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heathercottledillon's review against another edition
3.0
After eighteen years of marriage and almost reaching middle age, Enright found herself becoming a mother. Before she knew it, she had two children running around. She was already a successful author in her native Ireland, but she soon realized that she was much less confident at being a mother than writing. During the first few years of her children's lives, she took time between feedings and diaper changes to write about all the messiness as well as the joys of motherhood, particularly motherhood at a later stage of life. I found this collection charming, funny, and thought-provoking. I like that Enright loves her children and wants what's best for them but she doesn't bow to the guilt and pressure associated with trying to be a perfect parent. I feel like this is a book that would comfort a lot of new parents who feel overwhelmed.
freckleduck's review against another edition
3.0
I appreciated her humor and her moments of more profound insight.
laila4343's review against another edition
4.0
I marked and wrote down five passages from this book, simply because they spoke to me and my situation as the (sometimes overwhelmed) mother of a 21-month-old. Here's one, when she introduces her baby's feet to the feel of grass for the first time:
"For her, this green stuff was just as different and as delicious as everything else - the 'first' was all mine. Sometimes, I feel as though I am introducing her to my own nostalgia for the world."
Enright is, at turns, besotted, snarky, wistful, and unsentimental - like mothers are. Some essays are better than others, but overall I loved it. It made me feel not alone.
"For her, this green stuff was just as different and as delicious as everything else - the 'first' was all mine. Sometimes, I feel as though I am introducing her to my own nostalgia for the world."
Enright is, at turns, besotted, snarky, wistful, and unsentimental - like mothers are. Some essays are better than others, but overall I loved it. It made me feel not alone.
sarahanne8382's review against another edition
3.0
Enright gives her unvarnished account of having and raising two babies in just over two years. It's funny and frightening and feels very real. I liked it a lot of the individual essays, but the collection itself wasn't arranged in a terribly coherent way, so by the end I was having a little trouble staying interested in yet another essay that loosely fit with the topic babies and parenting.
theconstantreader's review
4.0
It’s taking a lot for me not to want to give this book 5 stars but to do so doesn’t feel wholly right. The writing in this book is so honest, perceptive and powerful. Enright’s passages on pregnancy made me feel understood and I’m sure the same will be said for parenting once that comes for me. Her stories are so authentic and her thoughts penned feel as if she’s meticulously captured a feeling you once had. Beautiful writing.
The only thing that let it down slightly for me was the pace and sometimes the repetitive nature of the subject matter. I found I had to read little bits at a time. That said, I don’t think I’ve ever underlined so much in a book or wanted to read so much of it aloud to whoever happened to be nearby. “She is just so right!”, I found myself thinking time and time again.
The only thing that let it down slightly for me was the pace and sometimes the repetitive nature of the subject matter. I found I had to read little bits at a time. That said, I don’t think I’ve ever underlined so much in a book or wanted to read so much of it aloud to whoever happened to be nearby. “She is just so right!”, I found myself thinking time and time again.
miscellamy's review against another edition
5.0
Tore through this in a day or two. I love Anne Enright's voice, and a lot of her thoughts as a first-time mother of (ahem) AMA resonated for me.
lindsayharmon's review against another edition
5.0
If I were the kind of person who marked up their books, I would have highlighted the whole thing.
nssutton's review against another edition
3.0
I started this book a week after one of my friends had her first baby and I couldn't help but have babies, babies, babies on the brain. As many of my friends begin trying to, or (not) succeeding in, becoming pregnant, I find that much of their experience doesn't seem reflected anywhere. (It's always in you, as a librarian, that urge to find the right book for the right person at the right time, even if usually the right thing to do is to share a cup of tea or coffee or a beer and listen instead.) This was the first place where I found anything that matched the tone of their thoughts, feelings, concerns, and joys written in a raw and honest way. I enjoyed it, although not nearly as much as I enjoy holding babies.
mstoddart's review against another edition
2.0
Maybe I was expecting too much from this book? I was disappointed. There were a few funny and endearing parts, but generally didn't speak to me. I had a hard time staying interested enough to finish.