Beginner's Greek: A Novel
by James Collins
List Price:
Our Price: $7.00
You Save: $16.99 (71%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $1.64 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: James CollinsEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-01-09
ISBN: 0316021555
Number of pages: 448
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Book Reviews of Beginner's Greek: A Novel
Book Review: Highly recommended!
Summary: 5 Stars
What a captivating novel this was. James Collins' "Beginner's Greek" began with the meeting of Peter and Holly on a plane ride from New York to Los Angeles. Peter believed that it was fate that brought them together as he fell in love with Holly. Peter was invited to Holly's house for dinner, but unfortunately, he lost her contact number. A few years later, Peter met Holly, and this time, Holly was no longer single, but the girlfriend of his best friend, Jonathan. Peter never did forget Holly, but he felt there was just no hope for him. What Peter failed to realize was that, Holly was also in love with him.
This was such an engaging read for me. The author was able to draw his characters, and by the end of the novel, I felt like I knew Peter and Holly personally. He was able to describe in details the feelings of both his main characters flawlessly. The writing was clear and conversational, and the plot was intriguing. This romantic novel is a definite winner for me. Highly recommended.
Summary of Beginner's Greek: A Novel
When Peter Russell finally meets the woman of his dreams he falls as madly in love as you can on a flight fromSo begins the immensely entertaining story of Peter and his unrequited love for his best friend's girl; of Charlotte and her less-than-perfect marriage to a man in love with someone else; of Jonathan and his wicked and fateful debauchery; and of Holly, the impetus for it all. Along the way, there's the evil boss, the desirable temptress, miscommunications, misrepresentations, fiendish behavior, letters gone astray, and ultimately, an ending in which every character gets his due.
Both incisive and wonderfully funny, this is a brilliantly understated comedy of manners in which love lost is found again.
"James Collins has written a romantic, funny and insightful page turner about love in modern times, missed opportunities and the wheel of fate (with a blow-out!) that is so engaging and real, you will find it impossible to put down. Peter Russell is an everyman filled with longing, lust and good sense. I promise you will root for him as fate throws him curves aplenty on his path to true love. BEGINNER'S GREEK and Peter Russell are keepers."
-- Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of Lucia, Lucia and Big Stone Gap (2008)
James Collins's Beginner's Greek is a tender tale of how love conquers all, even if it takes longer than some might be willing to wait. Chick Lit fans especially will appreciate the uniquely male perspective that Collins, who spent most of his career as a journalist and an investment banker, brings to this modern fairy tale.
When 27-year-old Peter Russell boards a cross-country flight to Los Angeles, he fully expects to sit next to the love of his life. As luck would have it, he sits next to Holly Edwards, with whom he falls in love instantly. A lost phone number leads to years of wondering "what if," until Peter's best friend Jonathan introduces him to his new girlfriend, who is of course the same Holly of Peter's dreams. After Jonathan and Holly marry, Peter settles down with Charlotte, a Francophile who Peter tries to tolerate, but mostly just evokes feelings of pity and hatred. Of course, as with any fairy tale, the possibility for a happy ending is never truly out of reach, and Beginner's Greek is chock full of twists and turns to keep the action going.
While some of the dialogue may make readers feel like they just stepped out of a Victorian novel ("Oh no! I had no idea it was so late! Poor Peter! I'm sure you were coming to fetch me!"), Collins's characters convey enough depth to keep readers engaged through some of the more fanciful stretches of this captivating novel. --Gisele Toueg
Contemporary Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Audiobooks on Cassette
- Audiobooks on CD
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- e-Books
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Daytime Book Group 2008-2009
Beginner's Greek: A Novelby James Collins
Little, Brown and Company; Published: 2008-01-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.50
Price in other shops:
A Fine Balance (Modern Plays)by Rohinton Mistry
Methuen Drama; Published: 2008-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.56
The Sparrowby Mary Doria Russell
Ballantine Books; Published: 1997-09-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.98
Price in other shops:
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novelby David Wroblewski
Ecco; Published: 2008-06-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.15
Price in other shops:
White Heat: The Friendship of Emily Dickinson and Thomas Wentworth Higginsonby Brenda Wineapple
Knopf; Published: 2008-08-12; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.65
Price in other shops:
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincolnby Doris Kearns Goodwin
Simon & Schuster; Published: 2006-09-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.41
Price in other shops:
The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the Britishby Sarah Lyall
W. W. Norton; Published: 2008-08-18; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.25
Price in other shops:
Thought Contagionby Aaron Lynch
Basic Books; Published: 1998-11-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.05
Price in other shops:
Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)by Tom Vanderbilt
Knopf; Published: 2008-07-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.98
Price in other shops:
Mating: A Novelby Norman Rush
Vintage; Published: 1992-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.00
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
His Illegal Selfby Peter Carey
Knopf; Published: 2008-02-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $10.00
Price in other shops:
The Spare Wife: A novelby Alex Witchel
Knopf; Published: 2008-02-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.97
Price in other shops:
The Beach Houseby Jane Green
Viking Adult; Published: 2008-06-17; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.34
Price in other shops:
The Ten-Year Napby Meg Wolitzer
Riverhead Hardcover; Published: 2008-03-27; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.99
Price in other shops:
The Commoner: A Novelby John Burnham Schwartz
Nan A. Talese; Published: 2008-01-22; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.37
Price in other shops:
Netherland: A Novelby Joseph O'Neill
Pantheon; Published: 2008-05-20; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.44
Price in other shops:
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novelby David Wroblewski
Ecco; Published: 2008-06-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.15
Price in other shops:
Unaccustomed Earthby Jhumpa Lahiri
Knopf; Published: 2008-04-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.50
Price in other shops:
Lush Life: A Novelby Richard Price
Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Published: 2008-03-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.49
Price in other shops:
The Senator's Wifeby Sue Miller
Knopf; Published: 2008-01-08; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.47
Price in other shops: