What Do You Do All Day?
A Novel
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- $17.99
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
Amy Scheibe's debut novel is a fresh, funny, witty take on the magic manic days of young motherhood. Her Jennifer Bradley is a thoroughly modern mommy—a former club kid who is married to the man of her dreams and who quit a fabulous job as an antiquarian objects dealer to raise her two children: Georgia, a very advanced age 4, and baby Max.
But it's alarmingly easy to spin a stay-at-home mommy's world on its axis—and Jennifer's is whirling. If it's not her mother-in-law on her tail to expose her precious grandchildren to a better element (not to mention pointing out that dangerous concrete floor in their loft), it's her husband Thom announcing he'll be on the road to Singapore for the next who-knows how long. And is this really the right time for her dad to announce that her mother isn't exactly who Jennifer thinks she is? Or for the ex-boyfriend—aka the Adult Child Actor—to come back on the scene?
An American answer to Alison Pearson's I Don't Know How She Does It, What Do You Do All Day? is a sparkling, lovable novel for mommies of all kinds—whether in the trenches or out on the hustings.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Scheibe's hilarious debut is rife with wry observations from one overwhelmed mother of two, Jennifer Bradley. Jennifer's life goes awry when her husband, Thom, sets off on a three-month business trip to Singapore, leaving her in New York to deal with their five-year-old daughter, Georgia, a princess in training, and their rambunctious toddler, Max. The author wittily explores the questions that plague modern-day, middle class moms: What does it mean to be a good mother? Is it possible to balance work and home life? How do you preserve your identity when you are being pulled in so many directions? With her husband temporarily out of the picture, Jennifer, a former antiques expert, seeks companionship with other Stay At Home Moms ("SAHMs") and finds common ground with some of them. There is Sven, the buff, gay part-time swimming instructor at the Y, who has adopted a Chinese girl with his partner, and Angela, a high-powered exec who was let go after her maternity leave. With a light touch and a sparkling plot, Scheibe takes on the conundrums and beauty of motherhood for driven yet nurturing women.
