At thirty-eight, Trudy Herring is a dreamer, a sculptor of whimsical clay figures, and a permanent temporary worker at the San Antonio Museum of Folk Art. But all that changes when she agrees to incubate a child for Hillary Goettler (her boss) and Hillary’s husband. Trudy moves into their mansion and is instantly thrust into a luxurious world she’s never known before. While Hillary opines that parenthood is simply a “time-management problem,” Trudy is forced to consume noxiously healthy meals in a home where the decor changes faster than a Neiman Marcus window display. As her body warms to the other life inside, Trudy begins to long for her old flame, Sinclair Coker, “a freelance mystic with a lot of enthusiasm for the carnal.” The quest to satisfy her cravings leads Trudy to discover that it takes a lot more than war stories about childbirth and potty training for a woman to qualify for true membership in “the mommy club.”
Book Description
At thirty-eight, Trudy Herring is a dreamer, a sculptor of whimsical clay figures, and a permanent temporary worker at the San Antonio Museum of Folk Art. But all that changes when she agrees to incubate a child for Hillary Goettler (her boss) and Hillary’s husband. Trudy moves into their mansion and is instantly thrust into a luxurious world she’s never known before. While Hillary opines that parenthood is simply a “time-management problem,” Trudy is forced to consume noxiously healthy meals in a home where the decor changes faster than a Neiman Marcus window display. As her body warms to the other life inside, Trudy begins to long for her old flame, Sinclair Coker, “a freelance mystic with a lot of enthusiasm for the carnal.” The quest to satisfy her cravings leads Trudy to discover that it takes a lot more than war stories about childbirth and potty training for a woman to qualify for true membership in “the mommy club.”
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Torments both hilarious and distressing befall Trudy, the dreamer heroine of this witty and bittersweet novel, as, delivering on a promise made to herself when she had an abortion years before, she becomes a surrogate mother. A 38-year-old sculptor of whimsical clay objects who works at the San Antonio (Tex.) Museum of Folk Art, Trudy agrees to provide a baby for her infertile yuppie boss, Hillary Goettler. Moving into the Goettlers' posh and highly organized home proves problematic as their idealized plans to have Trudy produce the perfect baby clash with her own more spontaneous lifestyle. Nauseated by the health food Hillary imposes upon her, resentful at being treated more as a breeding vessel than a person, annoyed by Hillary's "sympathetic pregnancy" and suffering her own all-too-real cravings and physical changes, Trudy seeks affection from her old love, a sexual dynamo named Sinclair. Bird's ( The Boyfriend School ) incisive humor, deft characterization, especially of the unpredictable, strangely enviable Trudy, and the surprising, poignant resolution make this unusual tale memorable.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
A turkey baster plays an important role in the impregnation of Bird's latest quirky heroine, Trudy Herring. Haunted by the memory of a long-ago abortion, Trudy agrees to serve as a surrogate mother for a shallow Yuppie couple. The city of San Antonio shines as Trudy relives past memories and searches for a lost love in this culturally diverse city. In The Mommy Club , motherhood and pregnan cy receive the Bird treatment, a fresh, keen, and humorous observation of yet another facet of the female experience. Missing are the chortles and guffaws that characterized the author's two previous novels, The Boyfriend School and Alamo House, which may disappoint her many fans. Readers may also experience a sense of divided loyalties as the cheering for Trudy's success is tempered by sympathy for the childless couple who in the end are the losers.
- Lydia Burruel Johnson, Mesa P.L., Ariz.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
- Lydia Burruel Johnson, Mesa P.L., Ariz.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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More About the Author
Outtakes from an interview that appeared in the April 2011 issue of Southern Living...
Southern Living: Are there any personal connections to this novel that you'd like to share?
Sarah: Oh, gads, there are SO many. I'll try, (and no doubt fail), to keep it brief.
In 2008, our son became a member of the largest college freshman class in history. Everything about the experience surprised me. Let's just start off with the cost. I knew that college costs had skyrocketed so we'd put aside a small fortune. We learned, however, that small wasn't going to cut it. Instead, a great walloping fortune would be required.
The next shock was discovering that in order to even be allowed to spend these breathtaking sums I would have to take on a second job as a ratings coordinator. There are over four thousand colleges and universities in this country and each one had to be parsed because, as it turns out, the college your child goes to is, essentially, a referendum on you as a parent. Are you a five-star Ivy League parent? A small, selective liberal arts college parent? A giant, state university parent? A two-year community college parent? Being a no-college parent was so far beyond the pale that it wasn't even ever mentioned.
So the getting in part surprised me. But what surprised me even more was what happened after when the empty nest loomed as a reality. I was bereft. Completely blindsided by how much it affected me.
While pregnant eighteen years earlier, I had devoured every "What to Expect " book out there. As we slogged through this college experience, I wished for a whole new slew of guides to help me through this unsettling phase. For example, was it normal to both ardently pray for the day when this grumpy stranger you've raised would vacate the premises and burst into tears in the frozen food aisle because you'll never buy pepperoni Hot Pockets again? And Real Estate Regret? Is Real Estate Regret--the constant replaying of the different lives your child would have had if you'd lived in a different neighborhood, went to a different school, had different friends--normal?
Time Travel, I knew that Time Travel wasn't normal, yet, as we approached the date of our son's departure, I was swept uncontrollably off on journeys back through the years where I'd revisit key moments in the past. Then, like Real Estate Regret, I'd create an entirely different childhood for my son in which, for example, we'd never allowed videogames. Or had been active in the Methodist church. Or the Buddhist temple. Or had owned a telescope and pursued astronomy as a family hobby. Or raised chickens. Or all made our beds every morning.
Obviously, I needed, probably still need, intensive therapy. Instead, I wrote "The Gap Year."
Southern Living: Are there any personal connections to this novel that you'd like to share?
Sarah: Oh, gads, there are SO many. I'll try, (and no doubt fail), to keep it brief.
In 2008, our son became a member of the largest college freshman class in history. Everything about the experience surprised me. Let's just start off with the cost. I knew that college costs had skyrocketed so we'd put aside a small fortune. We learned, however, that small wasn't going to cut it. Instead, a great walloping fortune would be required.
The next shock was discovering that in order to even be allowed to spend these breathtaking sums I would have to take on a second job as a ratings coordinator. There are over four thousand colleges and universities in this country and each one had to be parsed because, as it turns out, the college your child goes to is, essentially, a referendum on you as a parent. Are you a five-star Ivy League parent? A small, selective liberal arts college parent? A giant, state university parent? A two-year community college parent? Being a no-college parent was so far beyond the pale that it wasn't even ever mentioned.
So the getting in part surprised me. But what surprised me even more was what happened after when the empty nest loomed as a reality. I was bereft. Completely blindsided by how much it affected me.
While pregnant eighteen years earlier, I had devoured every "What to Expect " book out there. As we slogged through this college experience, I wished for a whole new slew of guides to help me through this unsettling phase. For example, was it normal to both ardently pray for the day when this grumpy stranger you've raised would vacate the premises and burst into tears in the frozen food aisle because you'll never buy pepperoni Hot Pockets again? And Real Estate Regret? Is Real Estate Regret--the constant replaying of the different lives your child would have had if you'd lived in a different neighborhood, went to a different school, had different friends--normal?
Time Travel, I knew that Time Travel wasn't normal, yet, as we approached the date of our son's departure, I was swept uncontrollably off on journeys back through the years where I'd revisit key moments in the past. Then, like Real Estate Regret, I'd create an entirely different childhood for my son in which, for example, we'd never allowed videogames. Or had been active in the Methodist church. Or the Buddhist temple. Or had owned a telescope and pursued astronomy as a family hobby. Or raised chickens. Or all made our beds every morning.
Obviously, I needed, probably still need, intensive therapy. Instead, I wrote "The Gap Year."
Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
What a funny outlook on pregnancy!,
By
This review is from: Mommy Club, The (Hardcover)
I was browsing through a book sale recently and saw this. Without a minute hesitation, I picked this book up and didn't regret it! Like Trudy, I am pregnant and having a character going through the same emotions, mood swings and hormonal changes ~~ really helps me to take my pregnancy lightly!! It is fun to have a character going through some of the same things you're going through!!I have never heard of Sarah Bird, but I am really enjoying this novel. I must confess it was hard going at first, but kept plugging away and now, it's a really enjoyable book that I couldn't put down! I would never be a surrograte mom ~~ especially after reading about how Hilary keeps grabbing the moments away from Trudy ~~ pretending to have the same morning sickness, gaining sympathy weight and keeping a strict eye on Trudy ~~ making her eat wholesome food like brussel sprouts and spinach while she eats whatever she wants to eat ~~ all for the baby. It gets better! It's a fun read ~~ something I'd consider passing onto my pregnant friends to help them forget the aches and pains that accompany every pregnancy for a few hours. It's a quick read as well ~~ and now, I'll be interested in any other Sarah Bird book I can lay hands on!! What a wonderful debut to a new author! 5-28-02
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hilarious look at a surrogate pregnancy,
By hmcain@tmecl.co.za (South Africa) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Mommy Club, The (Hardcover)
Just like the likeable heroine of The Mommy Club I was pregnant for the first time when I read this book, which was recommended to me by a female friend at the pre-kids' stage. I don't think I've got a bad word to say about it: The Mommy Club is funky, funny, witty and wise and it simply whizzed round our book club of women (aged from our mid 20s to 40) where it has been a big hit. As soon as one of the members falls pregnant, I recommend she reads The Mommy Club! The novel is set in Texas and we live on the south-east coast of Africa but the humour and understanding of a woman's psyche is universal. Really a good read.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A comic meditation on pregnancy and motherhood,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Mommy Club (Paperback)
Sarah Bird is one of the best novelists in the U.S., but she still seems to be a word-of-mouth phenomenom. MOMMY CLUB is one of the most accurate depictions of pregnancy I have ever read, anywhere. It describes the emotions and hormonal over-drive without the usual sticky sentimentality. If you like comic novels with emotional depth, and something quirky and off-beat, try MOMMY CLUB. It's a wonderful novel.
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