The Continuity Girl

by Leah McLaren

Meredith Moore is the perfect continuity girl. An on-set script supervisor, she is the error catcher, the one who makes sure every take matches seamlessly with the one that came before it. But when Meredith wakes up on her 35th birthday with a sudden acute yearning for a baby, her personal sense of continuity is thrown into flux. Determined not to marry, she impulsively flees humdrum Canada and heads to London to reunite with her notoriously eccentric mother, Irma, and accept a job on a famous producer's film. Her covert plan: find a man with good genes, seduce him, and have a child--all without him knowing, of course. But in her quest to become pregnant on her own terms, she will accidentally discover a web of secrets that will change the way she envisions both her professional life and the nature of love.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Canada, Romance

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Krystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a struggle for me, yet its the only one I've got currently, and it does have some hilarious scenes in it. Its just a world I don't know, and when the author fills 3 to 4 pages with technical dream sequences or experiments (don't really know what I'd call them) every few chapters or so, it becomes a speed bump and just skip anymore. But it's also the characters I'm having a lot of trouble identifying with. A square, technical continuity woman suddenly is deafened by the sound of her biological clock ticking. She at this point (though I have a feeling this will change) has only had her mom in her life, and her mom is a hippy dippy free lovin, coke snortin, italian alcohol consuming mom, with no concern for the mores of society. Taken back to her childhood home, she decides to find the best gene source for her child, the one she is intent on having with no relationship or interferance. Theres been incidental dates that she has gone on, but it has more the feel of not being apart of the story at all, just random people not fitting in here and there, as well as odd behaviors. But maybe thats the point. And thats where I am so far, halfway done, and stuck with it.
Completely done, and I wasn't completely wrong about the father coming back....the man she found was "fatherish". I still didn't much like the book at the end, anymore than I liked it at any other point. It just wasn't my kind of thing.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it to be a little slow for me in the beginning. I always have a hard time going forward when a novel starts off slow but push myself to keep going. In this case, it was worth it. It definitely picked up during the middle and got better as it kept going.

I feel it dragged on too much in certain parts and gave too much elaboration on unnecessary subjects. Like, what was the point in describing that for 2 whole pages??

It actually has a couple of surprises towards the end that you don't really see coming. I always like those!!

Sweet, funny with a tad bit of dullness.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started off good, and then got a little stale, but I it ended up alright.

[Michelle Bacon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is supposed to be about Meredith that works in the film industry and is concerned about her biological clock. She goes on a search to find the perfect sperm donor and discovers some truths about herself along the way,
Slow to start and the story seemed to drift away from it's true purpose but wound up coming together after all.

[Preet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't really impressed. I was never really fully involved in the story. Meredith Moore is 35. She never thought there was anything wrong in her life before, but now her biological clock has started ticking and she's turned into a sperm raider, looking for prospective fathers everywhere.

She herself doesn't know who her father is. She doesn't quite believe her famous mother's story about her father's identity.

This book was all over the place. Some of the twists made sense and some made me wonder if I'd missed something or whole sections of the book.

I wish I'd grabbed something else to read from my tbr pile. :(

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not great literature by any stretch but as a colleague put it when he heard my brief synopsis and the title, "You must really be enjoying that. It's so *you*!"
Granted, reading this blithe story did lead me to daydream about work as a "continuity girl" and to wonder what might have happened if I'd majored in film after all ! :-)
It was also nice to read about two cities I've lived in (Toronto - most of my life; London - 6 months at a slightly younger age than the heroine)

[Eileen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this one for free as I'll read any chick lit - even Canadian chick lit it seems. I just never really liked it. I didn't get her sudden urge to have a kid or her odd relationship with Barnaby. Everything else was pretty predictable.

[Anna MacDonald · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was quite disappointed in this, but if it was meant to be the most stereotypical chick lit, I guess it succeeded. It wasn't badly written, but the ridiculous situations the heroine found herself in were straight out of Bridget Jones, only not as funny.

[Amanda Sussman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely a light read -- it's a bit predictable and fluffy, but enjoyable.

[Ion · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very well written but not my kind of story line. I liked that I was kept guessing until the end, good stuff.

[Joanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kept this at my bedside for those times when I have trouble sleeping. It was the perfect remedy.

[Becky Durstenfeld · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this could have been a cute story. Based on other reviews I probably would not have read this book, but I got it on a cruise ship, so read it with low expectations. The things I did not like were things that many contemporary writers seem to feel a need to include in their stories - foul language, sex, including homosexuality, excessive drinking, and some characters who were hard to like. I especially didn't like the main character, Meredith's best friend, Mish. I could not really relate to the characters except for their desire to have a baby, but they didn't seem to understand very well what parenthood really is. The ending was not a surprise. I did enjoy parts of the book.

[Erin Moxam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I probably shouldn't review this book because I probably shouldn't have read this book -this is not my jam. I don't even know how I ended up with this book. Anyway, this is a book about Meredith and her quest to have a baby. I guess this is chick lit and maybe it's okay for what it is, but it seemed very shallow and fluffy to me. I wasn't a big fan of any of the characters, some of whom I actually found quite annoying - Mish, her best friend, comes to mind. Meredith's mom is okay, but overall I did not find much going on here, there were a few mildly amusing moments because Meredith is klutzy, but that was about it. You can probably skip this one.

[Katie O. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beach read/chick-lit. A fun mix of familiar tropes and stereotypes. Never boring, but a couple of deep dives into falconry, make up, movie editing, and fertility that may not thrill those who find those topics uninspiring. A nice mix of serious and silly moments across friendships, mom-daughter gaps, budding romances & misses. After a very uniquely awkward meet-cute, the resolution is quite obvious, but the plot points along the way (and geographical variations) are fun.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this novel, while entertaining and easy to read, feels a bit too much like an AbFab re-run for my taste. However, the second half of the novel takes an interesting turn, and the end result is far more satisfying than I was expecting from the opening chapters. Leah McLaren's writing style keeps things engaging throughout, in spite of my caveats.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somehow I missed the whole when you turn 35 you must have a baby thing. 🙄 or I guess once you decide you want a kid the right guy just happens to show up and mix that in with typical rom-com mix ups and you got this book.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read. Took some unexpected turns. Sadly comical.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book I picked up in an airport. I liked it, it was full of interesting characters. Some of the scenarios were hard to read, but it ended on a graceful scene.

[The Chapter Conundrum (Stacey) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I could rate it 1.5 stars as at times I did not like it and at other times I thought it was just okay.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, easy to digest holiday read.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I needed to veg out with a fluffy novel and this one kept me entertained for the day.

[Santhi Moine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this, lots of close personal perspective that was relatable.

[Carolina Valdes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious. Continuity girl in search of baby daddy.

[Connie Lukey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quirky and fun.

[Harold Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some gem-dandy imagery. Chick-lit — I read it for the chick in me:).

[Matea Ceric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent novel from the point of view of a woman seeking to become a mother later in life.

[Tam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only read and finished it because I had nothing else to read at work.

[Norabee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Canadian Chick Lit!

This was a great story and gives you a glimpse behind the scenes of a continuity girl – she’s the person that makes sure that scenes match up in movies. She ensures fluidity from one take to the next and our heroine, Meredith Moore, is good at her job. She keeps everything in place and discovers at the age of thirty-five that although she’s single, what she really wants most of all is to have a baby, so she decides to become a “sperm-bandit” – someone that gets pregnant secretly without having any expectations from the “father”, other than a little DNA.

The story starts out while Meredith walks off the set of a movie production, never to return after some scathing remarks from the director of the film. She’s lucky to have a mother living in the UK that has an “old friend” with a job opportunity for Meredith and her mom offers her a place to stay. Meredith’s Mom is a free spirit and although she seems to be a lot of fun, she spends a lot of time embarrassing Meredith. Meredith has a friend that also wants to become pregnant and since, she too, is unattached, she decides on fertility treatments with the help of her roommate. Once Meredith moves to London to join her Mom and begin work on a new film, she meets a whole cast of characters that fill out the novel, giving it depth and, well…continuity!

Along with the production details, Leah McLaren paints a nice backdrop by giving details on London and Toronto – this was a little different than Brit chick lit and it was fun to learn a little more about the Canadian culture.

I really enjoyed this novel, as it gave a little bit of everything – romance, sex, film production, searching for a “baby-daddy” and learning something new about your own – it was a fine mixture of topics and I liked the fact that although Meredith wanted a baby, she wasn’t overly obsessed, as some characters in her position have been portrayed in other novels. I really liked this story and I will look for more novels by Leah McLaren.

[Nicole Narbonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

amusing and sometimes uncomfortable, I really enjoyed reading it.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I just finished reading The Continuity Girl by Leah McLaren (yes, the Globe & Mail columnist for those of you following along at home). This one came to me via my bookclub, and I have to say, it’s the first time in a while that I have actually finished a bookclub book. The Continuity Girl could be viewed as chicklit, if you squint. It certainly has your standard quirky (female) protagonist, with her also-quirky friends and family, who is on a (yes, quirky) mission. But inspite of myself, I really enjoyed reading about Meredith Moore and her sudden and strange quest to spawn. Meredith becomes a self-proclaimed “sperm bandit” in an effort to have a baby without the entanglements of an actual relationship. The book follows her along the quest and you see her meet and interact with several characters (in the truest sense of the word). Some rather important bits of the plot were almost as predictable as The DaVinci Code (this is not a compliment), which loses some points in my eyes. I really didn’t want to enjoy this book as much as I did; infact, when I discovered the glowing review from the author of The Fabulous Girl’s Guide To Decorum (my definitive example of the truly bad and horrible aspects of “chicklit”) on the back of the book I almost stopped reading on principle. But Continuity Girl in the end was a fun, quick read. It won’t cause you to ponder the meaning of life, but you will want to know how it turns out.