OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Women Wish & Men Dream" by Paul Henderson.]

Inspired by some comments made by a friend, Paul Henderson decided to do some research. Over several years he interviewed many men and women at different social events to get their views on marriage, relationships, and friendship. The result was the opinion piece that is Women Wish & Men Dream, which explores how human males and females think about and interact with each other.

I think it took commendable dedication to research, compile, and publish this book. Henderson seemed determined to cover every topic under the sun about male-female interaction (flirting, dating, sex, marriage, divorce, abuse, the internet, and plastic surgery, to name a few). It was like one big soup of things you might talk about with friends at a bar. A lot of what was said was relatable. Some good points and takeaways included the notion that men are not mind readers; communication is key; and helpful advice for dealing with abusive relationships. Finally, there were a few humorous bits at the end of the book, which I appreciated.

Alas, my experience with this work was mostly negative. As stated earlier, many topics were covered, but the delivery was not great. With no subheadings to segment the chapters or give any indication of a change of subject, I was jarred - and annoyed - as the author repeatedly jumped from topic to [sometimes unrelated] topic.

I also didn't like that the author often said, "I was told ..." or, "One woman/man said ...". I think he could have included more direct dialogue. And I was a little peeved with the constant "we/us men" comments. It was borderline condescending to the female audience, I felt.

I didn't get the impression that the book was professionally edited. In addition to some typographical and punctuation errors, and minor inconsistencies, run-on sentences abounded. By that I mean paragraphs of six to nine lines of phrases held together by commas and conjunctions where it would have been better to simply begin new sentences. It was exhausting and, again, annoying.

I rate this book three out of five stars. If it were possible, I would have given it two point five stars; two stars would have been too harsh, and the book was not all bad. I honestly cannot say who the ideal audience of this piece would be. Often, I wondered what the author's point was with this publication. To warn men and women about the potential pitfalls of romantic relationships? To put them on guard against the wiles of the opposite sex? To educate readers on what to do or avoid if they want healthy, lasting relationships? Perhaps all of the above.

I would give this little word of caution, however: if you are easily offended, you might want to skip this one. While it was not the writer's intention, some of the content was decidedly unflattering, both to men (they only think with their "dangling bits") and women (female intuition is just confusion).

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Women Wish & Men Dream
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I agree with you, if you are going to publish a book you claim to have researched it needs to be more formal than I heard or someone told me etc etc

Your criticism was justified. I think it would have brought substance to the book if the dialogue were included. I love your style of reviewing.

Your honest opinion is both refreshing and helpful. It is essential to have a book well-edited before hitting the publish button. While a few minor errors are perfectly acceptable, the level of inconsistency mentioned in the review is discouraging. The author could've done a better job with such an unique theme.

I loved this amazing and insightful review. I loved the way you highlighted all the positives and negatives of the book, though this one seems to have a lot of negatives. I agree that reading a book that's not well edited is a huge letdown for a reader.

Based on this review, I would like to read Sparknotes on the ideas instead of the authors book full of opinions