NEW RELEASE
Miss Conceived - Emma Hannigan (2010)
This tells the tale of three very different women on the rocky road to childbirth. Angie has just turned 40, is still single and wants a baby - but how is she supposed to have one without a partner? By going to drastic lengths to ensure she doesn't end up childless and alone, that's how. Serena is the personification of glamour and sophistication, with her perfect looks and her perfect life. Married to a dynamic businessman, all she needs is a baby to make her life complete. But when she finds herself struggling to conceive, a secret she's been hiding from everyone - even herself - comes to light and threatens to destroy her utopian world. Ruby is 16 and has her entire future ahead of her - but she hadn't envisaged falling pregnant and having a baby before her next birthday. Her shocked parents, who have put so much into Ruby's education and her privileged lifestyle, are determined that her pregnancy won't destroy the rest of her life. Determined to keep the impending birth a secret from their circle of "it" people, they conjure up a plan to save face. But has anyone asked Ruby what she wants? I bought this book because I enjoyed the author's style of writing in her previous book, Designer Genes, even though the cover of this book didn't appeal to me at all. A lot of recent women's fiction seems to have dealt with the issues of getting pregnant, being pregnant and life post-pregnancy, and I was initially concerned that there may be nothing new in this book - but I needn't have worried. Each of the three main characters won me over and drew me into their own unique tales. Serena may originally come across as a stereotypical trophy wife, but I felt we got to know her as a person throughout the book. It can be hard to make the reader like a character who comes across as a snob but Serena was more three-dimensional than your typical rich character who, from an outside perspective, seems to have a perfect life. You can't help but feel for Ruby and find yourself rooting for everything to work out for her, and the story of her and the father of the baby really pulled me in. As for Angie, she's the type of woman you can see yourself being friends with, and her predicament is one that many women can identify with. I actually enjoyed this book more than the author's first, which I find isn't always the case and is a sign of a really promising writer. I will definitely be buying Hannigan's next book. (SBB)
Emma Hannigan (Designer Genes) returns with her second novel, Miss Conceived, about three very different women on the rocky road to childbirth. The summary says: "Angie Breen's body clock is ticking so loudly she's certain passers-by must be able to hear it. Still single at 40 and beginning to despair, she goes to drastic lengths to ensure she won't end up childless and alone. Serena Doyle is the ultimate trophy wife. Married to a dynamic businessman, she is the epitome of glamour and sophistication. But Serena is harbouring a secret and her struggle to conceive blows the cover on an issue she's been hiding - even from herself. Ruby White is not yet 16 and a very precious only child. Her parents are in shock when she announces her pregnancy. Determined to keep the impending baby a secret from their circle of privileged "it" people, they conjure up a plan to save face." Miss Conceived is out in June.