The Man of My Dreams

A Novel

By: Curtis Sittenfeld

Narrated by: Susan Denaker

In her acclaimed debut novel, Prep, Curtis Sittenfeld created a touchstone with her pitch-perfect portrayal of adolescence. Her prose is as intensely realistic and compelling as ever in The Man of My Dreams, a disarmingly candid and sympathetic novel about the collision of a young woman’s fantasies of family and love with the challenges and realities of adult life.

Hannah Gavener is 14 in the summer of 1991. In the magazines she reads, celebrities plan elaborate weddings; in Hannah’s own life, her parents’ marriage is crumbling. And somewhere in between these two extremes - just maybe - lie the answers to love’s most bewildering questions. But over the next decade and a half, as she moves from Philadelphia to Boston to Albuquerque, Hannah finds that the questions become more rather than less complicated: At what point can you no longer blame your adult failures on your messed-up childhood? Is settling for someone who’s not your soul mate an act of maturity or an admission of defeat? And if you move to another state for a guy who might not love you back, are you being plucky - or just pathetic?

None of the relationships in Hannah’s life are without complications. There’s her father, whose stubbornness Hannah realizes she’s unfortunately inherited; her gorgeous cousin, Fig, whose misbehavior alternately intrigues and irritates Hannah; Henry, whom Hannah first falls for in college, while he’s dating Fig; and the boyfriends who love her more or less than she deserves, who adore her or break her heart. By the time she’s in her late 20s, Hannah has finally figured out what she wants most - but she doesn’t yet know whether she’ll find the courage to go after it.

Full of honesty and humor, The Man of My Dreams is an unnervingly insightful and beautifully written examination of the outside forces and personal choices that make us who we are.

©2006 Curtis Sittenfeld (P)2006 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"Sharply written....A novel that rings completely true." (Booklist)

I wonder about the casting

While I enjoyed this book and like Sittenfeld's work a lot, I really didn't enjoy the performance as read by Denaker. It made me wonder if I would have felt differently about the characters-- particularly the main character-- had I read the book or listened to the Anne Heche version instead.

The Man of My Dreams

This was my first read by Sittenfeld & I found his writing refreshing and candid. It reminded me so much of my own uncomfortable adolescence and college experience as a young woman trying to find her way. He was able to bring relevance to suffering in young adulthood and a dry wit through Hanna that was actually funny. The reader along with Sittenfelds obvious talent w/ writing brought the story to life. Hard to put down as the characters evolved. I've listened to a lot of audible books over the last 7 yrs and enjoyed the reader immensely. Unlike the one review I read, I thought the reader, S.Denekar enhanced the story. She had a great voice and captured the nuances of the main character and others well.I actually remember a moment in the book that I stopped and thought-'this reader is awesome'-which doesnt often happen. It's not a high action thriller--but this book is a slow loveable simmer. I would highly recommend it. A+ Loved it!

Not the Book of My Dreams

This book took forever to get through. It was so slow and I didn't need to listen to this very long audio book to get the message that women don't need to a men to make them happy. This book made me unhappy. It was a let down as the author came highly recommended. That all being said, the production of the audio book was quite nice. The narrator, Susan Denaker, was brilliant.

I love, I love. I love!

I am such a fan of Curtis Sittenfeld; she writes full, complex, emotionally complicated characters. Relatable people you can imagine knowing, if not being.
This book is a great read; it really helped me during a time of depression.