Chick Lit Challenge for March: Dating Big Bird by Laura Zigman
I picked up this book because I found the title intriguing and kind of quirky. Dating Big Bird? I suddenly conjured images of the fluffy yellow mascot I used to fawn over on TV, except in my mind he’s all grown up and has become a ladies’ man. Of course, the book wasn’t about that, but about a single woman’s quest to find the perfect mate, the right guy who would help her create a cute little girl or boy. There was actually an explanation in the story regarding the use of the ‘Big Bird’ character, but it has totally escaped me.
Ellen is over thirty-five, single, and does the marketing for one of the biggest designers in the country. Her biggest goal—which I was reminded of practically on every page—
is to have a child of her own, or else she would probably steal her sister’s young daughter Nicole. Her steady date, Malcolm, has had a traumatic past that has made him averse to sex; so what’s a girl to do? She eventually decides to go with a sperm donor, gets pregnant, and, to satisfy chick lit’s requisite happy ending, reunites with an enlightened Malcolm.
I applaud the author for tackling a serious issue in a light-hearted style, but honestly I found the narrative boring. Every action and movement was about the feasibility of getting pregnant, which kind of got old halfway through. I would have wanted to see how the different aspects of Ellen’s life—work, love, family—come together to help her achieve her objective, but these just sort of provided the background and environment. I think the only part that had me turning pages faster was when she had the brainchild of gifting her intimidating—and pregnant—boss with a necklace that carried the title ‘Mammo”, which symbolized all empowered mothers. Ellen herself is not that interesting; her colleagues had better personalities and wittier lines. Then again, if you’d like really light reading—don’t get your hopes up if you expect it to reveal deeper insights—and are at that stage when having a baby would be the best thing ever, read this book.
I’ve read somewhere that the author’s earlier work, Animal Husbandry, is quite good. J
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- Cubicle # 12
- Should be making reports and presentations but would rather go shopping in Greenbelt.
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1 comments:
The title and cover totally reel me in!
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