Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #514670 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-14
• Released on: 2009-04-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Three British mothers decide that it's time their 34-year-old sons start to act like mature grownups. And if their sons aren't going to get with the program on their own, it's high time for a little maternal nudging. Each son has problems: Daniel has just been through a bad breakup and can think of few things worse than his mother, Gillian, nagging him about his bachelor state; Paul, Helen's son, who reminds her of her first husband, has never come out to her even though she knows he's gay; Carol's son, Matt, seems stuck in a life as shallow and glossy as Balls!-the magazine he works for. The result is an excellent comic novel that interweaves the romance, humor and pathos of three complicated families. Though it at first appears to be a simple roast of overly interfering mothers, the novel reveals itself to be a story of every mother's desire to receive in return some small measure of the love they have given. (Apr.)
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Review
Praise for THE LOVE HEXAGON: 'William Sutcliffe has captured the numbing pain of a couple who have been together too long; he is a master of the trivial domestic snit.' William Leith, DAILY TELEGRAPH 'THE LOVE HEXAGON is several cuts above most generation sex novels. For one thing, Sutcliffe is an extremely perceptive psychologist. He pushes his subject - twentysomething city life - onto the black leather couch and subjects it to some good old-fashioned psychoanalysis; the result is like a ruder, funnier version of Friends with voice-overs from Frasier.' Robert MacFarlane, OBSERVER Praise for ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?: 'Nobody is spared from Sutcliffe's acid pen and the result is a riotously funny trip across the sub-continent.' Martin Higgins, SUNDAY TIMES

Review
“Like Bridget Jones or the "Sex and the City" foursome, three Brits named Gillian, Helen and Carol have fulfilling lives of their own, yet each yearns for a deeper relationship with a special someone. In this case, it's with their terminally adolescent 34-year-old sons…These are some truly meddling mothers and expertly dissembling sons, and Sutcliffe's handling of the ensuing confrontations is at times hilarious, at times heartbreaking.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune

“An excellent comic novel that interweaves the romance, humor and pathos of three complicated families.”   —Publishers Weekly

“Sutcliffe demonstrates a sharp wit and generosity of spirit...A sweet, funny and refreshingly original look at generational conflict.”   —Kirkus Reviews

"Impossible not to fall in love with… The novel is pure delight."– The Independent (UK)

"A charming portrait of fractured families and contemporary mores. … Sutcliffe writes with such sharpness and wit . . . Whatever Makes You Happy is a delight." —Mail on Sunday (UK) 

"Engaging and very funny … a convincing, moving portrait of an evolving relationship between a mother and adult son elevates this enjoyable comic novel into something more profound." —Guardian (UK)

"A moving meditation on miscommunications between sexes, across generations, and over dinner tables." —Financial Times (UK)

Customer Reviews

Made me cringe but laugh at the same time...
Being the mom of a 36 year-old son myself, I was naturally drawn to the story of these three women wanting to get to know their sons better. I'm glad mine is happily married though, so I wouldn't have to make the bold move they did here. At times I wanted to yell "NOOOO!" at their antics, but I have to say that overall it was well-written, amusing, touching and not-so-Hollywood-perfect like I was dreading by the conclusion. Carol and Matt, Helen and Paul, and Gillian and Daniel will stay with you after you'be finished the book. Great, quick read.

Three Mothers, Three Sons
Sutcliffe, William. "Whatever Makes You Happy". Bloomsbury Publishing, 2009.

Three Mothers, Three Sons

Amos Lassen

"Whatever Makes You Laugh" is a wonderful look at the relationships between mothers and sons. It's all about miscommunication between the sexes and the generations. Three British women--Gillian, Helen and Carol all have lives that fulfill them but each once a deeper relationship with her son. All of the sons are the same age, 34 and the mothers are true meddlers and really seem to know how to deconstruct their sons. The book mixes comedy and romance and is both very funny and very sad. Sutcliffe writes with a wonderful wit as he paints portraits of families that are truly messed up.
Matt, Daniel and Paul have been friends since childhood and all three now in their thirties have lost contact with their mothers. Their mothers on the other hand plan surprise visits to their dons and all three turn up at their sons' on the same day. They want to renew the mother-son bond and plan to do so by moving in with their sons for a week. You can imagine what ensues but Sutcliffe tells it to us in a way that is sublimely funny and sad. We feel his sense of humanity and this is what makes this book so important.

This was a great find.
I found this book by pure chance, but I am very glad I did. I recommend it highly. It wasn't the book I expected it to be, and that was a good surprise.