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Oxford Messed Up

de Andrea Kayne Kaufman

MembresRessenyesPopularitatValoració mitjanaMencions
6520405,116 (3.75)7
Who knew that life in one Oxford dorm, with a shared bathroom, would become the catalyst for self-examination and exploration not only of one's soul, but ultimately of one's soulmate? The lyrics of Van Morrison's music, the poetry of Sylvia Plath, and an old clawfoot bathtub provoke this unexpected journey where the exotic locale of Oxford University is an engaging backdrop for true learning as Gloria Zimmerman and Henry Young discover the loveliness in their own germs and each other. Rhodes Scholar Gloria Zimmerman is an academic superstar, who has come to Oxford to study feminist poetry. Yet the rigors of the academy pale in comparison with the untreated Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder that she suffers, fueled by her overachieving Chicago parents, and manifested in a deathly aversion to germs and human contact. Her OCD has left her hands rubbed as raw as a burn victim's and her psyche shattered and in thrall to a possessive and codependent externalized inner voice. Her dormitory room neighbor (who is also, to her mortification, her roommate) is Henry Young, the appealing but underachieving musician son of an overbearing and disapproving Oxford don. Still mourning the death of his supportive mother while enduring the mockery of his disapproving and merciless father, Henry is haunted by the unexpectedly serious ramifications of a reckless and tragic youth. Their relationship evolves from a shared obsession with Van Morrison's music into a desire on the part of each to fill in the gaps in the life of the other. Henry seeks to enable Gloria to conquer her OCD and enter the world of intimacy, while Gloria will help Henry achieve academic success and earn the respect of his implacable father. Yet the constraints of a debilitating illness and the looming revelation of a catastrophic secret conspire to throw their worlds into upheaval, and threaten the possibilities of their unlikely, yet redemptive love.… (més)
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This was a very heartwarming book. I was drawn into the characters and the conversational style. A real tear-jerker. Well-writte and orginal. ( )
  samsamabrasam | Oct 15, 2020 |
This book is a love story of two messed up individuals - one who is OCD and one who is a recovering addict. It is an easy read; however, I found myself getting frustrated with the problems of the characters. It didn't seem like there were any characters who weren't messed up in some way - which is probably the way real life is, but these characters all had some type of major issue. ( )
  chgstrom | Sep 10, 2017 |
What we are given is OCD and hand sanitizer-ruled Gloria Zimmerman’s life. She knows academic achievements that includes a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford University. Here she meets Henry Young, an indifferent music student and son of a don of Jesus College. They are "loomates" (share a bathroom in the dorm) and in spite of Gloria’s demons that include the personification of her illness – a voice that resides in her head named Oliver -- and Henry’s crippling underachievement, they are destined to become the best things that ever happened to each other.

The novel is full of pop musical references, primarily to Van Morrison (not Jim) as well as feminist poetry of the early-mid 20th C. Poets – Plath and Teasedale. It’s also full of psychosomatic and anti-AIDS drugs.

At times the voice of Oliver seems to take over the novel, turning it into a horror story rather than a dramatic romance that it’s intended to be. At other times, the frequent mentioning of pharmaceuticals just about drowns the plot in this tightly set novel tht mostly takes place in the shared living quarters of Gloria and Henry who persist in fatalistic optimism and eventually triumph.

Liked the book enough to finish it and be interested to the end. Not great, but entertaining and informative about pop music and the lives of Oxford graduate students. ( )
  Limelite | Dec 21, 2012 |
Ressenya escrita per a Crítics Matiners de LibraryThing .
“Oxford Messed Up: A Novel” tells the love story of Gloria Zimmerman and Henry Young, who meet at Oxford University in London. Gloria comes to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar in Women’s Poetry and brings along her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), anxiety and love of Van Morrison’s music. Henry is at Oxford to earn a Graduate degree in Music after surviving drug addiction, years of inactivity and a devote follower of Van Morrison.

Henry and Gloria meet because they are roommates who also share a bathroom, otherwise known as a/the “loo”. At first they don’t get along because Gloria is OCD about cleaning the "loo", two times a day or more and her general fear of people and their germs and Henry is a slob. Soon they both realize that they have problems and agree to help each other out, Gloria with her OCD and Henry with his Music thesis.

The beginning of the book was slightly boring for me but I kept on reading and it was worth it. The middle chapters give a good understanding of where Gloria and Henry came from and how/why their disorders started. “Oxford Messed Up” starts to become a real page-turner when Henry and Gloria finally get together.

Andrea K. Kaufman tells a beautiful love story between two people but it almost seems to be too perfect and predictable. Kaufmann did a excellent job with the characters and their development. I felt for Henry and Gloria after each turn of the page and wanted them to just find happiness. I was expecting a little more background and information on OCD than that of a love story but I still enjoyed the book. The beginning chapters could use a re-write and a tightening up of sorts so they aren’t so boring. For a first time novelist this book was great and I would definitely recommend it to others. ( )
  LizPhoto | Aug 13, 2012 |
Oxford Messed Up tells the story of two "damaged" individuals: Gloria has extreme obsessive-compulsive disorder coupled with anxiety, and Henry has a problem with drug addiction and a general lack of motivation. In an unlikely occurrence, these two end up being flatmates at Oxford (they have separate rooms with a shared, connecting bathroom.

At first the two clash, especially because of Gloria's need to constantly scrub the bathroom from top to bottom at least once or twice every day, and Gloria's general anxiety around strangers. But Henry somehow begins to feel sympathy for Gloria, and tries to help her to fight some of her impulses. Soon, they forge an agreement to help each other.

It is a quirky tale with some dubious, almost fairy tale-like occurrences. The beginning chapters that introduced the characters individually (showing their family lives, and giving us an understanding of how Henry and Gloria became the way they are), were a bit tedious. They seemed to dare me to give up. But once I persevered and reached the chapter where Henry and Gloria come together, it became a page-turner.

Kaufman treats her characters dysfunctions in a very respectful way, while still painting a clear picture of how painful, embarrassing, and frightening they can be. While some of the events seemed far-fetched, or too easily resolved, the romance is sweet and the premise unusual, which made for a very interesting read. ( )
  Jubercat | Jul 29, 2012 |
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Who knew that life in one Oxford dorm, with a shared bathroom, would become the catalyst for self-examination and exploration not only of one's soul, but ultimately of one's soulmate? The lyrics of Van Morrison's music, the poetry of Sylvia Plath, and an old clawfoot bathtub provoke this unexpected journey where the exotic locale of Oxford University is an engaging backdrop for true learning as Gloria Zimmerman and Henry Young discover the loveliness in their own germs and each other. Rhodes Scholar Gloria Zimmerman is an academic superstar, who has come to Oxford to study feminist poetry. Yet the rigors of the academy pale in comparison with the untreated Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder that she suffers, fueled by her overachieving Chicago parents, and manifested in a deathly aversion to germs and human contact. Her OCD has left her hands rubbed as raw as a burn victim's and her psyche shattered and in thrall to a possessive and codependent externalized inner voice. Her dormitory room neighbor (who is also, to her mortification, her roommate) is Henry Young, the appealing but underachieving musician son of an overbearing and disapproving Oxford don. Still mourning the death of his supportive mother while enduring the mockery of his disapproving and merciless father, Henry is haunted by the unexpectedly serious ramifications of a reckless and tragic youth. Their relationship evolves from a shared obsession with Van Morrison's music into a desire on the part of each to fill in the gaps in the life of the other. Henry seeks to enable Gloria to conquer her OCD and enter the world of intimacy, while Gloria will help Henry achieve academic success and earn the respect of his implacable father. Yet the constraints of a debilitating illness and the looming revelation of a catastrophic secret conspire to throw their worlds into upheaval, and threaten the possibilities of their unlikely, yet redemptive love.

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