Book Review: The Best of Adam Sharp

The Best of Adam Sharp

By: Graeme Simsion

Published on September 19, 2016 by 

Finished reading: June 4, 2017

Synopsis:
Adam Sharp is a middle-aged man living in the UK.  He plays pub trivia, works as a consultant, and lives in a house with his long-term female partner and their cat.  He quickly begins to reminisce about the love that "could have been" from when he was in his twenties.  The story jumps between the past and present to tell two (or three or four?) love stories.

My thoughts:
I am a bit torn by this novel.  I didn't know much about it, so I had no expectations.  I have to admit that I feel like I'm in a bit of a book slump.  I really want an amazing 5 star read that I recommend to everyone.  I haven't had one in a while, so I am constantly hoping my next read will be that book.  Maybe I'm hoping for too much out of a book.  The story seemed stuck on the "you don't know what you've got until it's gone" theme.  I wish the characters could have been more present and focused in the "now" rather than their pasts or what could happen in the future.  Sadly, this is something most of us likely grapple with, so its like a pertinent subject for the book.

Pros:

• I liked that this was written from a male point of view.  Overall, this felt like "chick lit" to me, but the male main character made this a bit more interesting than if it had been told by one of the female characters.

Cons:

• I grew tired of the frequent infidelity.  This is not a spoiler.  Infidelity and its affects on marriages and relationships is a huge theme to this novel.  The main issue I had was how rampant the author made infidelity.  Are there really that many people cheating on their spouses?  
• I have admittedly novice knowledge about music - I would be the WORST pub trivia partner in this topic - and I found the frequent discussion of songs to be a bit annoying.

I would recommend this your music loving friends.  Otherwise, I'd take a pass!

I borrowed this book from the Scottsdale Public Library.  This review reflects my honest opinion.