Notes From The Underbelly [Paperback]

Risa Green (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2005

As a guidance counselor at an elite, Bel Air high school, Lara Stone is definitely not ready to have any spoiled, bratty kids of her own. At least not now, when she has finally managed to Tae-Bo and low-carb herself down to a perfect size four. But her husband has different ideas, and they include fatherhood. Now.

Suddenly, Lara finds herself deep within the underbelly of pregnancy, as a cranky, non-glowing mother-to-be dealing with uncontrollable crying jags, inexplicable weight gain, and scary hemorrhoids. And her mood doesn't improve when she's given the task of getting one of her students-the punk, outcast daughter of a famous movie director-into a highly competitive college.

Expecting is nothing like Lara ever expected.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Lara Stone is a college counselor at a ritzy L.A. prep school, and her experience with kids hasn't engendered much desire to have her own. But when her friend Julie announces she is expecting, Lara's husband says he is ready to hear the pitter-patter of little feet. Shortly thereafter, Lara finds herself reluctantly pregnant and entirely unprepared for the changes her body is going through. She ponders the horror of getting even "fatter" than the time in law school when she "ballooned" up to a size eight. Then she figures out that pregnancy means shopping and engages in some serious retail therapy. Meanwhile, a deal Laura made with her boss is hanging overhead: help get the daughter of a famed Hollywood director into NYU, and she'll be allowed to work part-time during her baby's first year. The relationship that Lara develops with the director's daughter is nuanced and actually quite touching, and much of the comedy hits the mark, but many pregnant women will find themselves unable to stomach the omigod-I'm-so-fat prattle spewing from Lara and her image-conscious L.A. friends. Beth Leistensnider
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Risa Green grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia and graduated from both the University of Pennsylvania and The Georgetown University Law Center. She has worked as a corporate finance attorney and, more recently, as a college counselor at a private day school. She currently resides with her husband, their daughter, and their dog. This is her first novel.

Product Details

• Paperback: 293 pages
• Publisher: NAL Trade (April 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451214161
• ISBN-13: 978-0451214164
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,089,002 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than five stars..., January 17, 2006

By 

K. Weirich (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Notes From The Underbelly (Paperback)

I wish there was some way to rate this above five stars because this book is definitely worthy of more. This book is about Lara Stone who decides to go along with her husband's request to have a baby and ends up pregnant. The only thing is; she really doesn't like kids since she works with them on a daily basis at a prep school. As the book goes on, she discovers that she really has a "motherly" instinct in her. This book made me laugh many different times which is really hard to do since I don't laugh while reading books. I found that I related to her well. I have an 18 month old daughter, but am really not a kid person; except of course with her, and a lot of the things she said reminded me of things I've said. It's a really fun read and I highly recommend it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Honest Look at Pregnancy, March 20, 2006

By 

Brette Sember "author "How to Parent With... (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Notes From The Underbelly (Paperback)

I was a bit hesitant about buying this book after I read the reviews, but I'm glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love how the author is honest about the other side of pregnancy - the worries, unpleasantnesses, inconveniences, and sheer humor of it all. I thought the plot was fun (though I could have done without the talking dog) and I've pre-ordered her next book. This is a very humorous and very honest look at pregnant without the rose-colored glasses and I highly recommend it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Summer Read!, June 22, 2005

By 

Readaholic "Chick Lit Rox!" (Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Notes From The Underbelly (Paperback)

This book was great, in my opinion. I did get a little angry when Lara decided to have a C-section based purely on selfishness. Overall though, I loved a lot about this book. Her complaining seemed so realistic and at times was so funny. You can just picture someone saying all of these things to you. I was so surprised at the end to see that is wasn't the end! I can't wait until her sequel comes out. I learned to love Lara Stone and everything about her. Great quick read (read it in 1.5 days), especially for the summer!