Curtis Sittenfeld’s Romantic Comedy novel in Audio
In her bestselling Romantic Comedy Curtis Sittenfeld delivers far more depth than your typical romcom. Read my review of the audiobook narrated by Kristen Sieh.
Romantic Comedy Publisher Synopsis
A TV script writer thinks she’s over romance, until an unlikely love interest upends all her assumptions: a humorous, subversive and tender-hearted novel from the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of Rodham, American Wife and Prep.
Life is (not)* a Romantic Comedy…
With a series of heartbreaks under her belt, Sally Milz – successful script writer for a legendary late-night TV comedy show – has long abandoned the search for love.
But when her friend and fellow writer begins to date a glamorous actress, he joins the growing club of interesting but average-looking men who get romantically involved with accomplished, beautiful women. Sally channels her annoyance into a sketch, poking fun at this ‘social rule’. The reverse never happens for a woman.
Then Sally meets Noah, a pop idol with a reputation for dating models. But this isn’t a romantic comedy – it’s real life. Would someone like him ever date someone like her?
Skewering all our certainties about why we fall in love, Romantic Comedy is a witty and probing tale of how the heart will follow itself, no matter what anyone says. It is Curtis Sittenfeld at her most sharp, daring and compassionate best.
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My Review
Curtis Sittenfeld’s novel Romantic Comedy, and specifically the audiobook narrated by Kristen Sieh, recently made a very long journey infinitely more bearable. And, just to be clear, it was an arduous, physically uncomfortable trip, so this is high praise for this audiobook author and narrator.
Firstly, it’s worth noting that despite its title, Romantic Comedy is not loaded with laugh-out loud moments like many popular rom-com novels are. Yes, the central plot line is the development of a highly compelling romance, with fantastic banter, that is witty and amusing. But I think this novel is better described as a romance novel with depth that explores both the writing of comedy and romance, along with what the latter really looks like in practice.
“I don’t get why you’d write scripts for romantic comedies if you think romance is cheesy nonsense.”
“That’s just it, though,” I said. “I don’t write from a point of clarity. I write out of confusion.”
Sittenfeld’s writing is layered and thought provoking, while remaining accessible and entertaining. I really enjoyed the time spent on the inner workings of ‘a legendary late-night TV comedy show’ and the social commentary embedded within that narrative..
“All of which was to say that the sketches I’d written over the years about the absurdity and arbitrariness of beauty standards for women had arisen not from my clear-eyed renunciation of them but from my resentment at their hold on me.”
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Without giving too much away, I loved Sittenfeld’s use of an uncommonly long series of email exchanges in Romantic Comedy.
“Aren’t we all just looking for someone to talk about everything with? Someone worth the effort of telling our stories and opinions to, whose stories and opinions we actually want to hear?”
It demonstrated well the power of the written word, but also the potential for miscommunication, and the beauty of connection and understanding at an intellectual level.
“You know the advice about how you should always play tennis with people better than you? When I’m talking to you, I’m a funnier and smarter version of myself because you’re funny and smart.”
I really enjoyed narrator Kristen Sieh’s performance of Romantic Comedy, especially her portrayal of Sally and Noah. I felt she distinguished between these lead characters well, with the emotion and pacing of the banter on point. For me, her voice also had great cut through within the noisy environments I was listening. That said, I think this novel might have shone even more with a narrative ensemble.
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If I were pushed to identify a weakness in Romantic Comedy, I’d say that Sally’s level of self-doubt/sabotage at one point went beyond my capacity for sympathy. But that could simply be a result of comparison with the atypically open and emotionally mature male-lead Sittenfeld has delivered up to readers in Noah — it was hard not to side with him.
By melding the best of literary drama, romantic fiction and the rom-com, Curtis Sittenfeld has delivered a compelling page-turner.
My Rating
Story 4.5 / 5 , Writing 4.75 / 5 , Narration 4.25 / 5 — Overall 4.5
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