Dating Big Bird Proof

by Laura Zigman

Ellen Franck isn't in love with Big Bird. After all, he's a big yellow Sesame Street character -- and she's an intelligent single woman with a fabulous job. On the other hand, Big Bird is looking like a better candidate for fatherhood every he's tall, affectionate, and steadily employed. And right now, for Ellen, thirty-five years old and dying to have a baby, almost any father will do.In her hilarious and heartbreaking new novel, Laura Zigman, bestselling author of Animal Husbandry , explores what happens when the life we've chosen isn't that life we expected it to be. And at this point Ellen Franck is rethinking all her choices.Mired in a relationship with a man who is better at brooding than breeding, sister to a woman who can't seem to stop having babies, and working under a boss who is about to have the baby shower of the decade, Ellen knows the path to motherhood is clear. All she has to do is leave her relationship, horrify her family, find an anonymous father, and become independently wealthy.Piece of cake.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Womens Fiction, Adult, Humor

Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Laura Zigman is the author of five novels, including Separation Anxiety (which was optioned by Julianne Nicholson and the production company Wiip (Mare of Easttown) for a limited television series); Animal Husbandry (which was made into the movie Someone Like You, starring Hugh Jackman and Ashley Judd), Dating Big Bird, Her, and Piece of Work. She has ghostwritten/collaborated on several works of non-fiction, including Eddie Izzard's New York Times bestseller, Believe Me; been a contributor to the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Huffington Post; produced a popular online series of animated videos called Annoying Conversations; and was the recipient of a Yaddo residency. Her sixth novel, Small World, will be published in January 2023. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

In a sweet nutshell, this book is horrible.

The story focuses on Ellen, a flippy drippy bore with completely fucking warped perceptions of motherhood.

Ellen is 35, lives in New York, works for a designer as a Marketing Exec and wants to have a baby. That's it. She seems to want NOTHING else out of her life! She hates her job, her boyfriend is an impotent car wreck of a human being (so head's up, if you're looking for sex in this book, it ain't happenin')!! The only thing she seems to care about, is her 4 year old diapered niece "Pickle". Yes, she calls the kid pickle! I'll get to THAT irritating shit in a minute.

I think the most disappointing thing about this book is that Ellen is the most unlikable character! She's the kind of girl I would cross the street to avoid. When she's not focused on how fat everyone else is (all mothers by the way, catty bitch) she's hating them for being able to have a baby! Her life means nothing to her unless she can have a baby. What century are we in???
Plus, she doesn't even seem to care that her boyfriend won't fuck her!! I mean, I see that the author is trying to make her all sensitive and such and that their relationship means more than sex (blah blah blah), but seriously any other woman would be going out of her mind!!! Ellen just sort of mentions it at times, like he keeps forgetting to bring milk home. Seriously?
Um, also, if you're desperate to have a baby you kind of need a man with a working penis!!

And now the "Pickle". I'm sure she's cute and all, but has anyone realized this four year old is still in pampers??? The over the top sticky sweet moments between her and her niece were enough to make me gag. She even found her pitching a fit and screaming at the top of her lungs adorable. Who does that?

Maybe I'm just not as sensitive to "motherly" desires, but as a 35 year single woman myself, I'm pretty happy with my career, family and social standing. What this woman is dying for, I just can't relate to!
I mean the writing itself isn't bad, I just found the characters so empty, whiny and annoying. Sorry, but two thumbs down for me.

[Raina Tellado · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think the reason that this book was so extremely disappointing was because I expected the story line to be about someone who actually dates Big Bird. What I really read was an annoying story about a woman who just wants to get pregnant. Not only was it cheesy and predictable and so far away from being my kind of a book, but I found some of the remarks to be offensive. "fag" and "retarded" were used surprisingly often and I got pissed, not gonna lie. This was just an annoying piece to read and I can't wait to move onto something different and get back into my genres of literature. I don't recommend this to anyone.

[L.E. Fidler · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

this is the sad story of a woman who apparently works in marketing for a famous fashion designer but hates her job because she not-so-secretly wants to be knocked up. so desperate is this woman for her own bebe that she is willing to use her niece ("pickle") as a cheap knock-off just to get a fix. she makes friends with a former acquaintance from high school who also uses her nephew to play "mammo". you can't make this shit up.

well, apparently laura zigman can.

complicating the plot:

1. the protagonist dates a "impoholic" - an impotent, recovering alcoholic
2. everyone else around her is uber-fertile and pregnant - boss, sister, co-workers, etc
3. she has to plan a baby shower gift for her boss
4. she's 35 and thinks big bird is the ideal mate

sigh.

mindrotteriffic.

[Linda Brule · Rating 5 out of 5]

FEEL GOOD STORY OF A CAREER WOMAN WHO IS TRYING TO DECIDE IF SHE WANTS TO HAVE A BABY. HER CLOCK IS TICKING AND HER LOVE LIFE IS FAILING. WHEN HER SISTER, BOSS AND FRIENDS ARE BECOMING MOTHERS SHE FEELS ALONE. EASY READ GREAT ENDING.

[Fleur · Rating 1 out of 5]

Begin was wel leuk maar daarna werd het saai. Dus heb naar het einde geskipt en kwam niet iets heel interessants tegen helaas.

Maar ik had het boek ook een keer gratis meegenomen uit zon buurt bibliotheekje in de wijk, dus dat scheelt.

[Nina Draganova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Уви, не си спомням , че съм я чела. Прехвърлих я по диагонал, но нещо друго ме накара да запиша размишленията си. Четенето съвпадна с гледането на 1-ва серия от нашумелия "Бриджъртън". Съпоставяйки явно сюжетите , си дадох сметка защо в миналото са ги карали да се женят толкова млади и са им внушавали , че непременно трябва да оставят наследници. Ми то иначе човечеството щеше да изчезне, ако не са били всички тези правила. Колкото по-свободни и освободени ставаме, все по-малко хора доброволно се женят и размножват. Особено мъжете вероятно изобщо не биха го правили, защото нямат необходимост от такова нещо. Освен това , все повече се убеждавам , че не е добре за децата да имат прекалено възрастни родители. Даже е вредно.
2016
Съвсем случайно попаднах на тази книга, не знаех че има издадена на български друга на авторката. Бях забравила какво приятно чувство за хумор има. И тук отново то се проявява с пълна сила.
На пръв поглед това е елементарна , повърхностна , чиклитеска история :) За най-нормалния стремеж на една жена , която клони към края на детеродните си възможности, да има семейство или поне само дете. И за нейното решение в крайна сметка да поеме риска на самотното майчинство.
Но тази книга ме наведе на размисли , докъде стигна човечеството. Как докарахме всичко до унисекс. Как сме стигнали дотам , да се лишим от най-ценните взаимоотношения и ги заместваме по всякакъв начин, все по-често.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this much as Zigman's novel Animal Husbandry, but that might be because the story is about a successful single woman who is desperate to have a child. I could not really relate to the desire as my biological clock has never worked.

[Leena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very satisfying read, a quick one too, and often hard to put down. This story is a mixture of wry humor, psychological insight, and dreams of the best possible outcome ever. Like others have said, the ending was a bit too dreamy, too "perfect." My only criticism is that it actually would have been much more satisfying if the ending had been written differently. I liked that this author opened up the door to accepting single motherhood by choice, but then regretted seeing her almost compulsively throw Ellen into a couple RIGHT before the end of the story. Would have loved to see Ellen stay single but hopeful, to see her joyful at her approaching single motherhood while raising the bar for that special someone who may enter her and her child's lives.

[Lynnette Dobberpuhl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. It struck me as an honest look at the conflicts many modern women face with relationships (or lack thereof,) childbearing and career. However, I had difficulty sympathizing with the main character and I am not sure if it is because my own reproductive situation was so completely different, or if it was because she struck me as somewhat more self-involved than the average young woman thinking about committing herself to a life as a parent. Still, the world Zigman created and the characters within pulled me along to the ending.

[Dennis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a great book, one of those frothy, "it's all men's fault" (but with a smile on its face sorts)of books. Really quite harmless, it's short and kills time in a painless way.

[Kenzee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow this book was stupid. The characters were shallow and impossible to relate with. The ridiculously convenient ending just pissed me off.

[Jaimee-Leigh Cope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book today and finished it in a matter of hours. I really enjoyed this book, very easy to read and I enjoyed the storyline. I liked how the story itself (epilogue excluded) wasn't solved/resolved. I kind of liked that it didn't have a happy ending (until you read the epilogue). Sometimes I get sick of the main character getting everything they ever wanted-riches, a great job, the man of their dreams, etc. So I enjoyed this aspect of this book. I also enjoyed and related to the overall topic of pressure on a woman to get married, have kids, etc by the time they reach a certain age. Although I really enjoyed this book I must add that I absolutely hated the use of the word "faggot" or "fag" to describe gay people. I physically cringed every time I read it in the book. I feel a different, less derogatory word would have sufficed. This is why I have given it 4 stars opposed to 5.

[CathyAyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been an SMC (single mother by choice), when asked by others how I came to that place, I usually refer them to 2 pop culture sources: this book (and the movie, Baby Mama...seriously!).

Today is Mother's Day, and I read all these greetings and hear sermons that attempt to be inclusive by saying "... and to those who mother the children (students/nieces-nephews/others whom you help) in your lives...." But in our hearts and minds, that is not the same, and those sentiments are a tad patronizing (even if meant to pay recognition).

Not only an amusingly good read, DATING BIG BIRD really got into the heart and head of how many women who long to be mothers feel. Read it if you're on that path yourself or know someone who is. Read if it you just want a good, somewhat light read for the beach or an upcoming trip, or while you wait at the practice field.

[Katrin Schmidt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just when it gets interesting, she leaves you hanging - that's how I felt when I read the last sentence. The end is kind of abrupt.

Like others on here, the child loving moments made me gag. I'm not a motherly kind of person but that's exactly why I read this. I wanted to get the point of view from a woman who's only purpose seems to be to get pregnant and have children. It's so foreign to me and still is but it was interesting to get a little weird insight into that world. Did the characters convince me? No.

[Karma Kimeleon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It grew on me. At first I really felt the baby wishing was annoying, but I suppose there are women out there who have this sole focus.
I felt uncomfortable with the number of times she used the word “fag,” and often not in a nice way.
Another weird thing was at the end of the book the main character introduces herself on the phone, and I realized I didn’t know her name—and is this the first time I heard it, with only a chapter to go?

[Cora Glazer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked her recent book Separation Anxiety, but this one has none of its eccentric charm. A woman in her 30s in the fashion industry agonizes for 250 pages about whether to have a baby on her own, blah blah blah, some Devil Wears Prada-esque work side story, and a 🤮 amount of references to women wanting to lose weight. Some of the 90s slang ages VERY badly. So basically, the title is about as embarrassing as you’d imagine.

[Sutter Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's chick lit, so only giving a 3 rating, save higher scores for literary fiction, good memoirs. But right now, I just finished this one-day read, and I'm saying aloud thank you thank you thank you to the author for giving me the ending I hoped for but really didn't expect. I can go to bed, to sleep, smiling.

[Carol Todes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laura Zigman's character Ellen, 35 years old is a young career woman who begins to become preoccupied with thought about being childless and having a not so perfect relationship with her kind of boyfriend. Very positive and illustrates how we all think about the choices we have made and how we can alter the road we are on. A good read.

[Laura Stegenga Bristow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not at all what I expected. The used bookstore had it in the television and movie section. It was cute and realistic: woman wants a baby and learns from her young niece that little children rely on Barney and teletubbies and big bird for emotional support and that the man in her life is not as capable to be her emotional support person so she figures out a way to have her baby on her own.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

It felt good to read a book that talks about a single woman who choses her own future and is not dependent on a guy. It's a great SMBC book. The author really shows you what it's like to want a family and to chose your on path to get there.

[Nutsbout Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the fact that deciding and acting on your boundries is what create the change. It's a happy dreams come true book no matter how much shit your life looks and feels like. I felt so much similarity for what she was going through as i find making hard decisions a long process.

[Bill Boswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This tale of a woman wanting a child but thinking time is running out was a good read, but not wanting children or ever being pregnant I could not relate to a lot of it

I would guess if wanted a child, you could add a star as sure you would get more from it

[Ellyn (Mrs. Darcy in my Dreams) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 funny!

[Dawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know how/why I finished this book.

[Tina · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst books I've ever read. Glib and frequent use of the word F*g was offensive and unnecessary.

[Barbara Cryer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book. But not as good as I would have hoped given the title.

[Terrell Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was, like most of the characters, blah.... and I really struggled with the over use of the word “fag.”

[Andrea Proser · Rating 2 out of 5]

An earlier book by a quirky writer with potential, but also kinda mean clearly because she’s full of pathos.

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

For most of this book I’d give three stars. It’s overall fairly mediocre. But I appreciated the ending, so I bumped it to four.

[Rosanna Miranda o'leary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read. Interesting.