One For My Baby

I finally finished reading the second book by Tony Parson.

DigiMetal - I would recommend Man and Boy to anyone, be it man or lady. It could perhaps give you an idea of how a man thinks and feels.

One for my Baby is a good read, however it did not touch me a much as Tony Parson's first book.

The character in the story, Alfie is an English as a foreign language teacher who had a stint in Hong Kong and found love there. However, his fairytale love life did not end happily ever after.

A tragic accident leads him back to mourn and sulk over his loss. He goes back home to London and struggles to kick start his life again.

So many changes happen in and around his life, he makes a dramatic change and becomes someone he never thought he could become as he starts to sleep around, meaningless sex without commitment.

Seen through the eyes of Alfie, you feel how he goes through his life without love and as he copes with all the destruction that happens around him. His life philosophies intrigue me and 'One for my Baby' is an enjoyable read indeed. 

Sudu - I read the Kite Runner awhile back. I will have a read through and do a quick review. That book gave me nightmares. 

This book made me cry

I have neglected reading for a while, perhaps and understatement, for a very long while to be precise. Until last December when a close friend persuaded my wife and myself to read 'Twilight' to prepare ourselves before we all went to watch the movie.

I remember the big fuss it made at my work place, a colleague was also intrigued by the hype this book generated. So I gave it a shot, I rediscovered a love, a love for reading.

The excitement, the suspense and the twists made me miss reading even more.

I used to bury my face in books, novels to be exact when my siblings would be fighting over the video game they would play. I remember saving my money to buy books from my favourite author, John Grisham.

So in the midst of my lost love for reading, I made frequent stops at a nearby bookshop, also a bookshop where I get my monthly issue of 'Mens Health' the singapore edition.

A book cover caught my attention, Man and Boy. Being new and still learning about fatherhood, I assumed that the book would bring some insight for my shortcomings, balancing my work and activities and being a Father. 

The reviews on the back cover, like many other books, were all Good! Exciting! Wonderful! except for one, on the front cover, 'I cried five times and laughed out loud four' James Brown, Observer. And I think to myself? Really?

Flipping through the first few pages, this book was a bestseller and millions of copies sold and translated in to 38 different languages. I became more excited. 

I bought two other books but I was really looking forward to reading it.

I could not put the book down once I started reading it.

Did it make me cry? It did. The writer, Tony Parson, had succeeded in squeezing this heart of mine and made me, not just drop a tear, but really crying.

Did it make me laugh? Indeed it did. Smacked a huge smile across my face. Such a cunning  writer. He knew how to set the mood.

Amazing how I was able to put myself into the character's shoes. 

The story maybe one sided, maybe portrays the character as egoistic and immature and perhaps chauvinistic to the female gender. But all in all, a wonderful read and I am hooked.

I am currently in the middle of reading his second book, One for my Baby and am hoping to buy the sequel to Man and Boy, which is Man and Wife.

So if you happen to have read the book already, tell me how you felt reading it and what do you think about it?

Give it a go, you might just enjoy it.