Little Earthquakes
By Jennifer Weiner
From the back of the book:
“Jennifer Weiner’s richest, wittiest, most true-to-life novel yet tells the story of three very different women as they navigate one of life’s most wonderful and perilous transitions: the journey of new motherhood.
Becky is a plump, sexy chef who has a wonderful husband and baby girl, a restaurant that received citywide acclaim – and the mother-in-law from hell. Kelly is an event planner who’s struggling to balance work and motherhood while dealing with an unemployed husband who seems content to channel-surf for eight hours a day. Ayinde’s basketball superstar husband breaks her trust at her most vulnerable moment, putting their new family even more in the public eye. Then there’s Lia, a Philadelphia native who has left her Hollywood career behind, along with her husband and a tragic secret, to start her life all over again.
From prenatal to postbirth sex, Little Earthquakes is a frank, funny, fiercely perspective take on the comedies and tragedies of love and marriage.”
This is the fifth Jennifer Weiner novel I’ve picked up and read, and like all her other books, I loved it! This is actually one of her earlier books – I jumped on the bandwagon when Best Friends Forever first came out.
To be honest, when I first started reading the book I found it hard to get into, but once I did I was addicted to the characters and couldn’t put it down. There was something in Kelly, Becky, Ayinde and Lia that you could relate to on some level – trying to erase the past, trying to please, trying to overcome your in-laws, all while trying to raise a child. I think that even if you don’t have children, you’d enjoy this book.
Little Earthquakes’ chapters are broken down by the characters, one of the reasons why I couldn’t put it down. To find out what happens next with Becky, I had to read through the other three characters first. Addictive, I tell you! Oddly, only Lia’s chapters are written in first person, which was strange and I’m not sure if I liked the switch. It seemed to break up the flow of the book, and not in a book way.
Overall, I enjoyed Little Earthquakes, but not as much as the rest of Weiner’s books. I’d still recommend it though – I think it’s a realistic glimpse into life after childbirth!
Are you a Jennifer Weiner fan? Which books have you read of hers? Any favourites?