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highly recommended |
She Is Incredible! 
THE POST-BIRTHDAY WORLD, by Lionel Shriver (who's a "she," not a "he"), is quite simply one of the best novels I've ever read. This magical tour-de-force plays with the idea that has probably crossed everyone's mind at one time or another: that some of the humdrum decisions we make can have life-altering consequences. (Should I move to a new city to accept a job? Or should I stay where I am and get a new job? How different would my life have been if I'd never met the man who is now my husband?) The novel, set in London in an unspecified past, examines those questions. Not only does Shriver give us a fully-rounded protagonist in Irina McGovern, an illustrator of children's books,which is a marvel in itself--but she then presents Irina with a moral dilemma in the person of snooker superstar Ramsey Acton. The dilemma is this: with Lawrence, Irina's partner for many years, off on a think-tank junket in Sarajevo, should Irina invite Ramsey to dinner in a continuation of their five-year-long tradition? And afterwards, both of them drunk and powerfully, ruinously drawn to one another, should she accept the kiss she badly wants him to give her?
At this point the novel really takes off. (The epigraph is as follows: "'Nobody's perfect.' KNOWN FACT.") Shriver shows us Irina's future should she deny the kiss and stay partnered with the brilliant but emotionally inept Lawrence, and Irina's future should she accept Ramsey's kiss. Shriver is an imaginative, accomplished, and very funny writer. Anybody who's been hungering for a good read will relish getting lost among the characters of this book as they explore the subtleties of ideas such as, how much is safety worth in a marriage? Is it worth a career? Whose career? It's been a long time since I have been so powerfully and so thoroughly drawn into a fictional world.
If you are over 30 married and female you must read
One of the best books I have read this year. (and I read alot) I am in 2 bookclubs and listen to 4-8 audiobooks a month. ALL of my girlfriends are buzzing about this book.
Alot To Provoke Discussions
I'll be the first to admit I thought the literary 'Sliding Doors' was simply going to be a clever device to map out a story with obvious results. I couldn't of been more wrong. This was a book I kept closing at night and found it replaying in my head like scenes form a movie. This is the first book I'd read by Shriver and found her writing both exceptional, and her observations on love and life both keen and razor sharp in their exactness. Yes, the book can be uncomfortable, especially for anyone whose been in a long term relationship, but that's why the book is so affecting.It pushes buttons and provokes discourse, whether verbal or not, about love, life, and the choices we make. What I appreciated is that as an author she takes a completely unbiased view and just presents two mirrored alternatives from which you can draw your own conclusions. I didn't, like many people, find the book depressing, and actually found it pretty affirming ultimately.
The book that goes on forever 
I feel like I have been reading this book forever. I was a huge fan of We need to Talk About Kevin and am disppointed in this work. Long and predicatable, the charcters are well developed and the book is written well. I do find myself going back for my but I think it is half to finish the book and half becasue of the story.
Love it, hate it, or both - it'll still make you think! 
I loved this book and still hated it at times. In the end, it left me thinking. What more can you ask? It's absolutely perfect for a book club - both for the reasons it's likeable and for those that it's not:
I loved the writing!: I've never read a Shriver book, so maybe unlike others I'm not disillusioned by comparison to others - but WOW, CAN SHE WRITE. Few authors could carry this ambitious concept off well.
I loved the univeral theme and concept: The passionate, temptuous roller-coaster ride of love or the relaxed, dependable love that's like an old, comfy sweater? Which is really best? Who in the end is the best choice? Both come with their ups and downs. What woman hasn't faced this?????
I loved the clever writing - particularly when the protaganist (and I don't think this is a spoiler) as a children's illustrator creates 2 different themed children's books that parallel the novel - WOW!
I loved that I still thought about and debated which was the best of her choice- long after the last page. Even though, deep inside, I wished SHriver had told me her answer.
I hated that both of the heroine's choices had terrible, abusive flaws. It would have been better, if she'd made both choices more likable. Though, in the end, I've decided she was illustrating that the "grass is always greener on the other side". Each choice is more likable when she's not with them.
And what I hated about it is also what makes it so great for endless pondering and discussion. What route should our heroine have chosen --- it's up to you. Fascinating reading!
Bottom Line: I think if you liked Sliding Doors or The Time Traveler's Wife, you'll really like this one!
reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
In this eagerly awaited new novel, Lionel Shriver, the Orange Prize-winning author of the international bestseller We Need to Talk About Kevin, delivers an imaginative and entertaining look at the implications, large and small, of whom we choose to love. Using a playful parallel-universe structure, The Post-Birthday World follows one woman's future as it unfolds under the influence of two drastically different men. Children's book illustrator Irina McGovern enjoys a quiet and settled life in London with her partner, fellow American expatriate Lawrence Trainer, a smart, loyal, disciplined intellectual at a prestigious think tank. To their small circle of friends, their relationship is rock solid. Until the night Irina unaccountably finds herself dying to kiss another man: their old friend from South London, the stylish, extravagant, passionate top-ranking snooker player Ramsey Acton. The decision to give in to temptation will have consequences for her career, her relationships with family and friends, and perhaps most importantly the texture of her daily life. Hinging on a single kiss, this enchanting work of fiction depicts Irina's alternating futures with two men temperamentally worlds apart yet equally honorable. With which true love Irina is better off is neither obvious nor easy to determine, but Shriver's exploration of the two destinies is memorable and gripping. Poignant and deeply honest, written with the subtlety and wit that are the hallmarks of Shriver's work, The Post-Birthday World appeals to the what-if in us all.
birthday, post, post-birthday, world
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