What Do You Do All Day?

July 25, 2005
Scheibe's hilarious debut is rife with wry observations from one overwhelmed mother of two, Jennifer Bradley. Jennifer's life goes awry when her husband, Thom, sets off on a three-month business trip to Singapore, leaving her in New York to deal with their five-year-old daughter, Georgia, a princess in training, and their rambunctious toddler, Max. The author wittily explores the questions that plague modern-day, middle class moms: What does it mean to be a good mother? Is it possible to balance work and home life? How do you preserve your identity when you are being pulled in so many directions? With her husband temporarily out of the picture, Jennifer, a former antiques expert, seeks companionship with other Stay At Home Moms ("SAHMs") and finds common ground with some of them. There is Sven, the buff, gay part-time swimming instructor at the Y, who has adopted a Chinese girl with his partner, and Angela, a high-powered exec who was let go after her maternity leave. With a light touch and a sparkling plot, Scheibe takes on the conundrums—and beauty—of motherhood for driven yet nurturing women.

August 15, 2005
Jennifer Bradley used to be an antiques expert at Christie's, a fag hag, and a child actor's lover. Now she spends her days dealing with the intricacies of raising two small children in Manhattan. Her husband, Thom, is on an extended business trip to Singapore, and Jennifer's overbearing mother-in-law is her only accessible baby-sitting choice. My, doesn't going back to work sound good now! In a novel reminiscent of Allison Pearson's "I Don't Know How She Does It", Scheibe puts a New York -style spin on the story and spices it up with a dash of "Sex and the City". There are witty retorts and language you wouldn't expect to hear from mommies on the playground. While Scheibe's approach has a few twists, plotwise, the book is formulaic. Spousal infidelity rears its head, as does a fabulous job opportunity once Jennifer decides that it's back to the office for her. While this debut novel from Free Press senior editor Scheibe is a fun read with some punchy lines, the plot is all too familiar to current fiction. However, readers may still be interested, so purchase accordingly. -Beth Gibbs, Davidson, NC

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