Having It and Eating It

by Sabine Durrant

Maggie Owen has given up her day job and resigned herself to a life of playground moms and soiled clothing—until the day she runs into Claire Masterson. Claire was the girl at school Maggie always wanted to be, and (surprise, surprise) it's as if nothing has changed. Claire still has everything—and Maggie's life, as the mother of two young boys, is utter chaos. But when it seems that Claire knows a little too much about Maggie's boyfriend, Jake, Maggie starts thinking the unthinkable, and the lengths to which she goes to uncover the truth and regain her confidence throw her life—and her relationship with Jake—for a loop.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Womens Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Sabine Durrant lives in London, England, with her three children.

Reviews

[Sapphir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes it’s a problem to read books in reversed order, even if they aren’t part of a single book series, but even belong to different genres. This is the case with the Sabine Durrant novels which I’ve read so far, because I read her more recent works first and this early work, her first novel, afterwards. That’s probably the most important reason why I was a tiny bit disappointed since this way, I had already read some of her novels composed with ultimate perfection and now moved on to read a book written in a clever, but not overly complex way.
Fortunately, this novel is not a psychological thriller, but a romantic drama instead. Or maybe it’s a romantic comedy? Well, the book is funny, that’s for sure. Reading it, I realized that the author is a master of dry wit and humor, be it deadpan or absurd, and I found myself smiling, grinning or even laughing out loud about the really hilarious text passages. (And there are many of them!)
For a change, it’s easy to relate to Sabine Durrant’s (mostly likeable) first-person narrator here. She feels uncertain, clumsy and out of place sometimes, just like all of us. It was highly amusing to watch her struggling with her daily routines or unusual, even absurd situations, and I sympathized with her whenever she tried to find ways to break free from her restraints.
There are some strange elements in the story, though.
First of all, Maggie, the main character, has two young children. And I mean YOUNG children: Fergus is two and a half years old and baby Dan seven months. But apart from the fact that they are extremely lively, they seem to be real child geniuses, judging from the way they act, talk and are basically able to do things. I was half expecting them to build a spaceship, organize a mission to Mars or be awarded a doctorate any minute.
And then there is the husband …

**spoiler alert**

The whole plot seems to be about the protagonist’s suspicion that her husband Jake has an affair and about her way of dealing with that. But the reason why he arouses her suspicions at all is actually the fact that he’s at work and away on business more and more. When he’s at home for once, he usually works and behaves in quite an aloof way. And he doesn’t really feel responsible for his own children. He always takes it for granted that housewife Maggie (who gave up her job in order to be a stay-at-home mom) is the one who has to take care of their sons. In one scene, Maggie tries hard to carry both stubborn children at the same time and she has to ask Jake for assistance because it doesn’t even occur to him to help her on his own accord!
The point is that even after she’s found out that he actually doesn’t have an affair at all, this doesn’t really change his attitude towards work, family and responsibility – which was in fact the problem at the bottom of the MC’s being unhappy in her marriage in the first place. But at the end of the story, there’s no mention of that any more. The couple seems to have worked things out, the problem seems to be solved. Only that it isn’t, IMHO …
That’s why even though I really enjoyed the book, its ending wasn’t very satisfying to me, even less so to me as a feminist.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need something easy and fun to read. so i'm trying this out. i plucked it off the shelf merely because I liked the title and color.


Well, I finished this and I was right, it was a no-brainer...not the most enjoyable of no-brainers though. The main characters children were annoying, they were always eating dirt or screaming and it made me feel that she was a shitty mom. plus she was a cheating whore.

[Mollie Andrews · Rating 2 out of 5]

I might be to harsh in saying 2.5, but I felt like this was hard to get in to at first and then felt, well a bit flat at the end? Maybe just me for feeling like it I don’t know. I enjoyed the characters and didn’t expected to see how things ended up with Claire, but overall felt disappointed by Jake’s character and the relationship with Maggie.
Overall it was okay!

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Un livre vite lu et vite oublié...

[laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

In spite of the ending being a bit bleak and underwhelming I really enjoyed reeading this (even though I am not affiliated at all with the aspect of being a parent but luckily that’s not only aspect of the book) and I can totally see how it came to what happened and the misunderstanding too. Not sure why the low rating? Would totally recommend to a friend.

[sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good chick lit book which given the real world was a nice getaway.

The gardener was a predictable character and I found that I disliked Maggie in the second half of the story and figured that something would happen to make her realise the error of her ways.

I am pleased that Ed got his happy ending and I’m pleased that Jake and Maggie decided to stick together

[Jennsie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started out pretty well with some interesting characters, but then it became tedious and self-gratifying. The writing was not very good and needed to go through some editing phases. This book was a disappointment and I skim-read the last few chapters.

[Jaclyn Goodfellow-Olmsted · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked it off the shelf at the cottage. Meh. Easy weekend read but nothing remarkable here.

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts off well then gets into a bad affair. Obvious that the affair is very wrong, only sexual. The last part of the book redeems itself and makes it worth the read.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad as chick lit goes, not my usual genre and unsure whether I would read another by this author, we will see.

[Anne Pickering · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t realise this was ‘chick lit’ when I started reading. An average read but fun in parts.

[katya jw · Rating 3 out of 5]

love a bit of infidelity

[Barbara Elsborg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book a few years ago and kept it - so I must have liked it first time around. Short of something to read, I reread it! There's something very unsettling about the story. It's not often you're invited to sympathize with a main character who has an affair. NOT adultery as some have stated as she's not married but I suppose in a committed relationship, that's splitting hairs.
I wanted to like Jake - but couldn't. We're nicely led down the garden path of thinking he's the unfaithful one and it's a nice twist at the end.
I wanted to like Maggie - and I did for the most part but it's interesting how your opinion changes when you consider the implications of her behaviour. How many readers would have still liked her if Jake HAD been having the affair? Jake didn't treat Maggie very well, even if he didn't go as far as cheating on her. Her need for love was well drawn. The wearing reality of family life with young children very realistic. The ending - well it was interesting. Should she tell or not? Who would suffer more if she told? The author makes the reader think and that's never a bad thing.
I looked for more by this author but she seems to have swapped to writing for teenagers which is a pity.
So, I won't put it back on my shelf but it's worth a read. It's a risky story and rather brave I think.

[Mei · Rating 1 out of 5]

Complete...Waste.. Of...Time.

The beginning starts with Maggie (main character) talking bout how great and beautiful Claire (old HS friend) is. Then she starts complaining about herself and her life. Seriously, right after meeting claire she doesn't stop comparing her life to hers. Then she meets a guy and blah blah blah (you know the rest)... I didn't need to finish the book to know the ending.

* gave it 1 star because I laughed at certain moments when her kids were involved*

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having complained about an over-abundance of domesticity in the previous book I read, I have to admit this had probably ten times as much, but all of it was necessary and fitting to the story (although I admit that might be less apparent to those who never had children) Her observations were tender and spot-on.
And in many ways too this was a much-told tale but told with skill and a cast of characters whose actions and reactions I was brought to care about.

[Jessica Choate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a young woman who is trying to get the hang of motherhood, and she has reason to believe her boyfriend is cheating on her.... so she starts to cheat herself. This book kept me reading the entire time because of the humor and the situatons the characters get themselves into. It is by far one of my favorite books and I would advise any girl from the age of 13-20 to read it.

[Jenny Angelo · Rating 3 out of 5]

British chick lit about a stay-at-home mom who runs into an old girlfriend and starts feeling insecure about her own life compared to that of her glamorous friend. Pair that with her suspicions that her non-husband is having an affair with said friend and you have some good old-fashioned angst. It was a fairly quick read, and while most of it was on the predictable side, I did enjoy it.

[Lanette · Rating 1 out of 5]

Classic English Chic lit, which sometimes I can tolerate and sometimes I can't. Frumpy housewife + beautiful friend + workaholic 'husband' (though they aren't really married) = a tale involving affairs and predictable ending. I had to quit half-way through and skim the ending. I didn't miss much.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

FAST read! like overnight....good character development. Grabs you as you read along. Didn't particularly LOVE the ending but it was real. Real characters with real flaws. I am not a huge fan of books that "gloss" over adultery but....that shouldn't turn you away from the book.

[Merredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is sort of like a desperate housewives book. the main character could have lived on wisteria lane... if you liked the show, read the book. although i was dissapointed in the main girl at the end, it was a quick read, and very entertaining.

[Helene · Rating 3 out of 5]

It uses British humor which I am not a huge fan. Maggie is having issue with the changes that occur over the time spam of being a mother. Uh, my time span does not need an affair to cause more problems:). ...ok

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Randomly picked this book cause I liked the title (my friends tend to joke that I eat too much). Was pleasantly surprised I enjoyed it :) , it's fun and juicy . Perfect for chilling and having an easy read.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

didn't like the characters

[K (Karen) · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a stay-at-home mom, I can relate to some of the motivation of the main character, but then...she crosses the line. A light, entertaining book about cheating and relationships.

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't get into this book. I actually wound up skipping to the last chapter then calling it done.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very predictable plot although the vocabulary was quite good. Definitely chick-lit.

[Jeanne Metz · Rating 3 out of 5]

If 2/12 was a rating - that is what I would give it...

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is pretty average, but its engaging and it makes for a great tube read. When I've made more progress I'll let you know what I think in more detail.

[Clothereader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a great book wanted to know more like what happened to the gardener and also Claire but was a sweet read almost made me cry at the end

[Anitah Mbugua · Rating 4 out of 5]

not a bad read