And Baby Makes Two

by Judy Sheehan | Women's Fiction | This book has not been rated.
ISBN: 9780345485588 Global Overview for this book
Registered by morsecode of Woonsocket, Rhode Island USA on 3/9/2007
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3 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by morsecode from Woonsocket, Rhode Island USA on Friday, March 9, 2007
Jane Howe is a thirty-seven-year-old single woman living in New York City. She has what some would call a perfect life: a satisfying and well-paying job, a great apartment in Greenwich Village, good friends, and family close enough to visit, but not close enough to be involved in her daily life.

When her biological clock starts ticking, Jane realizes what is missing in her life and readers learn the reason for her childlessness and her single status. Apparently the love of Jane's life died of Lou Gehrigs Disease. Although throughout the novel, this relationship is mentioned only in passing, a part of Jane's back-story that has relatively little bearing on her current life. Jane's mother seems more effected by Jane's younger sister Sheila eloping than Jane is by the death of her fiancé. To anyone who suffered a significant loss, this is incongruous.

Jane stumbles across a reference to a group on single motherhood and, from that point on, seems propelled along a trajectory that leads to her adopting a girl from China. While Jane is supposed to be making the most important decision of her life, it never really seems like she's consciously making a decision. Jane doesn't choose to adopt from China after thoroughly investigating international adoption and the various options available to her. Someone else adopts a baby from China and it just seems right to her -- so, China it is. Yes, she faces roadblocks -- a traditional father who disapproves of becoming a single parent, a demotion at work, delayed paperwork -- but these things end up seeming like minor hiccups in the great scheme of things. Jane's biggest problem really has nothing to do with the adoption, it has to do with a love interest, a married love interest.

Apart from Jane's love interest Peter (who is horribly indecisive, but a very realistic character because of that), AND BABY MAKES TWO has a wide variety of strong supporting characters. There's Ray, Jane's gay best friend and "hubstitute," who despite being a stock character is probably one of the most sympathetic characters in the book; Sheila, a scattered stepmom who was disowned after the incident mentioned above; the Chinamoms, a support group of women adopting babies from China; and a mother-figure in the head of Jane's adoption agency, who turns out to be her former professor (the same one in whose class she met her fiancé).

Of course, Jane and baby Elizabeth live happily ever after. It's strange to say that the ending was disappointing, but it was. Besides the fact that the outcome was obvious, things worked out too perfectly for Jane. There seems to be a disjuncture in a story all about the process of becoming a single mother when the protagonist ends up not being a single mother.

Despite this reader's reservations about the book, there is no doubt that it will be well received by fans of chick lit. It is a quick, endearing read that will pull on the heart-strings of many a woman -- particularly those considering adoption.

Judy Sheehan is an actress and playwright who adopted a baby from China in 2000. AND BABY MAKES TWO is her first novel. Her second novel, WOMEN IN HATS will be published in Spring 2008.

The new paperback edition includes a section on adoption resources, which is a bit sparse (listing only three books, two magazines, and three websites). This reader wishes that the author and publisher had put in the effort to make that section a real resource for women and couples considering adoption.

Journal Entry 2 by morsecode from Woonsocket, Rhode Island USA on Friday, March 23, 2007
This book is going to giz-angel as part of a Yankee Book Swap.
I'll be mailing it out to CdnBlueRose for giz's m-bag tomorrow.

Journal Entry 3 by CdnBlueRose from Steinbach, Manitoba Canada on Friday, March 30, 2007
Received today for Giz's mbag - thanks morsie!

Journal Entry 4 by CdnBlueRose from Steinbach, Manitoba Canada on Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Mbag heading over the pond tomorrow! ENJOY Giz!

Journal Entry 5 by Giz-angel from Greenwich, Greater London United Kingdom on Sunday, July 1, 2007
Thanks Morsie and Rosie! xxx

Journal Entry 6 by Giz-angel at Greenwich, Greater London United Kingdom on Thursday, December 16, 2010
Wow look how long I've had this....

Anyway I have read it now - enjoyabl light read, yeah the guy Peter was a total idiot and no way .....but it was fun.

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