By: Whitney Gaskell Publisher: Bantam Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Bantam Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 384 Publication Date: August 28, 2007 Release Date: August 28, 2007
Product Description: Praised for her “smart, funny, sexy, and refreshingly real” novels, author Whitney Gaskell delivers a warm, witty, and wise new story of four women coping with the challenges of motherhood, men, and each other.
For Anna, Grace, Juliet, and Chloe, the idyllic town of Orange Cove, Florida, is home…but even in paradise, balancing the challenges of motherhood and life is never easy.
With a son in the throes of the Terrible Twos, divorced restaurant critic Anna has too much on her plate to reenter the frightening world of dating—no matter how expertly her new admirer wines and dines her….Grace has three beautiful daughters and the perfect husband, yet she’s increasingly obsessed with one nagging flaw: her excess baby weight…. Ambitious Juliet is desperate to make partner at her law firm. Fortunately, her husband stays home with their twins. But at the office, Juliet is finding more than work to occupy her time....When newest mom Chloe gives birth, her husband seems indifferent to parenting their son. Chloe is so overwhelmed that she finds herself slipping into a nasty habit she thought she’d overcome.…
Filled with humor, charm, and richly developed characters, Mommy Tracked illuminates four friends’ intertwining lives—and their joys and mistakes along the way.
Stereotypical and Bad Examples for Breastfeeders First, the good points--I enjoyed the story. It was a light read with a happy ending. The women's friendship was enjoyable. I was rooting for the happy endings. I loved two of the four main characters. The other two redeemed themselves at the end, but I was thoroughly annoyed with them (and their being stereotypes) by then.
However, in an era where some people are more likely to pick up a light read than to look at a parenting book, I was appalled by the behavior of the breastfeeding moms as it could make some readers think this is okay behavior while breastfeeding. One of my favorite characters was the worst role model. She tried a Chinese herbal diet tea while breastfeeding--very dangerous for her infant! On top of that, she was prone to drinking copious amounts of caffeine, which should still be taken in moderation while breast feeding. This is not to mention that the other breastfeeder has a few glasses of alcohol while breastfeeding, and depending on which source you read, the jury is still out on the safety of that.
Unnecessary language Within the first couple of pages I had to put this book down FOR GOOD! The language was horrible and TOTALLY unnecessary to the story. I will not get another book by this author because I was so disapointed!
Finally, a more realistic view for SAHMs! I used to attend moms' groups in my neighborhood (a somewhat snooty, upper crust suburbia), but found that I just don't fit in with the moms around here. This novel shows that behind everyone's facade lies a series of issues and that things that appear perfect, aren't always.
The lesson I learned from this novel: The moms in the book have lives to juggle--kids, significant others, work, etc.--as well as their personal issues. It's not easy being a mom, but having good, reliable friends makes the work seem less daunting.
Great Read! Every suburban mother can identify with at least one of the characters in this book. The heroines in this story struggle with real life issues in a humorous way. My favorite part of the book is the competitive nightmare mom with the perfect kids getting what's coming to her! You will laugh out loud!
It's Like Making Four New Friends! I really loved this book. It was amazing how I found a piece of myself in every character, as well as parts of my friends and sisters. Being a mommy myself in Florida certainly helped me relate, but I think anyone can, mom or not. Her characters are so real it feels like you know them. Any mommy knows that a light, fun, enjoyable read is much easier to pick up between feedings, changings, carpooling, cleaning, laundry, work, husband.....(I could go on & on....)This fit the bill perfectly. I hope to see a sequel!
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