifetime of tales. At the end of the book, Weiner gives a breakdown of each story and how it came about, which I found almost more entertaining than the stories themselves. Some have cried foul at Weiner publishing these, as though she were out for a quick buck. However, I think it incredibly brave of her to share her early work, something many writers would probably rather keep buried in their attic. If you decide to read this, go into it with an open mind and don't expect stuff resembling Weiner's later works. Be fair and give it a chance.
  
  

• It's Pathetic

  
  By A1ZA2AQUHN3BCD on 2006-09-09
  I love Jennifer Weiner, I was thrilled to see she had a new book out. I thought even her shirt stories would be great. WRONG! I skipped a few, liked one that ended too quickly and all in all out right disappointed. She is so much better than this. I fell horrible about saying this about her but what happened to the woman who writes wonderful book?
  
  

• Another disappoint by Jennifer Weiner...

  
  By A1YE72P9ZNTPHE on 2006-09-14
  Last evening, I completed my fifth Jennifer Weiner novel, "The Guy Not Taken: Stories." I have been a Weiner fan since first reading "In Her Shoes" and have gone on to buy and read every other novel that she has written. That being said, I am again disappointed to say that Weiner's latest novel does not contain the same wit and humor found in her first three novels. I had hoped that " Goodnight Nobody" had been a fluke accident in which Weiner thought herself to be a mystery writer, and pulled herself away from the "chic" lit genre. However, this novel has the same dark feel as "Goodnight Nobody." "The Guy Not Taken" has that same less than put together feeling, as though someone had forgotten to write the other (good) part of the book.
  
  Almost all of the short stories featured in this novel dealt with women coming to terms with something that was either devestating, disappointing, or unexpected. While the stories were good, I would not consider them to be great. Rather, some stories felt underdeveloped, while others felt too long and drug out. Many of the stories failed to provide me with the humor that is present in Weiner's earlier works and instead left me feeling said and depressed.
  
  I'm beginning to tire of Weiner's new found darkness in her writing and would like her to return to the upbeat (but still sensitive) author who wrote "Good in Bed."
  
  All in all a solid three stars.
  
  

• great stories!

  
  By AF814YBNWCVF9 on 2006-09-09
  I have to disagree with the previous reviewer. I may not be your typical "chick lit" (not that this is exactly chick lit) reader (gay man), but I read GOODNIGHT NOBODY and really enjoyed it. Someone gave me Jennifer's new book as a gift (because I'm a huge short story lover) and I have to say I really enjoyed these stories. Not only are they great stories, but it's interesting to see how well Weiner writes about different people and watching her style change over the years. Good book!
  
  
• An improvement over Goodnight Nobody
  By A3A5UDBYMTABG on 2006-09-25
  I'm generally not a fan of short stories, but I genuinely enjoyed some of these: Mother's Hour - about a punk mother who is unfairly accused of abusing her child, The Guy Not Taken - about a woman who looks up an ex-boyfriend online and suddenly finds herself back with him in an interesting fantasy sequence, Swim - about a shy girl who helps a guy find dates, Oranges from Florida - about a guy who pretends to be from a radio station and brings a prize to a boy, and Tour of Duty - Weiner's first published story, about a mother/son trip to Princeton and the mother awkwardly breaking the news about her impending divorce from his father.
  
  Interestingly, the first story was pretty bad...I'm wondering why it was placed so early in the collection, as that's what readers look at first. However, it was one of her earliest stories, and you can definitely see how she's improved over time. Most of the stories were of more recent vintage and much better than the first one, so I'd advise you to give the rest of the book a chance.
  
  I do agree with some of the other reviewers who said that this book is too dark. It's better than Goodnight Nobody, but I'd like to see Weiner return to her light-hearted, funny style (which is shown in some of the stories, but not all).
  
  
• Jen's Best
  By A21QLJ63H4GE6A on 2006-09-09
  This is one of the best books I've read this year. EW gave it an A-, and this week read a USAToday rave. It seems everyone has a different favorite story (mine: Swim), and taken together, they are about eleven different ways to love, and to learn from loss. It is so beautifully written, and very, very funny.
  
  
• i think this was....
  By A3KR8VWEGV479W on 2006-10-10
  ... an attempt by her publisher to make some "free" money. they slap Weiner's name on a cover, get some buzz, and watch it go. the problem is - these stories are sub-par. if she was not Jennifer Weiner, they would not have been published. and i think it's a shame that they convinced her to hand them over. even in her notes after the last story, she mentions how more than a few were rejected. i think i know why: the themes are repetitive, the story arcs are weak or non-existent and the characters start blending together after a while. i think in the future she should stick to novels, or write some brand new short stories, with a fresh perspective and featuring characters of more depth. and no more marketing ploys!
  
  
• A real disappointment
  By A3EOWGQ25WNBLA on 2006-10-18
  If these stories were by some unknown writer, they would have been boring and dull. But from Jennifer Weiner, they are a real disappointment. I can't imagine this book would have been published but for the fact that it was an automatic "sell" to Weiner fans.
  
  I have to agree with an earlier reviewer - note to Jennifer: Enough with the overweight underdog from a divorced family - try some new material! You are a fantastic writer - get creative!
  
  
• Disappointing
  By A3C8N5YEXXO2Y7 on 2006-11-10
  I *LOVED* all of Jennifer Weiner's previous books. As soon as I saw she had a new one out, I ordered it. It was terrible. A bunch of short stories, that have no beginning, middle or ending. It was like a bunch of dis-jointed thoughts that went nowhere, and then a new "story", that was just as bad. This book was like picking up 10 books off your bookshelf and reading a random chapter in each one.
  Save your money.
  
  
• Want a quick read? Try these short stories on for size.
  By AU76601D8U0CD on 2007-08-15
  I'm a big fan of Jennifer Weiner. Her writing is smart and sassy - much like her characters. However, I was hesitant to try this one, for I'm not usually a fan of short stories. Typically, I like to experience the full development of a character in a novel, but I was pleasantly surprised with this one. Everytime I got involved in the story and characters, it ended. But then the next story was even better. When finished, I had a whole circle of "new friends" that I could ponder about where their fictional lives would take them. The possibilities were endless.
  I found it interesting how Weiner placed her stories in chronological order - starting with a young woman and ending with one later in life. Also fascinating were her stories behind each story at the end of the book. A great quick read!
  
  
• PERFECT PAIRING OF NARRATORS
  By A3M174IC0VXOS2 on 2006-10-06
  
  Those drawn to the novels of Jennifer Weiner, especially Good In Bed and In Her Shoes (which was made into a major motion picture) will want to listen and probably listen again to this collection of her short stories. She has the ability to create characters to whom we easily relate, individuals cut from everyday life with all of our common foibles and gifts.
  
  These 11 stories once again capture men and women during transitional and transforming times in their lives. "Just Desserts" and "Travels With Nicki," the two opening stories were written early in Weiner's career. They reflect, to a great extent, her own life experience - the effects of divorce on a once apparently close knit family.
  
  Josie, the lead character, reflects her feelings with, ""I had heard them fighting at night, his hissing whispers and her tears, and I knew that for the last month he'd come home late, and for the last week, not at all, but I'd been telling myself I was worrying about nothing, that they were just going through a rough patch, that things were going to be fine."
  
  In another tale (the title story) Marlie Davidow wonders about what might have been when she comes upon her ex boyfriend's online wedding registry. Here she is with a new baby, lonely, and it's late at night. What might have happened had she chosen him?
  
  Sometimes a tender moment, at other times tough going, each story takes on the reality of life as it is today, especially when read by such talented actors as Mary Catherine Garrison and Jordan Bridges. Remembered for her guest appearances on TV's Law and Order as well as her Broadway performance in The Man Who Came to Dinner, Ms. Garrison has a winning voice that accurately captures both joy and pathos. Jordan Bridges is a gifted actor and well he should be as he's the son, nephew, and grandson of Beau, Jeff and Lloyd Bridges. His narration is articulate, powerful when strength is needed, always very much in sync with the character he currently inhabits.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  - Gail Cooke
  
  
  
• Stinker! Big disappointment! Save your money!
  By A1VEGONRT0N6VT on 2006-10-15
  Her other two books were awesome so I expected the same out of this one but was sorely disappointed. I kept slogging through the short stories expecting them to be connected in some way but alas, I was wrong. The entire book is a series of short stories that go nowhere. They're not connected with at all. I'm left totally unsatisfied.
  
  How did this get published? Oh yes, the name "Jennifer Weiner" was on the cover. Don't judge a book by its cover and I am ashamed I did just that. This is the first book that makes me want my money back. Shame on the publishers for letting this one out, in hard back no less. To think what I could have done with $20 and the five hours I spent on the book...
  
  
• surprising
  By A26IJH1YLJ9OU3 on 2007-03-07
  My husband, knowing I'm a fan of Jennifer's books, bought this one for me for Christmas. I fully enjoyed it and finished it w/in hours. I found it quite easy to read, especially since the short story format can fit well into a busy schedule...finish a story, go to work, pick up book, and start a new story. Enjoyed it very much. Also, SO WHAT if Weiner puts a "fat" person in her stories. As a "fat" person (who really isn't fat, but in today's society, anyone over a 10 is considered heavy), I appreciate heroines who I can relate to. Not everyone is a stick-thin model living the glamorous life in New York City. Some of us are "real" women who make a living as teachers, mommies, or housewives. Kudos, Jennifer, for including "real" women in your stories.
  
  
• Great!
  By A2Z810KX9VAX7I on 2006-09-09
  I really enjoyed reading Jen Weiner's short stories. The characters are so easy to relate to and as always with Jen's writing the story lines are witty and fun. I would recommend it for sure.
  
  
• Gloomy & Boring
  By A23TOKVIVJJGIR on 2006-10-15
  Jennifer Weiner is such a good writer; if only she could get past her neuroses! Enough with divorce, enough with overweight women! Many of these stories made me uncomfortable or turned me off altogether. There was a reason why various publications rejected these stories way back when, and so should have her current publisher. Ms. Weiner needs to break from the advice of many a writing teacher, i.e., write what you know. Explore new situations, new emotions, and include some happy endings!
  
  
• Lovely short-story collection by Weiner...
  By A1T17LMQABMBN5 on 2007-02-07
  I have read Jennifer Weiner's first three novels and enjoyed Good in Bed and In Her Shoes the most. I haven't given her fourth novel a whirl yet and decided to skip it and read her short-story collection instead. The stories focus on relationships with either men, friends or family, and some of them come across as somewhat autobiographical, especially the stories centered on a young woman and her eccentric family. Some of these stories I remember reading in previous anthologies, such as American Girls About Town and the ones published by Red Dress Ink, but the ones I hadn't read before were quite enjoyable. I liked "The Wedding Bed," "Good Men," and "Dora on the Beach." The Guy not Taken is not the best short-story collection I've read, but it's good for an afternoon read and Jennifer Weiner has a great deal of wit and her writing is always fun. Enjoy.
  
  
• Not a Fan of Short Stories
  By A2BCDP4UNI99M3 on 2007-02-11
  I am a HUGE Jennifer Weiner fan, so I was willing to buy this book and give it a try. After reading it I realized that I'm not a fan of short stories. There just isn't enough time to develop the characters and get to know them like in a full length novel.
  
  The short stories in this book are related to times in Jennifer Weiner's life and things she was going through. Some of them are sad and hard to read. I'm a much bigger fan of her other writings.
  
  
• Okay, not great. I'd give this 2.5 stars if I could.
  By A2T6HZCQ8EIU64 on 2006-09-24
  Since reading Good In Bed, I have been a big Jennifer Weiner fan as I think she has a great talent for finding, and writing of, the humor in relationships and life. Some of that deft sense of humor shows through well in the stories in The Guy Not Taken but, overall, I found most of them to be forgettable and boring (particularly the first three connected stories).
  
  Like some of the previous reviewers, I really hope that Weiner returns to the promise exhibited in her earlier works. Her recent offerings (the suburban mystery of Goodnight Nobody and this new one) just don't have the same charm, and seems to mine some of the same characters and issues over and over again with declining results. The Guy Not Taken is enjoyable enough but you get the vague sense that she's been there, done that and, for someone with Weiner's talent, this should never happen. This is only a worthwhile buy for diehard Weiner fans...I can't recommend it otherwise, unfortunately.
  
  
• Come back, Weiner!!
  By A5TFXZDD0AMIS on 2006-09-25
  As an avid Jennifer Weiner fan, I was excited to see a new book out and was happy to preorder the book online. When it arrived I anxiously opened the book, and was sorely disappointed. The writing was dark, her stories focus around her parent's divorce, which is a never-ending theme in all of her books, but particularly noticeable in this one, and it was hard to connect to any of the characters.
  
  Where is the Weiner who wrote Good in Bed and Little Earthquakes? Come back, Weiner!!!
  
  
• Not the best!
  By A3FOQLYGCRVAGM on 2006-11-10
  I enjoyed reading this but it wasnt her best work. I am also not a big fan of short stories, but I am a HUGE fan of Jennifer Weiner so I was excited to read it. I would like to see some expansion on some of the stories written here for her next novel!
  
  
• The downhill slide of her books continues
  By A32U6S7PWKSSLH on 2006-11-13
  Since Good in Bed and In her Shoes Jennifer's books have continued to get worse. Her first 2 books were fabulous but Little Earthquakes, Goodnight Nobody and The Guy Not Taken show her progressively becoming more boring. I dont know if its because her life has changed and she is not having the fun exciting life of a single woman, but her books are not as good as they were. The Guy Not taken is a compilation of short stories. There are a couple of high points in the book but they are few and far between. The problem with these stories is just are you are beginning to relate to the characters the story is over and you are moving onto the next one. I will continue to read her and give her one more shot, but I am not sure how many one more shots I have in me to give to her.
  
  
• A Huge Disappointment
  By A25KI3A8QWWH6T on 2006-12-20
  I am a huge Jennifer Weiner fan, but I found this collection of short stories to be a huge let down after all her other great works. The individual stories were very abrupt - as if you randomly opened a novel to chapter in the middle of the book and read only that chapter. No beginning and no end, and left wanting to know more. But just when you began to get into the story line...bam...a new story, with new characters that had nothing to do with what you were just reading the page before, yet they all seemed in a sense so similar - like they should have been connected in some way but were not. I generally enjoy short stories, but this collection just did not do it for me. In my opinion, someone who has had such success should not have published what comes accross as rejected ideas, or drafts. Has these stories been published by some new, unknown author, maybe they would have been entertaining, but from Jennifer Weiner, they seemed to be a cop out.
  
  I am hoping that she comes out with something new soon so she can redeem herself.
  
  
• None of them are great, but there are some keepers in this collection
  By A22TZUXUKA11SQ on 2007-02-09
  The Guy Not Taken is not chick lit, and is an interesting departure from the witty romantic comedies I've come to expect from Jennifer Weiner. None of the stories is really funny, and as a whole the collection is kind of depressing. The theme of each story seems to be that one of the characters is going through life feeling like something is missing and they're desperately trying to figure out how to get it back: sometimes it's an old flame, sometimes it's self-confidence, and--in many cases, it is the oft-discussed dissolution of marriage. In the notes about this book, Weiner says that her writing in college pretty much centered around the fact that her parents got divorced and it hurt. From about half of the stories in this collection, you get the picture loud and clear that she still might not be over it. Still, the collection is well-written, and if you can look past the fact that it's not lighthearted and upbeat, you'll probably find one or two stories that you'll enjoy.
  
  Personally my favorites were Swim and Buyer's Market:
  
  In Swim, we meet Ruth, a Los Angeles screenwriter who has been working as a college applications counselor since leaving her last position as a sitcom writer. Ruth meets her clients at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and helps them create polished essays and practice for their admissions interviews in the hopes that they'll get into the school of their choice. Though she secretly thinks that many of these kids are overpriveleged, vapid brats. they pay her bills so can't complain. When Ruth meets Caitlyn, who seems like just another spoiled little rich girl, she learns that things aren't always as they appear. And one day sitting in the coffee shop, she meets a man who gives her the bright idea that college applications essays might not be all she's qualified to write.
  
  Swim was one of the less morose stories in the collection, and in that sense, a welcome departure from the gloom surrounding the first few stories. Ruth has a dark side of her own, but it's her interactions with people that make the story so interesting. One of my favorite parts of this story is the way Weiner delves into Ruth's past as a screenwriter, and her inability to put her own life back on track despite her willingness to help others attempt the same thing.
  
  Similarly, in Buyer's Market, we met Jess, a New Yorker who inherits a beautiful upper West side apartment from her deceased aunt, but never quite feels at home despite her lavish surroundings. When Jess falls in love with a realtor who is struggling to make his first sale, she lets him list her apartment in the hopes that it will attract potential clientele. Still, she never intends to actually sell her great aunt's apartment and convinces herself that the listing will solidify her relationship with the realtor and that when things are said and done, they'll get a good laugh out of this story.
  
  Of course things don't work out the way Jess wants them to, but they rarely do in real life either. I really liked that Weiner didn't just let the story end with things falling apart for Jess, but went on to show us how the choices she made affected her future. The way she finishes stories are one of my favorite things about Jennifer Weiner's writing and I think that you'll find the the collection of stories in The Guy Not Taken is very polished and well-planned. Though I wouldn't say that any of them are great, there are some keepers in this collection, and if you're a fan of Weiner's writing I'd definitely give The Guy Not Taken a chance.
  
  
• I hated it
  By A92NTTUBBIP45 on 2007-08-31
  Im a huge Jennifer Weiner fan and have read all of her books. unfortunately, i hated this one. it was very boring. everytime you thought the story was about to peak, it would end and go to another story. it was very unfulfilling and disappointing..
  
  
  
• Downer
  By AJVIYKE8XFKHO on 2006-12-15
  I think maybe I'd have been more forgiving if I'd known that these were stories written before Jennifer Weiner had perfected her craft. As it was, while I was reading, I just felt disappointed. It seemed like the stories would be a series of stories about Josie after the first two, but then it went on to switch characters. The stories were so similar, though (as she herself admits afterward), that she might as well have just kept the stories within the same family. And then there's the matter of the repetitive theme (which she also admits to afterward) of broken families. I felt browbeaten by it in the end. I don't think it would be an issue were this a novel, but when you go story to story and they're all pretty much the same, it kind of feels like a cheat.
  
  It was interesting to know how badly children can be affected by divorce, but I wonder if kids today have the same reaction, now that divorce is the norm rather than the exception. Perhaps it depends on the manner of the leaving. None of the dads in these stories left with very much consideration or grace.
  
  It does have its moments. I enjoyed the character who made assumptions about a rich teenager and later found out the girl was much deeper than she thought. I myself have a problem with prejuding people when I perceive them to have everything they ever wanted. I also enjoyed the life-switching story. It was unexpected and sweet in this overall depressing collection.
  
  
• Short Stories Are The Most Difficult Stories to Write
  By AOLE83OAL1IBP on 2007-05-11
  Every writer will tell you that to craft a well written taut short story is the most difficult of undertakings and in this book Jennifer Weiner not only writes one well written taut short story but she manages to write 10. Although some of the stories Weiner admits to starting years before, most were written recently and all rewritten for this book. Several of the stories call to me as I write this review; The Mother's Hour, The Guy Not Taken and Oranges From Florida are among my favorites. Congratulations to Jennifer on fulfilling many author's fantasy...publishing a book of shorts.
  
  
• Left adrift
  By AAJRLUJCC7A3Z on 2007-08-21
  I was extremely disappointed in this collection of short stories and had trouble discerning one character voice from the next. Threads were left unfinished and many of the secondary characters were simply cliched or recycled from Cinderella. Not Weiner's best work by any stretch of the imagination.
  
  
• Don't buy the audio version
  By A1850R3AFS6QGL on 2007-08-30
  I have the audio version of this and I found the woman's voice to be so annoying I could not finish listening to it.
  I also did not like the fact that there is no real ending to the stories I did listen to.
  
  
• Jennifer Wiener The Guy Not Taken
  By A1ZGMMNP69P6GN on 2007-09-30
  I am a huge fan of Jennifer Wiener as an author but did not like this book at all. I am not a fan of short stories (as another poster stated). I did not feel that the book flowed, and honestly did not finish it.
  
  I would highly recommend her other books over this one. She overall is an excellent author though.
  
  

• Little Earthquakes: A Novel (Washington Square Press)
• American Girls About Town
• Good In Bed

• Good in Bed
• Certain Girls: A Novel
• Goodnight Nobody: A Novel
• Little Earthquakes : A Novel (Washington Square Press)
• American Girls About Town