Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Jul 2016
288 pages
Genre: Romance
Publication Information
National Book Award finalist and bestselling author Meg Rosoff's charming, hilarious new novel about a young New Yorker's search for happiness and the two dogs who help him find it - the perfect summer read.
Jonathan Trefoil's boss is unhinged, his relationship baffling, and his apartment just the wrong side of legal. His girlfriend wants to marry someone just like him - only richer and with a different sense of humor. He doesn't remember life being this confusing, back before everyone expected him to act like a grown-up.
When his brother asks him to look after his dogs, Jonathan's world view begins to shift. Could a border collie and a cocker spaniel hold the key to life, the universe, and everything? Their sly maneuvering on daily walks and visits to the alluring vet suggest that human emotional intelligence may not be top dog after all.
A funny, wise romantic comedy set in Manhattan, Jonathan Unleashed is a story of tangled relationships, friendships, and dogs. Rosoff's novel is for anyone wondering what to be when they grow up, and how on earth to get there.
"Starred Review. Rossoff, best known for her award-winning youth books, makes another foray into the adult world here with this sprightly romcom ...This one offers a treat that at first bite seems light, but there's definitely a lot to chew on." - Booklist
"The plot's resolution depends on heavy-handed coincidences and canine antics. It's a disappointing conclusion to a frequently thoughtful comedy by an author whose accolades include the Printz Award and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize." - Publishers Weekly
"No bones about it, readers of this charmer are in for a real treat." - Kirkus
"A charming comedy on love, friendship, and the surprising influence of man's best friend." - Harper's Bazaar
"[A] delightful read... This is the story of a New Yorker who feels stuck and helpless, and the two dogs that inspire him to lead a different life." - Bustle
"Very smart and extremely funny." - The Observer (UK)
"Hugely entertaining... Fiercely funny... The novel fizzes with memorable one-liners... I can't think of many recent novels that show the same almost Joseph Heller-like ability to express abiding pessimism with such irresistible comic zest - or that provide such a jolting reminder of the irreducible weirdness of a blameless adult life." - The Daily Telegraph (UK)
"A screwball treat... [Jonathan] is a terrific romantic comic hero, the sort of endearingly flawed human character the late, great Nora Ephron might have created. Like Ephron, Rosoff, has a lightness of touch, and is also a clever comic writer: her dialogue is sharp, her characters keenly observed and ruthlessly well realized." - The Sunday Times (UK)
"A wise and witty hit... A lovable novel that has the power to make readers of all ages laugh - and then reconsider their timetable and those they share it with." - The Times (UK)
"An exuberant adult fiction debut... Meg Rosoff... writes brilliantly about dogs ... . [She] animates these animals with a sense of personality that any dog-owner should recognize." - The Guardian (UK)
"Laugh-out-loud funny. ... Part romance, part screwball comedy, part coming-of-age novel, Jonathan Unleashed is funny, smart writing from a novelist with such an assured voice that you can't resist accompanying her on the novel's journey." - The Sunday Express (UK)
"This shaggy dog story is told with such vibrant and subversive wit. ... It is also a brilliantly detailed snapshot of - to tweak the title of one of her finest novels - how we live now." - The Independent (UK)
"A humorous tale of a young New Yorker's search for happiness, and the two dogs who help him find it. Meg Rosoff's first adult novel hits all the right notes for those failing at being a grown-up." - Marie Claire (UK)
"Hilarious and moving. ... This is a filmic novel and has some of the makings of a New York-set romantic comedy. Quips come easily to Rosoff but the strength of Jonathan Unleashed is not just in its spark and wit; the real power of the book lies in its understanding of love." - Reader's Digest (UK)
"Reluctant optimists will adore his charming missteps and spit-out-your-drink-funny forays into adult life." - Courtney Maum, author of I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You
This information about Jonathan Unleashed was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Meg Rosoff was born in Boston in 1956, second of four sisters, grew up
in the Boston suburbs, went to ordinary suburban schools for most of her youth,
and was rejected from Princeton in 1974 and went to Harvard instead.
After three years she applied to art school in London, was accepted for a year studying sculpture,
packed a bag and got on a plane. She stayed in a bed and breakfast in
Knightsbridge until she found a room in a flat in Camden Town, with an architect
who later became her boyfriend.
Eventually she returned to the US to finish her degree, moved to
New York City, spent ten short years working in publishing and advertising, and
then one day quit her job, told all her friends I was going back to London for
three months, and has been there ever since.
She lives with ...
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Meg Rosoff's Website
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