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    Babyville: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Babyville: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Babyville: A Novel
    Audiobook (abridged)6 hours

    Babyville: A Novel

    Written by Jane Green

    Narrated by Geraldine Somerville

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    On the heels of her three runaway hits, Bookends, Mr. Maybe, and Jemima J, Jane Green delivers a sparkling, sexy tale about the complexities of modern motherly love.

    Bestselling author Jane Green has won the hearts of thousands of readers with her fresh take on single life and the dating jungle. Now in Babyville, she applies her golden touch to the next phase of a girl's life, in an irresistible new novel about two young women coping with the chimes of their biological clocks, and one independent glamour-girl who tries to tune hers out.

    Meet Julia, a wildly successful television producer who appears to have the picture-perfect life. But beneath the surface, things are not as perfect as they seem. Stuck in a loveless relationship with her boyfriend, Mark, Julia thinks a baby is the answer . . . but she may want a baby more than she wants her boyfriend. Will a trip to New York City with a jet-setting friend-and all the glittering energy and eligible men the city brings-help her discover what she really needs?
    Maeve, on the other hand, is allergic to commitment. A feisty, red-haired, high-power career girl, she cherishes her ability to do just as she pleases and breaks out in a rash every time she passes a stroller. But when her no-strings-attached nightlife leads to an unexpected pregnancy, her reaction may be just as unexpected.And then there's Samantha-happily married and eager to be the perfect June Cleaveresque mother. But baby George brings only exhaustion, extra pounds, and marital strife to her once tidy life. Is having an affair with a friend's incredibly sexy husband the answer?

    By turns witty, rollicking, and tender, Babyville isn't really a story about babies-it's about three friends whose lives are suddenly turned upside-down by that life-changing event that hangs over the head of every girl: motherhood.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMay 27, 2003
    ISBN9780739302767
    Unavailable
    Babyville: A Novel
    Author

    Jane Green

    A former feature writer for the Daily Express, Jane Green took a leap of faith when she left in 1996 to freelance and work on her book. She is now the bestselling author of numerous novels including Jemima J, The Beach House, and Falling. Jane lives in Connecticut with her husband and their blended family of six children.

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    Reviews for Babyville

    3.5/5

    317 ratings13 reviews

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    • 3/5
      entertaining chick-lit.
    • 4/5
      I wasn't sure why I picked up this book. Probably because I have been reading a lot of Sophie Kinsella and this was recommended as a similar Brit Chick Lit read. While there are some some similarities to SK, I was actually left with the feeling that it was much closer to Maeve Binchy in the way the characters were developed and how their lives and individual stories were entwined with each other. Also, the ending that while not a traditional "happy ever after" ties things up for the reader perfectly.
    • 4/5
      A very enjoyable chick-lit. Julia desperately wants a baby with her boyfriend, Mark. But why? Is it because their love is so strong or is it just the incessant ticking of that biological clock? When they break up, Julia has to face the facts. As does Maeve, who takes Julia's job during her sabbatical, only to take her place in ways neither imagined. Add Samantha, who's expecting her own happy addition to the perfect marriage, but is astonished at the reality.Easy to read, believable and endearing characters, and none of Jane Green's past annoying habit of sharing the narrators voice between the lead character and a third-person observer.
    • 5/5
      A great, honest story of babies and how they change lives and relationships. Very cleverly woven together
    • 5/5
      really fun story with characters who very likable and funny.
    • 4/5
      Loved this book. Probably because I am pregnant and have an almost 2 year old daughter, but I really related to the story and all of the characters. Maybe I would have only rated it 3 stars if it werent totally applicable to my life. Good, light, fast read.
    • 3/5
      It was OK, I found myself a little bored at times & relating at others. As both a Mother and as a London-NY transplant. Occasionally made me tear up. I found that I didn't especially like the characters, couldn't quite find them credible & I'm usually sympathetic, also found some of the plot twists a little trite. Easy read, but not quite as enjoyable as I thought it would be, given the context.
    • 4/5
      I used to be a fan of Jane Green's books (I'm not so much anymore) & in the past it had become a kind of a compulsion to buy every new one coming out. I read 'Babyville' last summer (a couple of years after it came out), and I finished it in just one day: finishing a book in one day is always a good sign!You all probably know that this book deals with babies: having babies, dreaming about babies, raising babies, bonding with babies, being jealous of other peoples' babies...Through 3 different stories (Julia, Maeve & Sam are the main characters), Jane Green looks at 3 different aspects of the same life-changing experience. All 3 stories are quite good, light, easy reading. I liked the fact that the "baby-issue" was introduced in the "chic-lit" genre. I've read countless stories of "boy-meets-girl" so it was a relief to have something a little different to read.I won't go into more details, just that in my opinion Maeve's story was the most appealing, since she's a character that I find true to life: independent & funny, & a person that learns a lot through loss of control. Julia I liked less, she seemed unreal & very self-centered. As for Sam, I have to say that her story didn't ring true to me, especially the infatuation part. But I'll let you discover the rest for yourself.All in all, an easy, fun, quick book, made for summer vacations at the beach.
    • 5/5
      Jane Green is one of those authors I consistantly look for at the library - I have Mr. Maybe and Swapping Lives on my bookshelf at home, but am planning on reading those as a back-up, when the library ends up not having something I want.Babyville starts off following Julia and her failing marriage. As usual, Green does an excellent job of building up the characters and making me feel connected. Much to my dismay, a third of the way through the book she switches to the next character featured on the book's sleeve - Maeve. Then I started to get connected with Maeve, and what happens? Another switch. Initially I thought that it would end up switching back to Julia or Maeve after I had read about the third character (Samantha), but they end up just being tied together via relationships that exist with the character you are currently reading about (Maeve becomes friends with someone who is friends with Julia, etc).In the grand scheme of things, I really would have liked if this was a set of three books, one for each character. They could have each come together in the end in a similar way, but I was really enjoying each story right before it switched, and I didn't always get all of my questions answered. As it stands, I definitely enjoyed this book, even if I wanted it to be three times as long and didn't get to read all of the things I wanted to read about. One of my favorite things about Jane Green is that she writes plot lines that aren't predictable, and Babyville was no exception.
    • 2/5
      In my opinion Jane Green is lucky that I read a different book by her before this one. This means that I know she's capable of better. This was one of the most predictable chick lit books I've ever read. I didn't like the book was broken into three parts for three main characters who connected only somewhat. This is the type of chick lit book that makes me super embarassed to admit that I read them.
    • 4/5
      A wonderful story about life. Sometimes what you think you need, you don't. What you think you don't need you do! Life throws things at you and your left to deal with them. This story mingles with several women, their lives all intersect, and yet are separate. Babies, Husbands, and New York Oh my! I had fun with this one,though it did take me a little bit to get into it. But if you sit down, by chapter three you do really want to know what's going to happen. The characters are likeable and engaging.
    • 1/5
      I tried to force myself to finish this book after reading the "Julia" segment. Ultimately, I failed. I am an avid reader of all types of books, including chick lit. As the mother of two young children, I had looked forward to some light summer reading about women going through the same phase of life. However, these women are nothing like me or any of the many thirty-something women and mothers that I know. For example, how many women are DESPERATE to get pregnant, and then dash off to New York, forget their long term relationship and party like they're fresh out of college? How many thirty three year olds do you know that stay up until well past midnight partying every night, then get up at the crack of dawn to spend an hour at the gym (fully made up), and THEN go to work, which just so happens to be a high-power glamorous television job?? Please.Finally, the writing in this book is so pedestrian. Grinning from "ear to ear" and waiting for "Prince Charming." Severe lack of creativity and style here. I sure wish I could get my $13 back for this one...
    • 5/5
      I love the way Jane Green semi-intertwines the lives of three women in this novel. The three main female characters differ strongly in situation and character, yet all of their 'travels' are interesting. She wove the stories together expertly in a way that has made this one my favorite Jane Green novel.