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140th out of 319 books
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55 voters
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Baby Proof
by
Emily Giffin
A novel that explores the question: Is there ever a deal-breaker when it comes to true love?
Claudia Parr has everything going for her. A successful editor at a publishing house in Manhattan, she's also a devoted sister, aunt, and friend. Yet she's never wanted to become a mother--which she discovers is a major hurdle to marriage, something she desperately wants. Then
...morePaperback, 348 pages
Published
May 15th 2007
by St. Martin's Griffin
(first published June 13th 2006)
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I loved Giffin's first two books, Something Borrowed and Something Blue, so I had high hopes for this book. Instead I was left with a resentful disappointment.
Firstly, why is it that novels set in NYC have to be gushing odes to the city? This book name drops worse than a D-lister trying to get into a hot Hollywood club. Restaurants, street names, the Brooklyn Bridge - there's even a paragraph devoted to the skyline post-9/11. WE GET IT. THE BOOK IS SET IN NEW YORK.
Th...more
Firstly, why is it that novels set in NYC have to be gushing odes to the city? This book name drops worse than a D-lister trying to get into a hot Hollywood club. Restaurants, street names, the Brooklyn Bridge - there's even a paragraph devoted to the skyline post-9/11. WE GET IT. THE BOOK IS SET IN NEW YORK.
Th...more
I have mixed feelings about this book.
I had picked this up as the third novel by Ms. Giffin, having already read her first two ( Something Borrowed, Something Blue). All the characters in her books seem to be somewhat interrelated, and the back cover looked interesting, especially since I, like the heroine, am a thirty-something woman exceedingly tired of being asked when I will have children. Like Katherine Hepburn, I suspect I am just far too selfish to make a decent mother, and ...more
I had picked this up as the third novel by Ms. Giffin, having already read her first two ( Something Borrowed, Something Blue). All the characters in her books seem to be somewhat interrelated, and the back cover looked interesting, especially since I, like the heroine, am a thirty-something woman exceedingly tired of being asked when I will have children. Like Katherine Hepburn, I suspect I am just far too selfish to make a decent mother, and ...more
Yet another Emily Giffin novel, and I think it was okay for the most part. The thing I HATE about Giffin as a writer is she makes a really interesting, difficult scenario that makes you sympathize with her characters, and then she can't think of how to solve the moral dilemma, so near the end of her books she pulls something COMPLETELY horrible, whether it's a cliché plot development or a seriously erroneous logical argument for making her characters change motives (an anti-feminist/anti-indivi...more
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It's quite a brave topic to tackle - women who don't want children. In this day and age, I think it's almost the last taboo. But it is the topic that author Emily Giffin addresses in "Baby Proof".
Knowing that the story would focus on this issue, I worried it would end up being black and white with a watered down and easily digestible ending but Emily Giffin kept to her usual high standard as I read my way through a messy, emotional, complicated and realistic story.
...more
Knowing that the story would focus on this issue, I worried it would end up being black and white with a watered down and easily digestible ending but Emily Giffin kept to her usual high standard as I read my way through a messy, emotional, complicated and realistic story.
...more
D This book reminded me of why I don't like chick lit -- unrealistic expensive Manhattan lifestyles obsession with finding love partner. Anyway, this seemed more promising -- a woman finds a man who also doesn't want kids (yay! Perfect for me--like T!) and then he changes his mind, and the whole drama. An ending to gag over.
This is one of the WORST books I have ever read. Please do not torture yourself.
I'm only a few pages in and I'm hooked. This woman is me, plain and simple. I'm sitting here wondering when Emily Griffin found the time to sit down and write a book all about me. I'm really hoping the main character doesn't sell out in the end to garner the mass-appeal of chick-lit readers. If she does, I might have to swear off Ms. Griffin for good. So far, though, she understands me, which lets me know that there are other women out there who feel exactly the way I do about the prospect of ha...more
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I was curious to read this book as I myself have made the choice not to have children. So the premise of the book intrigued me - woman doesn't want children, has trouble finding man that feels the same, finally meets said-man and marries expecting happily-ever-after, then bombshelf of mind-changing happens.
The idea of discovering after marriage that your spouse does or doesn't want children when you feel the opposite is not a good thing and should definitely be a discussion BEFORE saying ...more
The idea of discovering after marriage that your spouse does or doesn't want children when you feel the opposite is not a good thing and should definitely be a discussion BEFORE saying ...more
Another complex, well-characterized novel from Emily Giffin. It's as good as the first two books of hers that I read, Something Borrowed and Something Blue.
I love how Giffin goes straight for the moral gray area, presenting characters who face some of the most difficult personal-choice dilemmas of our modern age -- situations ripe for strong opinions and discussion. I always find myself identifying with the protagonist and asking, "What would I do I were in her situation?"...more
I love how Giffin goes straight for the moral gray area, presenting characters who face some of the most difficult personal-choice dilemmas of our modern age -- situations ripe for strong opinions and discussion. I always find myself identifying with the protagonist and asking, "What would I do I were in her situation?"...more
Usually, I tend to shy away from books in the chick lit genre. When I saw "Baby Proof" on the shelf, I was instantly drawn to this book for some reason. After reading the book jacket, I knew this was definitely going to be an interesting read to say the least.
Claudia and Ben are the perfect couple...at least to everyone around them anyway. Claudia is a successful book editor and Ben is a successful architect who are both enjoying their married childfree life. Although they both ...more
Claudia and Ben are the perfect couple...at least to everyone around them anyway. Claudia is a successful book editor and Ben is a successful architect who are both enjoying their married childfree life. Although they both ...more
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I loved the first two Emily Griffins I read -- <iSomething Borrowed> and <iSomething Blue> -- but this is by far my favorite. I am a book crier, this is true, but when I was tearing up a few chapters in, I thought, "Dang! She's good!" The novel is very realistic, and there were moments when I laughed to myself, "That is so true! I wish someone had told me that BEFORE I got married!" This really captures the emotions and desperation of that awkward stage that ...more
The plot is completely unbelievable - are we supposed to believe the so called perfect couple gets divorced after what seems to be about 2 weeks of arguing about having a baby? Then is it possible that most of the people around the wife are having child issues (kids keeping someone in a bad marriage, not being able to conceive, conceiving with a married boyfriend) at the same time? It's insulting to the readers intelligence... and that is what makes it the perfect beach read. If tha...more
While I think it was an interesting idea for a book, the end result was lame and oh so predicable. So far I'm 1 for 4 with Giffin's books.
This was my first foray into audiobooks (checked out from the library for the long Thanksgiving drive), and I can't say it was entirely successful. I'm sure the cliche-ridden tale of Ben and Claudia's courtship, marriage and break-up would have been painful to read, but hearing it in Christine Marshall's gushing, sing-song delivery made it even more so. I eventually sort of got used to the terrible delivery (Do all audiobook readers do voices for the different characters? And if so, are all of t...more
As I've read and enjoyed each of Emily Giffin's other books, I fully expected to enjoy this book. It was definitely not the case. Most of Giffin's characters are smart, educated, professional women; they are also strong - in that they don't necessarily fall full-force into a stereotypical "I'll compromise my goals and ideals in order to keep a man." In fact, even though her protagonist in "Heart of the Matter" decides to take her cheating husband back, Giffin still manages to...more
Before beginning this review I was debating whether to label this a romance or "Chick Lit". Chick lit, because h This book seems to be inundated with all the stereotypes and hetero norms for a Chick lit. The story was about a New York City couple, Ben & Claudia, that are madly in love. Claudia has been hurt a lot in the past and ultimately decides that she doesn't want kids, a family or a husband. Until she meets Ben of course. Here we are introduced to the first stereotype. That wo...more
Because someone once told me that Emily Giffin’s books are formulaic, fluffy, and devoid of any real plot, I’ve avoided them. But I was looking for a light pick-me-up last week, found Baby Proof at the library, and after being captivated from the very first page, I finished this book in 2 days flat.
I don’t recall who told me to avoid Emily Giffin’s books, but whoever you are, you have bad taste in books!
Anyway, this is the story of 35-year-old Claudia – a successful edi...more
I don’t recall who told me to avoid Emily Giffin’s books, but whoever you are, you have bad taste in books!
Anyway, this is the story of 35-year-old Claudia – a successful edi...more
The ending was unsatisfying. Nothing is resolved. I was really excited to read this book because I enjoy Emily Giffin's writing. I really began enjoying the book when I discovered that the woman was a strong indepedent woman who hapaned to find the perfect man to complete her life. I was SO proud of her when she stood her ground and stuck to her own beliefs, no matter how much society told her that having a baby was EXACTLY what she should to keep her husband.
As Emily Giffin's wri...more
As Emily Giffin's wri...more
This book was by the same author as Something Borrowed and Something Blue, two books which I had extreme likes and dislikes on. I heard mixed (but mainly nay) remarks on this book, but in the end, I felt like it was kind of a mixed. I liked the character a lot, but I hated the situations she was put in.
Claudia does not want a baby and either does her husband when they got married. It hits him that he does want a child, but Claudia still does not and they get a divorce. She dates some g...more
Claudia does not want a baby and either does her husband when they got married. It hits him that he does want a child, but Claudia still does not and they get a divorce. She dates some g...more
Emily Giffin is my new favorite author! If you want a quick, fast-paced read with delicious characters, read this one! In this novel, Claudia Parr is adamant that she does not want to have children. This has been a deal-breaker in many relationships until she meets Ben, the man of her dreams who soon becomes her husband and shares the same views on not wanting to raise a family. Claudia and Ben have a great relationship - they enjoy their families, travel together, and both have good jobs. ...more
This book is a good read as it deals with a topic that most of us will face in life- getting married and the discussion of whether or not to have children. It details the life of a couple who upon marriage decide that having children would not be a part of their future. However, when one party decides to change her mind this fight about children leads to the disolution of their marriage. This is the result of the infleunces friends and family had on their lifes pertaining to having children. In ...more
Deciding early in life not to be a mother, invited a myriad of confrontations…
Even as a little girl, Claudia’s decision was very clear. When she played dolls with her sisters, she only wanted to be an aunt, so she could move on to more exciting pursuits. In later years, discovering boys didn’t change her mind. When her high school prom night rolled around, the number of children she wished for was a firm zero.
Claudia, now in her thirties, is a well known book editor in N...more
Even as a little girl, Claudia’s decision was very clear. When she played dolls with her sisters, she only wanted to be an aunt, so she could move on to more exciting pursuits. In later years, discovering boys didn’t change her mind. When her high school prom night rolled around, the number of children she wished for was a firm zero.
Claudia, now in her thirties, is a well known book editor in N...more
"I was well aware that we were both silently making those inevitable comparisons, putting our relationship in context. It is human nature to do this -- unless it's your first relationship, which might be the very reason that your first relationship feels special and remains forever sacred."
"But when Niles started asking her about rings she freaked out and decided that he was "too boring and predictable." She said she couldn't marry someone who didn't give her...more
"But when Niles started asking her about rings she freaked out and decided that he was "too boring and predictable." She said she couldn't marry someone who didn't give her...more
While I generally don't do abridged audiobooks, this was what I had access to, but I guess chick lit is one of the few genres I'm almost okay with speeding through. Romance, and the more contemporary chick lit subgenre, are really all about getting a couple back together for me. While the details make the story more interesting, they aren't all absolutely necessary. That doesn't mean that this book wasn't worth every second, though.
I saw this book while wandering around the airport ...more
I saw this book while wandering around the airport ...more
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Baby Proof is about a married couple, Claudia and Ben, who have decided that they don't want children. This factor in their relationship is very important to both of them, and both of them have been waiting their whole lives to meet someone who wants a life without children as well. However, after Claudia's sister has her third child and their best friends Ray and Annie have a child, Ben begins to have second thoughts. When he shares his thoughts without Claudia, she is outraged and refuses to ...more
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Judging childless women | 23 | 200 | Dec 12, 2011 04:37am |
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Emily Giffin is a graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of Virginia School of Law. After practicing litigation at a Manhattan firm for several years, she moved to London to write full time. The author of four New York Times bestselling novels, she now lives in Atlanta with her husband and three young children.
Emily's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/EmilyGiffinFans
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“I miss him in so many ways, but right now I miss him in the way you always miss someone when you're single among a room full of couples.”
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531 people liked it
“You can't quantify love, and if you try, you can end up focusing on misleading factors. Stuff that really has more to do with personality-the fact that some people are simply more expressive or emotional or needy in a relationship. But beyond such smokescreens, the answer is there. Love is seldom-almost never-an even proposition.”
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83 people liked it
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