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Going It Alone
A hilarious and romantic novel about marriage, motherhood and mid-life crises.
Millies biological clock has been ticking for some time, and on the eve of her fortieth birthday the alarm bell starts ringing. She needs to have a baby and fast, but after months of fruitless trying, her husband Andrew is feeling like a walking sperm bank and their marriage is in crisis. Matters come to a head when Andrews job relocates to London and Millie decides that if he wont stick around to get her pregnant, then shell do it without him. Setting her sights on Spain, Millie embarks on a voyage of discovery
Millies biological clock has been ticking for some time, and on the eve of her fortieth birthday the alarm bell starts ringing. She needs to have a baby and fast, but after months of fruitless trying, her husband Andrew is feeling like a walking sperm bank and their marriage is in crisis. Matters come to a head when Andrews job relocates to London and Millie decides that if he wont stick around to get her pregnant, then shell do it without him. Setting her sights on Spain, Millie embarks on a voyage of discovery
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
7 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
Clare Dowling
26 books50 followersClare Dowling is a screenwriter and bestselling author. She's had many jobs, including as an actress, a waitress and a legal secretary before turning to writing full-time. She's had eleven novels published, and she also writes scripts for television. She lives in Dublin with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 17, 2024
Fine. Pretty sure this won't be very memorable, but it was fine for what it was.
Two stars.
Two stars.
August 5, 2017
This book took me slightly longer than usual to read but not through lack of interest, just couldn't find the free time. So it did feel like I was stopping and starting through most of it but once I found the time I easily flew through it and found it very engaging and enjoyable.
Millie is a likeable woman and very down to earth even if she is a bit carried away in her desperate pursuit to have a baby and at any cost emotionally & physically. It ultimately costs her her marriage as her husband Andrew leaves her for his new job saying he's not ready for babies. It turns out that she is much better off without him and he wasn't really a nice guy after all. Who needs a feckless man like that anyway.
So Millie decides to go it alone to have a baby and while this was possibly her only route to take now she found herself single and approaching 40, she meets Simon on her holiday in Spain to visit the fertility clinic and falls for him, he lives close by her (funnily enough we never actually get told he lives close by but when he turns up at her door later on he's there in no time) so he must do! But in her desperate need to have a baby she pushes away this chance to have a loving man in her life and quite possibly have a baby in the conventional way.
Millie's cynicism and her new brittle attitude towards men is the only negative I had about her, she was bordering on extreme at times being such an utter pessimist and a pain in the a*s!
I enjoyed the interspersing stories of Millie's family, her sister Oona who is married to a great guy with 3 kids but seems to be having her own marital problems. Her mum Nuala who after getting out of hospital for a minor op is showing worrying signs that no one seems to want to voice concern about and her dad Dennis who is a rather cantankerous old man who likes to whinge and complain but ultimately is taking over the roles that were previously owned by his wife.
It's funny and amusing in places, insightful and thought provoking. I liked that things worked out for Millie but it would have been nice to see her and Simon get their baby in the end, even if that would have been wrapping it up too nicely.
Millie is a likeable woman and very down to earth even if she is a bit carried away in her desperate pursuit to have a baby and at any cost emotionally & physically. It ultimately costs her her marriage as her husband Andrew leaves her for his new job saying he's not ready for babies. It turns out that she is much better off without him and he wasn't really a nice guy after all. Who needs a feckless man like that anyway.
So Millie decides to go it alone to have a baby and while this was possibly her only route to take now she found herself single and approaching 40, she meets Simon on her holiday in Spain to visit the fertility clinic and falls for him, he lives close by her (funnily enough we never actually get told he lives close by but when he turns up at her door later on he's there in no time) so he must do! But in her desperate need to have a baby she pushes away this chance to have a loving man in her life and quite possibly have a baby in the conventional way.
Millie's cynicism and her new brittle attitude towards men is the only negative I had about her, she was bordering on extreme at times being such an utter pessimist and a pain in the a*s!
I enjoyed the interspersing stories of Millie's family, her sister Oona who is married to a great guy with 3 kids but seems to be having her own marital problems. Her mum Nuala who after getting out of hospital for a minor op is showing worrying signs that no one seems to want to voice concern about and her dad Dennis who is a rather cantankerous old man who likes to whinge and complain but ultimately is taking over the roles that were previously owned by his wife.
It's funny and amusing in places, insightful and thought provoking. I liked that things worked out for Millie but it would have been nice to see her and Simon get their baby in the end, even if that would have been wrapping it up too nicely.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2019
Set in Ireland and Spain, this book’s main character is Millie, a 39 year old desperate for a baby. She’s trying for a baby with her husband Andrew when he announces he’s not ready for a baby and that he’s moving to Germany for his job. This pretty much ends their marriage, so Millie decides to have a baby on her own. Irish clinics won’t let a single woman do IUI so she travels to Spain instead. Here she meets Simon who likes Millie but doesn’t approve of her using donor sperm. They go their separate ways and Millie has IUI treatment. It doesn’t work and she’s devastated. However she ends up back in touch with Simon and at the end their in a relationship and talking about trying for a baby in the near future.
I liked this book and (unlike Mare) liked Millie. She was a sweet and likeable character, and I found the book amusing. There were also subplots featuring Millie’s sister Oona (or Orla as it sometimes said, I think the editor missed those...) and her parents which added to the story. It’s a bit cheesy and convenient that Millie ends up with this attractive man who also really wants children, and a bit ridiculous that they’re thinking they’ll try for a baby only a few months after meeting. But because I liked both Simon and Millie I wanted it to work out, and chick-lit isn’t known for its realism.
I liked this book and (unlike Mare) liked Millie. She was a sweet and likeable character, and I found the book amusing. There were also subplots featuring Millie’s sister Oona (or Orla as it sometimes said, I think the editor missed those...) and her parents which added to the story. It’s a bit cheesy and convenient that Millie ends up with this attractive man who also really wants children, and a bit ridiculous that they’re thinking they’ll try for a baby only a few months after meeting. But because I liked both Simon and Millie I wanted it to work out, and chick-lit isn’t known for its realism.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2019
A nice easy read. Maybe a tad cliched in places and clearly written in the days before Facebook etc. Having said that I liked the basic premise, the characters relationships and that it didn’t have the ending all tied up too neatly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2017
This is a nice, light book. It didn't change my world but it definitely gave me a smile on my face.
June 27, 2018
stupido e cervellotico
December 27, 2019
Great book
April 14, 2020
This is such a delightful and fun book. Loved every bit of it😊
August 30, 2022
Very meh
December 31, 2023
Quite a funny and different type of story - well worth reading - it puts a different perspective on what could be a sad and desperate situation
December 6, 2009
Millie thought she had found her perfect man in the way of her husband Andrew, but when she doesn’t get pregnant after a while of trying, Millie begins to get desperate. Unfortunately, Andrew is scared off by her desperation and leaves Millie, moving away for work and from Millie.
But Millie still wants to be a mum, and will do anything to get there. She decides to look into being a single mum, and finds out about clinics in Spain where she can get a baby all by herself. Is Millie about to get pregnant for the wrong reasons? And is her way of going about it the right or wrong way?
I was really pulled in by the blurb of this book, because it just sounds so much like something I would really enjoy. It did sound just like the sort of story you could involve yourself in and read right until the end without stopping, so I really looked forward to starting it. But the trouble is, once I had started, I just couldn’t stop. The characters were so involving and fantastic that I just had to keep reading to find out what Millie and her family were going to do next! Dowling really pulls you in with her writing style and you just can’t help but love each of them, despite their faults.
What I also loved about this book is the sub-stories running in between the main one of Millie trying to get pregnant. We meet Millie’s sister who is having a tough time in her marriage at the moment, but Millie is struggling to sympathise as her sister has 3 children and a dream husband. Their relationship is explored really well in this book and I enjoyed how their story unfolded and developed as I read on. Millie’s parents also crop up in the story and while some of their story is a bit sad and emotional, it’s incredibly well done in the book and was a real triumph of love and partnership over struggles. It all weaves seamlessly together in the story, and by the end all the loose ends are tied up although there’s still a cloud over one of the stories but it seems fitting that is the case.
The main character of Millie is definitely one any woman will feel sympathy for, especially because her husband is such a prat! Like most women, Millie really wants to be a mother and from Dowling’s writing, you really feel Millie’s emotion along with her and I really felt sorry for her when she thought her dream of being a mother was taken away. As the story unfolded, I did think Millie had lost it somewhat but I guess desperation makes us all consider things we might not have thought of otherwise. She really is such a likeable character though, and I was desperate for it all to work out for her in the end. The scenes in Spain were well done, although I got frustrated with Millie at times when she reacted to a character called Simon in the way she did!
Compared to the previous Dowling book I read which was ‘Expecting Emily’ (her second novel), she has definitely improved her writing skills since then and has crafted a fantastic read here. Set in Ireland and written in the third person, the book is a joy to read from start to finish and I am sure will hit a nerve for quite a few people out there. It is a touching story of a woman who just wants a baby and her journey to get there, albeit not an easy one. Dowling’s book is emotive, great to read and I would highly recommend it, particularly if you’ve not read her work before. A wonderful story full of hope
But Millie still wants to be a mum, and will do anything to get there. She decides to look into being a single mum, and finds out about clinics in Spain where she can get a baby all by herself. Is Millie about to get pregnant for the wrong reasons? And is her way of going about it the right or wrong way?
I was really pulled in by the blurb of this book, because it just sounds so much like something I would really enjoy. It did sound just like the sort of story you could involve yourself in and read right until the end without stopping, so I really looked forward to starting it. But the trouble is, once I had started, I just couldn’t stop. The characters were so involving and fantastic that I just had to keep reading to find out what Millie and her family were going to do next! Dowling really pulls you in with her writing style and you just can’t help but love each of them, despite their faults.
What I also loved about this book is the sub-stories running in between the main one of Millie trying to get pregnant. We meet Millie’s sister who is having a tough time in her marriage at the moment, but Millie is struggling to sympathise as her sister has 3 children and a dream husband. Their relationship is explored really well in this book and I enjoyed how their story unfolded and developed as I read on. Millie’s parents also crop up in the story and while some of their story is a bit sad and emotional, it’s incredibly well done in the book and was a real triumph of love and partnership over struggles. It all weaves seamlessly together in the story, and by the end all the loose ends are tied up although there’s still a cloud over one of the stories but it seems fitting that is the case.
The main character of Millie is definitely one any woman will feel sympathy for, especially because her husband is such a prat! Like most women, Millie really wants to be a mother and from Dowling’s writing, you really feel Millie’s emotion along with her and I really felt sorry for her when she thought her dream of being a mother was taken away. As the story unfolded, I did think Millie had lost it somewhat but I guess desperation makes us all consider things we might not have thought of otherwise. She really is such a likeable character though, and I was desperate for it all to work out for her in the end. The scenes in Spain were well done, although I got frustrated with Millie at times when she reacted to a character called Simon in the way she did!
Compared to the previous Dowling book I read which was ‘Expecting Emily’ (her second novel), she has definitely improved her writing skills since then and has crafted a fantastic read here. Set in Ireland and written in the third person, the book is a joy to read from start to finish and I am sure will hit a nerve for quite a few people out there. It is a touching story of a woman who just wants a baby and her journey to get there, albeit not an easy one. Dowling’s book is emotive, great to read and I would highly recommend it, particularly if you’ve not read her work before. A wonderful story full of hope
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August 6, 2011Marian Keyes summed it up when she called this one 'commercial fiction'. As I've been on a baby making journey myself recently I could totally relate to the main character's loony-ness, but that's about as far as the connection went. Slightly better than average chick lit.
August 26, 2016
Going this fertility issues myself it was lovely to read a fictional story about a subject I know really well it was surprising to me that everything the main lady went through emotionally I go through every day. Well written and nice ending,
May 6, 2009
Fun voice, good story!
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July 28, 2011Found this one very slow. Not very exciting and the characters weren't very believable
Read
August 6, 2011Irish chick lit about a woman with both fertility, family and relationship problems who comes to Spain seeking answers. Nice light read.
September 30, 2015
enjoyed this in a lighthearted way although i did feel for the main character
April 2, 2016
This was an 'I don't want to put it down' book for me - a real favourite. I enjoyed all the characters and the story line immensely.
September 29, 2016
Quick and easy holiday read. Bridget Jones-esk feel to it.
October 2, 2012
quite repetitive but enjoyed the story.......hope she was lucky with Simon !!!
September 7, 2017
could not finish this book, it was slow and could not get into it
March 19, 2018
Uhm... Non so dirvi se mi è piaciuto o no. Ci sono momenti/pagine/situazioni molto divertenti, che scorrono velocemente, e ti fanno sorridere. Altri, invece, lente, pesanti, pipponi infiniti.
Il romanzo tratta temi molto delicati (inseminazione artificiale, desiderio di maternità, demenza senile, famiglie tradizionali e non) e l'autrice è brava a trattarli con il giusto rispetto... Ma davvero alcuni punti erano così lenti che mi sono trascinata il libro per diversi giorni..
Non lo consiglierei...
Il romanzo tratta temi molto delicati (inseminazione artificiale, desiderio di maternità, demenza senile, famiglie tradizionali e non) e l'autrice è brava a trattarli con il giusto rispetto... Ma davvero alcuni punti erano così lenti che mi sono trascinata il libro per diversi giorni..
Non lo consiglierei...
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews