Matt Coyne

Frank might seem like a grumpy old man (and to be fair, he is) but delve beneath the surface and there's a bit more to it than that. Maybe it just needs a clever (precocious?) six year old new neighbour called Red to show him that there is still life worth living. After all, Red has his own crosses to bear; his mum and dad no longer live together and he's had to move to a new school, leaving behind his best friend.

God loves a trier and Red really does try hard to chisel away at that tough Frank exterior. The story is told alternately from each main character's point of view and does an excellent job of showing the thoughts and feelings that go through their minds, as well as the joyful and often funny interactions between them.

In the end, as is often the case, the child shows the adults what compassion really is and Red embarks on quite an epic quest for a six year old. I did find Red exceptionally for his age but his personality really makes him a special character. Frank is well-drawn too, as a man who just wants to be left alone, and the minimal supporting characters are just right.

Frank and Red is full of warmth and takes us on a journey from grief, loss and separation to acceptance, friendship and hopefulness via an unlikely, but truly uplifting, intergenerational bond.… (altro)

MAN VS. BABY by Matt Coyne, for those of us who have children, humorously reminds us what we went through when our kids were babies. For those who have yet to have children, I think Coyne might confirm some people's thoughts that they shouldn't have little demons who make their lives infinitely more complicated and messy, but for most Coyne leaves the reader with a sense of enlightenment and happiness that while all of the trails and challenges parenthood of a baby presents, there is something wonderful about connecting, learning and growing as a family.
Coyne describes how this book was born; he would post, blog-style, about his trails as parent and so many people enjoyed it that he took all those thoughts and refined and organized them into a book. He structures the book into logically sections, like "Sleep", "Feeding", "Milestones" and so on and Coyne touches on the actual advice given in these areas that he stumbled across, but then applies the bumbling reality he faced with his own son, Charlie. To say that Coyne is self-deprecating is an understatement, he constantly,hilariously belittles himself and all the ways he did things wrong as a father to a newborn. He also recognizes, towards the end of the book, that there is nothing bad about doing the wrong thing if the end goal is to always try to the right thing.
Really a fun read, I laughed out loud several times. Being that we all are either parents or know people that are parents, I think everyone laugh with and love Matt Coyne's MAN VS. BABY.
Thank you to Scribner, Matt Coyne, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!… (altro)