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"Witty...will ring true with any mother."
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Nothing prepared Amanda Bright for this: not her elite college degree, not her brainy friends, not her mother the feminist heroine. At age 35, she finds herself at home with two children, mopping spills and singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" again and again. It doesn't help that her husband's face is all over television, or that her best friend is dating a billionaire, or that every woman she knows seems to have a plastic surgeon and a decorator. While every-one else is racing up the ladder, it's getting hard for Amanda to remember why she left work in the first place. Set amidst the glamour and power of Washington, DC, Amanda Bright @ Home is a novel about status, ambition, marriage, jealousy - and a woman's struggle to discover the things that matter most. Mothers everywhere will laugh and cry with Amanda as she tries to make sense of her life - and discovers that success isn't always measured in the workplace.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
IT HAPPENED every time Amanda came home: she felt asphyxiated by her small house. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
IT HAPPENED every time Amanda came home: she felt asphyxiated by her small house. Read the first page
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61 reviews
42 of 49 people found the following review helpful
Amanda needs some new friends!
14 May 2003
Format:Hardcover
As a first time mom (stuggling with the "work or stay at home" dilemma) and a DC beltway refugee, I assumed I would find some resonance in this book. Boy, was I wrong.
First, there are no really likable characters. Amanda is ambivalent to the point of irritation. Her husband is emotionally distant and dismissive. Her "friends" are truly awful - rich, vain, and totally self centered. Her relationship with her two small children often seems devoid of genuine affection.
She is ashamed of every aspect of her life: her modest house, her used car, the behavior of her "robust" 5 year-old son.
She lives in an ethnically and economically diverse neighborhood within the DC city line, yet chooses to hang out with a bunch of rich women from the burbs, all the while feeling inferior and embarassed.
Note to Amanda: load your kids into the stroller and take a walk through your own neighborhood. You'll probably find 5 other moms who, like you, cannot afford to redecorate their houses, have their eyes done, or summer somehwere exotic. You'd be much happier sitting in your back yard with them drinking cheap wine than joining these snotty woman at their country club.
It's true that women who decide to have children cannot "have it all," but they can come a hell of a lot closer, and be a hell of a lot happier than this.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
What does she do?!!
24 Mar 2005
Format:Paperback
Being a stay-at-home mom, I, like many others here, thought that this would be a fun story that I could completely relate to. Boy, was I wrong! Amanda Bright doesn't cook, doesn't clean, and almost never has to interact with her children. The whole time I read this book, I kept wondering what it was that she did with her time besides feel sorry for herself. I wanted to yell at her, "If you aren't happy, do something about it, but for goodness sake, stop WHINING and do some laundry already!!" She placed all the blame for her unhappiness on her husband, then couldn't believe it when he told her to do what made her happy. She wanted him to tell her what to do. Uhh...did I miss something? I'm pretty sure women are welcome to do as they please nowadays. As a Republican, I cringed much of the time at Crittenden's portrayal of liberals and feminists as compassionless villains, out to topple her pedestal of righteousness. I also found her message of stay-at-home parents making huge sacrifices laughable, considering how inept she was at it, and how empty it left her. What does she know about the sacrifices it takes? When did she ever make the effort? She claimed that she was sacrificing her happiness for the sake of her children, yet they exasperated her simply by being kids. Someone needs to tell her that staying home is a personal choice that some people have the privilege to make, but if you can't stand to be around your own children, it's probably not the right decision for you.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
I Wanted More Out of This Book
14 Jun 2004
Format:Hardcover
Without giving away too much of the plot, I have to say that this book disappointed me. When I first heard of the book, I was excited! I thought this was going to be a story about a woman just like me, a stay at home mom with dreams of a career but also the desire to stay home and raise her own children. Sure, I identifed with Amanda a little, but I also felt like she just complained too much. Of course, it's incredibly hard to give up your job, and of course, it's even tougher to stay home all day with children, but she could have applied herself a little more and did more with her life! I was just frustrated! I wante Amanda to inspire me, to fill me with gratitude because I have these precious moments at home. I wanted her to prove that you can have a life and have children too.
Needless to say, I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to, but maybe that was the point the author was trying to make... You can't have everything. However, my philosophy is a little different... enjoy what you do have.
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