Here’s a great read for all moms. Meg Wolitzer’s book, The Ten-Year Nap, is a novel about a group of mothers who left their careers to be at home with their kids, and now their kids are not little anymore. Amy Lamb, the main character’s son is ten, they she and her fellow moms are all waking up, and basically wondering what to do with themselves and their lives. The book is set in Manhattan and the women live in an affluent culture where they have been able to afford stay home, and some more easily than others.  Some left careers they loved, some left jobs that they had not felt passionate about.

I loved this book, but also found it a little bit sad. All the women were full of a sense of longing. Some of them did not even really know what it was that they were longing for.  In choosing full time motherhood their lives and former ambitions had slipped away somehow, almost by default as they slept through a part of their lives.  Meg Wolitzer is such a smart, insightful writer; her observations are so accurate, as she describes even the smallest of moments.

I highly recommend this book. I feel like Wolitzer shows so much compassion for the women she writes about, revealing the complexity of their choices. Whether you are in a full time career, at home with your kids or somewhere in the middle, I think you will find it engaging, validating, and just a lovely read.  Buy it on www.Amazon.com or better yet, support your local bookstore. I like Skylight Books on Vermont in Los Feliz. 

www.skylightbooks.com

1818 N Vermont Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90027

(323) 660-1175