Baby Proof

April 24, 2006
The bestselling author of Something Borrowed
and Something Blue
now tells the story of what happens after the "I do"s. As a successful editor at a Manhattan publishing house, Claudia Parr counts herself fortunate to meet and marry Ben, a man who claims to be a nonbreeding career-firster like she is. The couple's early married years go smoothly, but then Ben's biological clock starts to tick. A baby's a deal breaker for Claudia, so she moves out and bunks with her college roommate Jess (a 35-year-old blonde goddess stuck in a series of dead-end relationships) while the wheels of divorce crank into action. Even after the divorce is finalized and Claudia embarks on a steamy love affair with her colleague Richard, she begins to doubt her decision when she suspects Ben has found a smart, young and beautiful woman willing to bear his children. Standard fare as far as chick lit goes, but there are strong subplots involving Claudia's sisters (one is coping with infertility, the other with a cheating spouse) and the childless-by-choice plot line produces above-average tension. 300,000 announced first printing
.

Cynthia Nixon is the perfect choice to read Emily Giffin's story of urbanite Claudia Parr and her struggle with her indifference to motherhood. Claudia ultimately pays the price for her indifference when her marriage dissolves as a result. Nixon's voice practically drips with sadness and regret as she relays Claudia's efforts to rebuild her world, and she shines as she reads with humor and wit Claudia's forays into the next stage of her life. Surrounded by children or couples wanting to have children, Claudia attempts to reconcile the choices she makes with the life she winds up with. Nixon makes those consequences poignant, funny, tender, and believable as she creates a lovable cast of characters brimming with personality and verve. H.L.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine