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The Man of the House
The Man of the House
Author: Stephen McCauley
Stephen McCauley's much-loved novels The Object of My Affection and The Easy Way Out prompted The New York Times Book Review to dub him "the secret love child of Edith Wharton and Woody Allen." Now McCauley stakes further claim to that title -- and more -- with a rich and deftly funny novel that charts the unpredictable t...  more »Thirty-five-year-old Clyde Carmichael spends too much time at things that make him miserable: teaching at a posh but flaky adult learning center; devouring forgettable celebrity biographies; and obsessing about his ex-lover, Gordon. Clyde's other chief pursuit is dodging his family -- his maddeningly insecure sister and his irascible father, who may or may not be at death's door. Clyde's in danger of becoming as aimless as Marcus, his handsome (and unswervingly straight) roommate, who's spent ten years on one dissertation and far too many fizzled relationships.Enter Louise Morris. Clyde's old friend and Marcus's onetime lover is a restless writer and single mother, who shows up with Ben, her son and a neurotic dog in tow. The looming question of Ben's paternity nudges Clyde back into the orbit of his own father -- and propels our endearing hero into the kind of bittersweet emotional terrain that McCauley captures so well.
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ISBN-13: 9780671002251
ISBN-10: 0671002252
Publication Date: 11/1/1996
Pages: 288
Rating:
  • Currently 2.9/5 Stars.
 5

2.9 stars, based on 5 ratings
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
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Top Member Book Reviews

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Helpful Score: 2
I found this to be a very enjoyable novel. It was both funny and poignant at the same time. It is narrated by a Clyde, a gay man in his late 30's who lives in Cambridge, Mass in a rented home with a straight male friend. His life is at a standstill. He's in a dead-end living situation, in a dead-end job, and holding on to a dead relationship. The arrival of an old friend, her son, and a dog, finally change the course of his life.
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"The secret love child of Edith Wharton and Woody Allen"-New York Times Book Review


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