Mommy Tracked

August 27, 2007
As comfortable as fuzzy slippers and still as sharp as stilettos, Gaskell's latest (after Testing Kate) celebrates motherhood, marriage and friendship with humor and vibrant insight. Four young Florida mothers help each other through trying times in this sparkling example of "mom lit." Anna Swann is a restaurant critic, single mom to a toddler and afraid to date again. Anna's a member of Mothers Coming Together ("MCT"), an informal support group presided over by Grace Weaver, who's happily married with children but obsessed with dieting. Juliet Cole, a third member of MCT, is an attorney who doesn't want to get "shunted onto the mommy track with no hope of making partner." Unfortunately, her ambition is taking time away from her increasingly dissatisfied house-husband and their twin daughters. Newcomer to MCT, pregnant Chloe Truman desperately needs a "mommy mentor" and to knock a bad shoplifting habit. After her water breaks during a party at Grace's home, the four women bond and discover that "Mothers matter... for better or worse," and friendship does, too. The novel's lessons-leaning to balance personal lives with parenthood issues and make important choices-are redeeming, even if Gaskell does play it safe with a predictably heart-warming resolution.

August 6, 2007
As comfortable as fuzzy slippers and still as sharp as stilettos, Gaskell's latest (after Testing Kate) celebrates motherhood, marriage and friendship with humor and vibrant insight. Four young Florida mothers help each other through trying times in this sparkling example of "mom lit." Anna Swann is a restaurant critic, single mom to a toddler and afraid to date again. Anna's a member of Mothers Coming Together ("MCT"), an informal support group presided over by Grace Weaver, who's happily married with children but obsessed with dieting. Juliet Cole, a third member of MCT, is an attorney who doesn't want to get "shunted onto the mommy track with no hope of making partner." Unfortunately, her ambition is taking time away from her increasingly dissatisfied house-husband and their twin daughters. Newcomer to MCT, pregnant Chloe Truman desperately needs a "mommy mentor" and to knock a bad shoplifting habit. After her water breaks during a party at Grace's home, the four women bond and discover that "Mothers matter... for better or worse," and friendship does, too. The novel's lessons-leaning to balance personal lives with parenthood issues and make important choices-are redeeming, even if Gaskell does play it safe with a predictably heart-warming resolution.

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2007
A newly divorced restaurant critic and a single mother, Anna is a perfect candidate for the support group, Mothers Coming Together, but she cant imagine what shell be getting involved with. The groups president is so obsessed with her postpartum weightthat she is binging and purging. Juliet is an ambitiouslitigator with a crush on her boss, even though her husband is a wonderful stay-at-home dad. Chloe becomes part of the group aftershe goes into labor at aparty and has to rely on the other women while her husband fluctuates between lying in a fetal position and vomiting. These four flawed friendssupport each other through hard times, and there are many. Gaskell ups the fun quotientwithsuch colorful characters assex-toy purveyor Melinda; Emily, the very sexy childrens librarian; and Mandy, the most competitive mother in Orange Grove. Poignant, funny, andpeppered withsnappy dialogue, Mommy Tracked is a great addition to thefriendship book list, which includesWaiting to Exhale (1992), The Circle of Five (2003), and The Dirty Girls Social Club(2003).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)