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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17286 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
To have a baby or not to have a baby, that is the question that's facing Jane Green's heroines in her fifth novel, Babyville. Julia, Maeve and Sam are pondering the pros and cons of procreation; the effect that it could have on their careers, partners and lives.

The novel opens with Julia, a successful TV producer, with her legs straight up in the air, encouraging her boyfriend Mark's sperm to reach their destination. Julia thinks she wants a baby to fill the huge gap that has suddenly appeared in her life. But Mark thinks:

We don't make love anymore. We make babies. And we're failing.

Maeve, who also works in TV, is adamant that she doesn't want a baby or a relationship; she's happy as a single, ambitious, career girl: "The togetherness. The cosiness. That coupledom that is pure anathema to me." But she finds herself pregnant after a one-night stand and finds that her preconceptions turn out to be misconceptions. And finally there is Sam; voluptuously, glowingly pregnant at the beginning of the book, but near the end screaming at her beloved partner Chris: "You haven't been stuck in all day with a screaming baby. You have absolutely no idea what it's like for me." Chris feels "neglected. Abandoned . Unwanted."

Babyville is played out in the present tense, with a staccato style delivery, with beats of humour between the emotional labour. The emotions may be powerful and universal, but the prose style may need a longer fermentation period. --Eithne Farry

Mirror Magazine
'It's ... spot on. Once you pick up Babyville, it's unlikely you'll be able to put it down.'

Hello! Magazine
'This is a warm, lively, wise and distinctly unputdownable novel.'

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Customer Reviews

Oh Baby Baby!
'Babyville' by Jane Green follows the lives of three women, all very different people, all with very different opinions when it comes to having kids.

First we meet Julia, a smart and sassy TV Producer who is desperate for a baby with her partner Mark. Julia believes a baby will bridge the ever growing gap between them, but when her beloved baby doesn't materialise she takes it out on Mark. She knows she can have babies - she had an abortion 10 years ago so the problem must be Marks - mustn't it? How will Mark react when his wife tells him that he's got the problem and not her? and will her obsession for a baby kill their relationship as well as her career? Is there anyway back for Julia and will she have the baby she so desperatly wants with or without Mark?

Maeve is also a sassy and successful TV Producer, who unlike Julia, absoloutly detests babies. In fact, she breaks out in a rash if a pram apears 10 miles on the horizon. She also doesn't do relationships and is admant that she's happy living the single life. However, when a late night liason in an alley way results in an unexpected and unwanted pregnancy, Maeve's world is thrown into turmoil. She knows she definitly doesn't want the baby - but can anything - or anyone change her mind?

Sam is Julia's best friend and loved being pregnant. She thought herself and her husband Chris would be a lovely happy family along with their son George. But Sam finds the stresses and strains of motherhood a lot harder than anticipated and becomes increasingly frustated with the forced isolation that motherhood brings. As Sam struggles to cope with the demands of motherhood and her marriage simultaniously the cracks begin to show, and when deliciously dishy Dan appears on the scene, Sam is tempted to stray...will her frustrions with her husband reach boiling point or is Dangerous Dan too much of a tempation to resist?

Over the course of the book, although each woman's story is told seperatly, their lives entwine in a very clever way. This book is a thoroughly good read, with a very different perspective on babies from each character. This book is very honest, and Jane doesn't sugarcoat motherhood. Even for someone without kids I found this a delight. A definite must-read whether you're a mother or not.

a superb read!
I have just finished this book as I bought all the jane Green books after reading Mr maybe and this book yet again did not disappoint! Its about 3 separate women and their thoughts and feelings on babies etc but no1 seems to get what they want and these women are all bought together in a way and its a nice ending a must read definitely recommended! Well Done Jane Green!

Couldn't put it down
This is the first Jane Green book I have read and I loved it. I agree with the previous comment about the stories not being finished before you move onto the next person, but all the loose ends do get tied up and all your questions get answered, as you fill in some of the blanks of Julia's story whilst reading about Maeve and then you learn more about Maeve and Julia whilst reading about Sam. Loved each of the separate stories and think they could have worked as books in their own right.
Read this if you're a new mum, thinking of starting a family, pregnant or have no desire to start a family right now! Whatever your situation you will love it.