The Ten-Year Nap | 
 enlarge | Author: Meg Wolitzer
Creator: Alyssa Bresnahan
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $19.25
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Avg. Customer Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 191872
Format: Audiobook
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Unabridged
Number Of Items: 11
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 6 x 5.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 1602833559
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9781602833555
ASIN: 1602833559
Publication Date: March 27, 2008
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Book Description
A Wickedly Observant Take on the Choices that Modern Mothers Face, by the Author of The Position. For a group of four New York friends, the past decade has been largely defined by marriage and motherhood. Educated and reared to believe that they would conquer the world, they then left prestigious jobs to stay home with their babies. What was meant to be a temporary leave of absence has lasted a decade. Now, at age forty, with the halcyon days of young motherhood behind them and without professions to define them, Amy, Jill, Roberta, and Karen face a life that is not what they were brought up to expect but seems to be the one they have chosen. But when Amy meets someone who seems to have fulfilled the classic women's dream of having it all--work, love, family--without having to give anything up, a lifetime's worth of concerns, both practical and existential, opens up. As her obsession with this woman's bustling life grows, it forces the four friends to confront the choices they've made--until a series of startling events shatters the peace and, for some of them, changes the landscape entirely. Presented unabridged on 9 CDs.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 13 more reviews...
 Not A Great Read May 10, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I was so looking forward to reading this book! As a working mother of an 18 month old, the title and premise of the book really intrigued me, and I was so excited at the prospect of curling up with this book. And now I can honestly say I wish that I had read any of the other books I bought. I really feel like this SHOULD have been a better book.
Meg Wolitzer is an eloquent writer and, as other reviewers have noted, her phrasing choices are wonderful (her descriptions of alarm clocks going off all over the city is particularly deft). However, in a book that revolves around the choices of four friends who meet regularly, there is a startling dearth of actual dialogue in this story. It seems that all of the characters have these internal conversations and, after a while, there is too much imagery and not enough conversation.
And then there were the characters. Amy, Jill, Karen, and Roberta had all left the work force at a high point at their career, and want to feel lucky, blessed even that they are able to do so, but instead feel trapped into staying home with their children of varying levels of independence. I should have known I was in trouble when I couldn't make any investment in ANY character. Each of them seemed to be in their season of discontent, for a myriad of reasons, but I found it hard to care about any of them, most of them stopping just short of selfish. The most promising subplot of the book -- Amy's friendship with Penny - a friendship based on a juicy secret, and the invitation into a life that seems so satisfying. This portion is written so carefully, so lovingly, I'm with Wolitzer as she explores their friendship, but then it is dropped so quickly (and rather absurdly, in my opinion). The last 25 pages of the book provide tidy endings for everyone, and I wondered what the point of it all was in the first place.
I wouldn't recommend this book.
Liberal view of stay-at-home moms May 5, 2008
4 out of 8 found this review helpful
I did not enjoy the book. The book should have a warning label..."Conservatives beware!" As a stay-at-home mom in my mommy years and the mother of a stay-at-home mom, I was uncomfortable (and at times angry) reading this book. I don't think it paints a true picture. It does, however, paint the picture liberals want the world to see. There were times in the book that left-wing politics weren't as obvious, and I enjoyed those parts of the book. The author is obviously very intelligent and talented...too bad her anti-war, anti-Bush, extreme feminist views were so overbearing.
Reads like an extended magazine article. May 4, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Wolitzer is a good writer and some of the images really hit the mark (I should know - I've been home with my kids since 1999). But ultimately it felt like she was just skimming the surface of what is possible. It was a quick read, but I'm not recommending it to my friends.
 For my daughter April 28, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I purchased this book for my daughter based on an NPR interview with the author. It is a good read--especially for women who are stay-at-home-moms.
 Good premise, but nothing ever happens April 28, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Basically, the book relates the mental life of a medley of women with kids as they go about their business, struggling with the fact that they don't work, they're kids are growing up, and various and sundry other issues. It starts well and there are many places where Wolitzer shows she "gets" the inner life of mothers. Sadly, though, the book comes to not much, as the only major plot line comes to a bit of a minor "pop" and then fizzles. All quite pleasant but very light.
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