What Do You Do All Day?: A Novel [Hardcover]

Amy Scheibe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2005

Amy Scheibe's debut novel is a fresh, funny, witty take on the magic manic days of young motherhood. Her Jennifer Bradley is a thoroughly modern mommy--a former club kid who is married to the man of her dreams and who quit a fabulous job as an antiquarian objects dealer to raise her two children: Georgia, a very advanced age 4, and baby Max.

But it's alarmingly easy to spin a stay-at-home mommy's world on its axis--and Jennifer's is whirling. If it's not her mother-in-law on her tail to expose her precious grandchildren to a better element (not to mention pointing out that dangerous concrete floor in their loft), it's her husband Thom announcing he'll be on the road to Singapore for the next who-knows how long. And is this really the right time for her dad to announce that her mother isn't exactly who Jennifer thinks she is? Or for the ex-boyfriend--aka the Adult Child Actor--to come back on the scene?

An American answer to Alison Pearson's I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT, WHAT DO YOU DO ALL DAY? is a sparkling, lovable novel for mommies of all kinds--whether in the trenches or out on the hustings.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In What Do You Do All Day, first time novelist Amy Scheibe chronicles the pains, pleasures, and play-dates of a stay-at-home-mother who's struggling to be the best parent on the block while retaining some sliver of sanity. The fast-paced, spirited story--a sort of Bridget Jones for the modern mother--answers the title question easily. Jennifer Bradley has a miles-long list of daily duties (compounded by the absence of her loving but always traveling husband), including urging one-year-old Max to crawl in her presence and handling precocious four-year-old Georgia (whose response to being bathed with her brother is, "I'm not down with this, Jen"). But the question Jennifer can't seem to answer is whether what she does all day really matters. Scheibe crafts a well-rounded, realistic character in Jennifer--a thinking mother who is brutally honest about her ambivalence. Some days she wants to spend hours just staring at her kids, but on others, she yearns for her old job as an antiquities dealer. And what about that biography of Hannibal she's always wanted to write? Jennifer's constant worry that her "hard-earned identity of career woman/neofeminist" has been "thrown out with the baby's bathwater" brings a manic, amusing energy to the story, and propels her pell-mell down the brambly path of motherhood. --Brangien Davis

From Publishers Weekly

Scheibe's hilarious debut is rife with wry observations from one overwhelmed mother of two, Jennifer Bradley. Jennifer's life goes awry when her husband, Thom, sets off on a three-month business trip to Singapore, leaving her in New York to deal with their five-year-old daughter, Georgia, a princess in training, and their rambunctious toddler, Max. The author wittily explores the questions that plague modern-day, middle class moms: What does it mean to be a good mother? Is it possible to balance work and home life? How do you preserve your identity when you are being pulled in so many directions? With her husband temporarily out of the picture, Jennifer, a former antiques expert, seeks companionship with other Stay At Home Moms ("SAHMs") and finds common ground with some of them. There is Sven, the buff, gay part-time swimming instructor at the Y, who has adopted a Chinese girl with his partner, and Angela, a high-powered exec who was let go after her maternity leave. With a light touch and a sparkling plot, Scheibe takes on the conundrums—and beauty—of motherhood for driven yet nurturing women. (Oct.)
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (September 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312343035
• ISBN-13: 978-0312343033
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,566,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant and ballsier than plain ol' mommy lit, October 9, 2005

By 

Jill Soloway "Jill S" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What Do You Do All Day?: A Novel (Hardcover)

How much do I LOVE when I find a book where the heroine is hilarious, angry, potty-mouthed and lovable all at the same time? Reading the book was like spending time with an incredibly cool new mommy friend, like one of those playdates where you let the kids play with old cheerios and you and the mom fall in love and drink wine. Exactly what I want to do all day.

31 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Been there, done that, October 13, 2005

By 

Jen Singer "Author, You're a Good Mom (and Yo... (Kinnelon, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What Do You Do All Day?: A Novel (Hardcover)

If you've ever been asked "What do you do all day?" after you've spent the last umpteen hours fixing mac n' cheese, putting wheels back on a Tonka truck and having tea with Barbie, this book is for you. Amy Scheibe captures the feelings of all stay-at-home moms on the brink of desperation with both sensitivity and humor. It's Desperate Housewives, Manhattan style. Read it when the kids go for their naps.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fun, fun, fun!, September 30, 2005

By 

Melissa R. "Melissa R." (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What Do You Do All Day?: A Novel (Hardcover)

I am reading this book now and am LOVING it!! As a former executive and a current SAHM, (stay at home mom), I know first hand how challenging it can be sometimes to trade in meetings and promotions for diapers and bottles. Scheibe captures it all with humor and aplomb! Highly recommended.