My Review:
It was an OK book. It had a few funny parts to it and a few emotional ones. I haven't read a book in a while and figured I would dive into an easy read. It definitely served it's purpose. Definitely a chick lit book. NO BOYS ALLOWED! It would be a good read for a new mom or a mom-to-be, just so she knows that her feelings are not crazy and she is not alone in the process. Child rearing can be very trying at times and it is somehow nice to know that you are not crazy with your thoughts.
Professional Review:
A Hollywood actress, an organized event planner, a chef, and a television reporter all have one thing in common: motherhood. Each woman is affected by this dramatic and life changing event in very different yet equally compelling ways in Jennifer Weiner's third novel, LITTLE EARTHQUAKES. To refer to Weiner's work as Chick Lit is similar to calling Todd English a fast food restaurant owner. What both of these talented individuals have in common is the ability to create wonderful pieces of work that are sometimes taken for granted because they reach such a wide audience and make it look effortless.
Weiner's first book, GOOD IN BED, received rave reviews and is now being developed into a series for HBO. It was immediately followed by IN HER SHOES, which has already been turned into a major motion picture starring Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine. How does Weiner create such wonderful fiction time and again? She pulls her readers into the world she has created and allows them to experience this world for themselves. She gives her characters difficult struggles and flaws. Weiner writes so vividly and creates such real human emotion through her words that she makes her readers truly care about the lives of her characters.
LITTLE EARTHQUAKES introduces us to four women who meet at a yoga class for expectant mothers. Becky is a chef who has an extremely loving relationship with her husband and an interfering mother-in-law who insists on trying to change everything about her. Kelly is an overachieving event planner who had a poor childhood and has since become intent on giving her own child a better life. Unfortunately, her newly unemployed husband isn't living up to her ideals. Ayinde, a beautiful television reporter who is married to a professional athlete, has her life turned upside down because of her husband's act of indiscretion. Finally there is Lia, a somewhat mysterious character who hides a heartbreaking secret involving her own brief experience of motherhood while bonding with the new mothers. Each of these women must struggle with the challenges of being new moms while at the same time balancing all of the other areas in their lives. They realize that becoming a new mother changes one's sense of self and one's relationships with others.
What is so wonderful about Weiner's work is that she gives her characters undying hope, no matter how unfortunate their circumstances may be. Through her characters' faith and persistence she creates happy endings that often can be difficult to find in fiction today.
In LITTLE EARTHQUAKES, Weiner explores the power of love and self-acceptance in overcoming life's obstacles. Her characters confront harshness and unhappiness with humor and self-confidence. They experience success without changing the essence of who they are and without subjugating their beliefs. Weiner has written a touching novel with wonderful characters and honest lessons about living a less than perfect life. Once again she has outdone herself and invites her readers to enter a world they may not have experienced otherwise. LITTLE EARTHQUAKES explores motherhood, friendship, marriage, loss, devastation, forgiveness and love. This is women's fiction at its best.
