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The Seven Year Bitch
From the bestselling author of High Maintenance and Going Down comes a witty, heartfelt comic novel about marriage, motherhood, and discovering that the life you have is exactly the one you want.
What’s a fabulous New York City girl supposed to do when she finds herself fantasizing about the Grim Reaper more than she fantasizes about her husband? When she can’t help but gi...more
What’s a fabulous New York City girl supposed to do when she finds herself fantasizing about the Grim Reaper more than she fantasizes about her husband? When she can’t help but gi...more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
May 13th 2010
by Riverhead Hardcover
(first published 2010)
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East Coast, more specifically upper-class New Yorker humor that relates closely to the dialogue from the Housewives of Manhattan. The keeping up with ‘class’ way of living is ridiculously funny, but sadly true, which makes some moments hysterical.
Frankly, despite my similarities to economics, marriage, working and raising children I could not relate to the main character. I had a hard time with Izzy’s eternal struggle of doing things just because others (in her friend circle) where doing them. M...more
Frankly, despite my similarities to economics, marriage, working and raising children I could not relate to the main character. I had a hard time with Izzy’s eternal struggle of doing things just because others (in her friend circle) where doing them. M...more
As always, I thoroughly enjoyed another book by Jennifer Belle. In this book she looks at life from the perspective of a New York woman who has lost her job and is now 'supposed' to be staying home with her son and husband. It goes through her journey of looking for a nanny and then becoming friends and bonding with the nanny by trying to solve her (the nanny's) infertility problems. The best part is when Isolde (the main character) takes on the job of judging mail in contests. She gets to read...more
If you are married and have not quite made the seven year mark I will tell you it's real and it's scary. A good friend of mine told me once that if you can weather the seven year itch you can take on the world. Maybe not the case with me since Matt and I aren't the best team ever, but I do feel like we've hit a milestone of sorts and already being a few days beyond our seven year wedding anniversary... it feels different.
What I absolutely loved about this book is that I could absolutely relate....more
What I absolutely loved about this book is that I could absolutely relate....more
The Seven Year Bitch by Jennifer Belle spoke to me in a myriad of way.
I initially picked up the book because it reminded me of the Candace Bushnell series, but written with a bit more sophistication and wit. It seemed to speak to me- a woman approaching her 7th year of marriage completely discontent and frustrated. This is who I would have become of me.
The protagonist, Izzy, is reflective, ambitious, and nostalgic. She struggles with the idea of cheating while trying to have a 2nd child with her...more
I initially picked up the book because it reminded me of the Candace Bushnell series, but written with a bit more sophistication and wit. It seemed to speak to me- a woman approaching her 7th year of marriage completely discontent and frustrated. This is who I would have become of me.
The protagonist, Izzy, is reflective, ambitious, and nostalgic. She struggles with the idea of cheating while trying to have a 2nd child with her...more
Typical New York annoyances. This book totally did not make me want to get married at all. It seemed like all the Girl did in this book was scream at her husband. Why he put up with it, is beyond me. They seemed more like brother and sister in that regards then anything. Why would anyone voluntarily stay with someone who screamed at them all the time unless they had too?? Lordy. Women gets fired from her job, but apparently they have tons of money still, because she still goes and hires a nanny...more
You know how sometimes you have a friend who has a real asshole for a husband? You know you do. Maybe they're not always an ass, but for much of the time you've known them, the husband does crazy things? And you know how you can't really say anything because when your friend makes up with her husband everything is all honey and manna? This. Book.
Isolde is an ex-hedge fund manager, and she has a small son. Her husband has been attempting to start up a small publishing company for a while. And, we...more
Isolde is an ex-hedge fund manager, and she has a small son. Her husband has been attempting to start up a small publishing company for a while. And, we...more
I really liked this book! It was about a woman that wanted a family, baby or babies, work, husband, and she does get it all. The book has some laugh out loud moments as she finds you should be careful what you wish for, you may get it! She goes through life with husband, baby and then another baby and has many ups and downs, and she has a friend who is getting divorced. She even sees a physiciatrist or doctor (I think that is where she got this idea) who says there are different levels (for lack...more
The Seven-Year Bitch is the fifth novel by one of my favorite all-time authors, Jennifer Belle. I fell in love with Jennifer Belle while reading High Maintenance after its release in 2001 and that particular novel still resides in my permanent collection. It bothers me that Belle is not more widely known because her writing is absolutely brilliant, witty, and hilarious -- more so than novels by MaryJanice Davidson, Charlaine Harris, or whoever else is considered funny these days by the mass publ...more
Jul 03, 2010
melissa
added it
So hard to rate a book that I enjoyed what I read, but did not finish. I really enjoyed the humor in the book. It is the type of humor where you go, oh, yeah, I can so relate to that. And I think this book IS relatable. You don’t have to be a married new mother in New York to understand the characters. I relate to it just on the merit that I am married and have a lot to juggle (like everyone these days). DH and I laugh, and joked that it could be bad for the marriage for the person READING the b...more
I received this book as a winner of the First Reads giveaway. Let me start by saying that the author did a great job painting the female characters. I could see bits of myself and my friends represented throughout the book. The male characters felt more like cartoon outlines without detail or life. The plot meandered without keeping me hooked into the storyline. It was more of a day to day diary spiced up by the humorous inner dialog of Isolde. I appreciated the exploration of every person as th...more
Isolde Brilliant is a New Yorker with a baby, husband, and a successful job as a hedge fund manager. One day she loses her job and soon her grip on sanity as she tries to navigate the difficult world of being a mother and a wife. Isolde finds herself growing enraged at her husband over everything, fantasizing about every man except her husband, and looking forward to time out alone without having to take care of her husband or son.
As Isolde’s recently divorced friend Joy tells her about her husb...more
As Isolde’s recently divorced friend Joy tells her about her husb...more
You want to laugh out loud? Shake your head and think "Wait. What did she just say?" Nod your head in agreement? Think to yourself, "OMG, she's in my head"? Well, then this is the book for you. I have to be honest and say that what drew me to this book, was the title on the front. I just laughed out loud at it, as I was passing it by and then I stopped to pick it up, so I could read the back.
Not only does this book have you laughing the instant that you start reading it, but it also fills you w...more
Not only does this book have you laughing the instant that you start reading it, but it also fills you w...more
Jun 08, 2011
Marquetta (LoveToReadForFun)
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
for-review,
tlc-book-tour
When we become wives and mothers, we end up turn into the one thing we want to avoid - a nagging shrew. That is what has happened to Izzy. She's a woman who has everything until she is laid off. Now she is trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. It doesn't help that her good friend just recently announced that she's getting divorced and is suggesting that Izzy does the same. Izzy is not happy with her marriage but is divorce really the answer? The Seven Year Bitch is a relatable...more
Another one of my wins on Goodreads and this one blew me away. Can I give it 4.5 stars??? I really think that they picked me on purpose because i have never connected with a book in my life. I never even read books like this. This is strictly a woman's book and I would truly have passed it in a bookstore or anywhere for that matter and I can't tell you how happy I was to read this.
First, I kept looking at the cover wondering where my name was. I must have wrote this book or have helped in somewa...more
First, I kept looking at the cover wondering where my name was. I must have wrote this book or have helped in somewa...more
2 likes · like · see review
I did not like this book when I first started reading it. I found it crass and unrealistic. But I couldn't put it down. I had to know what totally inappropriate thing would come out of Izzy's mouth next. So, I had to re-think what I thought and I think that I do, in fact, like it very much!
Izzy Brilliant is a bitch and a total basket-case, but an endearing and well-meaning one. And like the park near her home she comes full-circle. She takes a very round-about way of getting there and puts herse...more
Izzy Brilliant is a bitch and a total basket-case, but an endearing and well-meaning one. And like the park near her home she comes full-circle. She takes a very round-about way of getting there and puts herse...more
Say you have friends who seem, to you, to have an awful marriage and are terrible parents, but since it's none of your business, you can't really say anything about their staying together and having more kids. Well, that's a bit what reading this novel is like.
Actually, this book had two feels, really. On one hand, this felt a bit chick lit-y, as if Bridget Jones finally got married and had to face turning 40; on the other hand, this had the kind of quirky tone I associate with Aimee Bender or L...more
Actually, this book had two feels, really. On one hand, this felt a bit chick lit-y, as if Bridget Jones finally got married and had to face turning 40; on the other hand, this had the kind of quirky tone I associate with Aimee Bender or L...more
1 like · like · see review
With a title like "The Seven Year Bitch", you might think you are getting a light, funny read, but you'd be wrong. While the book was amusing at times, it was also depressing. The main character Isolde and her annoying husband further reinforced my belief that not everyone in this world should have kids. I found myself really disliking Isolde by the end of the book, and actually hoping that the unhappy couple would just get the divorce they both wanted. It had its moments, but overall I didn't c...more
A young woman who has everything to be happy, but still is not, takes a little too long to learn what life is really about.
It seems to be a trend the last few years to put over the top, clueless, sometimes really unlovable characters as heroes. Sometimes it is well done (as in Kinsella's shopaholic), and sometimes, like in this book, it leaves me a little... unsatisfied. There were some good moments, but I had difficulties with some inconsistencies, for example, how can they survive for almost...more
It seems to be a trend the last few years to put over the top, clueless, sometimes really unlovable characters as heroes. Sometimes it is well done (as in Kinsella's shopaholic), and sometimes, like in this book, it leaves me a little... unsatisfied. There were some good moments, but I had difficulties with some inconsistencies, for example, how can they survive for almost...more
Although my patience was wearing thin, I kept reading this book hoping it would redeem itself. It didn't. The protagonist is a thoroughly unlikeable woman who "hates" her husband and wants a divorce that she claims she can't afford, despite spending thousands of dollars to help her nanny get pregnant (a pregnancy which will result in her nanny leaving her to raise her own child!), only--in the last few pages--to have everything suddenly and utterly inexplicably work out.
A happy ending that does...more
A happy ending that does...more
I finished the book because it was readable, but I didn't find any of the characters likeable. Nor did I find it funny, despite the fact that many goodreads reviewers described its genre as humor. I don't buy into the premise that having a baby makes a woman hate her husband. The protagonist's guilt over her privileged life was irritating and didn't feel genuine. The characters all felt like poorly drawn caricatures. It was definitely one of those books that I was happy I'd obtained it from the...more
I enjoyed this book - I don't think it will make any award lists, but I do believe it is one of the truer accounts of how unsatisfying marraige can be sometimes. You do really want to leave your husband some days, some anniversaries suck, you do really think about what that would take to become single again, you do really feel guilt that you want to be at home with the kids when you are at work and at work when you are home with the kids. I felt like I was talking to a friend reading this. A nic...more
My first chuckle came when I read the title of this book and the laughs continued from there on. This book was humorous, written in a "chick lit" vein that was enjoyable throughout. Although during the book I rooted for one thing to happen, ultimately I was glad of the denouement. Anyone who's experienced marriage, survived childbirth and toddlerhood, job loss or job search will be able to relate to this funny novel about finding yourself. While dreams may not always come true in the ways you im...more
I almost gave up on this book several times before getting to the halfway point, but it picked up for me after that.
I think I was (once again) having trouble with the wealthy New York setting. It's so foreign to me, but it doesn't look like it should be. The rules of life aren't what I'm expecting, and it throws me.
The characters are more outspoken, with much harsher language than I'd expect. And yes, the protagonist is a bit of a bitch. And a snob. And even given than I don't really understand...more
I think I was (once again) having trouble with the wealthy New York setting. It's so foreign to me, but it doesn't look like it should be. The rules of life aren't what I'm expecting, and it throws me.
The characters are more outspoken, with much harsher language than I'd expect. And yes, the protagonist is a bit of a bitch. And a snob. And even given than I don't really understand...more
This was an easy read and I enjoyed turning the pages, unlike the other two library books I got that I'm returning without even reading. But I had several issues with this book. Isolde is dissatisfied with her marriage, but I didn't get enough of a sense of why or how she fell in love with Russell in the first place. A sense of the good times with him or the early stages of their marriage would have made the story more complete. She also has a best friend who makes occasional appearances with a...more
So good! I think it's a shame that her books are clearly marketed to "chick-lit" customers (see the cover of High Maintenance - another very good book, and the lame title of this one) b/c Jennifer Belle's work is so much smarter, funnier and less predictable than most so-called chick-lit. I think bad covers and titles scare off loads of women who would never dream of reading a Sophie Kinsella or a Jennifer Weiner book. Not there is necessarily anything wrong with those - I read everything that J...more
Feeling trapped in an unhappy marriage, Isolde Brilliant’s world is turned upside down when she’s laid off from her job as a successful hedge fund manager. With a good severance package and a new baby at home she decides to take some time off to be a stay-at-home mother, but finds if difficult to let go of who she was. As Izzy struggles with her marriage and finds new ways to fill her time, she finally learns to love her life for what it is.
The Seven Year Bitch is a funny and true-to-life story...more
The Seven Year Bitch is a funny and true-to-life story...more
ENTER TO WIN A COPY OF THIS BOOK HERE:
http://thegirlfromtheghetto.wordpress...
Jennifer Belle in The Seven Year Bitch paints a brilliant portrait of a mother and a recently unemployed hedge fund manager whose nanny-seeking, divorce-contemplating, baby poop-loving, and essay contest reading adventures helped create the new face of the woman who doesn’t have it all of the twenty-first century.
Isolde is unhappily married to Russell, an ex-lawyer turned literary agent who impulsively quit his job aft...more
http://thegirlfromtheghetto.wordpress...
Jennifer Belle in The Seven Year Bitch paints a brilliant portrait of a mother and a recently unemployed hedge fund manager whose nanny-seeking, divorce-contemplating, baby poop-loving, and essay contest reading adventures helped create the new face of the woman who doesn’t have it all of the twenty-first century.
Isolde is unhappily married to Russell, an ex-lawyer turned literary agent who impulsively quit his job aft...more
I agree that Belle's books deserve wider recognition and popularity. I loved High Maintenance! Seven Year Bitch sounds like something I would not want to read, I have
to say. With that book title and cover, there's bound to be some marketing confusion.
This is a great story with a modern heroine and conflicts, with some similarities to "I Don't Know How She Does It" (of which the movie version is filming now).
to say. With that book title and cover, there's bound to be some marketing confusion.
This is a great story with a modern heroine and conflicts, with some similarities to "I Don't Know How She Does It" (of which the movie version is filming now).
This author writes a story that captures you and makes you feel a part of the characters life. She writes in a way that you feel the main characters frustrations, pain and happiness. She easily entwines elements of the struggles of marriage that any woman can understand. She keeps the story twisting and turning, while introducing colorful characters that add to the drama. A great read.
One of the blurbs on the back of this book says that Belle has matured as a writer. I don't think it's true. Though her protagonists are getting older, the writing is still choppy and I'm left feeling like I really didn't understand who the main character was.
Still, I always enjoy books by this author and will probably be just excited about the next one when it shows up at the library.
Still, I always enjoy books by this author and will probably be just excited about the next one when it shows up at the library.
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An American novelist, based in New York City.
She attended Bronx High School of Science and dropped out of college. She has also written columns for Ms. magazine. In 2002, she married entertainment lawyer Andrew Krents, after they were introduced by fellow novelist Amy Sohn.
Her work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New York Observer, London’s The Independent, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s...more
More about Jennifer Belle...
She attended Bronx High School of Science and dropped out of college. She has also written columns for Ms. magazine. In 2002, she married entertainment lawyer Andrew Krents, after they were introduced by fellow novelist Amy Sohn.
Her work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New York Observer, London’s The Independent, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s...more
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“I loved Duncan and I loved being his mother but I wasn't sure I was prepared to be only his mother. Before we were even married, when Russell and I had gotten our dog, Humbert, I had walked him early one morning, and as I stood on a line for coffee, someone had offered him a dog treat. "I always ask the mommy first," she said, looking at him expectantly. "Oh, I'm not his mother," I said, "I'm just his...friend," and she looked at me with complete contempt. "You're his mother," she had scolded, "Poor dog.”
—
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Jun 05, 2011 10:33pm