The Seven Year Bitch by Jennifer Belle
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Genre: Fiction
This is not typically a book I would pick up on my own. Clever title, yes but it screamed a little too much chick lit for me and I don't read a lot of that. I'd much rather watch Sex and the City than read it, you know? With that said, however, I thought, perhaps, I could relate a tad to the story?
I have been married for seven years. I have a son. I go crazy from time to time.
Hmm...there could be something there.
Before I continue, here's a brief description from the TLC Book Tour website.
What’s a fabulously fun New York City girl to do when she finds herself in a matrimonial rut — disillusioned, sex life with her husband on the wane, and quickly turning into a big-time nag? No, she hasn’t gotten the seven-year itch — taking care of the kids and her husband and rarely feeling that her needs come first has turned her into a seven-year bitch.
That’s New York author Jennifer Belle’s deliciously provocative phrase for the boredom, anger, and hurt that can creep into even the best of marriages — and affect even the calmest of wives. In The Seven Year Bitch, Belle delivers a dead-on, raw, and hilarious account of motherhood and marriage, and discovers that the life you have is exactly the one you wanted.
Perfectly relatable stuff, yes. Obviously, I am not well to do, nor could I afford to live in NYC, or hire a nanny, so there are definitely a few things in this story that were a little over my head and a little over the top for me. But I could relate to the trials and tribulations of being married, trying to juggle it all, being a SAHM and figuring out how to have a conversation with my husband and really any adult. I appreciate her very blunt honesty in these situations. She even did bizarre things that I have done and this is where it's going to get gross, people.
Your body is a strange thing after having a baby and suddenly out of nowhere you get your period, while at dinner, in public and it's not pretty. Your only hope? the size 4 diaper that still miraculously is in your purse. Yep, it happens in the book. And yep, it happened to me.
Those little funny moments I enjoyed.
But overall, it was so so.
Quite honestly, I didn't like the married couple. I thought both of them were extremely annoying in their own ways, even when I knew I would probably do or say the same things they would. Maybe it was a bit too honest and a little too close to comfort at times?!
Who knows.
It wraps up quite nicely in the end, no spoilers but overall, it was a bit too bleak for me and full of too much drama that at times live through in my days. To read it was not a retreat, sad to say :(
*Note. I love my husband. I do not wish to cheat on him nor do I want a divorce. :) And I love my son. Do I wish I had a full time nanny so I could go and laze about in the park in the sunshine? Yes, sometimes I do.
Rating: 4/6
I think it will appeal to readers of chick lit or lighter fare fiction. If you are married, you may find it funnier than I. If you are single, it might scare you away from marriage! HA! Just kidding.
Overall, I'm glad I read it but it's not a book I would highly recommend.
A bit too depressing at times :(
Book Club Pick?
No, not for me but it could certainly stir up LOTS of conversation with married people. Ups, downs, joys, concerns, struggles, etc.
Author Info:
Jennifer Belle burst onto the literary scene with her critically-acclaimed novel Going Down, which was translated into many languages and optioned for the screen, first by Madonna, for whom she wrote the screenplay, and currently by Das Films, and named Best Debut Novel by Entertainment Weekly. Her second equally-praised novel, the national bestseller High Maintenance, took on the cutthroat world of Manhattan real estate, and was also optioned for the screen, as was her third novel, the darkly comic Little Stalker. Belle’s essays and stories have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New York Observer, The Independent Magazine (London), Cosmopolitan, Ms., Harper’s Bazaar, and several anthologies. She lives in New York City and Olivebridge, New York with her husband and two sons.
Connect with Jennifer on her website, www.jenniferbelle.com, and on Facebook.
Thanks to TLC Book Tours for having me on this tour.
Here are the other stops.
Monday, June 6th: Laura’s Reviews
Wednesday, June 8th: Love to Read for Fun
Monday, June 13th: A Cozy Reader’s Corner
Wednesday, June 15th: Café of Dreams
Friday, June 17th: Life in Review
Monday, June 20th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Tuesday, June 28th: Unabridged Chick
Friday, July 1st: Well Read Wife
Tuesday, July 5th: Teresa’s Reading Corner
Thursday, July 7th: Colloquium
Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!
red headed book child
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4 comments:
This doesn't sound like one I would usually read either but I'm betting it was a fun and different type of book to read. Thanks for the honest review!
Hmmm... I've really been looking ford to reading this. It sounds funny but I could see where it might be too much after a while. I'm still going to read it though. Did you kow the author was at the book blogger dinner thing at BWA last year?
I don't read a lot of chick-lit either. This one seems like fun in parts, but mostly it doesn't look like a great book especially since you found the couple annoying.
The diaper thing happened to you?! Oh, that's horrible ... yet hilarious too. :)
I'm sorry this didn't turn out to be as good as you hoped. Thanks for being on the tour.
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