Review of Man Mission
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devdipta biswas
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Review of Man Mission
[Following is a volunteer review of "Man Mission" by Eytan Uliel.]
The Man Mission by Eytan Ulie is a story of four men who are fed up with their monotonous lifestyle and dream of adventure. This far-fetched dream seems possible now as the narrator’s friend Sam proposes the idea of an annual vacation with "the boys" as an expression of manliness and friendship. The idea of an adrenaline-filled quest may seem nice, but can our inexperienced protagonists keep up with it?
It's a question that comes to everyone’s mind, except for maybe the overconfident Sam. So, each year they plan to travel to do crazy things in places like New Zealand, Japan, Peru, etc. Even dangerous places like Africa and North Korea seem to excite our team of overgrown boys. While they expected to strengthen their friendship, they also experienced personal growth and the importance of family.
I wanted to read this book as the premise of it reminded me of "Three Men in a Boat" by Jerome K. Jerome, which I loved. The plot summary written is very similar, but reading the actual story made me realize the differences in so many ways. It is a book that has adventure and chaos with companionship and humility. Although the main attraction of the book should be the travel and the cultural impact on the group, it is not my favorite aspect. My favorite aspect was the characterization of everyone. Even though the main focus was on the narrator and his group of friends, I loved the ‘committee of wives’ and even the minor characters like the old Japanese guide.
There are also some great scenes with real-life wisdom in this book. For example, when the Japanese guide asked the narrator if the men in their country express their love for their women, the narrator responded with a mildly sexist remark, and the guide low-key scolded him to always tell his loved ones of his affection. I loved this scene in particular as both a feminist and an empath. I also loved the exciting scenes of wild activities like kayaking as an adventurer. The use of different types of humor throughout this book made it very relatable as well.
The negative points of this book were the sudden changes between the past and present of the narrator. This mechanic is supposed to emulate the zoning out of the narrator, but a bit of forewarning would make it easy to differentiate it for the readers. It also would’ve been nice if the perspectives of the wives could also have been showcased, as their thinking was just written off as "rules of the relationship playbook."
I would rate this book a 4 out of 4. I would recommend this book to people who love realistic adventures that don’t compromise family values. However, this book is inappropriate for younger readers as it contains a lot of profanity.
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Man Mission
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
The Man Mission by Eytan Ulie is a story of four men who are fed up with their monotonous lifestyle and dream of adventure. This far-fetched dream seems possible now as the narrator’s friend Sam proposes the idea of an annual vacation with "the boys" as an expression of manliness and friendship. The idea of an adrenaline-filled quest may seem nice, but can our inexperienced protagonists keep up with it?
It's a question that comes to everyone’s mind, except for maybe the overconfident Sam. So, each year they plan to travel to do crazy things in places like New Zealand, Japan, Peru, etc. Even dangerous places like Africa and North Korea seem to excite our team of overgrown boys. While they expected to strengthen their friendship, they also experienced personal growth and the importance of family.
I wanted to read this book as the premise of it reminded me of "Three Men in a Boat" by Jerome K. Jerome, which I loved. The plot summary written is very similar, but reading the actual story made me realize the differences in so many ways. It is a book that has adventure and chaos with companionship and humility. Although the main attraction of the book should be the travel and the cultural impact on the group, it is not my favorite aspect. My favorite aspect was the characterization of everyone. Even though the main focus was on the narrator and his group of friends, I loved the ‘committee of wives’ and even the minor characters like the old Japanese guide.
There are also some great scenes with real-life wisdom in this book. For example, when the Japanese guide asked the narrator if the men in their country express their love for their women, the narrator responded with a mildly sexist remark, and the guide low-key scolded him to always tell his loved ones of his affection. I loved this scene in particular as both a feminist and an empath. I also loved the exciting scenes of wild activities like kayaking as an adventurer. The use of different types of humor throughout this book made it very relatable as well.
The negative points of this book were the sudden changes between the past and present of the narrator. This mechanic is supposed to emulate the zoning out of the narrator, but a bit of forewarning would make it easy to differentiate it for the readers. It also would’ve been nice if the perspectives of the wives could also have been showcased, as their thinking was just written off as "rules of the relationship playbook."
I would rate this book a 4 out of 4. I would recommend this book to people who love realistic adventures that don’t compromise family values. However, this book is inappropriate for younger readers as it contains a lot of profanity.
******
Man Mission
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Wild World by Peter S. Rush
