With This Charming Man, Marian Keyes hits her stride as a novelist with her best novel yet, telling the stories of four women who are shaped by one man

Paddy de Courcy is Ireland's debonair politician, the "John F. Kennedy Jr. of Dublin." His charm and charisma have taken hold of the country and the tabloids, not to mention our four heroines: Lola, Grace, Marnie, and Alicia. But though Paddy's winning smile is fooling Irish minds, the broken hearts he's left in his past offer a far more truthful look into his character.

Narrated in turn by each woman, This Charming Man explores how their love for this one man has shaped their lives. But in true Marian Keyes fashion, this is more than a story of four love affairs. It's a testament to the strength women find in themselves through work, friendship, and family, no matter what demons may be haunting their lives. Depression, self-doubt, domestic abuse—each of these women has seen tough times in life, and it's through Keyes's wonderful storytelling ability that these subjects are approached with the appropriate tone and candor. Her deft touch provides a gripping story and, ultimately, a redemptive ending.

COMMENTS: ARC from Harper Collins 1st Look program. Paddy de Courcy is a politician who has been using and abusing women for decades and getting away w/ it. He, of course, is a very charming man and he has had relationships w/ a model, stylist, journalist, athlete, etc. His conquests run the gamut. To most that see him in the media, or meet him socially or professionally he is the most eligible bachelor and a shining star. His dark side has been kept a secret. Altho' some have tried to press charges, he always had more connections and power and it wasn't until the women gathered a united front against him that his charms became ineffective. The story is told through past & present snippets from the lives of Lola, Grace and Marnie. Lola, the stylist, has a very fragmented voice, perhaps a result of rationalizing her unhealthy behavior w/ Paddy. Grace puts on the strong facade as the professional journalist but eventually lets us in to her vulnerablities. Marnie has a very tragic story -- she had the teenaged relationship w/ Paddy and even tho' her physcial scars healed her emotional bruises did not and she has a long struggle w/ alcoholism.