The Guide for a Single Woman Paperback – February 17, 2016

The Guide for a Single Woman is a sly and clever report from the field. The field of play is that where millenials are searching for love and connection (not necessarily in that order) in the second decade of the third millennium. While some might find it a profane and marginally cynical, picaresque tale of the dance between the genders, it is also a love story with a bit of a surprise ending. When all is said and done, as Herman Hupfeld wrote in 1931, “It’s still the same old story, a fight for love and glory, a case of do or die.” The mores and dress code change, but the fundamental things apply, as time goes by ☺. I say this as a member of the not-so-greatest generation, who experienced young adulthood during the beginnings of the sexual revolution and the advent of feminism.The Guide for a Single Woman is a fascinating look into the minds of young women searching for partners in an era where the rules of engagement (figuratively and literally) have become vaguer than ever, and the balance of power between the sexes is closer to equal than ever. It is invariably entertaining, insightful and occasionally funny as hell. And may cause some discomfort to male readers at times, either in recognition of themselves in less than their finest hour, or recognizing that women view them according to the same Machiavellian principles with which men have traditionally viewed women. Those of a prudish disposition probably should be warned that sexuality is discussed openly, graphically and without any consideration for modesty.Mostly it’s a joyous, sometimes rueful, sometimes over the top account of two women exploring the reality of contemporary social life in Manhattan. The chapters are very short, and the language is powerful but economical. These aspects make reading The Guide for a Single Woman a pleasure and easy to fit into one’s daily multi-tasking, an additional benefit of the outstanding writing and editing.

Cackle fest: Starts out with the thought chain of a woman speculating on What if this and what if that? Take a look at this clip“What if NYU had given you a scholarship? You’d have attended. What if you’d followed your friends to that crappy state school? Four years of partying and now you’d live in St. Louis or Dallas. You’d wear golf shirts and khakis every day of your life. What if you’d been a frat boy?”You might have flash backs of other cackle fests in your past or future. I used to work with a man who reacted violently if he overheard a cackle fest like this. He would have scrunched up his face and snarled “Stop Yammering” he’d turn around and then walk straight into the wall. I’d say “Ding” and my coworker passed gas. I stopped yammering.If you are not like my old coworker, or my brothers and you can handle a cacklefest without snarling etc. Then read this book because it will probably make you laugh and it will remind you of my sister.Profanity level:8-9ha ha level: 5-7

This is a great read, being full of not only humor, but some solid insight into the mind of women and their perspective on dating/relationships. The humor factor makes it enjoyable and fun to read. Forget all that pick up artist nonsense, this book and it's partner "The Guide For a Single Man" will actually give you practical, fundamental and insight mind into the agonizing singles dating scene (and will also entertain too).

Friday night and it's time to roll. Cheryl and her friends hit New York City and go bar hopping once again. As leader of the pack, Cheryl also lets us know about the history of her dating life. Aaron Goldfarb is one of my favorite contemporary writers. There is a companion book, The Guide for a Single Man, that I suggest reading either before or after this book, as it give a male's point of view from Devin, Cheryl's main squeeze.

Not well written and couldn't hold my attention

Thank you

There are few things in life more frustrating than realizing how clever someone else is.Imagine being the guy that went to school with the kid that went on to invent the zipper. Sure, you’re happy—you’ve got a family, nice job, maybe even a 401k and season tickets to an MLS team of your choice—but you’re not the zipper guy.The same applies for the best friend of the guy who invented those plastic things on the end of shoelaces (they’re called aglets, by the way… who knew?)The common thread here, along with clever, is simple. Albert Einstein’s pals aren’t pissed off that they didn’t figure out the theory of relativity first. It’s about something, when encountered, you knew you had the brainpower to have thought of… but that you never would’ve.Honestly, that was my first thought when I came across Aaron Goldfarb’s Guides. There’s two of them, one a Guide for the Single Man and, naturally, the other a Guide for the Single Woman. As the book’s opening so eloquently puts it, either book is “not a sequel, not a prequel, but an equal” and “can be read in either order or completely by themselves in order to learn the full story of two men and two women, and one night New York.”I read that before I dug into both books and thought, “Man, that’s a great idea.”I was annoyed, not at the idea (which, beautifully, is both very clever and very simple), but that I hadn’t thought of it and that I likely never would have.…Before we go any further—let me just say this: yes, this review is for both books. Technically, as Goldfarb (or his publishers) have pointed out they are separate entities but you’re wasting your time if you don’t think you’re going to read one without the other. Carry on…Each story follows one of two groups of friends, Les and Devin or Erin and Cheryl. Both start out the same—Les and Erin are fresh out of relationships and have sought out the companionship of their longtime buddies, their single partners-in-crime Devin and Cheryl, for a night on the town to booze away all that ails.Both friends, Devin and Cheryl, attempt to use the night to teach their respective friend a thing or two. Devin, in many ways your stereotypical know-it-all lothario with a quick answer and even quicker story for everything, is desperately trying to explain to his broken-hearted pal Les what he’s been doing wrong all his life as it pertains to women. Cheryl, on the other hand, is trying to inform her newly single bud of all that comes with being a single woman, and how to do it best.As you’d expect, their respective bar crawls intertwine and nights intersect. We learn more and more about each pairing—where they came from, how they got here and where they’re going—but that’s not the gem of these books.In fact, even the surprise twist towards the end of each isn’t the best part (though, in fairness, it is a good one).What makes these guides so fun to read is the ability to learn about the other side’s perspective. Whichever book you start with, the second you begin to read the other, you’ll notice all the droppings you missed. The clues, the hints, the overlapping stories and—better still—the opposing perspectives you hadn’t even considered and in most stories never get the chance to hear from.Goldfarb does a fantastic job of weaving the stories together, despite keeping them under separate titles.Sure, there are elements of the plots that are a bit too stereotypical (probably by design) and there are far too many word puns and double entendres for my liking… but it’s a relatable story told in a way I’d yet to read.You see, we’ve all been around the block a few times when it comes to the fictional dating world. In literature, in film—most of the stories take the shape of a few, pretty recognizable archetypes. That’s not to say they’re not enjoyable. Like pop songs, it may not be hip to like them, but hey, they’re popular for a reason.With all that said, when someone comes with a fresh take, two books telling the story of one night of dating and love in New York City, I’m in.So, is it the cleverest thing I’ve ever come across in my whole life?No, of course not.But no one said you needed to re-invent the wheel to be clever. Just redefine it a bit.