Share for friends:

The Big Nap (2002)

The Big Nap (2002)

Book Info

Rating
3.53 of 5 Votes: 1
Your rating
ISBN
0425184528 (ISBN13: 9780425184523)
Language
English
Publisher
berkley

About book The Big Nap (2002)

A funny mystery to read in one sitting (I read it in a single nap!). I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I don't usually read mysteries, but this one was fun, funny, and refreshing to read as a mother. She had me with the first line, when the main character opens the door to the FedEx Man in her nursing bra, straps unstrapped. One thing I appreciate about Ayelet Waldman's writing (more specifically her nonfiction) is her honesty and humor in her treatment of motherhood. The reader sees the milk leaking through Juliet's shirt, her sleepless nights, her frustration with how little she sees her husband and how tired and overworked they both are.I wasn't satisfied with the way the mystery concluded, though. Maybe I would have preferred a different ending, though.I've read one of Waldman's other novels (not in the Mommy-Track series), and I actually liked this one best. I think Waldman fiction works best when she's writing funny, lightly sarcastic characters.

I heard an interview with the author on NPR and the series sounded like fun. Public defender turned stay-at-home mom Juliet Applebaum keeps her brain busy solving mysteries that come up in her daily life. This time around she is searching for her babysitter that went missing. The plot is interesting as it takes place in a Hasidic community. I found the modest dress and the women covering their hair with scarves or wigs an interesting parallel to the muslim's hajib.Waldman is definitely a witty writer, but for every amusing thought there was an equally saccharine moment about cute kids and/or breast feeding. So I guess I have to decide if I'm willing to put up with it and read another in this series. I'm willing to give her another shot.

Do You like book The Big Nap (2002)?

Waldman is a talented writer, a good storyteller, and a very, very funny woman. I learned about her when I saw her speak at a conference with her husband, Michael Chabon, about the life of two married writers, and she stole the show. The Big Nap was a breezy, fun, irreverent, thoroughly enjoyable read. I will probably not read her other books, as the "Mommy-Track" theme is definitely aimed at a different target audience from childless middle-aged men. However, I thoroughly enjoyed The Big Nap and would highly recommend it to fans of Sue Grafton or Janet Evanovich.
—Derek Wolfgram

I liked the style in which this book was written but I just couldn't get into this book. The author was obviously interested in the Hasidic Jewish culture bit only got her feet wet. Why do the women wear wigs? What is the draw for being orthodox like this? I wanted more about this rather than read about an annoying bored mother who pokes her nose into people's business for someone she knew for a few hours. I realize that most mysteries are built on the improbable but this was a little more toward the absurd side. And the author doesn't portray motherhood in a very positive light either.
—Jenny

Another easy-on-the-brain read from Ayelet. The book has a very followable storyline that's interesting enough to keep you turning pages, but not taxing in any way. Two Mommy Mysteries in a row might be too much, though. Spunky Juliet, our sleep-deprived, breast-milk-leaking, unremitting heroine started to grate on me a bit, as did her implausibly sexy and supportive husband. (His every appearance equates to "That spit-up on your shirt makes me hot.") I found the setting more interesting than usual, though. Most of the story plays out in a Hasidic community in New York. Not your typical fare. I'm sure that after a bit of a break, I'll be reading more of the series. Enjoyable overall.
—Catherine

download or read online

Read Online

Write Review

(Review will shown on site after approval)

Other books by author Ayelet Waldman

Other books in series a mommy-track mystery

Other books in category Picture Books