AND GOD CREATED THE AU PAIR

Author: Benedicte Newland and Pascale Smets ISBN: 0452287286 5/2006 CHICK LIT Publisher: PLUME

When an "incredible night" means eight hours of unbroken sleep and a "great new look" means today there's no food on your dress, you know you have well and truly arrived in motherhood. Charlotte and Nell are sisters separated from each other by an ocean and from their sanity by their children. Nell is trying to adapt to life across the Atlantic while battling to keep up appearances with the Stepford wife next door, harboring murderous thoughts about the pet hampster, and gritting her teeth in the face of a succession of unwelcome guests. Charlotte lives in London with her own exuberant bunch, and is struggling with a fixer-upper that refuses to be fixed; a charming, lazy brother-in-law who refuses to move out; and neighbors convinced the end of civilization will be any day now. Through it all, both sisters are determined to remain the elegant, creative, and wonderful mothers they truly are....

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

This is a delightful read. Take two women, give them each three children and an array of off-the-wall friends and family, and the laughter can't be far behind. The mishaps in this book make me thankful for the seemingly mundane life I lead. It's quite lovely to compare your children to someone else's and find yours look like angels (even if the other children are fictional).

I found myself laughing at the only too-real scenarios these women seem to find themselves in. Though, they do seem to come across more trials than the average wife and mother. The writing is witty, lighthearted and all together funny. I found I rather liked the idea of reading the e-mail and letter responses back and forth between the sisters and their friends and family. I was a little worried about this approach in the beginning, but found it rather addictive (much like the guilty pleasure of overhearing a good conversation while waiting in line at the store).

I will say that I believe this style of writing is better suited to reading a few pages a day rather than reading it in one seating. However, any book that can simultaneously make me laugh and feel better about my own motherly struggles gets an A+ in my book.

Amanda Rutherford