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Summary: Working Pregnant Woman Wanted Juliet to Stop Whining Already
Review: As I am a big mystery fan and almost 9 months pregnant with a toddler at home, I was really happy to bump into this novel. Until I started to actually read it. Juliet is a horrible whiner, her child is an incredible brat, and her husband is almost like wallpaper, just there for background. The solution is obvious, and even so, Juliet still doesn't solve the crime so much as bump into the solution by accident. While she bumbles around, the reader has to listen to her complain about everything she encounters, most annoyingly her weight, which is described as a "leviathon" 170 pounds (yeah, right -- the woman is about to deliver!), and her struggles with being a stay at home Mom. She manages to insult both stay at home moms and working Moms while she's at it, which is quite a trick. And if this isn't bad enough, she is a primer for bad parenting. (My personal favorite parenting moment was when she tried to "persuade" her toddler that she wanted a big girl bed. Anyone who has ever had a toddler knows that way lies madness.)
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Summary: Juliet is Adorable!
Review: By now you've read the synopsis of the book, so I'm telling you my impressions here... The character of Juliet Applebaum is simply adorable. Bless her, she's pregnant (hugely so) and raising a Princess of the Universe (daughter Ruby) who is all of 2 imperious years old. Juliet is suffering some from feeling unfulfilled by electing to becoming a stay-at-home mom, something one rarely hears in real life or light fiction. Bravo, Ayelet, for telling a truth! This was a fun, paperback purchase for me but I've found that I like the family so much I'll have to have The Big Nap in hardback - I can't wait for it to be PB!
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Summary: Lots of fun!
Review: Cute mystery featuring Juliet Applebaum, a public defender turned stay-at-home mom. When her young daughter's application to a famous preschool is rejected, Juliet isn't too surprised. When she turns on her TV that night only to discover the school's principal has been killed, however, she is not only shocked, but completely suspicious. Soon she finds herself investigating a few clues, against the advice of all who know her. The clues lead her to a seedy, sleazy Internet newsgroup where she eventually gets herself in deeper than she'd planned to go. Now the suspects are piling up (an angry man whose daughter was also denied entrance to the school? the principal's husband?) and when the cops start to take Juliet seriously, she begins to think she's really onto something. But is she? And, if so, how much risk is this pregnant mom going to take on in pursuit of justice? Waldman is the wife of Michael Chabon, one of my favorite authors, and while her novel isn't "literture" as her husband's often are, this was a book I drank down in one afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed. Am looking forward to Waldman's next Juliet Applebaum mystery, too. Recommended!
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Summary: Nursery Crimes
Review: Excellent book!!!! Kept me on the edge of my seat. I didn't want to put it down.
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Summary: 5 star review from Timeless Tales!
Review: from reviewer J.P. SydneyJuliet Applebaum isn't cut out to be a working mom, but she isn't cut out to be a stay-at-home mom either. A former public defender, Juliet can't step away when she's thrust into the middle of a murder mystery. All Juliet had wanted was for her two-year-old daughter, Ruby, to get into the prestigious Heart's Song School in Los Angeles. The initial meeting and interview don't go over well and they aren't offered the application for enrollment. Taking it in stride, Juliet and her husband, Peter, a screenwriter, begin to leave. But another man becomes violent with Principal Abigail Hathaway, demanding an application. Peter gets between the man and the principal and everyone leaves. Juliet would never have given any of this a second thought if later that night she hadn't heard of Abigail's untimely death by a hit and run driver. Juliet can't get the violent encounter out of her mind, and involves herself in the police investigation. Using her connections at the Public Defenders office and some unique sleuthing skills (taking her daughter to a park near one of the suspect's homes so she could question the nanny), Juliet delves deeper into the background of both the victim and every suspect. But what starts out looking like a simple rage killing becomes more complex as Juliet learns more about the victim and the secrets she'd been hiding. Ms. Waldman is very much like her character Juliet--a former public defender who is now a stay at home mom. I'm thankful for the transition because Ms. Waldman does a phenomenal job creating a fun, fast-paced mystery that I read in one sitting. Although Nursery Crimes is Ms. Waldman's first book, she's already found her voice. Smart, witty, and entertaining, she had me hooked from the very first page. Both Ms. Waldman and her heroine are women to be respected and admired for their accomplishments, and I can't wait to spend more time with Juliet in her further adventures.
Rating: 
Summary: entertaining
Review: I enjoyed the book. I agree the ending was very obvious, and I was a little impatient with Juliet for not figuring it out sooner, but all in all an enjoyable little book.
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Summary: The term "working mother" is redundant
Review: I hate it when at-home moms get asked the question, "Do you work?" Heck yes! Juliet Applebaum, the heroine of this wonderful series, can add another dimension to her answer ... she's also an (unofficial) private investigator. In this story, Juliet becomes suspicious when the principal of an elitist L.A. nursery school is mowed down in a "hit and run." Braving berserk studio executives, internet intrigue, doubting friends and skeptical L.A. cops (who think stay-at-home moms suffer from a dubious intellect), Juliet solves the crime. What makes this book so delicious is Juliet's sense of humor and honesty. She freely admits that her daughter can be pretty darn annoying and that she is ambivalent, even resentful, about leaving her job as a Harvard-trained lawyer to stay at home with her pre-schooler and soon-to-be born son. She acknowledges the joys of marriage and motherhood, too, but her free and funny expression of competing thoughts is refreshing. The other characters are also very realistic and fascinating (including a Hollywood A-list best friend who has her own motive for undermining Juliet's investigation). L.A. with its celebrity-worshipping/back-stabbing milieu is a riveting backdrop, almost a character in itself. The story is fast-paced and doesn't lag for a moment. Although I solved the mystery about a chapter before Juliet did (and I'm no sleuth), I still found the book very much worth reading. Juliet is an immensely likable character and I found myself wishing she were real because I know I would enjoy her company. An interesting literary aside: Ayelet Waldman, the author, is married to Michael Chabon, famed author of Wonder Boys, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, and others.
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Summary: Looking forward to the next in this excellent series
Review: I hate it when moms get asked the question, "Do you work?" Heck yes! Juliet Applebaum, the heroine of this wonderful series, can add another dimension to her answer ... she's also an (unofficial) private investigator. In this story, Juliet becomes suspicious when the principal of an elitist L.A. nursery school is mowed down in a "hit and run." Braving berserk studio executives, internet intrigue, doubting friends, skeptical L.A. cops (who think stay-at-home moms suffer from a dubious intellect), Juliet solves the crime. What makes this book so delicious is Juliet's sense of humor and honesty. She freely admits that her daughter can be darn annoying and that she is ambivalent, even resentful, of leaving her job as a Harvard-trained public defender to stay at home with her pre-schooler and soon-to-be born son. She acknowledges the joys of marriage and motherhood, too, but her free and funny expression of competing thoughts is refreshing. The other characters are also very realistic and fascinating (including a Hollywood A-list best friend who has her own motive for undermining Juliet's investigation.) L.A. with its celebrity-worshipping milieu serves as a riveting backdrop for the action.
Although I solved the mystery about a chapter before Juliet did (and I'm no sleuth), I still found the book very much worth reading. Juliet is an immensely likable character and I found myself wishing she were real because I know I would enjoy her company. An interesting literary aside: Ayelet Waldman, the author, is married to Michael Chabon, acclaimed author of Wonder Boys and The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.
Rating:
Summary: We Want More!! We Want More!!
Review: I have gobbled up both Nursery Crimes and The Big Nap numerous times. Ms. Waldman has an unbelievable gift at hitting at the core of motherhood! I still laugh at loud at some of her descriptions. In addition to the witty humor, there is the added benefit of a real mystery. I cannot think of any books that I have read that have had this perfect mixture of humor and intelligent suspese. Thank you Ms. Waldman. I am anxiously awaiting the next book!
Rating:
Summary: A lightweight but fun read
Review: I read this book practically in one sitting (on two legs of a plane flight) and I have to admit enjoying it. However, I was somewhat appalled at Juliet for two reasons. One, a pregnant woman does not have to be a slob, and she definitely was. Two, her daughter, although bright and creative, is a brat. I know this because she reminds me a great deal of my 6 1/2 year old granddaughter. If you can't control a child when she's two, you can't control her at six or at sixteen. Some discipline is sadly overdue here, but it's not too late at this point. And dear Peter is an enabler. The whole family needs to get its act together quickly while Isaac (I can't possibly imagine allowing a 2 year old to choose her sibling's name--what were they thinking?) is young enough to be controllable. However, I enjoyed the book and I do intend to purchase her new novel.
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