Singular Existence

By Leslie Talbot

Book Overview

A fierce, funny read that redraws the fine line between alone and lonely. One part memoir, one part self-help, with a dash of shrewd social commentary and a liberal dose of snark, Singular Existence is the surefire cure-all for your single-girl blues. Creator of the popular website singularexistence.com, author Leslie Talbot deftly--and hilariously--eviscerates the media fads, self-help quackery, and bogus social science that plague the unmarried, offering you a refreshing perspective on the state of singledom. Shallow, Self-Centered, and Opinionated Seeks Opposite (an undercover investigation into the tangled web of online dating) The Rules of Disengagement (a coward's guide to breakup etiquette) Warning--Contents May Settle (the dire consequences of marital desperation) He's Just a Big Fat A**hole (the real reason he's "just not that into" you) Manifesto Destiny (a Declaration of Independence for the proudly unmarried) Smart, scathing, and singularly entertaining, Singular Existence proves once and for all that relationships are not the only path to happiness. "Wonderful, fluid, intelligent, engaging stories." --Mediajunkie.com "Wickedly funny. Leslie Talbot's observations on the single life will have you laughing out loud while nodding in recognition." --Chuck Leddy, book reviewer The San Francisco Chronicle, The Writer, and The Boston Globe

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0806527994
• ISBN13: 9780806527994
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
• Length: 210 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

hilarious and oh so wise

Have you ever wished you could read something that was absolutely hilarious, but also really wise? That's Leslie Talbot's Singular Existence. The author had me at the very first sentence, "There's a study out there claiming single people are destroying the environment." There's a certain attitude in that sentence, and I just knew that Leslie Talbot was not about to swallow that claim whole. And indeed she did not. Then, in chapter after chapter, she proceeds to debunk what the culture tries to sell singles about what's supposedly "wrong" with them. That makes this book very right. You will laugh and you will think and you will wish for more.

"Singular" Reflection - But only if it's a great hair day

You ever yell down a wishing-well and have it yell back at you? What a slap of reality! This book needs to be integrated into summer reading programs. Imagine school girls (and guys) all around the world settling down on a steamy summer evening cooling themselves down and sobering up a la "Singular Existence?" My how the world would change -- chivalry would be deleted from dictionaries, desserts would replace appetizers on menus, HOV lanes on highways would evaporate -- there would be world peace. Poof! Not only is this book hilarious, it is an absolute honest celebration of self -- awareness, experience, and, of course, personal space. The only disappointing thing about reading this book is wishing I were still single so I could try out the dating scene tactics. However, there's no time like the present to rekindle the flame and then promptly put [it] out. Kudos to you, Leslie Talbot! You are a shining star. Bring on the sequel... I know you have much more to share with us.

You will be so happy you got this book....

This book is so GREAT!!!! Whether you are single, dating someone, or married, you will find it impossible to NOT relate to this book. I have had my own share of dating adventures, but even more so have seen friends go through their own rough times...totally feeling the pressure to marry and settle down. This leads to endless conversations about what is wrong with them, why didn't he call, etc. I even went out and bought that book "He's Just Not that Into You", to read for myself and thinking this would surely give me the wisdom and right thing to say the next time a friend called upset that some guy wasn't treating her right....and somehow this was her fault. But no.....no such luck, no real understanding of how unfair the pressures women feel to make it work at any cost with any guy (at least not in that book, or books like it) until THIS ONE . . . If you've ever read (or lent someone) books like "He's Just not that Into you" or read all the chick lit books that spend the whole time selling you on how it's okay to be single but then always end up with the perfect guy in the end (which admittedly I have read and enjoy for entertainment value...but honestly enough is enough) .... YOU HAVE TO READ THIS. It's as smart and funny as Sex and the City with depth and insight of authors like John Gray (Men are From Mars Women are From Venus) and ....hmmmm....actually I can't think of anyone else, because Leslie Talbot is the most insightful person I've read on this topic. More than that It's FUNNY....really really funny! Anyway.....if I haven't said enough for you to buy this book IMMEDIATELY..she's also a fellow Bostonian and a very nice person who e-mailed me back personally after writing a comment about her book on her equally FABULOUS website www.singularexistence.com (which is also SOOOOO funny!).

Telling it like it is!

This girl is SO right. Somebody please buy her a cake - one of those really good cakes. Her book is smart, funny, and fresh, full of unconventional (hooray!) wisdom. You know all those things you are thinking but never dare to say? Leslie Talbot says those things, and she'll make you laugh while she's doing it. Single or married, happy or fed up, you will see yourself somewhere in this book. Enjoy!

A very funny "must-read"!

I couldn't put this book down. In fact, I read it while travelling and was laughing out loud at the airport and on the plane. Leslie rips apart the media/social pressure on women to couple-up at any cost, and then offers a fresh, frank, alternative perspective, using real-life examples of her own and others. It's hysterical, direct, honest and witty all at once. A "must-read" for any woman, married or single, and men will also enjoy it. I'm buying ten copies for my friends (including the married ones who may or may not have settled!) Loved it.