Dating Big Bird: A Novel

Only read this book if you are single and consider having babies to be the meaning of life. The books protagonist is completely obsessed with having a baby, with or without a man, and the entire book focuses on her baby obsession. Her view is that nothing else in life is more important than having a baby and that its not worth waiting for the right man to have a baby with. To enjoy this book you would have to buy into the philosophy that a baby is panacea for a disappointing career and bad relationships with men. This fueled an anti-baby obsession in me, the whole time I was reading the book I was thinking, there is so much more to life than having babies... Laura Zigmans first book, Animal Husbandry, was excellent and remains a favorite for its dry humor and applicability to single life.

This novel strived for a deep message but seemed to miss the mark, at least to me. I would suppose that it could be considered empowering, in a sense, but it had the same Hollywood fairytale ending they all do. It was a decent book, and I finished it in one night. I have nothing really bad to say about it, but its certainly not thought provoking literature or worthy of excessive praise. If you need a little escapism fluff to read on the beach or while waiting at the docs office, here it is.

While this book is a quick read and can keep you somewhat entertained, its rather simplistic. I saw the movie Someone Like You, based on Zigmans first novel, Animal Husbandry and was glad I didnt read the book. I wasnt really impressed with the characters or the storyline. And Im not very impressed by the characters or the storyline in this new novel either. You may think its because of my male perspective, but I love romantic comedies. These, I dont. I can see Ashley Judd narrating this current story just like the previous one. And it doesnt make it any better. Anyway, this is a good read for you if you like simplism. And if you like that I just made up my own word (simplism) then youll love that Zigmans main character creates her own mind-numbing word, too. Just like creating a theory in Animal Husbandry. One more criticism before I go: the author spoonfeeds the readers with details that arent necessary and implied. For example, when the main characters boyfriend says something, we dont need an explanation of why he said it. We know why. Were familiar with his background. We get it. Just move on with the story. Sorry to be so negative. Its a great story if you dont care about what you read and dont have a lot of time to concentrate. Its quick and simple. Although so is microwaving meat, but you wouldnt pick that over a charbroiled steak, would you? :)

Wonderfully written, I completely connected to the main character- she was so real and relatable.

Let me first qualify my review by saying that I am a 23 year old woman who is nowhere close to having a serious relationship, or wanting to have a baby. Perhaps if I was in a situation closer to the main characters I could have identified with her, and thus would have enjoyed the book a little more. That being said, I enjoyed the reunion with a girl from high school (although I had a hard time believing that their relationship was based solely on their mutual desire to have a baby and their poor relationships). The cast of characters and the antics at her work were enjoyable. Also I could not help but feel sorry for the relationship she has with Malcolm, her boyfriend. I was disappointed with the end of the book, in part, because it was no suprise and I had a hard time believing what happened with Malcolm.

This book gives one of the most realistic views into the mind and heart of a thirtysomething professional woman Ive read in a long time. Ellen faces the sometimes harsh, sometimes bittersweet situations that a single woman whose friends are mostly married and have or are going to have children in a way that I find very realistic. Sometimes youre jealous because your life hasnt seemed to work out in the same way, sometimes youre happy for your friends because theyve achieved what makes them happy, and theres everything in between. This book did a good job of capturing the whole spectrum of emotions that can arise. In the end, this book was a good reminder to me that life takes equal parts of pursuing what you want and being patient for things to come out as they are meant to.

Light, fast, fun read with no major trauma. A nice respite from heavier-duty reading. Decent writing and an amusing story, albeit with a predictable ending.

I cant say I was entirely shocked by some of the behavior recounted in this one. Rumors have been flying around for years of what was going down on that Childrens Television Workshop soundstage. Culled entirely from hypnosis confessions, several of Big Birds victims come forward and tell of their experiences at the hands of this madman. At this point, were all familiar with BBs quirks. Shame, lawsuits, and disease just seem to follow this guy around. Im a little tired of it, and a lot of the material is old news. The more famous stories werent interesting anymore. After all, weve heard them a million times. Who wants to hear again about Grover and that mule? Or how our protagonist got the nickname Birdy Sanchez? The really telling stories were of the lesser known episodes in BBs life. I, for one, didnt know he grew up in a jail brothel or that he lost his virginity to Marth Raye. (yes, he said he often called her The Big Mouth during) That lady was the Wynona Ryder of her day. Not many got away from her. (Hugh Downs and one other) I bet ole Martha Raye would put a hurtin on Bright Eyes. Shed tear that Kansan a new one alright! I felt a little sorry for the young ladies (and gentlemen) as they told of their hotel experiences with Bird. I have to admit though, I couldnt help but chuckle when Dottie M. said she actually fell for it when asked upstairs to see his Yella Fella!! I mean, jeezey pete, thats the oldest puppeteer trick in the book.

Dating Big Bird was a quick and pleasant read. Thats it. I would advise against treating the book like a how-to manual aimed at single motherhood. Its not particularly believable, nor did I relate to Ellen, the protagonist, except in the most general I want to have a baby someday and boy wont it look cute dressed up in little big people clothes sort of way. I can understand the consternation a single mother might feel upon reading the book, as its not a realistic depiction of single motherhood. Having said that, however, I still enjoyed the book. As Animal Husbandry, which was great, this is a humorous novel full of fun characters and quick plot and dialogue. My recommendation for Dating Big Bird, as for many of the other books I review, is to not take it so seriously. It seems, oftentimes, that people expect much more from a book than what the author might have intended to provide. So read Dating Big Bird, laugh and enjoy, but dont expect philosophical musings on the meaning of life.

tho im only 19, i feel weary and cynical about the state of things, and i can understand ellens need to have a child so much she wont mind having one by an unknown sperm donor. big bird would make a really good father, like ellen said, but that does not exist in real life...sigh!