The Baby Trail: A Novel [Paperback]

Sinead Moriarty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 9, 2006

Meet Emma Hamilton. She's thirty-three, has a great husband, and loves her life. It's the perfect time to start a family!

Emma has it all mapped out: Go off the pill in December, have sex, get pregnant by January, have the baby in September. And with the help of a personal trainer, Emma figures she'll be back in shape by Christmas. Happy New Year!

But when three months of candle-scented sex fails to produce the desired result, Emma's life becomes a rollercoaster of post-coital handstands, hormone inducing (a.k.a. sanity reducing) drugs, and a veritable army of fertility specialists. Emma and James try everything, from ovulation kits to in-vitro, but all their carefully laid plans seem to go south -- in direct proportion to Emma's plummeting self-esteem. And just when Emma feels she's alienated everyone in her life -- her twice-pregnant confidante, her singleton friend, even her own husband -- events take a ninety-degree turn that will have unforeseen consequences for everyone.

With The Baby Trail Sinead Moriarty brings a wicked sense of humor to a subject of fevered concern for women today. Sizzlingly funny yet deeply moving, this novel is sure to ring true for women who can hear the tick-tock of their own biological clocks.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Hilarious and touching. Sinead Moriarty is a fun, fresh new voice in women's fiction."

-- Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries series and Every Boy's Got One

"At last, a book that's more chick wit than chick lit."

-- Closer magazine (UK)

"Pregnant with classically Irish humor, wit, and guts."

-- Valerie Frankel, author of The Girlfriend Curse

"Very funny."

-- Heat magazine (UK)

"Mix Bridget Jones with Charlotte from Sex and the City and you've got Emma, the charming heroine of The Baby Trail...a funny, feisty guide through the realities and hilarities of twenty-first-century baby-making."

-- Jennifer Weiner, author of In Her Shoes and Goodnight Nobody

Review

"Hilarious and touching. Sinead Moriarty is a fun, fresh new voice in women's fiction."

-- Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries series and Every Boy's Got One

"At last, a book that's more chick wit than chick lit."

-- Closer magazine (UK)

"Pregnant with classically Irish humor, wit, and guts."

-- Valerie Frankel, author of The Girlfriend Curse

"Very funny."

-- Heat magazine (UK)

"Mix Bridget Jones with Charlotte from Sex and the City and you've got Emma, the charming heroine of The Baby Trail...a funny, feisty guide through the realities and hilarities of twenty-first-century baby-making."

-- Jennifer Weiner, author of In Her Shoes and Goodnight Nobody --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Washington Square Press (January 9, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743496779
• ISBN-13: 978-0743496773
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #675,831 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for anyone dealing with Infertility, May 1, 2006

By 

A. Etnyre (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Baby Trail: A Novel (Paperback)

I was a little unsure about this book after reading the reviews but after reading the book it is obvious to me that some of the reviewers have not dealt with infertility and therefore could not relate to the book.

If you have dealt with infertility or know someone who has this book is great. It was so nice to read a story that I could completely relate to. Emma does seem to have a dramatic response to her inability to get pregnant while all those around her seem to get pregnant at the drop of a hat but if you have been through it you can completely relate to her frustrations. My sister borrowed it from me to read also because I kept telling her how true so many of Emma's feelings were. She wanted to understand more what it was like to stand on the infertility side of things.

The ending is slightly disappointing but all in all the book is really good. I just saw recently that there is a follow-up book coming out in June 2006 where the story continues. I can not wait to get it and read more about Emma's journey to motherhood.

This may be Sinead's first book but I think she did a fantastic job writing about something that effects so many women yet isn't written about much.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for women who are struggling to conceive!!, March 10, 2006

By 

Annie Bananie (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Baby Trail: A Novel (Paperback)

I had been going through months and months of IVF treatments and I just happened to purchase this book the day that I had my embryo transfer done (bedrest for 3 days!). There couldn't be a more perfect book for someone who has had difficulty conceiving and has gone through the ups and downs of infertility. You feel the frustration, anxiety, anger, depression... all the emotions that women go through. Women who have not experienced this might not get as much of a kick out of the book that I did, but it was the perfect book that I needed at that time! The ending... I hated it. I was really bummed when I read the last chapter. There had been so much excitement leading up to that point... then nothing.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Makes people traveling this path feel not so alone, April 15, 2005

By 

RTNavyVet - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Baby Trail: A Novel (Hardcover)

I loved this book! I got it very fast and couldn't put it down after I opened it up.
My husband and myself have been going through all the same things as Emma, the main character, goes through in this book. I felt like I was reading a story about myself.
I liked the book because it really hits home and points out some of the crazy things that us women hoped up on fertility drugs will do. I particuraly liked the part about having to change shirts because of the hot flashes from Clomid (this is so true!)
Although the book has a very sad ending, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is sensitive to this issue, I very much enjoyed it, and I feel better knowing that a woman has the guts to write about a very real issue.