Until the Real Thing Comes Along

Rating:
Summary: The ticking clock...
Review: UNTIL THE REAL THING COMES ALONG is about Patty Murphy and her need to have a baby. It seems to be her yearning in this point of her life, but there is something missing: a husband. She doesn't lack for suitors. In fact, she starts dating Mark, a very eligible bachelor who meets her via a blind date set up by her best friend and ex fiance Ethan (who also happens to be gay). She tries to like Mark. And she does! But there is something missing - he's not Ethan.

Half way through the book Patty and Ethan decide that it is time for them to have a baby. Patty is ecstatic! But life never goes the way one plans, and through this experience she learns how to accept life for what it gives her.

Rating:
Summary: a fun and easy read
Review: I was appalled to read such wretched reviews of this book! Without having written a review before, I had to set the record straight and stand up for this book, which I thought to be quite enjoyable. The comment was made that this book was a little out of touch. How could a woman cling on so incessantly to her gay best friend??.... However, just because you've never experienced it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I think this book is a very relaxing read; it is funny, upfront, and has a flow that prevented me from putting it down.... but until then, take this book for what it's worth - an excellent escape from reality into a world that is crazy and adventurous, yet at the same time, simple and real. Berg's frankness as she delves into the everyday thoughts of women is great comic relief.

Rating:
Summary: Tired story with a silly lead character.
Review: This book didn't do much for me. The plot is old news - single woman with biological clock syndrome and her gay best friend decide to have a baby together. Personally, I couldn't relate to Patty, the primary character. She wants to get married and have a home life, but she can't get over her fixation with her gay former fiance. Sorry, I can't believe that any woman with an ounce of self respect would act this way. The secondary characters offered some promise, but they were never developed enough to carry the story. The mother's issues were the most interesting part of the book. If they had been more fully developed they could have added the emotional tension this story lacked. Despite my complaints about this book, I did like Berg's writing style. The dialogue is witty, and she has a nice ability to set a scene. I will probably try some of her other books because the consensus seems to be that this was below par for her.

Rating:
Summary: not her best, but still some of the great qualities
Review: I started with Open House which is much deeper and more profound, but I still enjoyed this shorter book. What I like most about Berg's writing is her ability to capture personal thoughts and feelings of real people with all their vulnerabilities and problems. I agree with those who thought the mother plot was a bit much, but the central plot was very well done with the usual cast of oddball characters. I wanted to find out more about Mark, but the Ethan character was well-drawn. Now that I've read one of her best and her supposed worst (which is still quite good), I'm motivated to read her others. The writing and characters make Berg a terrific writer and her books great reads. If you don't want to read this one, at least try one of her others to see what you've been missing.

Rating:
Summary: A feather-weight from Berg- not up to her usual standard
Review: Elizabeth Berg is one of my favorite writers but this book seemed like a "B" movie script. Patty, the main character, wants a home, a husband and a baby. When given the opportunity to have all of these, she continually passes up the chance. The reader is never really clear WHY that is- the character's motivation is really weak. And why she is stuck on Ethan, her now gay, once boyfriend other than the fact that he's beautiful- who knows? Why wouldn't she want to move on? Too much dialogue, not enough character development, very sappy (did she have to throw in the Mother with Alzheimers? What was up with that?). Pass on this Berg. Try Pull of the Moon or some of her other books. Seems like she tried write a book quickly and missed the quality she captured in her other novels.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutly Wonderful
Review: This book was highly enjoyable. I picked this one up on the bookstore shelf, took it home and read it in one evening. It was a wonderful read and I'm eager to buy more of Berg's books.

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Summary: Warmly Told Tale Of Offbeat Motherhood
Review: You are 36, single and want a baby more than anything, but you've got no prospects in sight. What's a woman to do? If you're real estate agent Patty Anne Murphy, narrator of Elizabeth Berg's (Talk Before Sleep) latest novel, you beg, plead and somehow convince your gay best friend to play daddy.

A tough premise for any writer to pull off, but Berg is up to the challenge. Patty lives in the small town of Crystal Cove, Mass., and remains close to her parents, who seem to have the very life that eludes her: a happy marriage and loving family.

Having grown weary of the dating circuit, Patty convinces herself and soulmate Ethan Allen Gaines to give parenthood a shot. Together. After all, Ethan, who has also struck out trying to find a partner, shares Patty's desire to raise a child, even if he doesn't return her feelings for him. Predictably, there's plenty of head-scratching when Patty announces that not only is she pregnant with Ethan's baby but they also plan to move to Minnesota for a fresh start.

Described with great humor, Berg's Patty is endearing and real. Though the story of a woman's race against the biological clock has been told many times before, Berg renders her version with subtlety and insight. For example, Patty's unabashedly romantic feelings for a fundamentally uninterested man at first seem outlandish, but in Berg's telling they become a compelling hook. Readers can't help but root for Patty and her unconventional solution.

Rating:
Summary: A good laugh to start with -- kind of inconclusive
Review: I've now read three of her books, Talk Before Sleep, Range of Motion, and now this . . . Talk before Sleep is still by far the best. I keep reading her because her books are short, entertaining and easy to follow. I hope she'll write something as good as "Talk" soon or I'll have to give up on her.

One consistently good thing about her books is the voice she gives to the main character. She is an excellent writer.

While this book starts out hilariously funny, it ends on a very hop-hum sort of note, with many different plot lines left ignored (it's not that I need a happy ending, it's that I wonder why she brought up certain topics and then never followed them).

For a quick fun read, this'll do, but don't pay for it. Get it at the library (sorry Amazon).

Rating:
Summary: Light and Fun Read
Review: I enjoyed all of the characters and the story line. This page turner was exactly what I was looking for: something light, fun and easy to read. Patty, the 30 something central character would be a psychologists dream---why was she in love with the gay guy that could only love her in a limited way? It was a compelling story line and simply fun. I cannot wait to read other books by this talented author.

Rating:
Summary: Longing Desires
Review: A story about taking charge of your life and going after the things you want. It's not about success in a career or "making it big." It's the story of a woman, Patty Ann Murphy, who longs to have a baby--has longed for it since early childhood. But she's had trouble finding the right man to be her husband. She wants to do it the "right" way: have a child with her husband, the love of her life. She is so close, engaged to her best friend. But the total dream ends when Ethan Allen Gaines announces he's gay.

Patty decides to compromise her dream. Convinced that Ethan is the perfect father candidate (if not the perfect husband candidate), she talks him into sleeping with her just one more time. Sure enough--it works and she is on the way to her dream.

This is a very poignant tale--emotional for anyone who has longed for a baby. You may not agree with her methods, but you will understand her motivation.