Product Description

This is the story of what comes after 'happily ever after' as three young wives make the journey into motherhood, and discover how it changes their sense of themselves and their relationships with friends and family. There's Becky, a plump, sexy chef, with an overworked husband, an adorable baby girl ...and the mother-in-law from hell. There's Kelly, an event planner who's trying to cram sixty hours of work into twenty-hour weeks, all while charting her baby's every move on a spreadsheet and hoping that her husband will pull his life together, pull on some pants, and find a job. And there's Ayinde, who is married to Philadelphia's most prominent basketball star, until the combination of new baby and infidelity threatens their marriage. As these three grow closer while attempting to put their lives in order, we also come to know Lia, who returns home to Philadelphia after her life in Los Angeles ends in horrible tragedy. By turns moving, funny, and inspiring, Little Earthquakes is a great big delicious read from a prodigiously talented author.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #368337 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 608 pages

Amazon.com Review
Jennifer Weiner, whose novels Good in Bed and In Her Shoes earned her a place among women's book club aficionados everywhere, proves she still has the touch with Little Earthquakes, a tale of love, heartbreak, redemption, and friendship. Weiner's novel centers around four new mothers, all of whom must learn to adjust their lives and their marriages to deal with the challenges of raising children.

Ayinde is a beautiful, biracial newscaster who moves to Philadelphia after her husband, a star player for the NBA, is traded to the 76ers. She meets Becky, an overweight chef who plays the "pregnant or just fat" game every time she passes a mirror, and Kelly, an overachieving event planner who has her whole life mapped out down to the most minute details, after going into labor at a prenatal yoga class. The three become fast friends, and come to rely on each other for everything from burping techniques to intense emotional support. The group grows to include Lia, a semi-famous Hollywood starlet who leaves her husband and returns to Philly after a sudden tragedy.

While Little Earthquakes may leave little to the imagination, and some of the characters are laughably stereotypical (the Mama's boy Jewish doctor and the cheating ball player, to name a few), it is Weiner's gift for creating compelling characters with whom her readers can identify that make her such a successful storyteller. --Gisele Toueg

From Publishers Weekly
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.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Weiner's third novel is the story of four women in Philadelphia who bond over pregnancy and motherhood. Becky, Kelly, and Ayinde meet in yoga class, and the three become friends when Ayinde's water breaks one day after class and they take her to the hospital. Becky is a chef with an adoring husband and an annoying mother-in-law; Kelly is frustrated when her husband loses his job and drags his feet looking for another; Ayinde's husband is a famous basketball player whom she suspects of infidelity. What brings the women together is their love for their newborns. The fourth woman, Lia, watches the group from afar; she's an actress who walked out on her husband after a devastating tragedy. Weiner seamlessly and gracefully weaves the four women's stories together. The fact that her second novel, In Her Shoes (2002), is being made into a movie starring Cameron Diaz should draw plenty of readers; once they pick up the book, they'll find a warm, often funny, touching look at the challenges and joys of new motherhood and marriage. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Girl, You Just Have to Read this Book!
"Little Earthquakes" was the latest selection in my book group. I wasn't sure what to expect, but after checking out the cover, I had a feeling I was going to enjoy it. And enjoy it I did!

What we have are four friends that seriously bond during their pregnancies. Our main leading lady is Becky, who is married to a doctor and somewhat overweight. The other three women are Ayinde, who is married to a famous basketball player; Kelly the requisite perky blonde and Lia, an actress who has left Hollywood.

The characters were so well developed that I was able to identify with them and feel their pain, so to speak. "Little Earthquakes" shows the women in all their not-so-perfect glory. We experience the birth of their children, see first hand their lack of sleep and the struggles they face while adjusting to motherhood. All the while, we are laughing along with them, at them and for them.

I can't wait to discuss this book with my book group and see how much the other girls enjoyed it. I am going to thoroughly sing its praises to anyone who will listen. This is one great story!

well...it certainly makes motherhood depressing
I am a bit surprised by the amount of reviewers who feel this book would be perfect for new mothers. While it was realistic in the sense that motherhood isn't easy or fun ALL OF THE TIME, it certainly makes becoming a mother seem like one of the most miserable, marriage-wrecking experiences a woman can find herself in.
I just found all of the women EXTREMELY unrealistic. Kelly is a materialistic complainer, and can't even have a rational discussion with her husband? Instead, she gets bent out of shape because he gets laid off, and basically considers him one step above fungus? Please! No man (or woman) would stand around while their mate chastised them. The explanation of her "awful" childhood is supposed to make us understand, but instead, it made me sick to my stomach whenever it was her turn to speak in the book.
Becky, supposedly the funny one since she threw out the most sarcastic comments of the group, all of a SUDDEN changes her heart about her psychotic mother-in-law? Honestly, I was suffocating in the sugary-sweet sap this author was gagging me with here. Plus, she lets some freaky, creepy stranger into her home, etc? Way to watch out, Becky. How about we let the stalker babysit?
Ayinde....obvious character....takes her cheating husband back. I can't begin to tell you how realistic it is that she would want the other woman's phone number...sure, let's be a happy family after my husband nationally embarasses me.
Lia...ok, because so many men would just take their wives back after she ditches them for a year? Oh, and the mother is waiting with open arms after Lia selfishly leaves her for 11 years?
None of these characters were sympathetic or likeable. They complained constantly, and magically everything pulls itself together in the end. I would never recommend this book to a new mother...it would probably depress her too much.

Highly overrated
This book had great potential and at first I couldn't put it down. Unfortunately, the characters never developed and by the end I was sick and tired of their whining. The characters were very stereotypical and while much was made of the trials of motherhood, the author never really showed us the joys that make it all worthwhile. I'm a working mom who's also experienced the pain of losing a baby and I was extremely disappointed in the storyline for Lia. There was a better story there than the one that was written.