60-Second Critic: The Man of My Dreams

Curtis Sittenfeld
(Random House; $22.95)

Sittenfeld’s endearing follow-up to last year’s best-selling debut Prep reads less like a typical chick-lit novel and more like your best friend’s or your sister’s — or your very own — diary.

Curtis Sittenfeld
(Random House; $22.95)

Sittenfeld’s endearing follow-up to last year’s best-selling debut Prep reads less like a typical chick-lit novel and more like your best friend’s or your sister’s — or your very own — diary. It follows protagonist Hannah Gavener through her formative teens and college years at Tufts to her life after college, and has her grapple with all the (sometimes petty) issues women face but rarely talk about — “Is she prettier than me?” “Will I ever find someone to marry?” “I hate my cousin for getting all the guys.” Hannah can be annoying as hell, but mostly you’ll admire her quirks. And though you’ll root for her to land the guy, the book is all the better for the fact that she never quite gets what she wishes for. Poignant, funny and sincere, this is sure to become Center City resident Sittenfeld’s second best-seller.