Mogli a mollo

by Wendy Holden

Amanda e Hugo aspettano un figlio: il piccolo nascerà in una clinica privata molto chic, dove la puerpera ha a disposizione tutte le comodità, Internet compreso... Del resto Amanda è una giornalista d'assalto, molto glamour, sempre pronta a gettarsi sull'ultimo gossip e non può rimanere tagliata fuori dal mondo dorato delle star nemmeno per un secondo. Anche Alice e Jake aspettano un figlio: il piccolo nascerà in casa, alla luce delle candele, cullato dal canto delle balene su un letto costruito riciclando le cassette della frutta... Del resto Jake è un ecologista militante, che alleva vermi anoressici perché mangino i rifiuti organici e per il parto ha regalato a sua moglie un fantastico braccialetto ricavato da un vecchio spazzolino da denti. Ma si sa che i figli sono fatti per scombinare i piani dei genitori... E così, fra tate prestigiose che arrivano direttamente dalla famiglia reale e cavolini di Bruxelles coltivati usando concime umano, sentimenti paterni (e materni) che stentano a decollare, ritorni al lavoro e asili gestiti da direttrici rottweiler, i bambini crescono, le coppie scoppiano e si ricostituiscono in un'esilarante commedia romantica sulla maternità.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, British Literature, Humor, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

375 pages, Hardcover

First published January 3, 2005

About the author

Wendy Holden grew up in Yorkshire, and studied English at Girton College, Cambridge. She worked in magazines for many years before joining Tatler's in 1997 as deputy editor, and later moved to the Mail on Sunday’s You magazine, which she left in 2000 to concentrate on writing. She regularly writes features for newspapers and magazines on a range of social, topical and lifestyle subjects and is also a television and radio contributor.

She has now published ten novels, Gallery Girl, Beautiful People, Bad Heir Day, Pastures Nouveaux, Fame Fatale, Azur Like It, The Wives of Bath, The School for Husbands, Filthy Rich, Farm Fatale, Gossip Hound, Simply Divine, all top 10 bestsellers.

Holden is married, and lives in England with her family.

Reviews

[Brenda Haven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know that a lot of people gave this book low star rating, but I really did enjoy it. It was a fun, fast, fluffy read. I really enjoy Wendy Holden's novels. They are just entertaining to read. I did dislike Amanda from the beginning and as I read further along, began to dislike the character of Jake also (not because he was totally dislike-able like Amanda was from the beginning, but because he was such a jerk as the book went on). However, it did make it more agreeable as to what unfolded as the plot went on. Loved the ending and really enjoyed seeing how Hugo went from being totally self-absorbed into becoming a real person with a little baby-totally absorbed in someone else besides himself.

[Meghan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure why I do this to myself, except that I paid a pound for this book in some back alley in Dartmouth so you get what you pay for. It did what I needed to do which was help pass the time on a 10 hour flight with a 4 hour layover. I was tired and didn't want to think about things like plot and character development. But that said, there wasn't much redeeming about this story. The characters were ridiculous (does the author even KNOW any successful attorneys who would give up everything and become essentially slaves to a guy whom they had a one night stand with)? And how does a eco-terrorist masochist turn out to be really a closeted friendly gay man? And some hot shot real estate agent giving up his lucrative business in London, how does he NOT quit the local idiot's firm and interview elsewhere when the local idiot refuses to be "understanding" about him becoming a single dad? If he was so good at what he did, how could he stop thinking he couldn't do he's stuff elsewhere?

Oh wait, I'm overthinking this aren't I? It's chick lit lite. You don't think. But come on. I happily admit I like a bit of fluff. I don't have to always watch serious art films. I can enjoy a stupid comedy with a great fart joke. Same goes for books. But suspending my disbelief goes to situations and environments. You tell me this took place on a planet called Pregdimium and everyone rides unicorns, I can go with it. But I can't suspend my disbelief that an intelligent woman, who's successfully climbed the career ladder, would willing STAY in a relationship that was not only emotionally damaging but dangerous* to her and her baby's health because she's "unsure". And then I'm supposed to chock that WHOLE storyline up to "oh the guy really isn't an complete masochist and all around jerk, he's just "pretending" to be one to hide the fact he's gay." WTF?! Disrespecting intelligent women AND gay men. Awesome. [insert sarcasm, heavily dripping with.]

And yes, I know I spoiled everything. And no, I didn't put in a spoiler alert.

*Yes, I am aware that women stay in crappy relationships for no real good reason. Often these women are incredibly intelligent and talented. And if this was a book about spousal abuse, my comments would be inappropriate. As this is totally a chick lit lite book, the whole story line is completely grotesque and unbelieveable.

**This book is also very disrespectful to environmentalists, who are not all crazy radicals and who are actually trying to make a positive impact on this planet.

Yeah, I really didn't like this book.

[Chana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this before and liked it. Once again I liked it, found it laugh out loud funny and I enjoyed the happy ending.
Two couples meet in pre-natal classes. The women already know each other through a previous work environment. One is a fashionable lying journalist, the other is a lawyer who had the unenviable job of defending the journalist against libel lawsuits. They are not friends. The journalist is married to a flirtatious real estate agent. The lawyer is married to an obsessive recycler intent on saving the planet. The men aren't friends either. The babies are born and the parents struggle with parenthood, or not, as the case may be. Their lives become entangled when the real estate agent and lawyer fall in love while trying to help each other with parenting struggles.
It is a cute story. If you are looking for serious and meaningful then skip it but if you want a light-hearted romance you might like it.

[Katherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really determined to give this book a fair go. I thought, maybe the tagline, ‘The mother of all romantic comedies’, is actually deserved. I had to at least give it a chance.

But then, after a horrendous flashback transition, I encountered this.

Page 36: ‘And what do you do... Alice?’ As his tongue caressed the ‘I’, she saw its red tip flick out from between his lips.

The more I tried to visualise this poetry the more horrified I became. I pressed onwards, setting a goal of 100 pages to see if the story would turn around.
Alas.

Page 42: As his face approached hers again Alice felt herself pulled towards him, a helpless iron filing before a powerful and very sexy magnet.

No.
42 pages was enough.

[Yvonne Janot · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this story. It’s light, a bit OTT of course but a great palate cleanser inbetween thrillers and non-fiction.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was super cheesy, fake and even slightly entertaining at times. Can a book even be all three?

The book revolves around two couples who are in impending parenthood who live in Bath who are totally different but know each other because the wives used to work together at a large magazine company in New York. Alice left on her own merit because she was overworked from dealing with Amanda, a writer who makes up her own articles and then gets sued (and fired), leaving Alice to pick up the pieces because she is in legal. They both leave the company at the same time and don't know it.

Alice gets knocked up accidentally at the wedding of her cousin by way-to-into-the-Earth Jake and Amanda decides that have a child is totally in right now and has one with her husband Hugo. They run into each other at a prenatal class and both couples immediately detest each other. Both mothers have their whole births planned out and of course, end up in the opposite situations. Amanda leaves right after the birth to go back to work and leaves her son with Hugo and he of course has a hard time dealing with it. Jake expects Alice to live a total recyclable, Earthy life and she has a very hard time dealing with it. Hugo and Alice run into each other around town and Hugo is smitten with her immediately, especially with Alice not being around Jake when they run into each other. They have an affair and another acquaintance from prenatal class who is friends with Amanda finds out and tells her.

Marriages break up and fall apart. Amanda comes back and threatens to take her son away from Hugo and he falls apart at the prospect of that, having grown very close to his son over the past few months. Jake empty threats Alice that he is going to take away her daughter, but in the end, it turns out he is gay and was just using Alice as a cover up to try to convenience himself he wasn't.The last chapter is more of an epilogue that Hugo and Alice get together with their own blended families and have their own child.

This book definitely had a really slow start and while very fake got kind of entertaining in a really trashy way at the end. The characters where kind of annoying in that whole, if your partner is an ass, just leave! I hate when the husband is truly an ass hole and annoying (Jake) and it's obvious the wife (Alice) is smart, why they stay around for so long. Hugo's character was kind of annoying because looking back, I can't think of the moment when his heart changed to his son. He resented him when he was born and then when Amanda left, he had to deal with it and he just did, which I guess is noble, but usually there is like a moment when something happens and there was none. The writing still was just kind of ehh. This is the first book I have read from this author, though this isn't her first book.

Grade: C-

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't think I was going to like this book as much as I did. I almost put it down after the first few chapters because some of the characters were SO unlikeable and one dimensional it was unbearable. Luckily, in the second half of the book, those horrible characters play a small role and Alice and Hugo become more rounded out and seem more believable. The main flaw of this book is that the characters - particularly Amanda and Jake - are caricatures. It is hard to believe that anyone behaves like they do (at least I hope not). Alice and Jake's relationship is also unbeleivable, particularly since Alice had started off as a well groomed lawyer in New York. It is hard to picture her with a guy like Jake, who is nasty, controlling, and has horrendous hygeine. If she was a successful lawyer before her pregnancy and marriage, it seems unlikely that she was such a naive pushover. Amanda and Hugo's relationship is more believable - even though Amanda is a nasty person, Hugo doesn't start off so great either.

Overall, the story line becomes predictable in the second half. However, as the characters become more likeable the predictability is easily forgiven. In the end, I enjoyed the story and I was not sure I would even finish it based on the first third of the book!

[Roberta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nonostante le recensioni pessime e due precedenti esperienze non proprio brillanti con questa autrice, devo ammettere che The Wives of Bath è stato molto meno peggio di quello che pensavo (questo non significa che continuerò a leggere i libri di Wendy Holden!). È la storia di due coppie che stanno per avere un bambino le cui vicissitudini si intrecciano nella cittadina di Bath, in Inghilterra. A questo proposito vorrei fare un applauso a chi ha deciso di tradurre il titolo con Mogli a mollo (!).

http://robertabookshelf.blogspot.it/2...

[Redfox5 · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a while since I read an awesome chick-lit. I love Wendy Holden, she is one of the better storytellers out there. I loved Hugo and his attemts at looking after Theo. I really felt for Alice with her ego bully of a husband. I'm not sure how she stood for it for so long and the used condoms. eeeewww. Dispite the fact that she got pregnant because of it, what about all the health issues. She could have caught anything! This is one of those easy books where the pages practically turn themselves for you.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read and enjoyed a lot of terrible chick lit in the past 20 years, and I have to say, this one was barely worth 2 stars. The characters are downright unlikable and dimwitted (though we're supposed to believe that most of them are very successful professionally), even the ones readers are clearly supposed to like/be rooting for. The plot was predictable, and the ending clunked like the author just got tired of writing. I wanted to like it more, as I was really in the mood for something silly and fun, but though it was insipid, it wasn't even that fun. :/

[Laura Aston]

I really liked that this novel spoke about the lives of Alice and Hugo after they had had their babies. Most books focus on the pregnancies, not the struggles of childhood. I thought that it was a good that the book focused on a Father and wanting to get custody of Theo. Overall I really enjoyed this book :)

[Tsippora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks again for my sisters for recommending amd lending me this book. It was amazing! Alot of times I hate it when a character's personality is exaggerated, but in books like "Wives of Bath" it fits perfectly!!!

[Zebici · Rating 3 out of 5]

Putea fi putin mai scurta, dar, e haioasa rau. Mai ales finalul. O lectura de vacanta.

[Josephine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, an easy read, made me laugh a few times due to the role reversal, but predictable.

[Miracle Emeka-Nkwor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first chicklit novel I have read in over ten years or maybe in my life (I can't vouch for the books I read as a teenager because I devoured anything & everything I laid my hands on😄)

I had purchased this with my intentionality towards reading and appreciating other literary genres despite my reservations and preferences. The Wives of Bath tells the story of two "couples" of Bath with totally different personalities and clashing interests and feelings of hatred (from nowhere😂) towards one another.

It started off alright, and I was cackling like a little girl at the first few pages. I was really looking forward to an amazing time, but the drama dragged on and on, with the characters being highly unlikeable and human (I'm sure people like that exist🫠).

Soon, the book began to feel so unrealistic, and I was appalled at how people happened to 'fall in love' so quickly in this book. That probably explains why the divorce rate is so high!

Having characters that made me constantly roll my eyes made me more eager to get to the end of the book, which was quite predictable and seemingly rushed. You know how those folktales (takes by moonlight, etc) usually end when they tell you how every character in the story ended up fulfilling their dreams and living happily ever after? Yeah, that's exactly what happened.

Upon further research, I discovered that these observations and feelings are typically expected while reading books of this genre. It's supposed to be light-hearted, nothing too serious, and not to be overly analysed on the basis of what is really real.

So this isn't a review per se. Let's just say I'm noting my feelings while reading a chicklit novel for the first time. I might get used to it...I might not; and hopefully, I won't run away from the challenge of intentionally stepping out of my comfort MYSTERY zone🫣

[Plum-crazy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun...just what we expect from a Wendy Holden novel. This ones a tale of two sets of parents, Hugo & Amanda & Jake & Alice.

Amanda is going for the planned c-section at a chic celebrity clinic, while Alice has plans for an all natural birth...but as babies arrive when they want, neither birth goes according to plan.

And things don't go particulary well for either couple after the birth. When Amanda realises a baby isn't a fashion accessory she heads off back to work leaving Hugo to cope alone. Alice meanwhile, may have a gorgeous looking husband but he is a complete eco-fascist & bringing up a baby to his exacting requirements is nigh on impossible. But as is usual in this type of tale everyone ends up happy ever after...but not necessarily with their original partners....

The characters are great fun, if over the top; Amanda is a truly obnoxious, self-centered woman, while Jake's recycling ideas are hilarious - imagine a dinner party where the plates are frisbees & the organic mulled wine is served in jamjars! And anyone who has had a child will sympathise with Hugo -who hasn't experienced baby food that sets like concrete, & the fun of trying to get a nappy on a baby who just will not stay still...happy days...

[Rory · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a light hearted book and great for listening to on audio in the background whilst doing boring tasks.

There's not a lot of story and the ending is obvious, of course. But the characters are interesting. Hugo's boss is a pig and so true to life.
"Men are not supposed to be house husbands and dads in our society"- I hope things have really changed now in 2021 but in general I still see that part time work is hard to find and people are seen as not committed if they don't work full time and more. So this book was before it's time with this storyline.

Alice I found a bit stupid and insipid. I don't believe she would have completely changed her personality to be with Jake. But it's possible.

Not my favourite of Wendy's books, but generally good.

[Mrs Nina Macfie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having enjoyed Wendy Holden’s books some years ago and looking for a light read during lockdown, I picked this. She writes well, but the story is utter tosh. The hero and heroine are too nice to be true, and the other characters are grotesques. I know that writing humorous chick lit romance is like drawing cartoons, i.e. a certain amount of exaggeration is fine, but I didn’t just fail to relate to the characters in question, I actively hated them. Waste of time and money.

[Susan Carroll · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the first book I picked in a long time. It took me a while to get back in to reading for pleasure.

I was enjoying the book right up until the ending, although some of the characters were annoying. Whilst not exactly the twist I expected, the last two chapters felt very rushed, almost as though the author was running out of time to finish the story.

[Helen Magee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book although all the loose ends were tied up really quickly

[Gillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two-and-a-half stars.
Chick Lit. that I enjoyed more than I had expected to.

[Lorraine Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book

[Vics · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, I could relate to at least one of the characters which I find always helps me get into a book.

[Dottie B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice story

[Cleaver Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun. Bit far fetched and the language a bit unnecessarily coarse, but on the whole it was enjoyable and frequently laugh out loud funny. Well worth checking out.

[Laura Parry · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first foray into chic lit was one 0f wendy holders. This one doesn't disappoint. Only critic wrapped up too quickly...

[Jilli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frothy reading, light and easy. Holiday reading sort of book.

[Sharon Coyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dated, but still an interesting read. Some surprising character development and a plot that held my attention. (old paperback rom-com bought in a library discard sale!)

[Patricia Tamez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is literally just a low budget rom com from 2005

[GMacAoidh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this years ago, so I can't remember much except that it was and easy read which I enjoyed.