Babyville

Rating:
Summary: Starts off good...................
Review: But gets predictable and dull. I didn't like the character of Maeve, and her story was just too fairy-tale for me. I liked Jane Green's other books better.

Rating:
Summary: Loved It!
Review: Being 6 months PG myself right now w/our first child, I could relate to all of the characters (in one way or another). And, being obsessed w/my own pregnancy, but tired of reading informational non-fiction books (such as WTEWYE, etc.), this was a fun distraction while still staying on the topic of pregnancy in a round about way. I would very highly recommend this book, especially for anyone who is trying for or pregnant w/your first child. I think you will especially enjoy it! I would also recommend it for new moms, but I know you don't have time to read. ;->

Rating:
Summary: Jane Green does it again!
Review: If you have just picked up Babyville because you thought that it would all be about babies and pregnancy then think again. This book is about three women whose lives are turned upside down by a life changing event, which is motherhood of course.

Jane Green has written this book in three sections for each of the main characters. Julia is trying desperately to have a child but is trying to cover up her bad relationship. Maeve has never wanted children until something unexpected happens. Sam has just had a baby and realizes that having children is not all that it is cracked up to be.

This is a really great about motherhood and friendship. If you have never read a Jane Green book before then this would be the perfect book to start with.

Rating:
Summary: Charming and fun
Review: Babyville is one of this summer's must reads for anyone that enjoys "chick lit," or babies! Three women, connected, but very different, crawl, walk, and run their way to motherhood. Each of the three finds that their path is very different than what they had imagined, but much sweeter for being so.

This is an engaging read, quick paced and well written. Jane Green does an excellent job showing her character's weaknesses and strengths in ways in which the readers will emphasize. Quite fun, and not total fluff-strongly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Loved every page of it
Review: A fabulous book...witty, interesting, not predictable. That great British sense of humor. The 3 women profiled are interesting and multi-dimensional. Now I want to read Jane Green's other books!!! A must-read for summer 2003 -- If you liked "I Don't Know How She Does It" you'll love this one.

Rating:
Summary: More Grown Up Fare
Review: Babyville is a very readable book, as are most of Jane Green's novels (Bookends being the exception.) The 3 main characters are very 3-dimensional, and I think that the fact the book is told from 3 perspectives is great. The characters call each other out on their selfish, destructive behavior, which is very refreshing. Seems like most chick-lit "heroines" get indulged by their friends and family.

That being said, there is still quite a bit of whining and self pity in this book (which is why it only got 4 stars, I thought it went overboard.) However, the essential story of balancing friendships, relationships and family is poignant and well told. As other reviews have noted, it is a more grown up Jane Green - not as light as Jemima J and Mr. Maybe - but well worth the read!

Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT!!!
Review: Wow! This was an awesome novel!! Jane Green is a great chick lit writer. Read about Julia in her quest to have a baby, Maeve in her quest not to have a baby, and Samantha in her quest with her baby. Babyville is written in 3 segments, each segment focusing on one woman, but the stories also entertwine, which makes it all more interesting.

All the feelings experienced by all three gals are so true to life...Jane Green really knows what her readers are looking for. This is a perfect novel for any woman at any stage in life...I promise you will be able to relate at some point to one or more of these women. :) Enjoy!!!

Rating:
Summary: Baby Boy on the Way
Review: I have read all of Jane's books so far, and this is one of her best. Very enjoyable and fun to read. What I love about her books, is that her characters are likeable and complex, and she has a great knack for intertwining a lot of lives together. Also her attention to detail is not too over-the-top, where you get bored of reading it. I used to live in England, and as an American, I love to live through her characters in the "English" way.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is having their first baby, parents and anyone who wants a family.

Rating:
Summary: A Fine Book with a Charming Cast of Characters
Review: Julia wants a baby, Maeve doesn't, and Sam only thought she did. All three of these women are witty, bright, successful --- and completely controlled by motherhood or thoughts thereof.

Julia has been trying for months to have a baby, and it has driven a wedge between her and Mark. She is convinced that it's his fault, and he knows that. She is jealous of Sam, her ever-vivacious best friend who got pregnant with only the slightest bit of effort. Her boss suggests that she take a leave of absence and get away from some of the stress; she ends up finding a new, revitalizing home in New York.

Her replacement at London Daytime Television, career-oriented Maeve, gets nauseated at the very thought of a baby, but when she becomes pregnant via Julia's ex, Mark, her outlook changes.

Sam, Julia's best friend, thought that being a stay-at-home mother would be the perfect life, but reality is a lot different than she imagined.

This is a book that is not so much about babies as it is about answering society's perpetual question of "What are you going to do now that your biological clock is ticking?" BABYVILLE boasts a charming cast of characters, all intelligent, likeable women with realistic actions, thoughts and concerns. The supporting characters are developed well in their own right, from Mark to Maeve's mother to Sam's husband.

--- Reviewed by Carlie Kraft

Rating:
Summary: Babyville
Review: A reviewer from HELLO! Magazine describes 'BABYVILLE' as unputdownable and Jane Green's fourth novel to be released in the US is just that indeed...unputdownable!
'BABYVILLE' focuses on three main characters, Julia who is trying to have a baby to no avail, Maeve, a career woman who never wanted children and now faces the most important decision of her life, and Sam a new mother of seven month old George, who never realized exactly how much a baby can turn ones life upside down. Each story gives you a different perspective of pregnancy and motherhood, one of which I am sure everyone can relate to.
In this novel Jane Green takes a look at a subject rarely touched on in this type of chick lit and makes it light and funny (all the while giving all us non-mothers something to think about =).