I Take You
Books | Fiction / General
3.2
Eliza Kennedy
Brilliantly executed and endlessly funny, this page-turning debut showcases one of the most winning, irrepressible voices since Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones.I’m getting married. He’s perfect! It’s a disaster.Meet Lily Wilder: New Yorker, lawyer and the luckiest woman in the world. She has a dream job, friends who adore her, a family full of charismatic and loving women, and a total catch of a fiance. Also, she has no business getting married.Lily’s fiance, Will, is a brilliant, handsome archaeologist. Lily is sassy, impulsive, fond of a good drink (or five) and completely incapable of being faithful to just one man. Lily likes Will, but does she love him? Will loves Lily, but does he really know her? As the wedding approaches, Lily’s nights—and mornings, and afternoons—of booze, laughter and questionable decisions become a growing reminder that the happiest day of her life might turn out to be her worst mistake yet.Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Where’d You Go, Bernadette in this joyous and ribald debut that introduces a fabulously self-assured protagonist whose choices raise fresh questions about gender politics, monogamy and the true meaning of fidelity.Praise for I Take You“In the first big beach read of the season, New York lawyer and bride-to-be Lily Wilder has a hard time staying faithful to her perfect fiancé- but that won’t stop this hilarious debut novel from winning you over and warming your heart.”—Entertainment Weekly"It's the smartest, sexiest, funniest (like, hilarious) beach read on the shelves right now."—Huffington Post"Lily Wilder is a young lawyer who compulsively drinks, swears and sleeps with random strangers-even as she prepares to wed her fiancé in just a few days. But she grows on you. This debut novel's take on modern gender roles is aggressively provocative, with graphic sex. It's also funny and, eventually, wise."—People“[Kennedy's] snappy comedy of mis-manners delights in subverting expectation... I Take You, as salty-sweet as a margarita, will appeal to fans of Seating Arrangements, Where’d You Go, Bernadette, and, looking further back, Laurie Colwin’s Happy All the Time, though it’s far more ribald. Kennedy’s novel, tailored for summer wedding season, is a sassy paean to pleasure and romantic love that may well leave you singing that classic Gershwin line, ‘Better call the calling-off off.’” —Heller McAlpin, NPR.org“Kennedy’s debut novel sparkles with candor and wit...[her] ribald story is both engaging and atypical, the perfect combination for a new voice in women’s fiction.”—Publisher’s Weekly"In this whirlwind story, which reads not unlike a quickie engagement, the ultimate question is whether one can be both promiscuous and in love. Lily, basking in the glow of Key West's free-love attitude, is guided toward yes. This book has the effect of three Bloody Marys at brunch: it'll leave you flushed, giddy, and prepared to embrace your wild side."—Kirkus Reviews“What appears at the outset to be standard chick-lit fare turns into a smart and challenging examination of gender politics and the meaning of marriage in the twenty-first century. While Kennedy’s compulsively readable debut is sure to be controversial, it should also ignite productive conversations about traditional gender roles and stereotypes.”—Booklist, starred review“A whip-smart debut.”—Harper’s Bazaar
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More Details:
Author
Eliza Kennedy
Pages
320
Publisher
HarperCollins Canada
Published Date
2015-05-05
ISBN
1443434256 9781443434256
Community ReviewsSee all
"http://www.anurseandabook.com/2015/04/i-take-youits-not-****-shaming-its.html<br/>I took a day to think about this book before I reviewed it. It was a weird experience to read it.<br/>At first, I was really turned off by the main character. Not because she was cheating on her boyfriend, but because she was one of those people who think they are much cuter than they actually are.<br/>And I'm not a fan of "**** shaming" as the kids call it. I don't think there is anything wrong with a woman having sex with men of her choosing, on her terms. But this book wasn't that. This was a character who threw herself on any man near her. Whether he was married, whether he was her husband's boss, or whether he was her husband's best friend. It wasn't sexual liberation, it was really just pretty gross, and came across as desperation.<br/><br/>Then in the middle of the book, we found out Lily's secret past, and it seemed like her behavior, while still off putting, was maybe a little understandable. But then as more information came forward, it seemed that, nope, it was still the Lily show. She got away with everything, and left her friend holding the bag of consequences, then never contacted him again. Of course she was shocked that he wasn't thrilled to see her back in her hometown.<br/><br/>The rest of the book is Lily changing her mind about marrying Will every few hours. Each argument seemed like a good one, until she had a few more drinks.<br/><br/>As Lily gets a taste of her own medicine from her fiancé, she discovers that she doesn't like being cheated on. And her fiancé tries to win her back through the most ridiculously long email that touts the benefits of an open relationship, explains how we aren't meant to be monogamous, and how cheating is good for both of them. Gag. And can I mention that she is reading this mental email while sitting in on a deposition that could make or break her career. Barf.<br/><br/>I hated these characters. All of them. What a bunch of jagweeds. A friend who cheated with her fiancé, her mother and stepmothers all sleeping with her father (I know that doesn't seem to make sense, but trust me, it happens.), her mother-in-law that tries to blackmail her out of the marriage with the lie about her felonious past, but don't worry! Lily just turns around and blackmails Will's mother with the details of her affair with one of her son's friends.<br/>Seriously, this book was filled with the worst characters ever. I didn't care about any of them by the end. <br/><br/>And this isn't **** shaming, this is human being shaming. You leave other people's husbands (and wives!) alone, you don't sleep with your boss after your bachelorette party, and you don't throw yourself at your boyfriend's friends. <br/><br/>But this book was filled with essays about the right of women to do all of those things without ever being judged! If anyone dared to question Lily, they were hit right in the face with a fiery speech, pages long, about how she was a sexual free spirit. Ugh, I can't even write about this anymore.<br/><br/>Just yuck."
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Marcee Feddersen