Polly Rosenwaike

First, I will say this is probably my very favorite title and cover design combination that I can ever remember! You can imagine a six year old saying "Look how happy I'm making you!" the way only a six year old can, to an exhausted mother, that very mother on the cover. (Spoiler: the person who says this title is NOT a six year old.) Priceless, perfect. I was hoping the writing inside was just as good as the cover and title and IT IS. Wow. If you're looking for a story collection about mothers, this is it. Mostly featuring moms in their thirties, with small babies, this book is honest and insightful about mothering, crisp and expertly crafted. I wasn't particularly looking to read about mothers but this book is an essential treat for anyone. Can't wait for Polly's next book...… (more)

Turns out being sick in bed is great for reading!

"Humans are captivated by stars, but the feeling is not mutual. And this state of things, the poem tells us, is preferable to the opposite scenario: 'How should we like it if stars were to burn / With a passion for us we could not return?' We would not like it, Auden says, in so many (so few!) words. Better to be the lover than the beloved, if one must choose between them. Amid the imbalance of the universe, let me be the one lit up with want."… (more)

In her glummer moments, she thought that reading was the only thing she was good at, and what sort of skill was that for an adult to rely on in this world?

The short stories in this collection all concern women of that age when relatives and acquaintances feel free to ask about one's plans for having children. And in each story, a woman deals with pregnancy or not being pregnant, the struggles of having and caring for a baby, or the determination to not have children.

Eve was made of wailing, of banshee mouth and fighter fists. She might well have been called There There, or What's The Matter, or Please Shut Up Already. Two states of being were known to her: fury and sleep.

The women in these stories are intelligent and their concerns don't primarily focus on the quest to have a baby, but because of age and gender, they are forced to reckon with the issue, willingly or not. Rosenwaike is a talented writer and I'm happy to have gotten to know her writing.… (more)