The Ten Year Nap

The Ten Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer

Description: Being a mother in New York City is no easy task. And each of these mother's decided to stay home and raise their children. But now their children are getting to the age where they need them less and less. This allows or forces the women to realize where their lives are at.

Are they happy in their relationships? What have they been ignoring the last years as they focused on their child and less on the other things going on around them.

What do they really want out of life? Can they get back in to achieving the life goals that they put on hold for their children?


Thoughts: I definitely appreciated the subject matter of this book. The idea of staying home with your children is definitely appealing. Many feel like they have to. They mentally compete with those that have to or chose to go back to work.

What does it mean to go back to work after years of being a mother? How does that affect you in the job market? What does it mean for you in terms of relationships with other mothers? Should you do more or less if you don't have a job outside of motherhood? What happens if you don't feel the connection to your child that you should? How are you supposed to feel if your child doesn't live up to your expectations?

All these are things that anyone who is a mother or who is contemplating motherhood thinks about. How do you be your own person while still being a good mother.

The only thing that I didn't like about the book is I felt there were almost too many prospective. Because it jumps from person to person allowing you a glimpse into each life all of the people and all of the connections were almost too much for me to follow and remember. There were times I would get into a section and be like - oh - I remember that person and what is going on with them.

What genre would you consider this?
Family Dynamics/Motherhood

Overall: