Amanda Bright@home [Hardcover]

Danielle Crittenden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 12, 2003

With a college degree from an elite university, a top-level job at the N.E.A., a loving and successful husband, and two adorable children, Amanda Bright is ready to conquer the world. But when she decides to leave her career to be a stay-at-home mom, Amanda finds that her college degree, her professional wardrobe, and glamorous friends and connections are no preparation for her new life. Gone are the days of meetings and power lunches; Amanda's days are now filled with changing diapers, mopping up spills, and singing 'The Itsy, Bitsy Spider' over and over. While everyone else around her is on the fast track, it's getting harder for Amanda to even remember-or appreciate-why she left work in the first place. Mothers everywhere will laugh and cry along with Amanda as she experiences the daily trials of adjusting to this new life -and discovers that success isn't always measured in the workplace.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Working moms on two continents found a kindred spirit in Kate Reddy, frantic heroine of the megaselling I Don't Know How She Does It; stay-at-home moms may become similarly attached to Amanda Bright, the bedraggled, deeply ambivalent heroine of this witty debut by journalist and TV pundit Crittenden (What Our Mothers Didn't Tell Us). As she slogs through her day with five-year-old Ben (dangerously on the verge of flunking preschool) and three-year-old Sophie, Amanda, a former NEA publicist, soon stops deluding herself that she is "not a homemaker," just temporarily at home to care for her children. As husband Bob petulantly points out, it's not much of a home-cramped, chaotic, cluttered with doll body parts "as if it had been attacked by suicide bomber Ken." Play dates and cocktail parties at swank Beltway McMansions painfully remind Amanda of the folly of subsisting on Bob's government paycheck. Bob isn't even home much, thrilled to be leading the Justice Department's investigation of software giant Megabyte. Envious of Bob, alienated from her rich female friends, estranged from her disapproving feminist mother, Amanda turns to the one sympathetic soul in her life-Alan, a stay-at-home dad. Originally published as weekly installments in the Wall Street Journal, this breezily polemical tale is lively and sometimes poignant. Crittenden writes knowingly about Washington politics, but is just as astute describing the politics of play dates and private schools. At times she overplays the satire, surrounding her likable "domestic curator" with a supporting cast of self-promoting narcissists and cutthroat workaholics, none of them worthy of the heroine's ambivalence or her precious free time. Still, this is a fun read, perfect for poolside.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This novel has the distinction of being the first ever to be serialized in the Wall Street Journal. Readers who followed it there, as well as those meeting Amanda for the first time here, will enjoy the escapades of the sympathetic mom of two. Amanda left a job at the National Endowment for the Arts after her second child was born. She adores her kids, Ben and Sophie, but she can't help but be a little envious of her husband, Bob, who has just been assigned to a software company antitrust case at work, and her glamorous friend Susie, who has just gotten her own television show. Amanda gets virtually no support--Bob is embroiled in the case and the other mothers whose children go to school with her kids look down on Amanda because of Ben's misbehavior and her dubious economic status. When Susie starts dating a billionaire involved in the antitrust case, Amanda accidentally gives a gossip columnist information that could jeopardize Bob's career. An engrossing look at the many trials facing stay-at-home moms today. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books (May 12, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446530743
• ISBN-13: 978-0446530743
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #436,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Amanda needs some new friends!, May 14, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Amanda Bright@home (Hardcover)

As a first time mom (stuggling with the "work or stay at home" dilemma) and a DC beltway refugee, I assumed I would find some resonance in this book. Boy, was I wrong.

First, there are no really likable characters. Amanda is ambivalent to the point of irritation. Her husband is emotionally distant and dismissive. Her "friends" are truly awful - rich, vain, and totally self centered. Her relationship with her two small children often seems devoid of genuine affection.

She is ashamed of every aspect of her life: her modest house, her used car, the behavior of her "robust" 5 year-old son.

She lives in an ethnically and economically diverse neighborhood within the DC city line, yet chooses to hang out with a bunch of rich women from the burbs, all the while feeling inferior and embarassed.

Note to Amanda: load your kids into the stroller and take a walk through your own neighborhood. You'll probably find 5 other moms who, like you, cannot afford to redecorate their houses, have their eyes done, or summer somehwere exotic. You'd be much happier sitting in your back yard with them drinking cheap wine than joining these snotty woman at their country club.

It's true that women who decide to have children cannot "have it all," but they can come a hell of a lot closer, and be a hell of a lot happier than this.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What does she do?!!, March 23, 2005

By 

April M - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amanda Bright @ Home (Paperback)

Being a stay-at-home mom, I, like many others here, thought that this would be a fun story that I could completely relate to. Boy, was I wrong! Amanda Bright doesn't cook, doesn't clean, and almost never has to interact with her children. The whole time I read this book, I kept wondering what it was that she did with her time besides feel sorry for herself. I wanted to yell at her, "If you aren't happy, do something about it, but for goodness sake, stop WHINING and do some laundry already!!" She placed all the blame for her unhappiness on her husband, then couldn't believe it when he told her to do what made her happy. She wanted him to tell her what to do. Uhh...did I miss something? I'm pretty sure women are welcome to do as they please nowadays. As a Republican, I cringed much of the time at Crittenden's portrayal of liberals and feminists as compassionless villains, out to topple her pedestal of righteousness. I also found her message of stay-at-home parents making huge sacrifices laughable, considering how inept she was at it, and how empty it left her. What does she know about the sacrifices it takes? When did she ever make the effort? She claimed that she was sacrificing her happiness for the sake of her children, yet they exasperated her simply by being kids. Someone needs to tell her that staying home is a personal choice that some people have the privilege to make, but if you can't stand to be around your own children, it's probably not the right decision for you.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I Wanted More Out of This Book, June 14, 2004

By 

Kelly A. fuller "certified book nut" (Pennsville, New Jersey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Amanda Bright@home (Hardcover)

Without giving away too much of the plot, I have to say that this book disappointed me. When I first heard of the book, I was excited! I thought this was going to be a story about a woman just like me, a stay at home mom with dreams of a career but also the desire to stay home and raise her own children. Sure, I identifed with Amanda a little, but I also felt like she just complained too much. Of course, it's incredibly hard to give up your job, and of course, it's even tougher to stay home all day with children, but she could have applied herself a little more and did more with her life! I was just frustrated! I wante Amanda to inspire me, to fill me with gratitude because I have these precious moments at home. I wanted her to prove that you can have a life and have children too.

Needless to say, I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to, but maybe that was the point the author was trying to make... You can't have everything. However, my philosophy is a little different... enjoy what you do have.