Customer Reviews

Dating Big Bird

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

As she did in her first book, Animal Husbandry, Laura Zigman entertains her readers with both a witty and poignant read in her new book Dating Big Bird. The plot of this book is not a new one, but in this skilled writer's hands we really come to care about Ellen Franck, a 35 year old single woman who hears her biological clock ticking away.

Ellen has a good job, a nice apartment and one lovely 4 year old niece who suggests she takes Big Bird to bed with her to keep her compnay. And then Ellen, in one of the more humorous chapters of the book contemplates what it would be like to have a child with Big Bird. But being a bit more realistic Ellen thinks about her choices for parenting which include Malcom, her present lover who is emotionally frozen since his young son died several years before. As Ellen struggles to make sense out of her relationship and the passage of time, Ellen's sister and boss give birth to their second children leaving Ellen totally desparate to have a child even if she's alone.

I did enjoy this book and it will most likely provide readers with a light summer offering but every reader must also be prepared for some serious moments which offset the humor and wit. And while today there are other novels and many magazine articles about this subject, Dating Big Bird is one of the better fiction reads one can experience on this topic.

Dating Big Bird was a quick and pleasant read. That's it. I would advise against treating the book like a how-to manual aimed at single motherhood. It's not particularly believable, nor did I relate to Ellen, the protagonist, except in the most general "I want to have a baby someday and boy won't it look cute dressed up in little big people clothes" sort of way. I can understand the consternation a single mother might feel upon reading the book, as it's not a realistic depiction of single motherhood. Having said that, however, I still enjoyed the book. As Animal Husbandry, which was great, this is a humorous novel full of fun characters and quick plot and dialogue. My recommendation for Dating Big Bird, as for many of the other books I review, is to not take it so seriously. It seems, oftentimes, that people expect much more from a book than what the author might have intended to provide. So read Dating Big Bird, laugh and enjoy, but don't expect philosophical musings on the meaning of life.

I just finished reading Dating Big Bird and cannot think of a book I've read recently that I've enjoyed half as much! Just like the main character Ellen, I am among the ranks of the "reproductively challenged" and was delighted to find a book that seems to have been custom written for me! Those of us bitten by the baby bug often feel that we are alone - Ellen's trials and mishaps along the road to motherhood demonstrate that baby-lust is much more common that one might expect. Two thumbs way up on this one!

It's been awhile since a fiction novel has really pulled me in like this one. I read it in ONE night, (I was late for work the next day too) and just loved every word and page of it. The language is just great and it's a wonderful work of fiction. Great GREAT book.

Only read this book if you are single and consider having babies to be the meaning of life. The book's protagonist is completely obsessed with having a baby, with or without a man, and the entire book focuses on her baby obsession. Her view is that nothing else in life is more important than having a baby and that it's not worth waiting for the right man to have a baby with. To enjoy this book you would have to buy into the philosophy that a baby is panacea for a disappointing career and bad relationships with men. This fueled an anti-baby obsession in me, the whole time I was reading the book I was thinking, there is so much more to life than having babies... Laura Zigman's first book, Animal Husbandry, was excellent and remains a favorite for it's dry humor and applicability to single life.

Dating Big Bird is a delightful read about a woman's quest for a child. Ellen Franck is in a loving but frozen relationship with Malcolm, a divorced father who lost his only child to leukemia. At 35, Ellen wonders if she will ever be able to have a baby. It certainly doesn't help that every woman she knows is a mother or mother-to-be. That is, except for Amy, an old high school acquaintance Ellen runs into on the streets of New York. The two begin a friendship and wade through intracacies of their own lacking relationships and desires for more.

Ellen is supported by a wonderful cast of characters who are both hysterical and endearing. You will want to pick up this quick, funny and heartwarming read to discover Ellen's fate. By the end of the book Ellen learns, and we are reminded, that life happens when you begin living it.

Ellen Frank is a 35 year-old woman who likens her reproductive system to a gumball machine, and the gumballs are running out. Having devoted most of her adult life to a career in the fast-paced yet shallow world of fashion, Ellen now finds a little voice telling her "they're just clothes" more often than she is comfortable with. Moreover, she finds herself absolutely smitten with her 3 year old niece, whom she affectionately refers to as "The Pickle." Ellen desperately longs for a Pickle of her own, but her Pickle-producing-profile is not promising. Malcolm, The man in her life is a compassionate and funny companion. The best one Ellen's ever had. Except he's a Prozac-induced impotent. Oh yeah, and her doesn't want kids. His life's is your basic tragedy: his only son died of leukemia, he became an alcoholic and his wife left him. He's frozen, unable to escape the dark shadows of his past. And yet Ellen loves him.She just doesn't know if she can get a baby out of him. I had trouble putting down this funny, lively book. Zigman does a wonderful job navigating Ellen's emotional roller coaster as she tries to determine how to become a mother, and who to include on her journey. It is a satisfying, feel-good read.

Dating Big Bird is one of the funniest novels I have recently read. The heroine's desire to become a mother is hilarious. The interaction between Ellen (the heroine) and Malcolm (her boyfriend) moved me; the author illustrates a more human and vulnerable side of relationships.

With funny lines and witty characters, Dating Big Bird is a must-read!

For whatever reason, I find myself reading a lot of "chick lit" lately. Considering that my first love is horror, I'm finding it interesting to read the same things that so many of my friends are reading. I got this book without ever intending to read it, but I opened it and had to finish it.

Ellen Franck is yet another in a long line of successful, single, and neurotic New York City residents to grace the pages of novels in recent years. She works for a world-famous designer, and she dates Malcolm, a professor who is profound, kind, and impotent in more ways than one as a result of the death of his son. Now Ellen finds herself "staring down the dark side of thirty-five" and contemplating her future. She knows one thing: She wants a baby. She is crazy for her niece, Nicole ("The Pickle"), and she experiences heartbreak everytime she sees someone pushing a stroller on the street. What is a thirty-something gal to do when she doesn't have a viable partner to help her create a Little Pickle of her own? Well, if you're Ellen, you give yourself nine months to thoroughly research all your options, to drive everyone around you insane with baby talk, and to continue to obsess about every small detail of your life.

This is a super-fast read (I finished it in just a few hours), and it doesn't require a lot of deep thought. There are no life mysteries resolved in these pages, but Zigman manages to make this an amusing, fun read that is probably perfect to read on a day at the beach or in a few hours curled up on your sofa on a rainy day. Aside from Ellen's own obsessions, there aren't a lot of complex issues at work here. Also, if you are one of the women in her 30s who has never felt that desire to create a Little Pickle (like me), you might find it difficult to relate to Ellen's quest. Warning: This is the epitome of Chick Lit, and I don't think testosterone is allowed to open the cover.
(mellion108 from Michigan)

I read this book in a span of two days. I just couldnt put it down. Ellen is such a thoughtful character and the storyline of dealing with an "emotionally unavailable" man is familiar to alot of women. I like the way she stands on her own two feet and doesnt come to rely on a relationship with a man for what her heart truly desires, a child of her own. I recommend this to anyone who likes light, easy reading. A great book.