I didn't look at the reviews before watching the show, because I'd heard an interview on it on the radio and really liked the concept. I haven't read the book yet, so I can make no comparison there.
It took me a couple of episodes but then I was really hooked. It's off beat and unusual -- the protagonist is for the most part unlikeable, but that's part of the point I think. Her awkwardness and self-involvement are cringeworthy, but you can't help but see yourself reflected, at least in small percentages, in her. It's an interesting exploration of various female voices, of the women that surround Dick with Dick as an object and and very rarely a subject in the series, taking instead the women to always embody the role of the subjects rather than the men (turning the television /film industry on its head).
One post here wrote "feminism gone awry," but I completely disagree. I loved for instance that they show the viewer various works by female artists throughout the series, in a way that's seamless, thoughtful, and stimulating. I didn't feel that this show was overly political or something like that -- it doesn't have an agenda, but is itself an expression of various crises, struggles, small triumphs and losses, of identity and relationships, growth and personhood, marriage and single- ness (and the bounds of each) with the female perspective at the center of these queries. It doesn't fit in the normal bounds of genre - it's darkly funny, but you'll probably never laugh out loud. Nor is it plot driven. It's it's own thing, but at no point did I find it boring.
The show is interesting and different and genuinely held my attention. And I thought the acting was superb, from all involved and particularly from Kathryn Hahn (not only Kevin Bacon!). It's bizarre and kind of wonderful and I'd be excited for a second season.
