Name: Look How Happy I'm Making You
ISBN: 9780525563730

Polly Rosenwaike

In this collection of short stories, the women want to be mothers... or aren't sure they want to be mothers. Or, having recently given birth, are overwhelmed by what they've wrought. In expanding the conversation about what having a baby looks like, Rosenwaike offers an honest portrayal of pregnancy and new motherhood in a culture obsessed with women's most intimate choices. -- adapted from jacket

Stories

Look How Happy I'm Making You

"A beautifully written and beautifully conceived series of stories about, well, conception...Among the thousands of books for prospective and new parents, I doubt any will make you feel more understood and less alone than this one."--ANTHONY DOERR, author of ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE A candid, ultimately buoyant debut story collection about the realities of the "baby years," whether you're having one or not The women in Polly Rosenwaike's Look How Happy I'm Making You want to be mothers, or aren't sure they want to be mothers, or--having recently given birth--are overwhelmed by what they've wrought. Sharp and unsettling, wry and moving in its depiction of love, friendship, and family, this collection expands the conversation about what having a baby looks like. One woman struggling with infertility deals with the news that her sister is pregnant. Another woman nervous about her biological clock "forgets" to take her birth control while dating a younger man and must confront the possibility of becoming a single parent. Four motherless women who meet in a bar every Mother's Day contend with their losses and what it would mean to have a child. Witty, empathetic, and precisely observed, Look How Happy I'm Making You offers the rare, honest portrayal of pregnancy and new motherhood in a culture obsessed with women's most intimate choices.

Heather Margaret

So many moments in these stories that hit so hard as if they were plucked from my own head and heart.

Jennifer Dieter

3.5/5. I enjoyed this collection of short stories. The stories are tied together with themes around pregnancy, motherhood, and what it means to be a mother. I related to many of the women in Rosenwaike's stories even though I haven't given birth, and I liked her writing style and how it captured the inner thoughts of her characters and their interactions with the external world. "June" was probably my favorite story - I loved the relationship between Dina and Natalie. 

There wasn't a lot of diversity in the stories or experiences - most appeared to be middle class white women with hetero-normative narratives. I think the lack of diversity coupled with the tight theme made the stories seem repetitive, so I was glad it was on the shorter side (240 pages). These stories may not be for everyone, but I think the right audience will be enthralled with Rosenwaike's writing style and will relate to her characters and their experiences and struggles.

Anita

"Among the thousands of books for prospective and new parents, I doubt any will make you feel more understood and less alone than this one."—ANTHONY DOERR, author of ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE “Armed with wit, tenderness and candor, [Look How Happy I'm Making You] helps obliterate any taboos that may still exist surrounding the tribulations of women’s reproductive lives.”—PEOPLE MAGAZINE A candid, ultimately buoyant debut story collection about the realities of the "baby years," whether you're having one or not The women in Polly Rosenwaike's Look How Happy I'm Making You want to be mothers, or aren't sure they want to be mothers, or--having recently given birth--are overwhelmed by what they've wrought. Sharp and unsettling, wry and moving in its depiction of love, friendship, and family, this collection expands the conversation about what having a baby looks like. One woman struggling with infertility deals with the news that her sister is pregnant. Another woman nervous about her biological clock "forgets" to take her birth control while dating a younger man and must confront the possibility of becoming a single parent. Four motherless women who meet in a bar every Mother's Day contend with their losses and what it would mean to have a child. Witty, empathetic, and precisely observed, Look How Happy I'm Making You offers the rare, honest portrayal of pregnancy and new motherhood in a culture obsessed with women's most intimate choices.

Look How Happy I'm Making You Stories

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