The Ten-Year Nap

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It's a hit!

Chapters in this novel alternate between the modern-day lives of a group of women in New York City, all of whom have left careers behind to raise t... (show more)

Chapters in this novel alternate between the modern-day lives of a group of women in New York City, all of whom have left careers behind to raise their children, and stories of their mothers or other women from an earlier generation, all of whom are feminists in their own way.

Wolitzer is telling us two things, I think. First, by contrasting the lives of mothers in the 1960s and '70s with those of their daughters in the late '90s and early 21st century, Wolitzer asks questions about what happened to the feminism that the earlier generation fought for. Is it lost because the next generation chose not to take advantage of it, or is it preserved because each woman has the choice, within her own family circumstances, of whether to work or not, and is not pushed into the role of stay-at-home-mom, merely because that's what is "done"?

And by looking at the lives of women who have been out of the workforce for about 10 years, she is able to describe the rewards as well as the drawbacks to that choice for different women. Wolitzer is not shy about describing either. Some of her characters feel incredibly rewarded by being able to stay home with their children, others are more ambivalent. Some continually toy with the idea of going back to work, while one is eventually forced to go back to work because of financial issues.

Although this novel sometimes reads as a series of vignettes or even interviews, Wolitzer brings it all together for a satisfying conclusion. Wolitzer looks at each character and each situation in a thoughtful way. This book is never preachy or judgmental, but is a gently told story about characters who are each sympathetic in their own way. (show less)

 

 

by Mara Zonderman

No, it's a flop!

It was okay. It follows the lives of 4 women in New York who are stay at home moms and have kids that are getting to that age where they don't nee... (show more)

It was okay. It follows the lives of 4 women in New York who are stay at home moms and have kids that are getting to that age where they don't need them so much.

Especially in the beginning, I found just as you were getting into the story of one character it switched to the next and it jumped around a lot between them and through time so it was a bit hard to follow. I did a lot of "who is that again?" It really could have been about just one or two of the characters and then it might not have been so choppy. Though, by the end, I got more into it and knew more about the characters.

It was a current novel. It brought in all of the issues of working/non-working mothers and had current events and topics. There was almost too much stuff thrown in though.

It would be an okay summer read. (show less)

 

 

by Facebook-gebruiker

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  I've only read 40 pages so far, but those 40 pages spoke volumes to me.

  My children are 3 and 5, and I returned to the workforce after 4 years of maternity leave, on the day my younger one turned 2. It was painful to leave them in the very best Montessori care, which has proved to be beneficial to their development over the last year and half. All the beautiful art they create, and all the songs they sing, and all the books they've read, and all the workbooks they fill with numbers and le... (show more)

  I've only read 40 pages so far, but those 40 pages spoke volumes to me.

  My children are 3 and 5, and I returned to the workforce after 4 years of maternity leave, on the day my younger one turned 2. It was painful to leave them in the very best Montessori care, which has proved to be beneficial to their development over the last year and half. All the beautiful art they create, and all the songs they sing, and all the books they've read, and all the workbooks they fill with numbers and letters, they now can write, cannot console me deep down for that I don't get to spend my days with my babies.

  Instead, I go and make money for their tuition with mundane tasks, which could be done by anybody else. There is a disconnection between the outcome of raising them and my input into the process, and that gap makes me feel replaceable on more than one stages of my life. Of course, this disconnect is present in other aspects of our modern-day lives; we don't know where our food comes from, or who made the clothes we wear, and so on. All of this is sad and captured sensitively in this book. (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook-gebruiker on May 18, 2009 at 03:05AM

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  Meg Wolitzer's novel, The Ten Year Nap, is a thoughtful look at the lives of stay at home mothers. Amy, Jill, Roberta, and Karen all gave up careers to stay home with their children. Although they anticipated going back to work at some point, over time motherhood and marriage have defined their lives. Each have their own reasons for stay home after their children begin attending school and as the years slip by them, the idea of going back to work becomes more uncomfortable.

  The Ten Year Nap ... (show more)

  Meg Wolitzer's novel, The Ten Year Nap, is a thoughtful look at the lives of stay at home mothers. Amy, Jill, Roberta, and Karen all gave up careers to stay home with their children. Although they anticipated going back to work at some point, over time motherhood and marriage have defined their lives. Each have their own reasons for stay home after their children begin attending school and as the years slip by them, the idea of going back to work becomes more uncomfortable.

  The Ten Year Nap is very different from the types of novels that I generally read. Most of my reading is full of action, with a definite conflict that needs to be resolved, and characters that can be identified as heroes or villains. I greatly enjoyed taking a break from these fast-paced novels to read a more thoughtful examination of daily life. As a woman with a professional degree who is now staying home with my daughter, I was able to easily identify with the main characters. In today's society so much of who we are is defined by what we do and people are often unsure of how to respond to someone who gives up a career to be a full-time parent.

  Wolitzer carefully examines her characters' insecurities and strengths, the state of their marriages and friendships, and their relationships with their children. She brings out their inner thoughts which many of us are so reluctant to share. She answers the question of what these women do all day when their children are at school. Short glimpses between chapters also relate the influence of the past on the present.

  The language used in this novel flows easily, almost musical in nature. The reader is drawn into the lives of the characters through the small details. Initially there is a sense that some of the characters are stagnant, stuck in their routine. They desire more but are unsure of how or what needs to be added to their lives to create a sense of fulfillment. Small changes are often all that is needed to propel the women forward.

  Overall, I enjoyed this book. I think it would make a great book club selection as it could spark a great discussion. (show less)

   

   

  by Angela Benson Donner on Apr 28, 2009 at 04:53PM

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