Little Earthquakes

Starred review from September 13, 2004
In her first and second bestsellers, Good in Bed
and In Her Shoes
, Weiner came up with female characters so smart, lovable and mordantly funny that they reminded readers that Bridget Jones wasn't the first single woman to light up a bestseller list or the big screen—there were Sheila Levine, Mary and Rhoda, the Golden Girls. Now, just as the star-studded movie version of In Her Shoes
is about to be released, Weiner delivers the interwoven tale of four new mothers who come to form a tight posse in contemporary Philadelphia. The heart of this third-person narrative is Becky, an overweight but thoroughly appealing chef at a chic bistro. Married to an adoring doctor and living in a cozy row house, the warm, nurturing Becky is the latest incarnation of Weiner's previous protagonists, as Weiner's fans will recognize as she rushes to help another woman who collapses into sudden, crushing labor pains after a prenatal yoga class ("Being in labor all by herself —no husband around, no friend to hold her hand—was about the worst thing she could imagine," Becky thinks. "Well, that and having her midriff appear on one of those 'Obesity: A National Epidemic' news reports"). The woman whom Becky helps is Ayinde, the gorgeous wife of an NBA superstar. Picturesquely if improbably, she, Becky and another expectant mom, perky blonde Kelly (who was also at the fateful yoga class and lent a helping hand) become fast friends. Eventually, Lia, a beautiful young actress who has left Hollywood for her hometown of Philadelphia in the wake of a tragedy, joins the group. For much of the story, Weiner, a wonderful natural writer and storyteller, renders her characters and their messy, sometimes wrenching lives in details that resonate as the real deal. In the end, alas, she slips in a soapy Hollywood ending. Still, this is a rich portrayal of new motherhood and a fun ride. Weiner's readers will root for her to trust ever more her ability to float between comedy and pathos, leaving the shallows for true and surprising depths. Agent, Joanna Pulcini Literary Management. Major ad/promo; 13-city author tour.

November 1, 2004
Novels that shift among multiple points of view, such as this one, are often read by multiple narrators, or at least one very skilled actor. Weiner is, unfortunately, no actor, and her reading, while serviceable, doesn't do the book justice. Though her voice is pleasantly pitched, she largely eschews character voices, which is a shame since her four primary characters—sensible, sarcastic Rebecca Rothstein Rabinowitz; über-organized Kelly Day; beautiful but lonely Ayinde Towne; and brokenhearted actress Lia Frederick—are so distinctly different. The story focuses on the tremors, both big and small, that shake up each woman's life. Rebecca, the quartet's down-to-earth center, has more trouble managing her demanding, self-absorbed mother-in-law than her newborn, but meeting Lia, who's recently lost her infant son, puts things into perspective for her. Ayinde, meanwhile, must deal with her cheating pro-basketball player husband, and Kelly is forced to come to terms with the fact that the reality of being married and having a baby is much harder than she ever dreamed. This is a poignant, thoughtful look at marriage and new motherhood, but it would have been better served by a more skilled narrator. Simultaneous release with the Atria hardcover (Forecasts, Sept. 13).