Bed Rest.

Navigation: Main page

Author: Donohue, Nanette Wargo1

Bilston, Sarah.
Bed Rest.
HarperCollins. May 2006. c.224p.
ISBN 0-06-088993-4 [ISBN 978-0-06-088993-7]. $23.95. F

Twentysomething Quinn (nicknamed "Q") has a plan for her life, including having a baby before 30 and continuing her job as a New York City lawyer. When a routine ultrasound leads to a diagnosis of low amniotic fluid, Q is forced to spend the last three months of her pregnancy on bed rest. The adjustment is difficult--Q's life, formerly a flurry of activity, comes to a dramatic halt. Her husband is frequently absent (he's trying to become a partner at his law firm), and Q comes to rely on the kindness of casual acquaintances-turned-friends, who serve as her only window to the outside world. When her neighbor informs her that a real-estate developer plans to tear down the apartment building next door in order to construct expensive condominiums, Q reluctantly offers legal advice and finds herself drawn into the situation. Though the overall plot is somewhat light, readers may find first novelist Bilston's treatment of the issues facing dual-career couples who are starting a family thought-provoking. Recommended for public libraries.

~~~~~~~~

By Nanette Wargo Donohue, Champaign P.L., IL