Domestic Violets
by Matthew Norman
Publisher: Harper Perennial (August 2011)
Source: Publisher via TLC Book Tours
Formats Available: Paperback, audio, ebook
Format Read: Paperback
Synopsis from Goodreads: Tom Violet always thought that by the time he turned thirty-five, he’d have everything going for him. Fame. Fortune. A beautiful wife. A satisfying career as a successful novelist. A happy dog to greet him at the end of the day.
The reality, though, is far different. He’s got a wife, but their problems are bigger than he can even imagine. And he’s written a novel, but the manuscript he’s slaved over for years is currently hidden in his desk drawer while his father, an actual famous writer, just won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. His career, such that it is, involves mind-numbing corporate buzzwords, his pretentious archnemesis Gregory, and a hopeless, completely inappropriate crush on his favorite coworker. Oh . . . and his dog, according to the vet, is suffering from acute anxiety.
Tom’s life is crushing his soul, but he’s decided to do something about it. (Really.) Domestic Violets is the brilliant and beguiling story of a man finally taking control of his own happiness—even if it means making a complete idiot of himself along the way.
My thoughts: I have to be honest, I was scared to read this book. Not because I thought it was something to be feared, but because it has been so wildly popular. I read the synopsis for Domestic Violets and it really seemed like something I would enjoy. While I was waiting for my copy to arrive I began to see tweets about how awesome the book was. I tend to shy away from books that receive a lot hype and was beginning to get a little worried. The last several “hyped” books that I’d read didn’t live up to my expectations. What if I didn’t like it?
All of that worry was for nothing. I LOVED it! Tom Violet was such a likable, albeit messed up guy. Having grown up in the shadow of his famous father, Tom is hesitant to take the leap into the writing career he has always longed to have. This leaves him stuck in a day job that he can’t stand, working with people who annoy the heck out of him and daydreaming about his lovely coworker. (I’m sure many can relate to at least one if not two of these things.)
I’m not sure why this is, but I have only read a handful of books this year with a male protagonist. It was so interesting to me to read this kind of story from the other perspective. It’s logical that a man worries about different things than a woman does, and even some of the same things. The humor presented in many situations in Domestic Violets is unlike anything I’ve read before. There were several times while reading Domestic Violets that I would burst into fits of laughter. There were others that I found myself rolling my eyes at something that Tom had done or said. Each time Tom got himself into a situation, I couldn’t wait to see how he’d get out of it.
All of the characters in Domestic Violets felt really well-developed to me. Norman provided just enough back story so that we understood them without adding a lot of bulk to the story. There were hints and clues as to the direction of the story, but it wasn’t so much that you could predict the ending by the end of the first chapter. All in all, a great book. The characters were great, the plot flowed, the humor was appropriate. Really, how often do you get to take a glimpse inside of a man’s head and see what he’s really thinking about?
This one is worthy of a trip to your favorite bookstore. Pick it up and let me know what you think. I’ve recently learned that Matthew has a blog, I immediately hopped over there to see what it is about. You should make the trip, its worth it.
He can also be found on Facebook
Stop by some of the other blogs on the tour to see what they thought of Domestic Violets.
Tuesday, August 9: Rundpinne
Tuesday,August 9: Like Fire
Wednesday, August 10: Life In Review
Thursday, August 11: BookNAround
Friday, August 12: The House of the Seven Tails
Monday, August 15: Colloquium
Tuesday, August 16: Raging Bibliomania
Wednesday, August 17: Book Chatter
Monday, August 22: The Bodacious Pen
Tuesday, August 23: StephTheBookworm
Tuesday, August 23: Write Meg
Wednesday, August 24: I’m Booking It
Thursday, August 25: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Friday, August 26: Iwriteinbooks’s blog
Monday, August 29: A Bookish Way of Life
Tuesday, August 30: My Life in Not So Many Words
Thursday, September 1: That’s What She Read
A big Thank You to TLC Book Tours for introducing me to this fantastic new author. I’m really looking forward to seeing what he releases next.
© 2011, Teresa. All rights reserved.
Great review! I was totally going to ignore this book because I have little patience with the plight of the upper middleclass white dad but numerous folks have raved about this book so I capitulated and got it. Glad you enjoyed it — I feel better about getting it now!
Oooh Audra, I really hope you enjoy it. I was such an amusing read. I handed it to my husband who doesn’t usually read this kind of book. He laughed his way through the first few pages.
I get that way too when a book is so popular it can’t live up the hype. Happy to see this one does!
I’m so glad that the hype didn’t turn you off and that you ended up really enjoying this one! Thanks for being a part of the tour.
It’s funny how high praise can sometimes backfire, isn’t it. I get nervous too when there is so much positive buzz about a book…I always feel like there’s something wrong with me when I don’t like the book that everyone else does, lol.
Glad to see that this one lives up to its reputation
This is the second very hyped (after A VISIT TO THE GOON SQUAD) book that I have not got along well with recently. I just got fed up with Tom and his various uselessnesses and difficult situations. Glad to see that you enjoyed it though – maybe that hype was deserved!
I’m sorry that you didn’t enjoy it. I had a very similar experience with One Day. I just didn’t get WHY everyone thought it was so good. The reason that DOMESTIC VIOLETS was a different experience for me was because it made me laugh. The ability to do that goes a long way. The second reason I found it different was because I could relate to the relationships in the office. One of my favorite movies to watch when I’ve had a bad day at work is OFFICE SPACE. The situations are so absurd yet very realistic at the same time. I found Tom’s workplace to be very similar.
Thanks for stopping by!