From Here to Maternity

Publishers Weekly

Boston Herald columnist Teitell gives her unvarnished view of life as a new mom in this latest in a spate of "tell it like it is" motherhood memoirs. Like its predecessors, Teitell's memoir is a mom-centric comedy beginning with pregnancy and ending with the revelation that she really is a good parent. Her observations walk the fine line between comic and horrifying, as when she describes a friend as "one who might go with the less expensive softer mattress-the increased risk of SIDS be damned-if it meant she could still go to the expensive highlights place." Teitell's insistence that nannies "have become cappuccinoed, which is to say anyone can have one," is a little off-putting, although her riff on her subterfuge to hire one is amusing. Teitell occasionally comes across as self-indulgent, but for the most part, her observations are on the mark. Her account of "mommy dating"-that treacherous world of finding a mom and toddler both you and your child like for play dates-is so eerily and wonderfully accurate it'll have moms cringing. In fact, anyone who's ever felt insufficient as a parent at one time or another will empathize with Teitell. Moms, especially those dealing with toddlers, will certainly find glimpses of themselves. Agent, Brettne Bloom at Kneerim & Williams. (Apr.) Forecast: Broadway touted Teitell at a lunch this fall, so expect to see coverage in women's and parenting magazines, which could spur Mother's Day sales. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

This book reads like a heartfelt journal of how a mother of two young children manages to work "9 to 5 (and 5 to 9)." The Boston Herald lifestyle columnist and a regular contributor to the NPR program Marketplace, Teitell says this is the story of her afterlife-life after birth, that is-from the perspective of a "single career woman remotely observing all the baby madness, and by the mother hunting for a summer art class for her two little darlings." Inundated with societal pressures about everything from breastfeeding to toddler television, she's not afraid to admit not knowing the words to common nursery rhymes. What is so refreshing is that Teitell remains authentic in her mothering, doing what needs to be done to get her kids through the day, hour, and minute. Any new mother will appreciate this frank and humorous look at parenthood in the 21st century. Similar to Andrea Buchanan's Mother Shock in its down-to-earth look at motherhood, this is recommended for public libraries.-Kari Ramstrom, MLIS, Plymouth, MN Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.