I Never Want To Have Children: Review of Babyville, by Jane Green

Jane Green is the author of Jemima J, Bookends, and The Other Woman.

So I picked up some chick literature. Sue me. After reading Jemima J, I decided to look at Jane Green’s other works. The King Library has a poor selection, and I ended up pulling Babyville from the shelf.
It tells the story of three different women going through three different phases of motherhood. I myself often find myself staring at little chubby babies and wondering if I will ever be a mother. At times, it’s a nice thought. But then I get realistic. Please, Lord. Don’t give me children.
But I digress.
The first character to who we are introduced is Julia. Julia has been with her boyfriend, Mark, for four years. Their relationship is starting to come apart, and Julia thinks that a baby will bring them back together. Hey, she’s thirty-something and not getting any younger. Problem is, Julia is having trouble conceiving. And she tries everything. Well, besides getting professional help. And I’m not just talking about a fertility expert. It starts to affect her personal life, and eventually she decides she needs a vacation.
I don’t know if it’s because of my personal morals or what, but I wasn’t too fond of this Julia. Maybe it’s because she was trying to have a child out of wedlock. Maybe it’s because she flirts with other guys even when her boyfriend is in the room. But maybe I just feel sorry for her. But eventually, she works things out.
Next we meet Maeve, who was actually introduced a little into Julia’s story. (All three of the women are connected and their stories overlap.) She’s a beautiful, successful businesswoman who doesn’t want children. Doesn’t even want a committed relationship. We get the feeling that she’s kind of a bitch. But really, it’s because she doesn’t have faith in relationships. Yeah. The whole “my parents divorced and I never want to go through the same pain as my mother did” bit. Anyway, Maeve turns into Julia’s “Revenge of the Evil Clone People” alien replacement thing. Seriously. She ends up with her job. And her best friend. And... well. I won’t give it away. It’s amusing but at the same, kind of freaky. Anyway, it happens that within a span of five minutes, Maeve manages to get herself pregnant with a child she doesn’t want. But the father wants the baby to be born. Thus, the dilemma.
Again, my morals prevent me from liking Maeve. I mean, she does whatever it takes to be at the top of the business, and she sleeps around. But she also has a happy ending. Jane Green really needs to try some dark humor.
Sam is the last woman we meet, though she is mentioned in Julia’s and Maeve’s stories. Sam is married and has just given birth to George. She loves her son, hates her life post-birthing. Really. She’s depressed. But then, she falls in love. With a man who is married and has a newborn of his own.
This woman is crazy. And unfaithful. This was, in my opinion, the worst part of the book. I struggled through this, hating Sam. She has a great husband who loves her and a beautiful son. Sure. He poops and cries and prevents her from having a normal social life. But still. She doesn’t have to go fawning over this man who she has no future with.
In the end, she gets what was coming to her.
Luckily, then ending tied it all up very nicely, making up for that horrible patch I went through with Sam. Jane Green is a great writer, her dialogue and point of view techniques being especially good. Not to mention her killer use of dramatic irony in this novel. I don’t highly recommend this book. Especially if you have strict morals. But if you get the chance, pick it up. And highly recommended for mothers-to-be going through difficult mood swings.