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justlily's review against another edition
DNF at like...5% in. I love the premise behind this book, it's something I relate to quite a bit. But it doesn't feel (for as much as I read and then flipped through) that nothing is going to actually happen. It's just a couple hundred pages of navel gazing, which I can't sit through.
cremefracas's review against another edition
5.0
This book was exactly what I needed right now, what with the idea of ever being pregnant again literally giving me nightmares. How did this ever get published? I loved it. All the things a woman is never allowed to admit she feels, taking to wonderfully nutso extremes. And the opening birth scene, I mean, I just knew I would love this book. Read!
karieh13's review against another edition
2.0
I would be very curious to talk to another person who read this book. More specifically, a person who read this book and either like it or could identify for more than a few seconds with the main character, Sonia. Because despite the fact that she and I have several similarities in our lives – I just could not stand her.
Which I suspected would be the case going into “Nine Months” given the blurb I’d read. I didn’t expect that a story about a woman who abandoned her husband and two children while pregnant with her third would be either touching or heartwarming. But I thought I would come to understand why Sonia made that decision – at least from her point of view.
But the closest I came was summed up with this. “All her life, all of her thirty-five years, she’s only wanted to experience everything…”
Sonia is selfish, hedonistic, incredibly crude, critical of everyone except herself, verbally abusive and just not very interesting. Although I am sure she finds herself fascinating.
With such a main character, a book could still be interesting if the characters surrounding her were well drawn, layered…even just realistic. But the stereotypes here are just eye rolling. Upper-middle class entitled New York wives? Check. “Clarissa and Riva believed in their inheritances. They believed in staying home and shopping. They believed that they were their husbands’ wives and their children’s mother. And those who didn’t believe didn’t have the same God. Those who didn’t believe weren’t saved.”
The over nurturing to the point of creepiness Earth mother? Check. Gun loving and toting xenophobic mother? Check. Overworked husband who doesn’t understand his wife’s needs? Check.
This is a story about a woman who wants for almost nothing…and mostly wants what she can’t have. She wants to make no choices and every choice. She wants it all and none of it. Nothing seems to make her happy. Which makes for a very unhappy reader.
Which I suspected would be the case going into “Nine Months” given the blurb I’d read. I didn’t expect that a story about a woman who abandoned her husband and two children while pregnant with her third would be either touching or heartwarming. But I thought I would come to understand why Sonia made that decision – at least from her point of view.
But the closest I came was summed up with this. “All her life, all of her thirty-five years, she’s only wanted to experience everything…”
Sonia is selfish, hedonistic, incredibly crude, critical of everyone except herself, verbally abusive and just not very interesting. Although I am sure she finds herself fascinating.
With such a main character, a book could still be interesting if the characters surrounding her were well drawn, layered…even just realistic. But the stereotypes here are just eye rolling. Upper-middle class entitled New York wives? Check. “Clarissa and Riva believed in their inheritances. They believed in staying home and shopping. They believed that they were their husbands’ wives and their children’s mother. And those who didn’t believe didn’t have the same God. Those who didn’t believe weren’t saved.”
The over nurturing to the point of creepiness Earth mother? Check. Gun loving and toting xenophobic mother? Check. Overworked husband who doesn’t understand his wife’s needs? Check.
This is a story about a woman who wants for almost nothing…and mostly wants what she can’t have. She wants to make no choices and every choice. She wants it all and none of it. Nothing seems to make her happy. Which makes for a very unhappy reader.
sonia_reppe's review against another edition
5.0
Sonia is 35 and horrified to be pregnant again, just as she was feeling like herself again, two years after her last pregnancy. Her two boys still young but not babies anymore, she and her husband have just started romancing again (this book uses the F word) and now this!
This is one of the most realistic books about "motherhood" that I've read, because it's not really about that, it's about a woman from Brooklyn who feels trapped even though she loves her husband. The writing is in-your-face honest and somewhat edgy. Different philosophies are personified by people that Sonia has to deal with: her Conneticut-bound friend who places high importance on getting her kids in the "right" preschool; a sister in Colorado who distains city life, whose husband and son go out hunting together; an ex-professor/ex-lover who lives for his art and arrogantly tells Sonia that motherhood kills her artistic soul and that she belongs in front of a TV, humped over a stove and that her life is a lie.
Sonia has panic attacks and one day after dropping her two boys off at preschool she just drives away on a spontaneous trip. Of coure this is horrible and she knows it. She decides to revisit some places and people from her days of youth, and a lot has changed. Most readers will not like Sonia, but I hope they appreciate the honesty. I was interested in her journey, especially because I'm also 35 and I think in all seriousness I would get depressed and crazy if I got pregnant now. (That first year was awful!) This is realistic, but also a fantasy for any mother of young kids that dreams of getting away.
This is one of the most realistic books about "motherhood" that I've read, because it's not really about that, it's about a woman from Brooklyn who feels trapped even though she loves her husband. The writing is in-your-face honest and somewhat edgy. Different philosophies are personified by people that Sonia has to deal with: her Conneticut-bound friend who places high importance on getting her kids in the "right" preschool; a sister in Colorado who distains city life, whose husband and son go out hunting together; an ex-professor/ex-lover who lives for his art and arrogantly tells Sonia that motherhood kills her artistic soul and that she belongs in front of a TV, humped over a stove and that her life is a lie.
Sonia has panic attacks and one day after dropping her two boys off at preschool she just drives away on a spontaneous trip. Of coure this is horrible and she knows it. She decides to revisit some places and people from her days of youth, and a lot has changed. Most readers will not like Sonia, but I hope they appreciate the honesty. I was interested in her journey, especially because I'm also 35 and I think in all seriousness I would get depressed and crazy if I got pregnant now. (That first year was awful!) This is realistic, but also a fantasy for any mother of young kids that dreams of getting away.
tracyt55's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
shelleyrae's review against another edition
4.0
Nine Months is an audacious novel that explores the difficult journey of a woman who is struggling to balance her need for individuality with motherhood. Sonia was relieved to find that mothering was becoming a little easier as her two young sons began to gain independence. However her dreams of reclaiming the ambitions she held before their birth is shattered when she discovers she is pregnant again. Ruling out an abortion, Sonia attempts to reconcile the impending birth with her feelings of loss and frustration but as her due date draws closer, the temptation to escape the pressure proves too strong. Abandoning her husband and children, Sonia withdraws the family's savings and sets off on a wild cross country road trip in search of the woman she once was.
Self absorbed, petty and vulgar it's easy to judge Sonia for her impetuous actions. However, I think there are very few mothers, who in those first hellish months of motherhood, have not fleetingly thought about escaping their infants incessant demands or at least briefly mourned the carefree, autonomous life they led before parenthood. Bomer magnifies those doubts and longings, giving her character permission to both feel and act on them without censoring herself. Sonia's wild escape is response to depression, desperation and frustration, though of course she can't leave behind the child in her womb. Instead she does her best to pretend it is either not there or somehow separate from her.
It's worth noting that Sonia's debauchery only consists of a handful of incidents. She indulges in only one anonymous sex encounter and just two hits off a joint, though she drinks (mainly beer) fairly freely. However these single acts are enough to likely condemn her in popular opinion, even by those who may have sympathised with her need to escape. Neither is Sonia all 'bad', there are moments of ambivalence and reflection that stir empathy and allow the reader to glimpse her less hormone crazed identity.
While it seems likely to me that Sonia is suffering from severe pre partum depression (which affects 10-15% of women), particularly since its is noted that in her previous pregnancies she experienced strong mood swings and high anxiety, there are no clear signs that Bomer wrote Sonia with that affliction at her core. Perhaps it is simply wishful thinking on my part, since I do find Sonia's behaviour repugnant in the main, though I am not without empathy for her.
The first person point of view of Nine Months is immediate and raw. Descriptions are often crude and those offended by explicit content and language will want to steer clear of this novel. The pace is surprisingly brisk, I didn't want to put it down, engrossed by Sonia's emotional journey.
Confronting, seditious and original Nine Months is a compelling novel. I expect opinions of the novel will be divisive among its readership. Personally, I think Bomer is brave in exposing a rarely acknowledged aspect of pregnancy and motherhood.
Self absorbed, petty and vulgar it's easy to judge Sonia for her impetuous actions. However, I think there are very few mothers, who in those first hellish months of motherhood, have not fleetingly thought about escaping their infants incessant demands or at least briefly mourned the carefree, autonomous life they led before parenthood. Bomer magnifies those doubts and longings, giving her character permission to both feel and act on them without censoring herself. Sonia's wild escape is response to depression, desperation and frustration, though of course she can't leave behind the child in her womb. Instead she does her best to pretend it is either not there or somehow separate from her.
It's worth noting that Sonia's debauchery only consists of a handful of incidents. She indulges in only one anonymous sex encounter and just two hits off a joint, though she drinks (mainly beer) fairly freely. However these single acts are enough to likely condemn her in popular opinion, even by those who may have sympathised with her need to escape. Neither is Sonia all 'bad', there are moments of ambivalence and reflection that stir empathy and allow the reader to glimpse her less hormone crazed identity.
While it seems likely to me that Sonia is suffering from severe pre partum depression (which affects 10-15% of women), particularly since its is noted that in her previous pregnancies she experienced strong mood swings and high anxiety, there are no clear signs that Bomer wrote Sonia with that affliction at her core. Perhaps it is simply wishful thinking on my part, since I do find Sonia's behaviour repugnant in the main, though I am not without empathy for her.
The first person point of view of Nine Months is immediate and raw. Descriptions are often crude and those offended by explicit content and language will want to steer clear of this novel. The pace is surprisingly brisk, I didn't want to put it down, engrossed by Sonia's emotional journey.
Confronting, seditious and original Nine Months is a compelling novel. I expect opinions of the novel will be divisive among its readership. Personally, I think Bomer is brave in exposing a rarely acknowledged aspect of pregnancy and motherhood.
showlola's review against another edition
4.0
This book isn't perfect, but it would make for a hell of a discussion.
Its the story of a married mother who gets unexpectedly pregnant, goes a little bit crazy, and then runs away. Its also one of the most unflinching and honest novels about pregnancy I've ever read.
Sonia encounters incredibly common and natural feelings and continues to turn the wrong way into them, time after time. She is introspective and narcissistic, and has very little empathy for anyone around her. After the halfway point (and this book is pretty short) it functions as a road trip novel, with short vignettes about very different kinds of people from Sonia's past and the different life choices they made. It gets a little bit didactic in those bits, with wooden dialogue and fast transitions, but I still liked it.
Super, addictively readable with lots to chew on. Anybody that loved Bad Marie or the Charlize Theron film, Young Adult, could really get into this.
Its the story of a married mother who gets unexpectedly pregnant, goes a little bit crazy, and then runs away. Its also one of the most unflinching and honest novels about pregnancy I've ever read.
Sonia encounters incredibly common and natural feelings and continues to turn the wrong way into them, time after time. She is introspective and narcissistic, and has very little empathy for anyone around her. After the halfway point (and this book is pretty short) it functions as a road trip novel, with short vignettes about very different kinds of people from Sonia's past and the different life choices they made. It gets a little bit didactic in those bits, with wooden dialogue and fast transitions, but I still liked it.
Super, addictively readable with lots to chew on. Anybody that loved Bad Marie or the Charlize Theron film, Young Adult, could really get into this.
nomadreader's review against another edition
5.0
(originally published at http://nomadreader.blogspot.com)
The basics: Nine Months is the story of Brooklyn wife and mom of two Sonia, who finds herself unintentionally and unhappily pregnant with number three. With frustration mounting, Sonia takes off on a cross-country trip alone--and does so many things pregnant women aren't supposed to do.
My thoughts: I've been saving Nine Months to read until I was very, very pregnant. I'm so glad I did because it was fun to live vicariously through Sonia. I'm happily pregnant, of course, but I also really dislike being pregnant. The thought of being pregnant again--ever--terrifies me. I can relate to Sonia's feeling of helplessness, but as real as it is, this novel is also escapist fun. It's fantasy that's firmly planted in reality:
Through her marriage and her children, Sonia has lost something of herself. She's been looking forward to having her youngest in school so she can (finally) return to her art. Another child would hinder those plans; it would also mean their already cramped Brooklyn two-bedroom apartment would become impossible to live in.
There's a rawness and an honesty to both Sonia and Bomer's writing that I loved: "Not for the first time, she hates the fact that she is raising her kids in New York, where people treat their children like a combination between a science and an art project." This novel is wickedly funny in a way that isn't necessarily socially acceptable. It's dark and comical, but it's also firmly grounded in reality:
The situations Sonia encounters are real, and perhaps her actions are too. For me? I wouldn't have the guts to act as recklessly as she does.
Favorite passage: "And as much as she feared being a minority in Kensington, she fears even more being literally stranded among people who are supposedly just like her. She’s never felt that anyone was just like her, regardless of skin color or money—it’s just not a dream she could ever buy into. It doesn’t ring any bell for her."
The verdict: I adored Nine Months as much for Sonia's illicit adventures as I did for Bomer's writing. It's a brave novel, and the combination of literary escape and social commentary is a winning one.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
The basics: Nine Months is the story of Brooklyn wife and mom of two Sonia, who finds herself unintentionally and unhappily pregnant with number three. With frustration mounting, Sonia takes off on a cross-country trip alone--and does so many things pregnant women aren't supposed to do.
My thoughts: I've been saving Nine Months to read until I was very, very pregnant. I'm so glad I did because it was fun to live vicariously through Sonia. I'm happily pregnant, of course, but I also really dislike being pregnant. The thought of being pregnant again--ever--terrifies me. I can relate to Sonia's feeling of helplessness, but as real as it is, this novel is also escapist fun. It's fantasy that's firmly planted in reality:
""You’re pregnant. You’re doing a great job. I know it’s hard.” “You don’t know how hard it is. And I’m not doing a ‘great job.’ I haven’t done anything, except fuck you. This is happening to me, don’t you understand? I have nothing to do with it. It’s taking over me. It’s taking over my body and my soul, for God’s sake, like some parasite, like some alien virus.” Tears come to her eyes."
Through her marriage and her children, Sonia has lost something of herself. She's been looking forward to having her youngest in school so she can (finally) return to her art. Another child would hinder those plans; it would also mean their already cramped Brooklyn two-bedroom apartment would become impossible to live in.
There's a rawness and an honesty to both Sonia and Bomer's writing that I loved: "Not for the first time, she hates the fact that she is raising her kids in New York, where people treat their children like a combination between a science and an art project." This novel is wickedly funny in a way that isn't necessarily socially acceptable. It's dark and comical, but it's also firmly grounded in reality:
"The baby’s mouth roots around like a baby bird, unable to grasp on. So Sonia squeezes her nipple and colostrum comes out and the infant’s lips touch the pre-milk milk and then, it works—the baby tries to suck. First slowly, and then, as if something in her wired-for-survival brain clicks, she ferociously latches on to Sonia’s nipple and sucks on her like that’s what she’s been put on this earth to do. Which is, in fact, true. Her daughter is here to suck the life out of her, and leave her for the spent, middle-aged woman she soon will be."
The situations Sonia encounters are real, and perhaps her actions are too. For me? I wouldn't have the guts to act as recklessly as she does.
Favorite passage: "And as much as she feared being a minority in Kensington, she fears even more being literally stranded among people who are supposedly just like her. She’s never felt that anyone was just like her, regardless of skin color or money—it’s just not a dream she could ever buy into. It doesn’t ring any bell for her."
The verdict: I adored Nine Months as much for Sonia's illicit adventures as I did for Bomer's writing. It's a brave novel, and the combination of literary escape and social commentary is a winning one.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
anlekaha's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting premise and some lines were definitely the kind of truths you keep to yourself because you are embarrassed of how others would judge them. But most of the characters are nuts so conversation with them (which is all the book is) feels pointless. Also gratuitous sex and language
djinnmartini's review against another edition
4.0
This was much better than her latest, for me at least. I'm trying to decide if it was the fault of the audiobook narrator.
...Also people say not to read this while pregnant but I feel like I came out unscathed.
...Also people say not to read this while pregnant but I feel like I came out unscathed.