The Only Boy for Me

by Gil McNeil

Most people would think Annie Baker had it all: an idyllic life in the country and a fabulous job as a producer in London. And so would she, if it weren't for the men in her life. Her six-year-old son Charlie gets traumatised if she buys the wrong kind of sausages. Her tempestuous boss Barney is a Great Director, but keeps getting stuck with dog food commercials, and as for Lawrence, well, he just wants to get her fired. And then she meets Mack Hilarious and poignant, Gil McNeil's brilliant novel will make you laugh and cry.

• ISBN10: 0747557764
• ISBN13: 9780747557760
• Publish Date: 6 May 2002 (first published 5 November 2001)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 19 June 2009
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 288
• Language: English
• URL: http://bloomsbury.com/Trade/

Reviews

[Leah]

The Only Boy For Me is Gil McNeil’s debut novel. Annie Baker thinks she has a brilliant life: she lives in the countryside, and has a brilliant job as a producer. Trouble is the men in her life drive her slightly crazy. Charlie, her six-year-old son, is inquisitive (read: nosey) and gets traumatised if Annie buys the wrong sort of sausages. Annie’s boss, Barney, is a brilliant director but keeps getting stuck doing dog food commercials. Then Annie meets Mack…

I love The Only Boy For Me and I’ve now read it three times. As I said, I’ve read it three times and I STILL laugh all the way through the book. It’s jam-packed with funny moments particularly from Charlie, Annie’s son.

It’s written in the first-person from Annie’s point-of-view so we get all of Annie’s thoughts – about Mack, Charlie, Barney etc. but it’s Charlie who is the hero of the story. He thinks a lot, asks hilarious questions and the lectures he gives Annie make me laugh out loud (particularly the hedgehog incident).

While I say it’s in first-person I find we get a good grip on the other characters, too. Barney, Annie’s boss, is another funny character. He’s very temperamental (one minute he’s in a good mood, the next he’s screaming at everyone!) but he’s very funny with it.

I quite liked Mack but found he came across a bit selfish sometimes. I liked Annie’s parents and sister and felt when Charlie went through his illness that they rallied round and it was great to read how close they were.Annie’s friends Leila and Kate were also well written and again, only added to the story. It seems as though there are a lot of characters to keep up with but I found it easy to do.

Annie’s and Charlie’s relationship was written so easily as mother and son I just had to keep reading. I loved how perceptive Charlie was even though he’s only 6. I really felt for Annie during Charlie’s illness.

Overall, it’s a hilarious read and is well worth a look. I dare you not to laugh out loud whilst reading it!

Rating: 5/5