Little Earthquakes
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
A warm and witty novel from the acclaimed author of Good in Bed, In Her Shoesand the forthcoming Who Do You Love
This is the story of what comes after 'happily ever after' as three young wives make the journey into motherhood, and discover how it changes their sense of themselves and their relationships with friends and family.
There's Becky, a plump, sexy chef, with an overworked husband, an adorable baby girl...and the mother-in-law from hell. There's Kelly, an event planner who's trying to cram sixty hours of work into twenty-hour weeks, all while charting her baby's every move on a spreadsheet and hoping that her husband will pull his life together, pull on some pants, and find a job. And there's Ayinde, who is married to Philadelphia's most prominent basketball star, until the combination of new baby and infidelity threatens their marriage. As these three grow closer while attempting to put their lives in order, we also come to know Lia, who returns home to Philadelphia after her life in Los Angeles ends in horrible tragedy.
By turns moving, funny, and inspiring, Little Earthquakesis a great big delicious read from a prodigiously talented author.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In her first and second bestsellers, Good in Bed and In Her Shoes, Weiner came up with female characters so smart, lovable and mordantly funny that they reminded readers that Bridget Jones wasn't the first single woman to light up a bestseller list or the big screen there were Sheila Levine, Mary and Rhoda, the Golden Girls. Now, just as the star-studded movie version of In Her Shoes is about to be released, Weiner delivers the interwoven tale of four new mothers who come to form a tight posse in contemporary Philadelphia. The heart of this third-person narrative is Becky, an overweight but thoroughly appealing chef at a chic bistro. Married to an adoring doctor and living in a cozy row house, the warm, nurturing Becky is the latest incarnation of Weiner's previous protagonists, as Weiner's fans will recognize as she rushes to help another woman who collapses into sudden, crushing labor pains after a prenatal yoga class ("Being in labor all by herself no husband around, no friend to hold her hand was about the worst thing she could imagine," Becky thinks. "Well, that and having her midriff appear on one of those 'Obesity: A National Epidemic' news reports"). The woman whom Becky helps is Ayinde, the gorgeous wife of an NBA superstar. Picturesquely if improbably, she, Becky and another expectant mom, perky blonde Kelly (who was also at the fateful yoga class and lent a helping hand) become fast friends. Eventually, Lia, a beautiful young actress who has left Hollywood for her hometown of Philadelphia in the wake of a tragedy, joins the group. For much of the story, Weiner, a wonderful natural writer and storyteller, renders her characters and their messy, sometimes wrenching lives in details that resonate as the real deal. In the end, alas, she slips in a soapy Hollywood ending. Still, this is a rich portrayal of new motherhood and a fun ride. Weiner's readers will root for her to trust ever more her ability to float between comedy and pathos, leaving the shallows for true and surprising depths.
