Does This Volvo Make My Butt Look Big? by Annabel Monaghan 4 stars

[Karin]

This is one under read gem--it's funny and great for anyone who has raised children, and perhaps others as well. Monaghan, best known for newer novels such as Nora Goes Off Script demonstrates how she used humour in nonfiction and essays before she wrote those. However, there isn't one essay involving an Volvo and I'm not sure who came up with that title--the subtitle is "Thoughts for moms and other tired people" but since the title is what made me take a look at the book, it is effective at least some of the time.


The essays aren't in chronological order of her parenting years although, and this really isn't a spoiler since we all know kids grow up, near the end she has one about how she's planning to act when her eldest got to his college application year the one following when she wrote that essay. If he followed through, he's most likely a college/university grad by now because this is from 2016, but other than the fact that cell phones and tablets are far more advanced by now, this book is still quite contemporary.