[PW] Identify this novel?

[Bye, Dan J]

It's amazing how many books on love and romance have architects as a main character: Alain de Botton's "On Love: A Novel" and  Maggie O'Farrell's "My Lover's Lover", for starters.

But I don't think its those.

What about John Dearie's "Love and other Recreational sports".  No architects (he's a banker, she's a lawyer), but art galleries apparently feature and the main guy has a sidekick.  I have a good feeling about this one.
http://www.aimpress.com/deariebook.htm

Dan
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: project-wombat-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org 
> [mailto:project-wombat-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org] On 
> Behalf Of Judy Woodward
> Sent: 24 August 2007 00:14
> To: list at project-wombat.org
> Subject: [PW] Identify this novel?
> 
> Our patron has been searching fruitlessly for a novel that he 
> read within the last few years. I am posting a detailed email 
> he sent me about his memories of the book. The book he wants 
> is NOT either of these:
> 
> WHICH BRINGS ME TO YOU by Steve Almond and Juliana Baggott.
> 
> LARRY'S PARTY by Carol Shields
> 
> 
> 
> Here is what he remembers:
> 
> 
> 
> A list of scenes from the book I remember:
> 
> 1. Early in the book (first chapter) the main character and 
> his female interest meet at a wedding dance / reception. Soon 
> after, they accidentally meet again at a party at a friends 
> home. The book is the story of their developing romance. We 
> read about the main character's efforts to work through his 
> "funny, old fashioned, perhaps chauvinistic" attitudes about 
> dating, marriage, commitment, sex, etc.
> 
> 2. There is a scene where the main character and his female 
> interest are in an art gallery discussing paintings.
> 
> 3. I remember another scene in the book: The main character 
> (the guy) is in a booth in a bar, with his long time friend, 
> continuing the on-going main theme of the book, which is 
> "women, relationships, dating, commitment, marriage, sex, 
> what works and what doesn't, etc," and to prove a point to 
> his friend, the main character says he will use his "pick up" 
> lines on the good looking female bartender. The conversation 
> between the female bartender and the main character is very 
> witty and entertaining. The female bartender agrees to meet 
> the main character after work, but the main character has a 
> change of heart and realizes he is not being honest with 
> himself or the female bartender if he pursues her, when his 
> real desire is for a relationship with the woman he met at 
> the wedding dance.
> 
> 
> 
> Key facts I remember:
> 
> 1. Either the main character or his love interest is an 
> architect. If I were a betting person, (I'm not) I would bet 
> $100 on this!
> 
> 2. The main character and his love interest get a 
> relationship going, then I think they break it off while (The 
> Conflict) while the main character "goes through the crisis 
> of examining his values and ideas about dating, commitment, 
> marriage, etc. In the end I believe they get back together.
> 
> 3. The main character is a guy, in his late 20's or early 30's.
> 
> 4. The main character has a good buddy - a "side kick" of sorts.
> Through out the book, these two men have many conversations, 
> from a guy's perspective, about "dating, relationships, 
> commitment, etc. The dialogue through out is quite humorous 
> and poignant.
> 
> 
> 
> Not sure, but nagging fragments:
> 
> 1. I thought the title was "catchy" in the sense that it 
> talked about relationships with the opposite sex. I think of 
> things like: "Making friends with the opposite 
> sex.....communicating with the opposite sex......
> 
> 2. I would bet a $100 the author is a male. I'm not sure, but 
> I think it was the authors first book. He may have got a 
> creative writing degree of some kind at Princeton or Yale or 
> Harvard, some place like that. I think the author is a man. 
> From the east coast. I think he went to a prestigious east 
> coast school.
> 
> 3. Adult Fiction. Romantic story. Could be called a light / 
> romantic / comedy / drama.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ring any bells?
> 
> Thanks,
> Judy Woodward
> judywoodward1 at gmail.com
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