The Big Nap: A Mommy-Track Mystery (Beeler Large Print Mystery Series) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Ayelet Waldman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Beeler Large Print Mystery Series | Publication Date: May 2004

A public defender turned stay-at-home mom, Juliet Applebaum has her hands full with her two rowdy kids. But her life just gets more hectic when her newborn son's babysitter-a beautiful young Chasidic woman-vanishes without a trace....

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Juliet Applebaum, L.A. public defender turned stay-at-home mom, returns for a second amusing but poignant adventure mixing child-rearing and sleuthing (after 2000's somewhat weaker Nursery Crimes, which was marred by a clich‚d ending). Four-month-old Isaac isn't sleeping much, and neither is his mother, while dad is busy getting the pilot for a new TV series ready. A chance encounter with a Hasidic storekeeper, Nettie Tannenbaum, brings Juliet temporary relief, when Nettie recommends her niece, Fraydle Finkelstein, as a babysitter. Fraydle works wonders with Isaac and three-year-old Ruby, but next day goes missing. Could Fraydle's disappearance have something to do with her family belonging to a strict religious group, the Satmar Hasidim, and her parents having arranged a marriage for her? Juliet saw Fraydle chatting with a young Israeli named Yossi, but the girl vehemently denied that he was her boyfriend. When the Finkelstein family refuses to involve the police, Juliet travels to Brooklyn, where she wangles a meeting with the family of Fraydle's intended husband. The surprising truth of what happened to Fraydle, however, lies back in Los Angeles. Drawing sharp contrasts between the world of conservative Judaism and Juliet's more liberal Hollywood life, Waldman has given her heroine a compelling story befitting her intelligent, witty voice.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Juliet Appelbaum, Waldman's Harvard-trained lawyer turned stay-at-home mother--Nursery Crimes (2000)--is wondering if she will ever sleep again. Her second child, four-month-old Isaac, loathes naps, and her three-year-old daughter, Ruby, thinks she will never go to the park again. Her screenwriter husband seems to spend more time at work with an attractive producer than he does at home. The desperate Juliet hires Freydle Finkelstein, a rabbi's daughter and member of the Hasidic community in the Applebaums' Los Angeles neighborhood, to babysit. Then Fredyle disappears suddenly, and Juliet wonders why. Is she fleeing an arranged marriage? What about the mysterious non-Hasidic man who was talking to her before she vanished? When Freydle's parents refuse to call the police, Juliet feels that she must try to find the missing woman herself. Waldman treats the Los Angeles scene with humor, offers a revealing glimpse of Hasidic life, and provides a surprise ending. This is an entertaining mystery with a satirical tone. Barbara Bibel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Thomas T Beeler; Lrg edition (May 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574905694
• ISBN-13: 978-1574905694
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,583,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny and entertaining "Mommy-Track" mystery, January 12, 2002

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Big Nap (Mommy-Track Mystery) (Hardcover)

The protagonist of Ayelet Waldman's "The Big Nap" is Juliet Applebaum, a graduate of Harvard Law and a former public defender. After marrying the love of her life, Peter, she moves to Los Angeles. Unfortunately, Juliet rarely sees Peter anymore, since he is busy most of the time developing a television pilot. Juliet is now a stay-at-home mom, who dearly loves her adorable three-year-old daughter, Ruby, and her four-month-old son, Isaac. However, Juliet is suffering from acute sleep deprivation, leaking nipples and a lack of adult conversation.

So what's an overtired and understimulated mother to do? Butt into other people's business, of course! Juliet delves into the diappearance of an eighteen-year-old Chasidic girl named Fraydle Finkelstein, who baby sat for Juliet's kids on one occasion, and who then disappeared without a trace.

Juliet uses her investigative powers, her contacts from her working days as a lawyer, and her innate nosiness to solve the question of what happened to Fraydle. Did the girl run away to avoid an arranged marriage she didn't want? Or did something more sinister happen to her? Since her parents refuse to report Freydle's disappearance to the police, Juliet feels that it is her duty to investigate.

When Juliet visits her mother and father in New Jersey, she even takes a side trip to Borough Park, Brooklyn. She interviews Freydle's prospective bridegroom, and little by little, she fits the pieces together until, voila, she solves the crime.

Waldman has a wry and clever sense of humor, and there are many laugh-out-loud passages in "The Big Nap." In fact, the first page has such a funny scene that I laughed out loud on a public bus and drew puzzled looks from my fellow passengers. Waldman's takes on breastfeeding, sleep-and-husband deprivation, weight gain after pregnancy and a mother's love-hate relationship with her small children are not only funny but real.

The mystery is not too believable, nor is it realistic that any Chasid would give Juliet the time of day, much less reveal any inside information to her. However, the conceit of mysteries like this is that people talk to the investigator, even if she has no business asking any questions in the first place.

However, Waldman nicely describes some of the dynamics of the Chasidic community from the vantage point of a non-Orthodox Jew. The mystery is engrossing, if somewhat far-fetched, and you could do worse than spend an afternoon with the amusing Juliet Applebaum, mommy and sleuth.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong Second Mystery, June 19, 2004

By 

Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Big Nap (Mommy-track) (Paperback)

Stay at home mom Juliet Applebaum is struggling to adjust to the birth of her second child, especially since 4 month old Isaac hardly sleeps at all. She finally hires a young Chasidic girl from her neighborhood to baby sit for a couple hours each day. But after the first day, the girl vanishes. Against all reason, Juliet finds herself drawn to find this young woman, especially after her parents refuse to call the police. But what could make her run away? And can Juliet find her while juggling an infant, pre-school, and her husband's strange work schedule?

I enjoyed the first book in this series but felt it had some flaws. This book was much stronger and the same flaws didn't plague this book. It has a fun sense of humor, and while I felt Juliet complained a bit too much at times, I appreciated her love for her family which still came through. The plot is better developed here, although why this woman would search for this girl is beyond me. Even Juliet acknowledges that it doesn't make much sense.

I'm glad I've been collecting the paperbacks as they've come out. I won't wait so long to revisit Juliet and her family.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars cozy and fun, October 4, 2001

By 

F. Turner "ERA Golden Hills Brokers" (CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Big Nap (Mommy-Track Mystery) (Hardcover)

I like cozy mysteries, but never would have bought this book if I hadn't met Ayelet at a book reading/signing because the Mommy-Track thing put me off a bit. Her wit and humor impressed me, and I thoroughly enjoyed The Big Nap. Now I'm looking forward to reading more of her work.

Her books will also make great gifts. There is no offensive language, graphic sex or violence that might offend readers, and her humor is warm and engaging.

One of the scenes in The Big Nap that I particularly enjoyed is when Juliet (the protagonist) is confronted by a thuggish gang of Hasidic men, warning her to mind her own business.

If you appreciate a mystery told with warmth, humor, and peceptive insights into human character, I recommend this book.