Review: Romantic Comedy

The Fussy Stuff

Title: Romantic Comedy

Author: Curtis Sittenfeld

Format: eBook

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Quick Take: A smart, funny, character-driven romance that’s more about messy people and friendships than fairy-tale love. Especially rewarding if you’re even mildly interested in SNL.

My Take

This is one of those books that has been sitting on my digital shelf for a long time. I finally picked it up because I saw it as a recommendation on one of those “best books I read this year” listicles.

Why hadn’t I given it a chance before now? Because I hate books – especially books that are so heavily character driven – that center on a woman’s voice but are written by a man. I believe that there are some things that are a part of the female experience that even the best intentioned, most “enlightened” men will never truly be able to understand.

However, I am an utter fool.

Curtis Sittenfeld is in fact a woman – I just saw the name and made a sweeping assumption. While you know I am a proponent of being unfussed about your reading, I do feel bad that I made this assumption and will learn my lesson here. I would have missed out on a good thing if I’d continued to let my inaccurate assumptions win.

Now onto the book itself… it is fun! It has all the things I like in a semi-realistic romance:

Women who are tough but flawed
Strong female friendships
Impossibly rich and attractive men
Acknowledgement that meeting the man isn’t the crowning achievement of the protagonist’s life.

I have actually just recently gotten more into SNL, as a comedian I am a big fan of just joined the cast. The story would definitely not hit as hard for non-SNL fans. The peeking behind-the-scenes feel is definitely part of what makes the story fun and why you want to keep reading.

The one area of risk in this book is whether or not you like Sally. Every word of this book is from her perspective. If you get through the first 20 pages and you are not cheering for her, I suggest you pick up something different. She is not perfect. She makes poor choices, can be pretty mean sometimes, and has a pretty serious self-sabotaging problem. However, if you can allow her a little grace and acknowledge that every one of us screw up sometimes, I think you will enjoy being by her side and cheering her on through her journey.

Unfussed Verdict

If you enjoy contemporary romances with flawed, opinionated protagonists and strong female friendships, this is an easy yes, just make sure you’re willing to spend a lot of time inside Sally’s head.

Unfussed Homework (Optional, Obviously)

Think about a book you’ve been avoiding because of an assumption you made about the author, genre, or type of story. Would it be worth testing that assumption, even just for 20 pages?